Opener "Tenement Lady" appears to be about a lady friend of T-Rex main-man Marc Bolan. Given the title of the song and the cheeky lyrics, it seems to be about a woman living in less than ideal conditions, but still has the ability to entertain and please various callers. Musically, the song is fairly interesting. Like many T-Rex songs, it features a healthy dose of what appears to be Mellotron (or a similar instrument). Bolan sounds great on the track, both in terms of his muscular voice and great guitar work. The closing section of the song is a sad, piano-ballad that uses many of the same lyrics from the first sections of the song. A cool song. Second is "Rapids". Very rootsy, the song instantly reminds of "Proud Mary" and other CCR tunes, with an obvious element of glam and flair.
"Mister Mister" is one of the poppier songs on the album. A very English-sounding piano tune that instantly reminds of the Fab Four. A little candy-coated for me, but by no means a bad song. "Broken Hearted Blues" is very reminiscent of Bolan's peer/rival, David Bowie. The production touches of famed Bowie producer Tony Visconti are especially apparent on this track. Mellotrons, a copious amount of horns, and gentle acoustics could also be found on countless Bowie albums. Pretty soft, but fans of Bowie might certainly find something to like here, just a youthful tale of heart-break and lost love.
"Shock Rock" seems to be written as some sort of homage to Alice Cooper and his then burgeoning movement. I like the main riff, very crunchy and bluesy. Vocally, Bolan even appears to imitate shock rocker Alice Cooper's trademark groan at one point. Far too short, but a great tune. "Country Honey" is an almost Zeppelin-esque folk rocker. Mellotrons swirl amidst a cacophony of guitars and groaning from Bolan, a wonderful noise. He sings of being swept away to far off locales by a woman, something I am sure that he did a lot of in his far too brief life.
The curiously titled "Electric Slim and the Factory Hen" is not as bizarre as it sounds. A nod to the band's psychedelic past, the song is very dreamy and trippy.The lyrics are pretty interpretive, and like many of the Bolan's songs, you might have multiple guesses about what the song could really be about. I love the bass work of the late Steve Currie. A good track, especially if you like the band's pre-1970 material."Mad Donna" is a great toe-tapper. The song is about changing a woman named Donna, into what is not clear. The song is pretty heavy, although a little repetitive in terms of the chorus being repeated ad nauseam. I like the backing vocals, one of T-Rex's characteristic touches.
"Born to Boogie" is another 1950's-style rocker. A groovy rockabilly feel permeates the song. A fairly traditional rock song, but certainly enjoyable enough. "Life is Strange" slows down the pace of the album. A fairly mellow acoustic rocker, it features nature samples and jangling guitars. A fairly hippie song, another nod to the band's late 1960's albums. "The Street and Babe Shadow" is an odd tune. Featuring warped Mellotron strings accompanied by crunchy guitars, the song has a weird vibe, even for T-Rex.
"Highway Knees" sounds very similar to the previous track. Wobbly Mellotron accompanies Bolan's vocals, lonely and desolate, begging for a woman to take him back. Most of the album starts to blend together at this point, very similar sounding to many other tracks on the album. The album closes with the doo-wop-like "Left Hand Luke and the Beggar Boys". A swirling slap of pop/glam, the song is very very Visconti. I like the over-the-top production, and fans of Tony Visconti's work will find plenty to like here.
"Tanx" is not a great album, but is it a decent addition to T-Rex's long discography. Fans of glam rock will surely find plenty to like here, but it does lack many heavy and hard rockin tunes compared to Electric Warrior and some later albums by the band.
Rating-7/10
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