Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages
1968 studio album by Tyrannosaurus Rex
Studio album by
14 October 1968 (1968-10-14)
April–August 1968
Trident, London
Psychedelic folk
Regal Zonophone
Tyrannosaurus Rex chronology
My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows
(1968) Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages
(1968) Unicorn
Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages is the second studio album by English psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex (later known as T. Rex). It was released on 14 October 1968 by record label Regal Zonophone.
1 Recording
3 Release
4 Reception and legacy
5 Track listing
Recording[edit]
Prophets, Seers & Sages was recorded from April to August 1968 at Trident Studios in London, England and was produced by Tony Visconti.
Music[edit]
Prophets, Seers & Sages featured Marc Bolan on vocals and guitar and Steve Peregrin Took on bongos, African drums, kazoo, pixiephone and Chinese gong.
The album opened with a revisiting of Tyrannosaurus Rex's first single "Debora", altered by a reversed-tape effect, as indicated by its new title "Deboraarobed".
Release[edit]
Prophets, Seers & Sages was released on 14 October 1968 by record label Regal Zonophone, but failed to chart upon first release.[1]
The album was released in both mono and stereo editions; on the labels, "Oh Harley (the Saltimbanques)" was spelled "O Harley (the Saltimbanques)".[2]
The album was paired with the first Tyrannosaurus Rex album, My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows (1968), and re-released by Fly Records as a double album on 14 April 1972, following the success of the T. Rex albums Electric Warrior (1971) and The Slider (1972). This re-released edition of the album reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart.[1] This double LP set was released in the United States on A&M Records titled Tyrannosaurus Rex: A Beginning, and was the first time the albums were available there.
Reception and legacy[edit]
Professional ratings
Tiny Mix Tapes favourable[4]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic wrote that "the album delivered some of Marc Bolan's most resonant songs". "The already classic pop of the opening "Deboraarobed" is further dignified by its segue into the same performance played backwards, a fairly groundbreaking move at a time when even the Beatles were still burying such experiments deep in the mix". The reviewer concluded saying, "Bolan simply made one up, and in the process created a whole new language -- half nonsense, half mystery, but wholly intoxicating.[3] Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that it was a psychedelic folk album with "intense bongo action" and "strong backing vocals" . The reviewer added that "Prophets, remains a timeless album for everyone" and its original arrangements ensured it "a long life for many generations to come".[4]
"Debora", the original recording of "Deboraarobed", features in Edgar Wright's 2017 film Baby Driver.
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Marc Bolan.
"Deboraarobed" 3:33
"Stacey Grove" 1:59
"Wind Quartets" 2:57
"Conesuala" 2:25
"Trelawny Lawn" 1:46
"Aznageel the Mage" 1:59
"The Friends" 1:19
"Salamanda Palaganda" 2:15
"Our Wonderful Brownskin Man" 0:51
"Oh Harley (The Saltimbanques)" 2:19
"Eastern Spell" 1:41
"The Travelling Tragition" 1:48
"Juniper Suction" 1:13
"Scenescof Dynasty" 4:07
^ a b "T. Rex | Artist Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
^ "Tyrannosaurus Rex - Prophets, Seers & Sages The Angels Of The Ages". Discogs. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
^ a b Thompson, Dave. "Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages – Tyrannosaurus Rex". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
^ a b "2007: DeLorean Discoveries | Staff Feature | Tiny Mix Tapes". Tiny Mix Tapes. December 2007. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages at Discogs (list of releases)
Steve Currie
Bill Legend
Steve Peregrin Took
Gloria Jones
Paul Fenton
Davy Lutton
Dino Dines
Miller Anderson
Herbie Flowers
Tony Newman
As Tyrannosaurus Rex
A Beard of Stars
As T. Rex
The Slider
Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow (as Marc Bolan & T. Rex)
Bolan's Zip Gun
Futuristic Dragon
Dandy in the Underworld
Posthumous albums
You Scare Me to Death (as Marc Bolan)
Billy Super Duper
Dance in the Midnight (as Marc Bolan)
Bolan Boogie
Born to Boogie
"Ride a White Swan"
"Hot Love"
"Get It On"
"Jeepster"
"Telegram Sam"
"Metal Guru"
"Children of the Revolution"
"Solid Gold Easy Action"
"20th Century Boy"
"The Groover"
"Truck On (Tyke)"
"Light of Love"
"Zip Gun Boogie"
"New York City"
"Dreamy Lady"
"London Boys"
"I Love to Boogie"
"Laser Love"
John's Children
Mickey Finn's T-Rex
MusicBrainz release group
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prophets,_Seers_%26_Sages:_The_Angels_of_the_Ages&oldid=1017217547"
T. Rex (band) albums
Albums produced by Tony Visconti
Regal Zonophone Records albums
Albums recorded at Trident Studios
EngvarB from June 2014
Album articles lacking alt text for covers
Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers