“Marc felt this imposition of having to come up with another hit album. And fame fuelled that fire”: how Marc Bolan and T. Rex made a glam rock masterpiece with The Slider

Mickey Finn and Marc Bolan of T. Rex in 1972.

Alongside David Bowie, T.Rex were the trailblazers for the glam rock movement that dominated the UK for a few years in their early 70s. The duo of frontman Marc Bolan and percussionist Mickey Finn, had already hit big with 1971’s Electric Warrior album, but suddenly the heart was on to deliver a successful follow-up. With Bolan anxious and drinking heavily, the band hit the studio to record the album that would become 1972’s The Slider, a record that would inspire everyone from Guns N Roses to U2…