Dandy in the Underworld is the twelfth and final studio album by English glam rock act T. Rex. It was released on 11 March 1977 by record labelEMI. It reached No. 26 in the UK charts, the band's highest-charting album since 1974's Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow. The title track was released as a single but failed to chart, though "I Love to Boogie" and "The Soul of My Suit" achieved chart placings in the UK. After two commercially weak albums, Dandy in the Underworld was regarded by many T. Rex fans as a comeback for the band. However, it would prove to be the band's final album, as Marc Bolan died in a car crashin September 1977. The album was praised for the strength of the songwriting and Bolan's vocal performances. An album of unreleased tracks and alternate versions of songs from the sessions that produced the album was released in 2006 called "Final Cuts". Most of these tracks were recorded at AIR StudiosOxford Street, with the addition of four tracks recorded at Decibel Studios in Stamford Hill in April 1977 after the release of Dandy in the Underworld. Seven of the twelve songs on "Final Cuts" were not released during Bolan's lifetime. It includes an alternate cut of the final T.Rex single 'Celebrate Summer' as well as 'Mellow Love', 'Write Me A Song', 'Hot George', 'Shy Boy'.
Background and recording
At the time of the album's release, Marc Bolan and T. Rex were on a UK tour, supported by The Damned. The album and tour were notable for marking a return to form for the band. The sessions had started in May 1976 at Decibel Studios London, with the recording of "I Love To Boogie'", with Steve Currie, Davey Lutton and Dino Dines .Later recordings took place at MRI Studios, Los Angeles, United States and continued at Decibel Studios, AIR Studios and Trident Studios in London, England. The track "Visions of Domino" was a re-recording of an unreleased song, "Funky London Childhood" with completely rewritten lyrics.
Release
Dandy in the Underworld was released on 11 March 1977. It was launched at London's leading punk rock venue The Roxy. The title track was released as a single in a remixed and re-recorded version with the offending lyrics "Exalted companion of cocaine nights" being changed to "T. Rex nights". "Crimson Moon" was also released as a single the same year, as well as the non-album track "Celebrate Summer" in August. Dandy in the Underworld was remastered for CD by Edsel Records in 1994 as part of their extensive T. Rex reissue campaign. A number of bonus tracks were added. A companion release, entitled Prince of Players was released in 1998 and contained alternative versions and studio rough mixes of the main album and bonus tracks. A combined album digipak was released in 2002.
Reception
Dandy in the Underworld gathered the most consistently positive reviews for any T. Rex album in five years. Having fallen from critical and commercial favour, the band had endured some fiercely hostile press, but NME, which had been amongst the most negative, noted of the album: "very listenable, well arranged immaculately played."
