Solid Gold Easy Action

Kerrang! magazine founder Geoff Barton, wrote in an article for Classic Rock magazine that the first two lines of the song, "Life is the same and it always will be / Easy as picking foxes from a tree", appeared to predict Marc Bolan's own death in 1977. The number plate of the car Bolan was in during the fatal collision with a tree was FOX 661L. This is one of many supposed 'prophesies' surrounding Marc Bolan's death.

A working version of the song known as "Fast Blues Easy Action" was recorded on 2 August 1972, with the final take put down at Strawberry Studios, Chateau d'Herouville in France between 21-25 October. A special mix of the recording was used for the group's appearance on Top of the Pops, with Bolan writing "for show only-live vocal-girl low low strings-please track loud" on the tape box. "Solid Gold Easy Action" was the first T. Rex single since "Ride A White Swan" not to feature Flo & Eddie on backing vocals, with two female vocalists named Sue and Sunny used instead. This, plus the ultrafast tempo of the song, were noted by Bolan in a contemporary interview as attempts to disrupt the normal T. Rex formula.

Like the previous single "Children of the Revolution", "Solid Gold Easy Action" stalled at number 2 on the UK chart as Bolan's popularity began to show the first signs of a mild slip. It was also less well received critically, with Danny Holloway of NME noting that the "main riff violates the speed limit" but otherwise "consists of cliches reworked to sound their own". Peter Jones of Record Mirror wrote that the song had a "shoulder shrugging approach which is a bit boring" yet conceded that "Marc has a dead-centre knack of knowing what is commercial..."{{cite book |last=McLenahan |first=Cliff|title=Marc Bolan: 1947-1977 A Chronology|year=2019 |publisher=Helter Skelter Books}}

• The song was covered by Department S, with backing vocals provided by Thunderthighs as the B-side to the original Demon (D 1003) issue of the "Is Vic There?" single in 1980. Bananarama originally recorded the backing vocals but these were replaced by Thunderthighs on the released version.
• It was covered by The Fratellis in 2007 for the soundtrack of the film Hot Fuzz.
• Kim Wilde performed the song live during the second leg of her Perfect Girl tour in November 2007.
• In 2015, the song was used in an Asda advert in the UK.
• A portion of the song was featured in the third episode of The Good Guys.
• The song was also included in the movie The Dirt, based on the life and career of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.
• Two lines from the song are included at the end of "Top Twenty" by The Undertones.

1. "Solid Gold Easy Action" - {{duration|m=2|s=14}}
2. "Born to Boogie" - {{duration|m=2|s=4}}

There is a 12-second un-credited spoken intro on the b-side, titled "Xmas Message", which was later called "Xmas Riff" when it was included in the Rhino Singles compilation.

• Marc Bolan – lead vocals, guitar
• Mickey Finn – congas,
• Steve Currie – bass guitar
• Bill Legend – drums
• Sue and Sunny – backing vocals
• Tony Visconti – producer, string arrangement, backing vocals

• Bolan's Rock Shrine

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Citation

| last1 = Barton

| first1 = Geoff

| author-link = Geoff Barton

| title = 1977: Did Marc Bolan predict his own death?

| publisher = Classic Rock

| date = 2012-06-22

| url = http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/features/1977-did-marc-bolan-predict-his-own-death/5/

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120625015128/http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/features/1977-did-marc-bolan-predict-his-own-death/5

| archive-date = 2012-06-25

| access-date = 2013-05-30}}

{{Citation

| last1 = Gallucci

| first1 = Michael

| title = Marc Bolan – Famous Musicians Who Correctly Predicted Their Own Death

| publisher = Ultimate Classic Rock

| date = 2013-01-29

| url = http://ultimateclassicrock.com/marc-bolan-musicians-predicted-their-deaths/

| access-date = 2014-08-30}}

{{Citation

| last1 = Rice

| first1 = Tim

| author-link = Tim Rice

| last2 = Roberts

| first2 = David

| title = Guinness Book of British Hit Singles

| publisher = Guinness World Records

| year = 2001

| page = 435

| isbn = 0-85112-156-X}}

{{Citation

| title = Bananarama Aie A Mwana

| publisher = Bananarama UK

| url = http://www.bananaramauk.com/mainsite/html/discography/singles/aieamwana/aam_bio.html

| access-date = 2011-01-14

| url-status = dead

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110707210240/http://www.bananaramauk.com/mainsite/html/discography/singles/aieamwana/aam_bio.html

| archive-date = 2011-07-07

| df = dmy-all}}

{{AllMusic

| first = Heather

| last = Phares

| class = album

| id = r1067299

| tab = review

| label = Hot Fuzz – Cherry Tree}}

{{Citation

| title = Solid Gold Easy Action

| publisher = Wilde Life

| url = http://www.wilde-life.com/encyclopedia/solid-gold-easy-action

| access-date = 2011-01-14}}

{{cite web

| url = http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1973/19730331.html

| title = Solid gold easy action in Australian Chart

| publisher = Poparchives.com.au

| access-date = 2013-07-18}}

{{cite web

| url = http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_T.php

| title = Solid gold easy action in French Chart

| publisher = Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc

| date = 2013-07-18

| language = French

| access-date = 2013-07-18

| url-status = dead

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20050319102749/http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_T.php

| archive-date = 19 March 2005

| df = dmy-all}} Select "T. Rex" from the artist drop-down menu

{{cite web

| url = http://www.spiritmusicgroup.com/about/spirit-global

| title = Spirit Global

| publisher = Spirit Music Group

| access-date = 2015-01-18

| url-status = dead

| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150206083712/http://spiritmusicgroup.com/about/spirit-global

| archive-date = 2015-02-06

| df = dmy-all}}

{{Citation

| last1 = Lifton

| first1 = Dave

| last2 = Wilkening

| first2 = Matthew

| title = The Stories Behind the Non-Motley Crue Songs in 'The Dirt'

| publisher = Ultimate Classic Rock

| date = 2012-06-22

| url = https://ultimateclassicrock.com/motley-crue-the-dirt-movie-music/

| access-date = 2019-04-03}}

{{cite web

| title = The T-Rex Wax Co. Singles A's And B's 1972-77 sleeve notes

| publisher = Rhino Records

| url = https://www.discogs.com/T-Rex-The-T-Rex-Wax-Co-Singles-As-And-Bs-1972-77/master/416045

| quote = Always previously described as "Xmas Message", we've recently discovered (on a handwritten white label demo) that Bolan referred to this short, seasonal spoken-word piece as "Xmas Riff". So that's what this super funk message to his fans now becomes.}}

{{cite web

| first = Jon

| last = Kutner

| title = SINGLE OF THE WEEK - Is Vic There? (Department S)

| date = 2016-06-26

| website = Jonkutner.com

| url = https://www.jonkutner.com/vic-department-s/

| access-date = 2021-09-19}}

{{cite book

| first1 = Nathan

| last1 = Brackett

| first2 = Christian

| last2 = Hoard

| title = The New Rolling Stone Album Guide

| publisher = Simon & Schuster

| edition = 4th

| year = 2004

| page = [https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/822 822]

| quote = (Bolan) started writing manic chant-along glam-rock hits such as "Metal Guru," "20th Century Boy," "Solid Gold Easy Action," and "Children of the Revolution."

| url-access = registration

| url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac

| isbn = 978-0-7432-0169-8

}}

}}

• {{AllMusic|class=song|id=t359953|label=Solid Gold Easy Action}}
• {{Discogs master|110714|Solid Gold Easy Action|type=single}}
• {{ASIN|B000X12KZO|title=Solid Gold Easy Action}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121004192150/http://lyrics.wikia.com/Gracenote:T.Rex:Solid_Gold_Easy_Action Lyrics] at LyricWiki

{{Authority control}}

Category:1972 singles

Category:T. Rex (band) songs

Category:Songs written by Marc Bolan

Category:Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti