I can recall the excitement I felt when this came out and became the ‘Power Play’ on Radio Luxembourg, which meant it was played EVERY HOUR.

I used to run back from wherever I was at boarding school and dive on to my bed to put my transister radio on under the pillow and hear it again and again and again. I couldn’t get enough of it. I still can’t.

 

Every single thing about this song thrills me: that grungey guitar riff, the drums, Bolan’s face distorted like a Bacon painting as he emits that animal howl at the beginning. The soothing echo of those backing vocals by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman aka Flo & Eddie (former members of The Turtles and the Mothers of Invention), whose voices were so much a part of the band’s signature sound during their heyday. And then, as it builds and builds and builds, Tony Visconti’s sublime string arrangement takes it to a higher plane. If that’s even possible.

 

More magnificent rhyming couplets from Marc’s book of doggerel: “Sitting there in your armour-plated chair”, “All alone without a telephone,” “I’ll be clean you know pollution machine” and the piece-de-résistance: “Metal Guru has it been / Just like a silver-studded sabre-tooth dream”. Insane. And insanely great.

 

I love what Marc said when someone stupidly asked him to “explain” the lyrics. Ever-obliging, he replied: “It’s a festival of life song. I relate ‘Metal Guru’ to all gods around. I believe in a God but I have no religion. With ‘Metal Guru’ it’s like someone special, it just be a godhead.

 

“I thought how God would be: he’d be all alone, without a telephone. I don’t answer the phone any more: I have codes where people ring me at certain times.”

 

It goes without saying that this went straight to No.1, giving them their fourth (and, criminally, final) chart topper. If I had my way it would still be No.1 today.