Marc (TV series)

Marc was a British television series presented by T. Rex's lead singer Marc Bolan. It was produced in Manchester by Granada Television for the ITV network.[1][2] A second series was planned but Bolan died before it could be produced.[3][4]

Marc
GenrePop music show
Directed byNicholas Ferguson
Presented byMarc Bolan
Theme music composerMarc Bolan
Opening theme"Sing Me a Song"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducerMuriel Young
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time25 minutes
Production companyGranada Television
Release
Original networkITV
Picture format4:3
Audio formatMonaural sound
Original release24 August (1977-08-24) –
28 September 1977 (1977-09-28)

Produced by Muriel Young and directed by Nicholas Ferguson, it ran for six weekly episodes in the autumn of 1977, before its host died in a car crash on 16 September that year. A pop music show with a very limited budget and markedly low production values, it gave Bolan a chance to showcase punk bands such as Generation X, the Jam, Radio Stars and Eddie and the Hot Rods. T. Rex lip synced at least three songs each week, with Bolan's guitar never appearing to be plugged in, a mixture of new versions of their old hits, and fresh tracks, while the guests were slotted in between. Not all were as notable as those listed above, though they also included Roger Taylor, drummer with the rock band Queen, in a rare solo TV appearance. They were also joined by a dance troupe called Heart Throb.

The last episode featured Bolan duetting "Sleeping Next To You" with his friend David Bowie. Before the song had reached its end, Bolan tripped over a microphone cable and fell off the stage.[5] Bowie is said to have called out "Could we have a wooden box for Marc [to stand on]?". Following the show Bolan and Bowie co-wrote and recorded a rough outline of a new song, 'Madman'. The new wave band Cuddly Toys found a bootleg tape and recorded it, which became a UK Indie Chart single and featured on their 'Guillotine Theatre' album.

The final show was recorded on 7 September 1977, but not broadcast until after Bolan's funeral on 20 September 1977, which was also attended by David Bowie and Rod Stewart, among others.

An edited highlights compilation featuring T. Rex performances only was released in the United Kingdom on DVD in 2005, while 2007 saw an uncut DVD release in Japan only.

Show details

Show 1 24 August 1977

  1. "Sing Me a Song" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  2. "All Around the World" – The Jam
  3. "I Love to Boogie" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  4. "Cool Wind From the North" – Stephanie de Sykes
  5. "No Russians In Russia" – Radio Stars
  6. "Heart Throb's Dance" (You Made Me Believe In Magic/ DCR)
  7. "Celebrate Summer" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  8. "You Got What It Takes" – Showaddywaddy
  9. "Jeepster" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex

Show 2 31 August 1977

  1. Show credits
  2. "Celebrate Summer" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  3. "Hearts Throb Dance" (Roots Rock & Desmond Dekker)
  4. "If I Can Just Through Tonight" – Alfalpha
  5. "You Made Me Believe In Magic" – Bay City Rollers
  6. "New York City" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  7. "Ride a White Swan" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  8. "Just a Little Tenderness" – Mud
  9. "People In Love" – 10cc
  10. "Endless Sleep" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex

Show 3 7 September 1977

  1. "Sing Me a Song" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  2. "Groove a Little" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  3. "Looking After Number One" – The Boomtown Rats
  4. "You're My Baby" – Jamie Wild
  5. "Let's Dance" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  6. "Hearts Throbs Dance (Celebrate Summer)" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  7. "Get Your Love Right" – Alan David
  8. "Quark Strangeness and Charm" – Hawkwind
  9. "Hot Love" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex

Show 4 14 September 1977

  1. Show credits
  2. "New York City" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  3. "Idolizer" – Denis Conly
  4. "Tulane" – Steve Gibbons Band
  5. "I Love to Boogie" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  6. "Endless Sleep" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  7. "Confessing" – Robin Askwith
  8. "I Wanna Testify" – Roger Taylor (Queen)
  9. "Dandy In the Underworld" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex

Show 5 21 September 1977

  1. "Sing Me a Song" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  2. "Sunshine of Your Love" – Rosetta Stone
  3. "Heart Throbs Dance" (Get On)
  4. "Bring Back the Love" – Blue
  5. "Celebrate Summer" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  6. "No Russians In Russia" – Radio Stars
  7. "Dancing In the Moonlight (It's Caught Me In Its Spotlight)" – Thin Lizzy
  8. "Get It On" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex

Show 6 28 September 1977

  1. Show credits
  2. "Deborah" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  3. "Your Generation" – Generation X
  4. "I'm a Fighter" – Lip Service
  5. "Heart Throb's Dance" – Ain't it Strange
  6. "Groove A Little" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  7. "Ride A White Swan" – Marc Bolan with T. Rex
  8. "Heart Throb's Dance (I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet)" – Gonzalez
  9. "Do Anything You Want to Do" – Eddie and the Hot Rods
  10. "Heroes" – David Bowie[6]
  11. Instrumental jam ("Sleeping Next To You") with David Bowie and Marc Bolan & T. Rex

References
  1. Thompson, Dave. Marc: Songs From The Granada TV Series at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 Feb 2016.
  2. Robb, John (17 July 2012). Punk Rock: An Oral History. PM Press. ISBN 978-1604860054. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  3. Sweeting, Adam (30 August 2007). "Marc Bolan: Why the prettiest star still shines". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  4. Heylin, Clinton (2000). The Da Capo Book of Rock & Roll Writing. Da Capo. ISBN 9780306809200. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  5. Trynka, Paul (18 July 2011). David Bowie: Starman. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0316032254. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  6. "Watch David Bowie perform 'Heroes' on Granada Television in 1977". ITV (TV network). 11 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
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