If you’re scrambling for a last-minute holiday gift for the music lover in your life, relax, What’s Going On has got you covered! The Rhino Hi-Fi series has got two new additions with T. Rex’s Electric Warrior and Devo’s Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. Both titles arrive as premium, uncompromising reissues. Taken directly from the original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray, pressed on 180-gram black vinyl at Optimal in Germany, and limited to just 5,000 individually numbered copies, these editions are built for serious audiophiles. They’re available exclusively via Rhino.com and select Warner Music Group stores worldwide. The limited number of copies makes this the kind of gift that feels personal, intentional, and a little hard to get. Basically, you’ll get all the brownie points.
Originally released in 1971, Electric Warrior captures Marc Bolan at the exact moment glam rock ignited. Working with super producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie, Sparks), T. Rex shed their folk mysticism for a sexier swaggering sound that mixed dirty grooves with pop instinct. “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” and “Jeepster” didn’t just top charts; they changed how rock looked and sounded; lipstick, riffs, and all. Visconti’s new liner notes add warmth and perspective, recalling how sessions moved from London to L.A. and finally New York, where the band cut multiple tracks in a single day. The joy is audible, and on this pressing, the album breathes with fresh immediacy. As an added special treat, there’s also newly reissued 7-inch singles of T.Rex hits “Hot Love” and “Bang A Gong (Get It On).”
If Electric Warrior is rock at its most glamorous, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is rock at its most confrontational. Recorded in Germany with Brian Eno and released in 1978, Devo’s debut introduced the band’s theory of de-evolution with stiff rhythms, jagged guitars, and deadpan vocals that immediately set the new wave band from Akron, Ohio apart from anything else happening in the US. Songs like “Uncontrollable Urge,” “Jocko Homo,” and their robotic take on the Stones’ classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” still feel unsettling, and that’s the point. Gerald Casale’s liner notes revisit the creative tension with Eno, noting how their clashes ultimately forged an album that refuses to age. It doesn’t sound punk, new wave, or retro. It just sounds like Devo. Sidenote: stay tuned to What’s Going On for a review of Devo’s Netflix documentary.
Rhino High Fidelity’s mission is simple and admirable, honouring classic albums with the sound quality and packaging they deserve. And they are doing exactly that! This holiday, these two reissues aren’t just records; they’re statements. Perfect for longtime fans of both bands, new converts, and anyone who believes great rock should feel as good as it sounds when you drop the needle. So perfect that I might just get the Electric Warrior reissue for my dad, seeing as he introduced me to T. Rex’s music when I was growing up. It’s okay, he’s not reading this. He won’t know.
You can get T. Rex’s Electric Warrior and Devo’s Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! exclusively at Rhino.com.
