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PRECIOUS STAR
1974
It's strange to that as a concept people cite Zip Gun as been confused; yet certain tracks such as Precious Star have a simple direct message that means things could not be clearer
Like
a precious star
Ooh like a precious star you are *2
I wanna spend my life with you
Ooh like a precious star you are
And will you love me?
Like you said when you let me chance
Ooh like a precious star you are *2
Ooh
like the silver moon above
It's my night for love?
Ooh like the silver moon above
It's my night for love?
And will you love me?
Like you said when you me child
Ooh
like the precious star you are*2
I wanna to spend my life with you yeah
And will you love me?
Like you said when you me child
Ooh like the precious star you are*2
Yeah
Like a precious star, you are*3
And will you love me?
Like you said when you me child
Ooh like a precious star *2
Yeah
Ooh yeah
Like a precious star, you are
Repeat to fade.
These
lyrics probably differ from those from most versions you've seen.
With no lyric sheet available, and nothing ever taken from the masters
and
no one yet willing to do it, so it's sometimes down to guesswork and knowing
Marc's lyrical style. I can't claim to be correct and would never say
I was
always right. The accepted lore for instance and what would be logic is
that Marc sings 'Like you said when you met me child'. it could be that,
but
sometimes it sounds like 'When you let me chance." Who knows?
In truth
the song is perhaps an extension of an idea that went beyond its
natural limits.
Precious
Star is similar in make up to 'Token of My Love'. Though Precious
Star's qualities may be arguable, the lyrics at least are resolute and
clear.
'Like a precious star you are, I want to spend my life with you."
Such
a message would have been throwaway, had Bolan by the time of the songs
recording in 1974 not had only three years to live. It turns this lyric
into something more urgent and brushes it with a dab of poignancy.
Precious
Star is a typical Bolan idea, perhaps born out of loneliness and
soul searching but uttered with conviction. It's worth noting that even
from these lyrics, the colourful characters, the strange people around
Marc,
the surreal life had been brushed aside. How ironic then that those die
hard Bolan fans that expressed their everything for Marc, shuffled and
do
still shuffle most uncomfortably when he talks about himself, strips himself
bare and shows his pain. This pill may have been bitter to swallow for
his
fans, but it must have almost choked Marc.
Some
would say that the lyrics were childlike and contrived and in turn
meant the song was. Certainly there was some haphazard production on the
song. But this childlike bewilderment Marc displayed in his songs was
not
uncommon, even if often went against his hard-edged personality. It's
natural immaturity to get yourself into a mess and then when you're there
turn round and question how it happened. Marc was a master of this and
by
the songs recording there was allot of mess. Sometimes there it seemed
to
be as if there were two Marc Bolan's. The childlike Marc and the nasty
hard
edged Marc. Both vied for attention and in later years when referring
to
the madness of the early 1970's Bolan said about the hard-edged Marc,
'I
didn't like her at all.' Marc's songs and in particular his lyrics, display
these extremes of personality well.
The
song is driven by hand claps and some guitar, which is so poorly, mixed
it sounds as if it was record, sounded terrible and then was hastily erased,
but it totally but failed. The vocal is also very uneven and Marc never
sounds confident singing it, the verse structure and lyrics although very
simple are all over the backing tracks in an almost random fashion, giving
it a very uneven feel. It's like Marc has one thing to say but tries to
say
in as many ways as possible. The days of the formula are gone; the days
when everything complimented each other and something was only added if
it
enhanced or accentuated a part had disappeared.
The
guitar is the Zip Gun fuzz guitar and it is obviously out of place on
a
track that would have worked far better with just the piano and handclaps.
You hear the screeching fuzz guitar occasionally in the song and various
breaks. I think the idea was to give the track a very laid back and good
time feel; it just never works as that. The song is not unlikable, but
it
is far form brilliance. The production is to often a mess. This is clearly
demonstrated at the end where Marc has added some overdub vocals but failed
to harmonise them with his existing ones. It sounds random, not random
genius, just random.
The
lyrics also show one thing, something Marc would never have revealed
before. Insecurity, it ripples through out the song. Everything is a
question, will you love me? is it my night of love? This is repeated
throughout the song. This was a far cry the cock sure posturing and
arrogance of previous albums.
And
earlier studio run through became available in the 1990's; this featured
what sounds to be a guide vocal against the backing track. It's minus
overdubs including the hopeless guitar and Gloria's vocal additions. It
does nothing to reinstate belief in the track. Marc sounds as if he is
struggling for ideas and simply making up words as he goes along. Although
I suspect the basic lyrical idea because of its nature was something Marc
had had in his mind for sometime.
For
all it's faults 'Precious Star ' is an endearing track but even on Zip
Gun it does not come across as a stand out track. It's undecided
production, messy and confused is it odds with it's direct message and
Bolan
revealing his complete insecurity. Perhaps Marc realised the true nature
of
his own lyrics and was too frightened to deal with the song, somehow trying
distance himself, but like many artists he was compelled by his own pain
and
the need to explore it. A good track was somewhere in the realms of the
hand claps, Gloria's backing, bad fuzz guitar and heartfelt lyrics that
make
up 'Precious Star' but Marc never quite found it.
It's
a bit like flat pack furniture, despite having all the bits to make it
look great, when you make it, it never looks as good as the one on the
box.