Life's A Gas: When Cilla Black joined T. Rex's Marc Bolan for dreamy duet

4 September 2025, 10:53

It was a decade of magical thinking.

The 1970s were also a decade of magical music, especially when the glam rock scene ignited the pop charts.

Not only were glam rock tracks ever-present throughout the first half of the decade, the scene brought multi-coloured expression to industrial Britain.

Largely defined by outlandish garb, more often than not glam rockers would be draped in feather boas, flamboyant outfits and glittering platform shoes, with unmissable haircuts to match.

One artist to credited with beginning the glam rock boom was none other than T. Rex main man Marc Bolan.

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After appearing on Top Of The Pops performing 'Hot Love' in 1971, everyone wanted in on the act, sparking a series of bands who saw stars in their eyes.

Another singer who wanted a piece of glam rock, however unlikely that may have been, was Cilla Black.

The iconic Liverpudlian hosted a show on BBC, and invited Bolan along to perform a duet of his sumptuous song 'Life's A Gas'.

1973 was arguably the height of 'Rex-Mania', when every kid in the country would've been dancing to T. Rex records in their bedrooms.

Either that or sat rigidly in front of the household television screen waiting in hope that on the off chance their idols would appear.

Cilla Black knew that inviting Marc Bolan on to her show was a stroke of genius, given that everything he touched turned to gold.

So for her own television show, when Bolan was at the peak of his powers with '20th Century Boy' to be released a mere matter of weeks later, he appeared alongside Cilla.

Fans got an exclusive solo performance from Bolan, who sang 'Mad Donna' weeks before it was released on album Tanx.

Then the 'The Pixie Prince of Glam Rock' took a pew next to Cilla for a dreamy rendition of 'Life's A Gas'.

Marc Bolan & Cilla Black - "Life's A Gas"…(Excellent Quality)

The pairing is one of the more unlikely you'd have seen on television at the time, but their voices matched remarkably well.

The B-side of T. Rex's No.2 single 'Jeepster', 'Life's A Gas' appeared on the lauded Electric Warrior album.

Critics and fans alike credit Electric Warrior as the album that ignited the glam rock craze around the UK.

Laden with glam rock stompers, the album also showcased Bolan's talent for wistful songwriting with a whiff of wisdom, that sounded closer to his beginnings as Tyrannosaurus Rex rather than the extroverted androgynous rock star he evolved into.

A star-gazing ballad on the surface, 'Life's A Gas' delves into the mystery of life itself.

Rather than over-analysing however, Bolan relays the message that life is fantastic, frustrating, magic, mundane, difficult, and easy, all at the same time.

It was the perfect song to duet with Cilla, who herself had various unlikely musical encounters throughout the years with the likes of Scott Walker and Hank Marvin, for instance.

Understandably, she was absolutely mesmerised by the experience of singing next to Bolan, and was in awe of his star quality.

"It was like being jealous of your best girlfriend," Cilla recalled in a later interview.

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"He had everything – the hair, the eyes, the makeup, the glam. The worrying thing was you did kind of fancy him, being this feminine-looking guy.

"But then you had the music as well, both things together, and the combination was unbelievable."

There's a sad irony that after singing about enjoying life and trying not to take it too seriously, that Bolan's life was tragically cut short.

Still, he made an indelible imprint on rock music, and Cilla Black got to experience it first hand to the benefit of everyone watching.