[3] While promoting "Hot Love" on Top of the Pops on March 24, Marc Bolan had appeared in a silver satin suit with glitter under his eyes, sparking the glam rock craze.

Musically, the album continued the electric pop/rock sound of T. Rex, recently expanded to a four-piece band with full bass and drums; only three songs retained primarily acoustic arrangements.

[4] In addition, session players included Yes maestro Rick Wakeman on piano ("Get It On"), jazz trumpeter Burt Collins on flugelhorn ("Girl") and King Crimson's Ian McDonald on sax ("Rip-Off"), along with a string section and ex-Turtles Flo & Eddie on androgynous backing vocals, which when fused together created a highly distinctive sound.

[5] Remakes of the latter two songs were attempted at Trident on March 30, with early takes of "Cosmic Dancer" featuring Marc on a Fender Stratocaster before feeling the sound was wrong and switching to an acoustic.

[5] Once in America for the tour, the group met with producer Visconti for sessions at Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood, with Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman of Flo & Eddie participating on backing vocals.

[5] Visconti later remarked that the relaxed pace of recording in America, where there was no definite goal or pressure to make an album, contributed to the unique feel of the songs.

The artwork served as the inspiration for the French electronic duo Justice, who paid homage in the design of their debut studio album, †.

[7] T. Rex heavily promoted Electric Warrior through a string of tours, interviews, radio, and TV appearances through late 1971 and early 1972.

[5] A fall 1971 tour of the UK provoked scenes of fan hysteria unprecedented since the heyday of Beatlemania, causing the press to dub the new craze "T. Rextacy".

A short US tour in February 1972 of mid-sized venues proved moderately successful as "Get It On", redubbed "Bang a Gong" for the American market, became the group's only top ten hit in that country.

"[22] The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was reserved in his praise: "A freak hit turned [Bolan] into a singer of rhythmic fairy tales for British pre-pubes, exactly what he was always suited for, and the great 'Bang a Gong' extends his subject matter into the rock myth itself, which has its limits but sure beats unicorns.

[5] Val Mabbs of Record Mirror called it by far the best album the group had made, also complimenting the cover art, poster, and illustrations in the gatefold sleeve.

Chris Jones of BBC Music called the album a "slice of pop heaven," and stated that "this was the point at which he and long-term producer Tony Visconti took the hippy-dippy lyrics and Larry the lamb vocal stylings and bolted them on to good old stripped-down, four-to-the-floor rock 'n' roll.

"[23] In his retrospective review, Steve Huey of AllMusic called it "the album that essentially kick-started the U.K. glam rock craze" and wrote that "the real reason Electric Warrior stands the test of time so well – despite its intended disposability – is that it revels so freely in its own absurdity and wilful lack of substance [...] Bolan's lack of pomposity, back-to-basics songwriting, and elaborate theatrics went on to influence everything from hard rock to punk to new wave.

"[2] Brian James of Pitchfork called it "the first and best of a trio of brilliant albums," stating that "When T.Rex is kicking out the jams, they sound like they're having the most gleeful, absurd good time ever committed to wax," but adding that "the most significant aspect of Electric Warrior isn't its arena rock confidence; it's that Bolan allows his grinning mask to slip [...] On ballads like 'Cosmic Dancer', 'Monolith' and 'Girl', he speaks in the same gibberish as elsewhere, but he's clearly haunted-- by what we can't say.

[31] The Slits's guitarist Viv Albertine also mentioned a special liking for this album for "the whole sound, the whole cartoony, sexual, and humourous [sic] thing, it's very English as well.

[34] Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream has cited "Get it On" as one of his all-time favorite pop songs,[35] adding "When I was growing up, singles were an art statement.

[36] "Cosmic Dancer" is featured prominently in the soundtrack of the final segment of the 2019 Netflix documentary Dancing with the Birds, in which a male Carola's parotia successfully woos a female into mating with his courtship display.