10266 - MOTT THE HOOPLE - ALL THE YOUNG DUDES: THE ANTHOLOGY, DISC TWO (1998)
MOTT THE HOOPLE
''ALL THE YOUNG DUDES: THE ANTHOLOGY, DISC TWO''
AUGUST 31 1998
234:06
**********
DISC ONE - THE TWILIGHT OF PAIN THROUGH DOUBT (THREE YEARS ON TREASURE ISLAND) 1969-1972 (78:16)
1 Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) 01:27
2 Rock & Roll Queen (Mick Ralphs) 03:17
3 You Really Got Me (Ray Davies) 02:43
4 Wrath and Wroll (Guy Stevens) 01:41
5 Find Your Way (Mick Ralphs) 03:40
6 Moonbus (Baby's Got a Down) (Verden Allen, Dale ''Buffin'' Griffin, Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Pete Watts) 05:02
7 It Would Be a Pleasure (Mick Ralphs) 01:47
8 Ohio (Neil Young) 04:50
9 Midnight Lady (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) (Featuring Steve Marriott) 03:29
10 The Debt (Ian Hunter) 04:14
11 Downtown (Danny Whitten, Neil Young) 03:00
12 Long Red (Norman Landsberg, Felix Pappalardi, John Ventura, Leslie West) 03:47
13 It'll Be Me (Jack Clement) 02:55
14 Until I'm Gone (Mick Ralphs) 03:08
15 One of the Boys (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:09
16 The Journey (Ian Hunter) 09:44
17 Mental Train (The Moon Upstairs) (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:56
18 How Long (Verden Allen, Ian Hunter) 03:51
19 Ride on the Sun (Ian Hunter) 03:34
20 Movin' On (Mick Ralphs) 02:54
21 The Hunchback Fish (Ian Hunter) 03:59
**********
DISC TWO - TEMPTATIONS OF THE FLASH (COLUMBIA HITTS & HOTTRAX) 1972-1974 (77:13)
1 All the Young Dudes (David Bowie) 03:30
2 One of the Boys (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:19
3 Sweet Jane (Lour Reed) 04:20
4 Ready for Love (Mick Ralphs) 04:21
5 Honaloochie Boogie (Ian Hunter) 02:42
6 Ballad of Mott the Hoople (Verden Allen, Dale ''Buffin'' Griffin, Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Pete Watts) (26th March 1972, Zurich) 05:22
7 I Wish I Was Your Mother (Ian Hunter) 04:44
8 I'm a Cadillac (Mick Ralphs) 03:01
9 All the Way from Memphis (Ian Hunter) 03:23
10 Hymn for the Dudes (Verden Allen, Ian Hunter) 05:20
11 Violence (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:48
12 Roll Away the Stone (Ian Hunter) 03:02
13 Crash Street Kidds (Ian Hunter) 04:28
14 Marionette (Ian Hunter) 05:03
15 The Golden Age of Rock & Roll (Ian Hunter) 03:23
16 Rest in Peace (Dale ''Buffin'' Griffin, Ian Hunter, Pete Watts) 03:53
17 Born Late '58 (Pete Watts) 03:55
18 Foxy Foxy (Ian Hunter) 03:29
19 (Do You Remember) The Saturday Gigs (Ian Hunter) (Alternate Version) 04:19
**********
DISC THREE - BLISTERED PSALMS (DEMOS & RARITIES) 1964-1978 (78:37)
1 All the Young Dudes (David Bowie) (Vocals David Bowie) 04:22
2 It's Goodbye (Mick Ralphs) 02:17
3 Just Can't Go to Sleep (Ray Davies) 02:29
4 Transparent Day (Shaun Harris, Bob Markley) 02:25
5 Shakin' All Over (Frederick Heath) 02:49
6 Please Don't Touch (Heath Robinson) 02:33
7 So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) (Don Everly) 02:11
8 Honaloochie Boogie (Ian Hunter) 03:07
9 Hymn for the Dudes (Verden Allen, Ian Hunter) 05:19
10 Nightmare (Verden Allen) 03:45
11 The Saturday Kids (Ian Hunter) 06:01
12 Lounge Lizard (Ian Hunter) 04:18
13 Shout It All Out (Pete Watts) 04:05
14 It Don't Come Easy (Mick Ralphs) 04:40
15 Barking Up the Wrong Tree 03:23
16 To Short Arms (I Don't Care) (Morgan Fisher, Ray Major) 04:13
17 Get Rich Quick (Pete Watts) 03:49
18 International Heroes (Kim Fowley, Kerry Scott) 03:41
19 American Pie; The Golden Age of Rock & Roll (Don McLean; Ian Hunter) 04:32
20 Roll Away the Stone; Sweet Jane (Ian Hunter; Lou Reed) 03:37
21 Rock & Roll Queen (Mick Ralphs) 04:20
22 Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan) 00:32
**********
ABOUT THE ALBUM/OFFICIAL
Mott The Hoople's box set was finally released on 14th September 1998. Three years in the making, it covers Mott's entire career, from early incarnations as The Buddies (1964), Doc Thomas Group (1966) and The Shakedown Sound (1968), through the Island years, the CBS years, right through to the end as Mott and British Lions (1978). More than just a collection of their hits, this lavish 3-CD set includes just about every rarity and unreleased gem the casual (and die-hard) fan could ask for.
It is packaged as a 3-CD "long box" digipack, and the box includes a 56-page booklet, which includes an MTH chronology, discography, track by track analysis and dozens of unpublished photographs, which are truely stunning. The booklet also contains many quotes and insights from all the band members. Campbell Devine (who else?) was also written a short overview of the MTH story.
Every effort has been made to track down as many original studio masters as possible; these were then mastered using the very latest technology to ensure the sound quality is as good as possible. The whole process was overseen by Dale Griffin at every stage, and the result is a sound that is just awesome.
OK, so what of the music? Disc 1 is packed full of rarities and unreleased gems from the Island days (1969-72). The disc opens with Like A Rolling Stone (which of course was the song Ian auditioned for Mott with). An impromptu jam, it finishes all too soon. You Really Got Me restores Mick Ralphs' lead vocal, and Wrath 'n' Wroll restores the God Save The Queen coda (previously only available on the first few thousand copies of Mott's first album). Ohio, recorded live at Croydon's Fairfield Hall in September 1970, bristles with power and menace; maybe one day the entire concert will be made available to fans. The alternate version of The Journey is the gem of the disc. Full of elegance, pace, majesty... Buffin says it is perhaps the best Mott The Hoople ever captued on tape.
Disc 2 captures the "best of" the CBS years, and so will be familiar enough to most readers. I will, however give full marks for the inclusion of both the B-side version of One Of The Boys and the single version (with Mick Ralphs) of Roll Away The Stone.
Disc 3 is where the fun starts, packed full as it is with rarities. It kicks off with David Bowie's guide vocal for Dudes. This is actually a combination of that rough mix with the final mix (and Hunter's rap) being used on the choruses. It works quite well... It's Goodbye dates from 1964 (The Buddies) and features Mick Ralphs on guitar; Just Can't Go To Sleep is from 1966 (Doc Thomas Group) and features Stan Tippins, Pete Watts and Mick Ralphs. If you've bought The Italian Job then you'll already be familiar with this track. Transparent Day dates from 1968 (The Shakedown Sound) and features Stan, Ralphs, Watts, Verden Allen and Buffin. These three tracks provide a fascinating insight into the musical progression of the soon-to-be Motts.
Next up are three tracks recorded with Stan Tippins on vocals during the Dudes sessions. The demo of Honaloochie Boogie is wierd: the lyrics are different and there is a strange echo which Buffin describes as "like being at the end of a long, damp concrete pipe". The demo of Hymn For The Dudes is beautiful, with the same arrangement as used for live performances at the time. Nightmare is another gem; the last Verden Allen song to be recorded by Mott (he sings it too) it is a shame it has taken until now to be released. The Saturday Kids is an amalgum of three different takes, showing the genesis of the song from first draft to an (almost) complete version. This mix also has Ariel Bender's guitar solo, which has been unreleased until now. Shout It All Out was the b-side to Monte Carlo. It Don't Come Easy is an outtake from the Shouting And Pointing sessions, and features Mick Ralphs on guitar (he wrote it as well).
Get Rich Quick was the last song recorded by Mott (September 1976). It is a shame it all came to and end just a few months later. The CD closes with American Pie/Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll and Roll Away The Stone/Sweet Jane recorded live at Uris, and which are just awesome in their power. Maybe one day CBS will see fit to release the full show. Finally, there is a blistering live version of Rock 'n' Roll Queen, recorded live at Croydon in 1970.
Each CD makes maximum use of the medioum's playing time, the result being nearly four hours of music. It is obvious that a lot of time, care and attention to detail has been lavished on this box set. It will appeal to the casual fan as well as the die-hard and I have no hesitation in giving it maximum marks. An absolutely essential purchase.
There were early rumours that Sony weren't pressing up a huge number of copies; these now look to be unfounded. It now seems likely the box set will be relatively easy to find (in the UK at least).
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Mott the Hoople are one of the great also-rans in the history of rock & roll. Though Mott scored a number of album rock hits in the early '70s, the band never quite broke through into the mainstream. Nevertheless, their nasty fusion of heavy metal, glam rock, and Bob Dylan's sneering hipster cynicism provided the groundwork for many British punk bands, most notably the Clash. At the center of Mott the Hoople was lead vocalist/pianist Ian Hunter, a late addition to the band who developed into its focal point as his songwriting grew. Hunter was able to subvert rock & roll conventions with his lyrics, and the band -- led by guitarist Mick Ralphs -- had a tough, muscular sound that kept the group firmly in hard rock territory, even when flirting with homosexual imagery and glammy makeup. However, their lack of success meant that they inevitably splintered apart in the '70s, with Ralphs forming Bad Company and Hunter launching a cult solo career.
Mick Ralphs (lead guitar, vocal), Verden Allen (organ), Overend Pete Watts (bass), and Dale "Buffin" Griffin (drums) formed Silence in 1968 and began playing around their hometown of Hereford, England. Early in 1969, the band added vocalist Stan Tippens and landed a record contract with Island (Atlantic in the U.S.), heading to London to record with producer Guy Stevens, whose first move was to change the band's name to Mott the Hoople, after a Willard Manus novel. By the summer, Tippens was fired, later becoming the band's road manager, and was replaced by Ian Hunter. The eponymous debut album Mott the Hoople was released in the fall of 1969 and it became an underground hit, known for its fusion of Blonde on Blonde-era Dylan and heavy metal, as well for its straight cover of Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me" and its pounding instrumental version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me."
Despite all of the attention, Mott the Hoople received, it didn't sell well and neither did its poorly reviewed 1970 follow-up, Mad Shadows. The band returned in 1971 with the country-tinged Wildlife, which was its least popular record to date. Despite their lack of sales, Mott the Hoople had gained a cult following in Britain through their constant touring. At a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in July 1971, the band sparked a mini-riot that led the venue to ban rock concerts for a number of years. More than any of their previous releases, Brain Capers (1971) demonstrated the band's live power, but when it failed to sell, the group was prepared to disband.
Just as the band was about to split, David Bowie intervened and convinced the group to stay together. Riding at the height of his Ziggy Stardust popularity, Bowie agreed to produce Mott's next album and offered "Suffragette City" for the bandmembers to record. They refused the song, asking for "Drive-In Saturday" instead. They eventually settled for "All the Young Dudes," which became the group's breakthrough hit. An explicitly gay anthem recorded by a heterosexual band, "All the Young Dudes" became the anthem for the glam rock era, becoming a number three hit in the U.K. and a Top 40 hit in the U.S. in the summer of 1972. An album of the same name was released on Columbia Records in the fall, and it became a hit in the U.K. and the U.S.
Allen left the band before the recording of the group's follow-up to All the Young Dudes, citing Hunter's reluctance to record his songs. A concept album about a rock band struggling for success, Mott, released in the summer 1973, expanded the band's success, receiving good reviews and peaking at number seven in Britain and number 35 in America. "All the Way from Memphis" and "Roll Away the Stone" became Top Ten hits in the U.K., confirming the band's status as one of the leaders of the glam rock movement. In the summer of 1974, Hunter published Diary of a Rock Star to great acclaim in the U.K.
While the bandmembers were finally experiencing the success that they had desired, the group was beginning to fall apart. Frustrated with Allen's departure, as well as the fact that his song "Can't Get Enough" was out of Hunter's range, Ralphs left Mott in late 1973 to form Bad Company with Paul Rodgers. He was replaced by former Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor, who changed his name to Ariel Bender upon joining the band; keyboardist Morgan Fisher also joined the group. The new lineup toured in late 1973, and the concerts were documented on 1974's Mott the Hoople Live. The live record was released after The Hoople appeared in the spring, peaking at 11 in the U.K. and 28 in the U.S. on the strength of the singles "The Golden Age of Rock & Roll" and "Foxy Foxy." Former Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson replaced Bender in the fall of 1974 upon Hunter's request. Within a few months, the pair left the band to begin working as a duo. The remaining members of Mott the Hoople added guitarist Ray Major and vocalist Nigel Benjamin, truncating their name to Mott. The new incarnation of the group released Drive On (1975) and Shouting and Pointing (1976) to little attention before adding John Fiddler as their lead singer and changing their name to British Lions. They split up two years later.
Though the allegiance between Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson was short-lived, it was well-received and the two would continue to sporadically work together until Ronson's death in 1993. Hunter pursued a moderately successful solo career, highlighted by his eponymous 1975 album and 1979's You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. Hunter's "Ships" was covered by Barry Manilow in 1975, while Great White took his "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" into the Top Ten in the early '90s.
**********
BIO/WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''ALL THE YOUNG DUDES: THE ANTHOLOGY, DISC TWO''
AUGUST 31 1998
234:06
**********
DISC ONE - THE TWILIGHT OF PAIN THROUGH DOUBT (THREE YEARS ON TREASURE ISLAND) 1969-1972 (78:16)
1 Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) 01:27
2 Rock & Roll Queen (Mick Ralphs) 03:17
3 You Really Got Me (Ray Davies) 02:43
4 Wrath and Wroll (Guy Stevens) 01:41
5 Find Your Way (Mick Ralphs) 03:40
6 Moonbus (Baby's Got a Down) (Verden Allen, Dale ''Buffin'' Griffin, Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Pete Watts) 05:02
7 It Would Be a Pleasure (Mick Ralphs) 01:47
8 Ohio (Neil Young) 04:50
9 Midnight Lady (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) (Featuring Steve Marriott) 03:29
10 The Debt (Ian Hunter) 04:14
11 Downtown (Danny Whitten, Neil Young) 03:00
12 Long Red (Norman Landsberg, Felix Pappalardi, John Ventura, Leslie West) 03:47
13 It'll Be Me (Jack Clement) 02:55
14 Until I'm Gone (Mick Ralphs) 03:08
15 One of the Boys (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:09
16 The Journey (Ian Hunter) 09:44
17 Mental Train (The Moon Upstairs) (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:56
18 How Long (Verden Allen, Ian Hunter) 03:51
19 Ride on the Sun (Ian Hunter) 03:34
20 Movin' On (Mick Ralphs) 02:54
21 The Hunchback Fish (Ian Hunter) 03:59
**********
DISC TWO - TEMPTATIONS OF THE FLASH (COLUMBIA HITTS & HOTTRAX) 1972-1974 (77:13)
1 All the Young Dudes (David Bowie) 03:30
2 One of the Boys (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:19
3 Sweet Jane (Lour Reed) 04:20
4 Ready for Love (Mick Ralphs) 04:21
5 Honaloochie Boogie (Ian Hunter) 02:42
6 Ballad of Mott the Hoople (Verden Allen, Dale ''Buffin'' Griffin, Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Pete Watts) (26th March 1972, Zurich) 05:22
7 I Wish I Was Your Mother (Ian Hunter) 04:44
8 I'm a Cadillac (Mick Ralphs) 03:01
9 All the Way from Memphis (Ian Hunter) 03:23
10 Hymn for the Dudes (Verden Allen, Ian Hunter) 05:20
11 Violence (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs) 04:48
12 Roll Away the Stone (Ian Hunter) 03:02
13 Crash Street Kidds (Ian Hunter) 04:28
14 Marionette (Ian Hunter) 05:03
15 The Golden Age of Rock & Roll (Ian Hunter) 03:23
16 Rest in Peace (Dale ''Buffin'' Griffin, Ian Hunter, Pete Watts) 03:53
17 Born Late '58 (Pete Watts) 03:55
18 Foxy Foxy (Ian Hunter) 03:29
19 (Do You Remember) The Saturday Gigs (Ian Hunter) (Alternate Version) 04:19
**********
DISC THREE - BLISTERED PSALMS (DEMOS & RARITIES) 1964-1978 (78:37)
1 All the Young Dudes (David Bowie) (Vocals David Bowie) 04:22
2 It's Goodbye (Mick Ralphs) 02:17
3 Just Can't Go to Sleep (Ray Davies) 02:29
4 Transparent Day (Shaun Harris, Bob Markley) 02:25
5 Shakin' All Over (Frederick Heath) 02:49
6 Please Don't Touch (Heath Robinson) 02:33
7 So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) (Don Everly) 02:11
8 Honaloochie Boogie (Ian Hunter) 03:07
9 Hymn for the Dudes (Verden Allen, Ian Hunter) 05:19
10 Nightmare (Verden Allen) 03:45
11 The Saturday Kids (Ian Hunter) 06:01
12 Lounge Lizard (Ian Hunter) 04:18
13 Shout It All Out (Pete Watts) 04:05
14 It Don't Come Easy (Mick Ralphs) 04:40
15 Barking Up the Wrong Tree 03:23
16 To Short Arms (I Don't Care) (Morgan Fisher, Ray Major) 04:13
17 Get Rich Quick (Pete Watts) 03:49
18 International Heroes (Kim Fowley, Kerry Scott) 03:41
19 American Pie; The Golden Age of Rock & Roll (Don McLean; Ian Hunter) 04:32
20 Roll Away the Stone; Sweet Jane (Ian Hunter; Lou Reed) 03:37
21 Rock & Roll Queen (Mick Ralphs) 04:20
22 Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan) 00:32
**********
ABOUT THE ALBUM/OFFICIAL
Mott The Hoople's box set was finally released on 14th September 1998. Three years in the making, it covers Mott's entire career, from early incarnations as The Buddies (1964), Doc Thomas Group (1966) and The Shakedown Sound (1968), through the Island years, the CBS years, right through to the end as Mott and British Lions (1978). More than just a collection of their hits, this lavish 3-CD set includes just about every rarity and unreleased gem the casual (and die-hard) fan could ask for.
It is packaged as a 3-CD "long box" digipack, and the box includes a 56-page booklet, which includes an MTH chronology, discography, track by track analysis and dozens of unpublished photographs, which are truely stunning. The booklet also contains many quotes and insights from all the band members. Campbell Devine (who else?) was also written a short overview of the MTH story.
Every effort has been made to track down as many original studio masters as possible; these were then mastered using the very latest technology to ensure the sound quality is as good as possible. The whole process was overseen by Dale Griffin at every stage, and the result is a sound that is just awesome.
OK, so what of the music? Disc 1 is packed full of rarities and unreleased gems from the Island days (1969-72). The disc opens with Like A Rolling Stone (which of course was the song Ian auditioned for Mott with). An impromptu jam, it finishes all too soon. You Really Got Me restores Mick Ralphs' lead vocal, and Wrath 'n' Wroll restores the God Save The Queen coda (previously only available on the first few thousand copies of Mott's first album). Ohio, recorded live at Croydon's Fairfield Hall in September 1970, bristles with power and menace; maybe one day the entire concert will be made available to fans. The alternate version of The Journey is the gem of the disc. Full of elegance, pace, majesty... Buffin says it is perhaps the best Mott The Hoople ever captued on tape.
Disc 2 captures the "best of" the CBS years, and so will be familiar enough to most readers. I will, however give full marks for the inclusion of both the B-side version of One Of The Boys and the single version (with Mick Ralphs) of Roll Away The Stone.
Disc 3 is where the fun starts, packed full as it is with rarities. It kicks off with David Bowie's guide vocal for Dudes. This is actually a combination of that rough mix with the final mix (and Hunter's rap) being used on the choruses. It works quite well... It's Goodbye dates from 1964 (The Buddies) and features Mick Ralphs on guitar; Just Can't Go To Sleep is from 1966 (Doc Thomas Group) and features Stan Tippins, Pete Watts and Mick Ralphs. If you've bought The Italian Job then you'll already be familiar with this track. Transparent Day dates from 1968 (The Shakedown Sound) and features Stan, Ralphs, Watts, Verden Allen and Buffin. These three tracks provide a fascinating insight into the musical progression of the soon-to-be Motts.
Next up are three tracks recorded with Stan Tippins on vocals during the Dudes sessions. The demo of Honaloochie Boogie is wierd: the lyrics are different and there is a strange echo which Buffin describes as "like being at the end of a long, damp concrete pipe". The demo of Hymn For The Dudes is beautiful, with the same arrangement as used for live performances at the time. Nightmare is another gem; the last Verden Allen song to be recorded by Mott (he sings it too) it is a shame it has taken until now to be released. The Saturday Kids is an amalgum of three different takes, showing the genesis of the song from first draft to an (almost) complete version. This mix also has Ariel Bender's guitar solo, which has been unreleased until now. Shout It All Out was the b-side to Monte Carlo. It Don't Come Easy is an outtake from the Shouting And Pointing sessions, and features Mick Ralphs on guitar (he wrote it as well).
Get Rich Quick was the last song recorded by Mott (September 1976). It is a shame it all came to and end just a few months later. The CD closes with American Pie/Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll and Roll Away The Stone/Sweet Jane recorded live at Uris, and which are just awesome in their power. Maybe one day CBS will see fit to release the full show. Finally, there is a blistering live version of Rock 'n' Roll Queen, recorded live at Croydon in 1970.
Each CD makes maximum use of the medioum's playing time, the result being nearly four hours of music. It is obvious that a lot of time, care and attention to detail has been lavished on this box set. It will appeal to the casual fan as well as the die-hard and I have no hesitation in giving it maximum marks. An absolutely essential purchase.
There were early rumours that Sony weren't pressing up a huge number of copies; these now look to be unfounded. It now seems likely the box set will be relatively easy to find (in the UK at least).
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Mott the Hoople are one of the great also-rans in the history of rock & roll. Though Mott scored a number of album rock hits in the early '70s, the band never quite broke through into the mainstream. Nevertheless, their nasty fusion of heavy metal, glam rock, and Bob Dylan's sneering hipster cynicism provided the groundwork for many British punk bands, most notably the Clash. At the center of Mott the Hoople was lead vocalist/pianist Ian Hunter, a late addition to the band who developed into its focal point as his songwriting grew. Hunter was able to subvert rock & roll conventions with his lyrics, and the band -- led by guitarist Mick Ralphs -- had a tough, muscular sound that kept the group firmly in hard rock territory, even when flirting with homosexual imagery and glammy makeup. However, their lack of success meant that they inevitably splintered apart in the '70s, with Ralphs forming Bad Company and Hunter launching a cult solo career.
Mick Ralphs (lead guitar, vocal), Verden Allen (organ), Overend Pete Watts (bass), and Dale "Buffin" Griffin (drums) formed Silence in 1968 and began playing around their hometown of Hereford, England. Early in 1969, the band added vocalist Stan Tippens and landed a record contract with Island (Atlantic in the U.S.), heading to London to record with producer Guy Stevens, whose first move was to change the band's name to Mott the Hoople, after a Willard Manus novel. By the summer, Tippens was fired, later becoming the band's road manager, and was replaced by Ian Hunter. The eponymous debut album Mott the Hoople was released in the fall of 1969 and it became an underground hit, known for its fusion of Blonde on Blonde-era Dylan and heavy metal, as well for its straight cover of Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me" and its pounding instrumental version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me."
Despite all of the attention, Mott the Hoople received, it didn't sell well and neither did its poorly reviewed 1970 follow-up, Mad Shadows. The band returned in 1971 with the country-tinged Wildlife, which was its least popular record to date. Despite their lack of sales, Mott the Hoople had gained a cult following in Britain through their constant touring. At a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in July 1971, the band sparked a mini-riot that led the venue to ban rock concerts for a number of years. More than any of their previous releases, Brain Capers (1971) demonstrated the band's live power, but when it failed to sell, the group was prepared to disband.
Just as the band was about to split, David Bowie intervened and convinced the group to stay together. Riding at the height of his Ziggy Stardust popularity, Bowie agreed to produce Mott's next album and offered "Suffragette City" for the bandmembers to record. They refused the song, asking for "Drive-In Saturday" instead. They eventually settled for "All the Young Dudes," which became the group's breakthrough hit. An explicitly gay anthem recorded by a heterosexual band, "All the Young Dudes" became the anthem for the glam rock era, becoming a number three hit in the U.K. and a Top 40 hit in the U.S. in the summer of 1972. An album of the same name was released on Columbia Records in the fall, and it became a hit in the U.K. and the U.S.
Allen left the band before the recording of the group's follow-up to All the Young Dudes, citing Hunter's reluctance to record his songs. A concept album about a rock band struggling for success, Mott, released in the summer 1973, expanded the band's success, receiving good reviews and peaking at number seven in Britain and number 35 in America. "All the Way from Memphis" and "Roll Away the Stone" became Top Ten hits in the U.K., confirming the band's status as one of the leaders of the glam rock movement. In the summer of 1974, Hunter published Diary of a Rock Star to great acclaim in the U.K.
While the bandmembers were finally experiencing the success that they had desired, the group was beginning to fall apart. Frustrated with Allen's departure, as well as the fact that his song "Can't Get Enough" was out of Hunter's range, Ralphs left Mott in late 1973 to form Bad Company with Paul Rodgers. He was replaced by former Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor, who changed his name to Ariel Bender upon joining the band; keyboardist Morgan Fisher also joined the group. The new lineup toured in late 1973, and the concerts were documented on 1974's Mott the Hoople Live. The live record was released after The Hoople appeared in the spring, peaking at 11 in the U.K. and 28 in the U.S. on the strength of the singles "The Golden Age of Rock & Roll" and "Foxy Foxy." Former Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson replaced Bender in the fall of 1974 upon Hunter's request. Within a few months, the pair left the band to begin working as a duo. The remaining members of Mott the Hoople added guitarist Ray Major and vocalist Nigel Benjamin, truncating their name to Mott. The new incarnation of the group released Drive On (1975) and Shouting and Pointing (1976) to little attention before adding John Fiddler as their lead singer and changing their name to British Lions. They split up two years later.
Though the allegiance between Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson was short-lived, it was well-received and the two would continue to sporadically work together until Ronson's death in 1993. Hunter pursued a moderately successful solo career, highlighted by his eponymous 1975 album and 1979's You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. Hunter's "Ships" was covered by Barry Manilow in 1975, while Great White took his "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" into the Top Ten in the early '90s.
**********
BIO/WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
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