![\"artful-0\"](\"https:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/artful-0.png\" "\\"artful-0\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nIan Hunter enjoyed working with Norwegian producer Bjorn Nesso on the Dirty Laundry album, and in May 1995 started work on a new solo album. Sessions began at Time Machine studios in Vermont, but this didn\u2019t work out well, and most of the album was recorded at Nesso\u2019s studio in Trondheim. Musicians were Darrel Bath, Torstein Flakne, Frode Alnaes and Robbie Alter on guitar, Per Lindwall on drums, Sven Lindwall on bass, Kjetil Bjerkestrand on keyboards. Honest John Plain appears on several tracks, as do Dennis Elliott (drums) and Pat Kilbride (bass) \u2013 and not forgetting The Vertavo String Quartet on the title track.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took four guitar players to replace [Mick] Ronson\u201d, said Hunter.<\/p>\n
The album was initially released in Norway, then in the UK in April 1997 (some of us could not wait and got the import).<\/p>\n
Unlike Dirty Laundry this is very much an Ian Hunter album. It also marks the beginning of a new phase in Hunter\u2019s musical career, if you regard Dirty Laundry as transitional. This phase, from 1996 to the present day, is characterised by a slower release cycle and made on Hunter\u2019s terms, rather than being driven by music industry demands.<\/p>\n
Too Much<\/b> \u2013 the album starts well with the rich, atmospheric intro to Too Much, a thoughtful love song, with some ambiguity about whether the love is requited. \u201cAll I ever wanted was you, is that too much?\u201d. Almost a Dire Straits vibe. Includes the memorable lines, \u201cI never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, watch me screw up this one too.\u201d
Now is the Time<\/b> \u2013 a tribute to Freddie Mercury. \u201cThe killer with the kiss, he was a friend of mine \u2026 say goodbye, my funny Valentine.\u201d Excellent swirling keyboard sounds, Dylanesque.
Something to Believe In<\/b> \u2013 sounds like a follow-up to God (Take 1) on All American Alien Boy. Same husky vocals. \u201cOne man\u2019s God\u2019s just as good as another, gotta have something to believe in.\u201d
Resurrection Mary<\/b> \u2013 A ghost story. \u201cThe song\u2019s all factually correct,\u201d says Hunter, quoted by Campbell Devine in his biography. Hmm. A decent song though. Quiet, atmospheric and melodic.
Walk on Water<\/b> \u2013 the first rocker. Credited to Ian Hunter and McNasty \u2013 not 100% who McNasty is, but he also co-wrote Beg a Little Love on YUI Orta, so possibly a leftover song. Robbie McIntosh? Unknown subject, but something to do with a \u201ctormented soul\u201d who goes a bit wrong in the rock n roll world. A groupie? A musician? A weaker song.
23A, Swan Hill<\/b> is a mid-tempo song with a personal subject, the title being the address of a flat where Hunter lived for a time as a child. Something to do with a loveless childhood and a drive to escape. \u201cWrote this poem \u2026 he said you must have stole it from a book.\u201d Powerful lyrics. I suspect there are some clues here about a theme throughout Hunter\u2019s work, that life is a grey business much of the time and in music there is some temporary release and redemption. Regularly performed in concert.
Michael Picasso<\/b> is the Mick Ronson tribute, sung quietly with sparse instrumentation and really moving. \u201cPeople used to stare at the Spider with the platinum hair, they thought you were immortal.\u201d \u201cHe was always there for me\u201d. Great song.
Open My Eyes<\/b> is about New York. Quiet opening, more energetic chorus, contrasting images of the city from \u201cviolent night\u201d to \u201ccoffee in cups\u201d. \u201c****\u2019s going to happen whether you like it or not. That\u2019s just the way it is,\u201d sings Hunter. Co-written with Darrel Bath.
The Artful Dodger<\/b> is one of two songs which sound like something off Dirty Laundry. \u201cThese two tracks were the back end of Dirty Laundry and sneaked onto this record,\u201d says Hunter. I don\u2019t mind them but they are bit out of keeping. Hunter impersonates a city rogue, song breezes along easily enough.
Skeletons (In your closet)<\/b> is credited to Hunter, Bath, and Honest John Plain. The song is about salacious stories in the press, and the way mud raked up by journalists ends up as Sunday morning entertainment. \u201cThe lyric to Skeletons is quite serious, if you get past the fun of it,\u201d says Hunter.
Still the Same<\/b> is a change of mood. A melancholy song about still loving someone who has moved on. \u201cAll I need\u2019s a bottle and the memories come flooding back\u201d. A strong though downbeat song to close.<\/p>\n
The Artful Dodger overall is a little uneven but still an excellent album, though only Hunter\u2019s biggest fans discovered it or picked it up. It\u2019s a fair distance from Mott the Hoople or even YUI Orta, but probably his best album since Schizophrenic. The band is sensitive and tasteful backing some of Hunter\u2019s most personal-sounding songs. No really weak tracks, though I could live without Walk on Water. Best song is Michael Picasso, if you can bear it.<\/p>\n
I get the impression that The Artful Dodger was a bit of a disaster financially, despite its excellence. It had a staggered release around the world, not really a good idea in terms of promotion. More seriously, Ian Hunter had been under the radar for so long that making a big impact was not really possible. At times the CD has been hard to get hold of, but is easily available now as well as being on Spotify etc.<\/p>\n Reissues include the bonus track F%&k it up, said to be inspired by PJ Proby living quietly in a London suburb. I am not sure what Hunter is on about here as the song is also about a marriage breaking down.<\/p>\n "How could you look me straight in the eye The song has a coda which sounds like a Sixties song (of the kind PJ Proby might have performed) but I can’t identify it: <\/p>\n … she said I’ll leave you alone The song is pretty good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Artful Dodger (September 1996) Polydor 531 794-2 Ian Hunter enjoyed working with Norwegian producer Bjorn Nesso on the Dirty Laundry album, and in May 1995 started work on a new solo album. Sessions began at Time Machine studios in Vermont, but this didn\u2019t work out well, and most of the album was recorded at … Continue reading The Artful Dodger<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n\n
Knowing full well you’ve got a bit on the side"<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
she packed her bags and went home…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n