Mott (July 20th 1973)
CBS S69038
UK: 7 US: 35<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s September 1972, Mott the Hoople has broken through with its first hit single, All the Young Dudes, along with its best selling album to date, although the album of the same name was not exactly a huge hit. Nevertheless, the show was on the road. What next?<\/p>\n
What next was Island releasing a cash-in compilation called Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Queen, a short tour of the US under Bowie\u2019s Mainman umbrella (during which Ian Hunter wrote the fine book Diary of a Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Star), and then some soul-searching in early 1973.<\/p>\n
January 1973 was a difficult month. Verden Allen, or \u201cPhally\u201d as he was known, got so frustrated with his role in the band that he quit, after some awkward and tense incidents on tour.<\/p>\n
Bowie and his manager Tony Defries may have rescued the band, but it turned out that they were not all that interested in continuing to nurture it \u2013 or perhaps they simply had enough other things to do. Another theory is that Mott were too good and in danger of outshining the \u201cmain man\u201d. The idea of Mott taking Bowie\u2019s Drive in Saturday as a follow-up single was mooted but then scrapped, and the band parted ways with Bowie\u2019s crew.<\/p>\n
There was financial uncertainty, and Mott signed with a new management company, H&H Enterprises.<\/p>\n
In February 1993 Mott started recording its next album, Mott, at a studio in London\u2019s Oxford Street. But who would be the producer? Several names were mentioned, but in the end the band decided to self-produce. On 25 May CBS released a single from the sessions, Honaloochie Boogie, which did rather well, reaching number 12 in the UK charts, and preparing the way for the release of Mott in July 1973.<\/p>\n
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The original sleeve in the UK was a gatefold with a cut-out face (a bust of a roman emperor) backed by cellophane so you could see part of the inside through the face. Pretty expensive. Another variation featured the cut-out without the cellophane. It was replaced by a non-gatefold sleeve with a simple image of the face on a pink and white background. In the US an entirely different cover was used.<\/p>\n
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The album, as it turned out, was a triumph. Everything came together, and although there was tension between Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs over who was leading the band, this didn\u2019t spoil the result and may even have enhanced it.<\/p>\n
All the Way from Memphis<\/b> opens the album, is both a curious story about a guitarist losing his instrument, and Hunter\u2019s celebration of the band making it at last. \u201cMemphis\u201d refers to the final concert of the US tour, at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis on 22 December 1972. I always thought the lyric should say \u201call the way to Memphis\u201d but that\u2019s probably because I don\u2019t understand it.
More important, it\u2019s a great tune with interesting sax from Andy MacKay and a driving rhythm.
Whizz Kidd<\/b> might almost be my favourite on this album. It opens with what sounds like a female purr. Then some powerful guitar riffs from Raphs, then piano backing as Hunter sings about a woman. There\u2019s a curious section where Hunter nicks a like from Britain\u2019s National Anthem \u201csend you victorious, happy and glorious\u201d.
Hymn for the Dudes<\/b> is a ballad credited to Hunter and Allen, though Allen does not perform on the album. It was first recorded in October 1972, but redone for the album, according to the band\u2019s biographer Campbell Devine. It\u2019s another song about the band\u2019s history. The lyric is somewhat obscure (\u201csweet instant Christian, you are such a sly clown\u201d), but powerful. The end section might be a swipe at Bowie. \u201cGo tell the superstar all his hairs are turning grey \u2026 star spangled fear, all the people disappear \u2026 you ain\u2019t the nazz, you\u2019re just a buzz, some kinda temporary\u201d. But it\u2019s more a matter of Hunter\u2019s awareness of the frailty of fame and the fickleness of the public.
Honaloochie Boogie<\/b>, mentioned above, is to me the weakest track on the album, despite its success. Catchy but not as interesting as the other songs.
Violence<\/b> is intriguing. Devine says it is \u201cmeant to be a parody of the group\u2019s anger and frustration\u201d. The song is credited to Hunter and Ralphs and is genuinely disturbing, complete with loony strings adding to the menace. Hunter reflects that \u201cViolence was the crunch between Mick and me \u2026 it was supposed to be a maddening song.\u201d<\/p>\n
I always assumed that the D H Lawrence poem on the rear sleeve, \u201cif you make a revolution, make it for fun,\u201d is meant to be taken alongside Violence to lighten the tone.<\/p>\n
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Drivin\u2019 Sister<\/b>, also credited to Hunter\/Ralphs, is a lightweight but fun number, apparently based on a real-life wild car journey with Guy Stevens, hence Half Moon Bay on the 8-track.<\/p>\n
Ballad of Mott (26th March 1972 Zurich)<\/b> is another reflection on the band\u2019s journey. The date referenced in the title is the concert where the band decided to break up. It\u2019s a downbeat song but not depressing, maybe because the song\u2019s crescendos belie the lyric, and because it ends up finding some sort of redemption in rock \u2018n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n
Note that this was performed on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus tour which followed Zurich, so it is a relatively old song.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a Cadillac<\/b> is the only song credited solely to Ralphs. This explains why it lacks the psychological drama Hunter injects into his songs. It\u2019s a fine song though, not quite Thunderbuck Ram or Ready for Love, but enjoyable.<\/p>\n
I wish I was your Mother<\/b> closes the album. It\u2019s another complex song from Hunter as he wrestles with his feelings for a woman, probably his girlfriend Trudi. The singer yearns for the close family he himself lacked, picturing himself rather oddly as her mother or father. Excellent song though.<\/p>\n
What to say about Mott? It has hits, it has something of the old Mott\u2019s dark side and tension, it has outstanding performances from the band, it has impassioned singing from Hunter.<\/p>\n
Hunter dominates the songwriting more than ever, at least sharing credits on all but one of the songs. It is also notable how much the album is a reflection on the past, almost as if it is a chapter closing rather than opening. Since this is the last album with Mick Ralphs, in a way it is.<\/p>\n
Wonderful album, just slightly spoilt for me by H Boogie. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mott (July 20th 1973) CBS S69038 UK: 7 US: 35 It\u2019s September 1972, Mott the Hoople has broken through with its first hit single, All the Young Dudes, along with its best selling album to date, although the album of the same name was not exactly a huge hit. Nevertheless, the show was on the … Continue reading Mott<\/span>