Mott The Hoople: Wildlife CD Track Listing

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Mott The Hoople Wildlife (1971)
Originally Released 1971\nCD Edition Released January 16, 1991\nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released October 13, 2003\nWounded Bird CD Edition Released April 19, 2005\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Since they had little success and seemed to be going off the tracks, Mott the Hoople was encouraged to produce their third album with anyone that wasn't Guy Stevens. Eventually, they chose themselves, creating a record that is bright and punchy, standing in direct contrast to Mad Shadow's enveloping fog. They wound up with Wildlife, a record that still seems a little transitional, yet is considerably more confident, unified, and enjoyable. Ironically, even if this is a much better record, few songs are as immediately gripping as "Walkin' With a Mountain," but both Mick Ralphs and Ian Hunter turn out some fine rockers, while driving the group toward some interesting territory, like the string-drenched "Waterlow," the country-tinged "It Must Be Love," and the ambling "Original Mixed-Up Kid," or even the surprisingly straight and faithful reading of Melanie's "Lay Down." These give the record a slightly rural feel, lending credence to the title, and the album is unique in Mott's decidedly urban body of work for that very reason -- it's lighter, quirkier, and more friendly than the rest. Of course, it didn't widen their audience, and they returned to brutal rock with Brain Capers, but in retrospect it's a charming anomaly in their catalog. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMuch better than one might think, July 12, 2003 \nBy T. H McClellan (Tampa, FL USA)\nI love this album. Reviewers who complain about this album cite poor vocals by Mick Ralphs, and in a way that's justified. But in the greater scheme of things, the vocals add a quirky atmosphere that stylistically place the band's sound somewhere between Ummagumma era Pink Floyd, and early Wishbone Ash. Two albums later, their sound would change dramatically, when they became leaders of the glam-rock scene and the enchanting atmophere was exchanged for heavy riffs. Don't get me wrong -- All the Young Dudes and Mott are terrific albums, but the first four albums work together as a seamless whole (Mott the Hoople and the fourth, Brain Capers were critically very well received, but Mad Shadows and this album, Wildlife, fell on deaf ears, both critically and commercially) This album is for more than just completists, and if you're a fan of early Pink Floyd and Wishbone Ash, you just might find the vocals enchanting. Don't expect this to sound like David Bowie or T. Rex -- it sounds as nothing else. I spot the album one star for having so much heart, and for having the tenacity to record Melanie's "Lay Down" that sounds like "Madman" era Elton John, complete with gospel chorus! Get this album -- you might just run into someone who will spot it as a winner. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLow watermark, January 8, 2003 \nBy William Wood (Sydney, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews\nThis is perhaps the weakest Mott release in large part due to the paper thin and expressionless vocals of Mick Ralphs (unemotive on the slower tunes and straining for the notes on the rockers). There are some great songs here and Ian Hunter and all the guys are in fine form but in the end Mick's voice simply cannot carry these tunes. On its release this disc did not recieve good reviews and this was the start of the band's demise even though they were still pulling fanatical crowds in the UK, they just could not seem to move forwards. Happily all that would change and the band would go on to enjoy some real success twelve months later with "All the young dudes". \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGit along little Hooples, May 30, 2000 \nBy curbach@sbcglobal.net (Dallas, TX United States)\nHere Mick Ralphs attempts to lead the band into more genteel and countrified territiory after the gruesome sonic overload of "Mad Shadows". Only on the frantic live version of "Keep a Knockin" does the band rock out on this one.\nBut it really works. If only Ralphs could sing, I'd give it 5 stars. Despite his singing, Ralphs' numbers are pretty good, although a bit saccharine aside from "Wrong Side of the River". "River" is such a cool song even Mick's poor vocals don't hurt it much (I'd love to hear it covered by a good vocalist).\n\nHunter's work on this album is simply excellent. "Angel of Eighth Avenue", and "Waterlow" are cool and mellow and among the best he's ever done. If you are a Hunter fan, this album is a must. Buy it quick before it goes out of print again. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nUnder rated gem from Mott, April 14, 1999 \nReviewer: A music fan\n\nWildlife was a transitional album for the band, but a daring one. After clearly creating a "sound" for themselves they moved into a totally different country rock area.\nHunter's "Angel of 8th Ave" and Ralphs' "Whisky Women" are two of the best tracks on the album. In fact, Ralphs is in top form here contributing four excellent songs. Ignored upon release, this is one of the band's most interesting offerings. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nExcellent Remaster of the Band's 3rd Album, September 29, 2005 \nBy James L. Viland "Jim V." (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews\nSomebody has to be a Gemini, here. Listen to "Home Is Where I Want To Be", an interesting Ralphs composition with intricate interlacing organ and piano plus folk guitar, mellow, laid back and friendly. The next piece is the live remake of Little Richards' "Keep 'A Knockin". Here for the first time on the first three MTH albums you get an inkling of the full firepower of MTH live on stage. A real rush turned up loud as they were in concert, full chaos controlled beautifully (and the crowd loves it); very striking contrast! This displays perfectly the two sides MTH was capable of. Ralphs' guitar work as always impeccable, ranging from traditional riffs to harmonious patterns to nice flashing and crashing lead lines. Then he turns it up another notch and goes into tree sawing mode; quite a work ethic. Also, excellent rendition of Melanie's hit, "Lay Down" and the solemn orchestral "Waterlow", by Hunter. \n\nThis album the band produced themselves, with inconsistent help from engineers, due to falling out with Guy Stevens after he pushed them over the edge on Mad Shadows and wanted to fire organist Verden Allen. Instead, the band stuck with Verdie and told Guy to take a walk. They missed him, although eccentric he was at least consitent, and teamed again on the next album, Brain Capers. \n\nOther nice songs on this album; Hunter's "Angel of Eighth Avenue", and the bonus track of Mountain's, "Long Red". This was a tribute to the bands' friend, Leslie West, and a fine rendition indeed. The live version on Tale of Two Cities is also breathtaking. Great booklet here and composition by drummer Dale (Buffin) Griffin, as with all four of MTH's remastered first albums. You won't be dissappointed with the sound quality of this import CD, a must have and well worth the investment. Kudos to the Angel Air lable for getting these remastered historic discs into the market. They sound as good today as they did live, 30 years ago. \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Mott The Hoople \n\nAlbum Notes\nMott The Hoople: Mick Ralphs (vocals, guitar); Ian Hunter (vocals, piano); Verden Allen (organ); Overend Watts (bass); Buffin (drums).\n\nAdditional personnel includes: Jerry Hogan (pedal steel guitar); James Archer (violin); Jess Roden, Stan Tippins (background vocals).\n\nPrincipally recorded at Island Studios, London, England in November & December 1970. Originally released on Atlantic.\n\nFor its second album, 1970's WILDLIFE, Mott the Hoople moved away from the tipsy, BLONDE ON BLONDE-like reels of the band's self-titled debut, into a more standard, bluesy hard-rock sound not unlike that of Joe Cocker and the Band. Of course, the glam era heralded by the 1972 hit "All the Young Dudes" was still a ways away, but WILDLIFE has its own unpretentious charms. The opening "Whiskey Women" chugs along genially, and "Angel of Eighth Avenue" is one of Ian Hunter's trademark creepy ballads. The remainder of the album continues in the vein of these opening two tracks, with Hunter's barrelhouse piano trading licks with Mick Ralph's chunky guitar and Verdun Allen's Garth Hudson-like organ as the rhythm section of Dale "Buffin" Griffin and Pete "Overend" Watts powers along.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n...they still produce a remarkably full sound, traceable to their staunch musical intelligence...well defined and satisfying blend of rock...\nRolling Stone Magazine (06/10/1971)\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nThe outcome of the battle has yet to be conclusively determined, but my scorecard gives the race for "The Most Beloved Rock And Roll Band In All The English Isles" to Mott The Hoople by two full lengths over Free.\n\nOn this, their third album, they apparently feel sure enough of themselves to venture away from the piano/organ dominated sound which initially distinguished them (and invited all those Dylan comparisons). Instead we hear the country overtones of "It Must Be Love" and "Original Mixed-Up Kid." While this move (in light of all that has come since that first acidhead stumbled upon Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison) might seem to play on some familiar pretensions, our boys have both the taste and knowledge to keep their experiments in the proper perspective. So both the aforementioned songs, although comparatively thin-sounding, are well played and pleasant enough in a loosely relatable Mott The Hoople context.\n\nMore important, they've found new ways to arrange their instruments and the effects are felt throughout the album. The driving toughness of guitarist Mick Ralphs, as previously seen in "Rock And Roll Queen" and "Thunderstruck Ram," has mellowed some. His "Whiskey Women" elucidates the band's new approach at its best: a lighter touch but just as powerful a punch. Yet despite this change in attack (most often seen in the use of acoustic guitars), they still produce a remarkably full sound, traceable to their staunch musical intelligence: when they add additional instruments they do not merely pour them over the existing sound (a common rock pitfall), but alter that sound to accommodate them.\n\n"Angel Of Eighth Avenue" finds the haunting melancholia of pianist Ian Hunter's ballad style at its most convincing. (Hunter, it will be remembered, was the man around whom the early Dylan associations were inevitably focused.) His emeryboard voice, which has a nasty habit of faltering under the strain of the up-tempo, is infinitely better suited to the slower paced delivery which songs like this demand. And the country influence so obvious on side two is better acknowledged in things such as "Angel," where the fusion is subtle and engaging in a neighborhood Hopple devotees will find more familiar.\n\nBut lest the whole affair get weighed down with self-importance, a problem which threatened the first two albums, they've thrown in a couple of change-of-pace surprises. Closing out side one is an energetic rendition of Melanie (!) Safka's "Lay Down" and, the cut's musical excellence aside, it feels good just to hear this kind of an emotional breakout from Mott The Hoople. The second, ten live minutes of "Keep A' Knockin" which concludes the album with some two-fisted rock and roll, is the stuff of which their English reputation was made; they remind me more than a little of the early Who.\n\nNow that they have apparently captured the British crown, isn't it about time they were given a shot on this side of the Atlantic? There is more than enough solid music on this album to warrant it. Take side one and the live cut for their well defined and satisfying brand of rock, and then make up your own mind about the country experiments on side two. And fear not; Mott the Hoople has clearly gone beyond any Dylan comparison you might have heard. Ah, had only Dylan this much fresh energy ... (RS 84 -- Jun 10, 1971) -- BEN EDMONDS
This misc cd contains 9 tracks and runs 41min 14sec.
Freedb: 8309a809
Buy: from Amazon.com

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