Mott The Hoople: Mott The Hoople CD Track Listing

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Mott The Hoople Mott The Hoople (1969)
Originally Released July 1969\nCD Edition Released January 16, 1991\nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released October 2003\nWounded Bird CD Edition Released April 19, 2005\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Enough works on Mott the Hoople's eponymous debut album, and enough is so imaginatively freewheeling, that it's easier to think of the record as a bit more successful than it actually is. After all, their combination of Stonesy swagger, Kinks-ian crunch, and Dylanesque cynicism is one of the great blueprints for hard rock, and its potential is apparent the moment their monumental instrumental "You Really Got Me" kicks off the record. This is followed by two covers, Doug Sahm's "At the Crossroads" and Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me," that demonstrate their musicality more than their depth, since all three of these songs sound like they derive from the same vantage point. Then, to cap it off, Ian Hunter turns in "Backsliding Fearlessly" and Mick Ralphs gives Mott their first anthem with the pile-driving "Rock and Roll Queen." Up to this point, Mott the Hoople is wildly imaginative and invigorating, and that's enough to make this a fine debut, even if it falls off the tracks during the second side. The first side and those two originals reveal a band whose rowdy power is matched by sly humor, clever twists, and fierce intelligence -- all qualities they built a career on, and this blueprint still stands the test of time. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Mott the Hoople's debut album arrived in one of the most eye-catching sleeves of the era, and the music within did not disappoint. Paired with producer Guy Stevens, guitarist Mick Ralphs recalled, "we'd go into the studio, get drunk, have a huge meal sent in at great expense, all before we'd play a note. Then [Guy]'d say, 'right, let's wreck the studio. And we'd knock a few chairs over, and then we'd play." Mott The Hoople would reflect this attitude perfectly. In keeping with the band's youth, almost half of the album comprised covers: Ralphs brought in the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," rendered a churning instrumental after Stevens decided a vocal take did nothing whatsoever to distinguish the performance; Stevens himself championed Doug Sahm's "At the Crossroads," while Ian Hunter resurrected Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me" from his own audition. Hunter and Ralphs, meanwhile, linked for the 11-minute epic "Half Moon Bay," a song that rumor claims is actually Dion's "Your Own Backyard" played backwards.Ralphs alone came up with the instant classic "Rock and Roll Queen," an anthem on a par with any of the age's better-known chestbeaters; while Stevens developed the record's stirring conclusion, a 92-second slice from the band's ten-minute finale to "You Really Got Me." "The original take, following the three-minute song, was increasingly frenzied nonsense, getting faster and faster until chaos prevailed," drummer Buffin remembered. "Wrath and Wroll" caught the end of the full take. And because it was one of "Guy's orchestrated lunacies," he was handed the composer credits.The best of the session outtakes have appeared elsewhere over the years; Angel Air's brilliantly remastered reissue, however, draws out a fine instrumental of "Find Your Way," and a live take on Neil Young's "Ohio" as bonus tracks, both of which remain perfectly in keeping with the album itself. -- Dave Thompson\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMott the Mott, November 8, 2002 \nBy Kim Fletcher (Pattaya, Chonburi Thailand)\nUnder the guiding eye of late sixties pop guru Guy Stevens a band called "The Silence" hailing from that Rock 'n' Roll back water Hereford were signed to the newly formed Island records in Britain. After a few days rehearsal, Guy decided that original lead singer and hardman Stan Tippins was not the man for the job. He was removed and installed as road manager/roadie/minder to be replaced through a Melody Maker small ad by a certain Mr. Ian Patterson on the basis of a half hour audition, where Ian spluttered his way through a version of Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me". The band themselves were not impressed, but Guy Stevens thought he could see something, and probably recognized a kindred spirit, subsequently enrolled the young man in the band.\nThe band, without playing a single gig, were then put into Morgan Recording Studios in Willesden High Road North London and were given a complete makeover.\n\nThey were re-named "Mott the Hoople", after the Willard Manus novel. Only lead guitarist Mick Ralphs was allowed to keep his own name, Ian Patterson was told to stop straightening his naturally curly red hair, let it grow long, lose 2 stones in weight (he was way too pot bellied to be a pop star), to wear sunglasses permanently (to supposedly give him that bit of Rony Orbison mystic, but must of left him feeling a bit of a gherkin in the pub at night), and renamed Ian Hunter. Peter O. Watts was told to drop Peter and stick with his middle name therefore becoming Overend Watts. Terry Allen, too, was told to drop his first name and adopt his mother's maiden name becoming Verden Allen. Unluckiest of all, of course, was the drummer (if there is going to be somebody to draw the short straw it's always going to be the man with the sticks). Mr. Dale Griffin esq. became quite simply "Buffin", now a well respected music producer. 35 years later he still gets called Buffin and hates it. \n\nAfter eleven days of rehearsal and getting to know each other, Guy took them to a recording studio and gave them 7 days to record their debut album - and this in the days when bands took up to six months to record an album. This sounded absurd, but you have to add to this that the rest of the band had only just met their new front man and weren't even sure if they liked him. Guy Stevens, their new mentor, was dragging them in a new direction, a direction they knew was innovative, but had no idea where it was going. They had never been in a proper recording studio before and had only got two songs written, which Stevens wouldn't let them put on the album anyway.\n\nConfused yet? Imagine how these five young lads felt, who had just become a rock band called Mott the Hoople. But enthusiasm they had by the bucket load, and record they did. In seven days the new album was down on tape.\nMott the Dog. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMott The Mott Part Two, November 16, 2002 \nBy Kim Fletcher (Pattaya, Chonburi Thailand)\nWith seven days to record their debut album, producer/mentor Guy Stevens deemed a song a day to keep up with his idea of a schedule. The flaw to this, of course, was that the band didn't have any of their own songs to record, so they just jammed on songs they knew. All five members of the band were huge fans of Ray Davies and the Kinks. Their first number one single was "You Really Got Me" (a song often credited as giving heavy metal its guitar sound). So after a brief run through the tapes were switched on to lay a backing track down. The original take was frenzied nonsense some ten minutes long getting faster and faster until total chaos prevailed. If you think the Van Helen version of this from their debut album was heavy, have a listen to this little baby, it clear takes the top of your head off. When vocals were attempted Guy Stevens and equally mad studio engineer Andy John's deemed them totally unnecessary, chopped off the final 6 minutes of the studio jam and used this as a stunning instrumental opening track for Mott the Hoople's debut opus.\nNext day, day two, and they needed track two. After much debate Doug Sahm's "At The Crossroads" was chosen because it had a cool title, had never been released in England, was a great song, but mostly because the band were afraid of what Guy Stevens would do if they didn't come up with something by the end of the day. Surprisingly the result was remarkable, very vibrant with the boys leaving the indelible Mott the Hoople stamp on it.\n\nDay three saw track three, a song Ian Hunter sung at his first audition with the band, Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me", done much slower than the original. From the tone of Ian Hunter's voice you can tell that when he sings "I don't care if you laugh at me" this is a line he really means. \n\nDay four and track four was needed. By this time, obviously, the boys were full of confidence and Ian Hunter came up with an original song called "If The World Saluted You". It was really very much in Bob Dylan vein, being a thinly disguised re-write of "The times they are a-changing". However, with the new title "Back Sliding Fearlessly", it gave you the sound of the band and Hunter's lyrical imagery blending beautifully.\n\nThat evening Stevens took Mick Ralphs aside and told him that as lead guitarist with the band he should go home and write a guitar driven Rock 'n' Roll anthem to record for day 5.\n\nI'm not making this up. The very next day Ralphs walked into the studio and taught the rest his new song "Rock 'n' Roll Queen", which was played at every Mott the Hoople concert over the next five years. (Anybody who has ever heard this song blasted out at Tahitian Queens Rock 'n' Roll Happy Hour on Friday will verify this is an all time riff laden classic).\n\nDay six and seven were taken up with Mott the Hoople's first epic, opening with Ralphs lead guitar jam "Rabbit, Foot, and Toby Time" and leading into "Half Moon Bay", which laid down the templeplate for the Mott the Hoople sound; Hunter's rasping vocals; Ralphs soaring guitar, Allen's atmospheric organ; and the rock solid rhythm section of Watts and Buffin.\n\nThe album closes with "Wrath and Roll". The final two minutes of "You Really Got Me" jam, bringing the album to a frantic conclusion.\n\nFor a debut album, "Mott the Hoople" ranks amongst the best, extraordinary, considering it was recorded under such circumstances. Sounding as fresh now as it did thirty three years ago.\nMott the Dog. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nExplosive debut from band named after MacManus novel.., April 27, 1999 \nBy My Science Fiction Twin "If at first the idea... (My Little Blue Window, USA)\nMott The Hopple was an exmplosive combination of raw power, Dylanesque histronics, Chuck Berry inspired riffs and personsal introspective lyrics. The band's first album, while it lacks the quality self penned material that would show up on Brain Capers, Wildlife and Mott, nonetheless, hints at the band's amazing abilities as intuitive musicians. \nOne thing they did have in common with Bowie was their ability to constantly reinvent themselves. One listen to this album, then Mad Shadows and Wildlife and any listener would understand that this was a band that didn't recognize the walls so frequently erected around genres and styles.\n\nHighly recommended. The guitar blast of You Really Got Me will clean the cobwebs out of your ears! \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThis is the one to get., February 12, 1999 \nReviewer: A music fan\n\nMott The Hoople was a great, great band, before they became involved with David Bowie. I first saw them in New Orleans (at a place called The Warehouse) in the summer of 1970, where they were the warm-up act for Jethro Tull. They were so good, Tull was a bore in comparison, and a full 50% of the crowd left in boredom during Tull's set.\n\nI had the pleasure to meet Ian Hunter the following year. Contrary to what you might think based upon his Bowie-influenced histrionics, he seemed to me to be an entirely normal guy.\n\n"Laugh At Me", "Wrath and Roll"...this album is a "best of" of the group.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nBorrowing From Many Great Sources, February 6, 2005 \nBy Hondo Most (San Clemente, CA)\nFrom 1969, this was Mott's best album, a level they never subsequently reached again. They combined the music of Bob Dylan, Procol Harum, the Who, and the Band in a dense, rocking sound covered by Ian Hunter's best Zimmy imitation. The borrowed material was all over the map, from the best cover version of the Kinks' 'You Really Got Me' to a soulful, dirge-like cover of Sonny Bono's 'Laugh at Me' to a psychedelic rendering of Sir Doug Sahm's 'Crossroads.' The band's own 'Rock and Roll Queen' is a classic that will get at least two parts of your body moving, and their 'Half Moon Bay' could easily have been additional cut on Procol Harum's 'Shine on Brightly.' \nThey rocked and had a hard edge, but they forgot all the great influences on subsequent albums and slipped ingloriously into glam rock. A shame, because they definitely had the right idea. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nMy Favorite Album, August 29, 2005 \nBy James L. Viland "Jim V." (Detroit, MI)\nThis is a great album, with original mix of everything other bands always wanted to be. Mick Ralphs guitar has such personality, they didn't even need lyrics on the Kinks "You Really Got Me". Hunter's voice does have a Dylan quality, but the songs are more musical, and, aiming back at the critics; they aren't even Dylan's songs. This band had great musical intelligence and ability on their own, as well as borrowing tastefully from resources and contemporaries of the time. Producer, Guy Stevens, had a great vision and ear, and although he drove the band nuts, had genious for sound. He was a strong advocate and defender of the band, sadly passing away at such an early age. I enjoy listening to the album with Ralphs guitar, Verden Allen's Hammond organ/Leslie speaker, Ian Hunter's voice and Jerry Lee Lewis style piano, Overend Watt's interesting powerful bass, and Buffin's raucious drumming. Much of the album has an easy listening, swashbuckling tone. "Half Moon Bay" is the cornerstone piece with its rolling, soothing sound of the sea and a classical bridge. I imagined the organ sound reflecting the texture of the lizard on the back of the album. "Rock and Roll Queen" is a great rocker with searing lead guitar by Ralphs that just does not quit. Just when you think it might be peaking out, he kicks it up another notch, and then another, until fading out frantically at the end of the song. A lot of energy that still gets me buzzing when I hear it. "Cross Roads" and "Laugh At Me" are other favorites, building from mellow slow beginnings to rocking high energy finales. I especially liked the tiny backgound voices on "Laugh At Me", singing the band's name, "Mott the Hoople!", just after the intense and colorful lead guitar kicks in. "Cross Roads" ends with slide guitar work that sounds inspred by the Stones, "Monkey Man", which in turn was inspred by the Beatles, "Hey Jude". Any of these songs could have been hits, and could still be today... \n\nI attended a concert in 1971 at the Eastown Theater in Detroit. They played cuts from this album as well as Mad Shadows and the yet to be released Wildlife. We jumped on stage with them during "Rock and Roll Queen" and they seemed to enjoy it. They were playing before Johnny Winter, and had just been preceded by one of their favorite groups, Leslie West and Mountain. Leslie came down into the audience (no seats, just standing room) and I heard him commenting how tight and powerful MTH was on stage. I was thrilled to hear MTH do a live version of Mountain's "Long Red" on the live double album released many years later. It took me instantly back to the concert. \n\nI originally purchased Mott the Hoople's first four albums when they came out, 1970 - 1971. I purchased the original CDs when they became available but was very disappointed in the sound quality. I have waited for 20 years to hear these cds with sound quality like the vinyl original albums had, and now even better. A real treat to have the added previously unreleased tracks, especially Neil Youg's "Ohio", which may have also fitted well on Mad Shadows, where Mick Ralphs had more vocals. Over all this one and Mad Shadows have always been my two favorite albums. This version is great with the sound quality and extensive bigraphical notes from Buffin. Anyone that likes Bob Dylan's sound, the Beatles or early Rolling Stones needs a copy of this finely remastered CD. It seems Angel Air was the missing link this band could have used when making albums. \n\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nMott The Hoople: Ian Hunter (vocals, piano); Mick Ralphs (guitar, background vocals); Verden Allen (organ); Overend Watts (bass); Buffin (drums).\n\nRecorded in July 1969. Includes liner notes by Keith Smith.\n\n2003, U.K. remaster of the 1969 debut LP that's unavailable domestically; includes two bonus tracks, "Ohio (live Neil Young cover)" and "Find Your Way (Instrumental)."\n\nFrom the brilliant cover illustration by M.C. Escher to what nearly every critic called a "straightfaced" version of Sonny Bono's "Laugh At Me" (as though it was impossible to perform it any other way), Mott The Hoople's debut album showed that they were clearly no ordinary post-psychedelic British band. Their original material, particularly guitarist Mick Ralph's "Rock And Roll Queen," presaged the glam sound for which they would later become renowned. Appropriately, Mott The Hoople was produced by the inventive (and seriously whacked) Guy Stevens. A decade later, the Clash, who were strongly influenced by Mott The Hoople, called upon him to produce LONDON CALLING.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n8 - Excellent - ...it was the raucous rendition of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me' which would determine the next three years. It became a live favorite, grew to an apocalyptic 20 minutes in length and turned Mott The Hoople into the wildest rock & roll experience Britain has ever seen...\nNME (02/13/1993)\n\n...The band's 1969 debut...was a bracing mixture of self-consciously Dylanized vocals, power guitar and churning organ swirls...contains reckless but successful undertakings... - Rating: A\nEntertainment Weekly (04/12/1991)\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nNot so very long ago, some friends of mine circled a block for about five minutes while I tried to figure out which unreleased Dylan side we were listening to. I could have spared us the trouble if I'd been listening to the lyrics, which were those of Sonny Bono's immortal protest classic "Laugh At Me." And it wasn't a Highway 61 outtake at all; it was Mott the Hoople.\n\nMott the Hoople is a synthetic rock band. By that I certainly do not mean that they're phony. Rather, they have synthesized a whole body of Sixties rock into their own style--one which sounds like everybody while directly copying nobody. You can go through a song and say, for example, that "Backsliding Fearlessly," starts with the Kinks' "I Am Free" riff, the verse is composed of an English folksong and "The Times They Are A-Changin'," while the chorus is a sort-of "Sooner or Later (One of Us Must Know)." But actually none of those statements is accurate, even though in some cases the "cop" is note-for-note. The band maintains their innocence when charged with theft, claiming that the instrumentation is similar (piano, organ, guitar, bass, drums--the same as the Band, Procol Harum, and the Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde bands) and that the studio they used made vocalist Ian Hunter sound like Dylan.\n\nNo, it's a synthesis. A ten-month-old (three when this was recorded, but to that in a minute) British group playing Kinks, Sir Douglas, Sonny and Cher and themselves, and making it sound like Kinks, Dylan and Procol Harum. It's beautiful because they are every bit as competent as their mentors (they don't write lyrics as well as Dylan, but what the hell ...) and yet come off with an innocence that makes them very listenable. In fact, the best song on the album is "Rock and Roll Queen," one they wrote themselves, and it is sung by lead guitarist Mick Ralphs, who sounds like nobody so much as Mick Ralphs. The chorus is very much like "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and who could forget lyrics like "You're just a rock and roll queen, you know what I mean/And I'm just a rock and roll star."\n\nThere are a couple of throw-away cuts on the album, true--the instrumental version of "You Really Got Me" is not quite different enough from the original to warrant inclusion here, and the little jam-up "Wrath and Wroll" is nothing special. But the remainder of the album is unbelievably good. One might even find oneself growing nostalgic for the old Dylan while listening to it.\n\nMott the Hoople was fantastically talented at only three months old, when this album was recorded last July. I understand that they are presently recording their second. Atlantic seems to have this funny habit of sitting on albums they have rights to--I won't embarrass them by telling you how long they sat on Fresh Cream--and they delayed this album for well over six months. Let's hope that Mott the Hoople can keep up the good work and that Atlantic will let us know if they can a little sooner. (RS 60 -- Jun 11, 1970) -- ED WARD
This rock cd contains 8 tracks and runs 38min 24sec.
Freedb: 5408fe08
Buy: from Amazon.com

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