26×26 – M is for Mott The Hoople

Dumb clothes, silly haircuts, daft name, that’s all they were? You’re doing Mott The Hoople a great disservice if you have that kind of attitude.

The 30th Anniversary Edition of their 1974 album Live rights a great wrong. It sounds superb, and documents two brilliant gigs from 1973, played in Hammersmith and New York (the ‘other’ Broadway). It should have been originally released as a double, rather than the original single disc with its odd choice of tracks.

A great song writer in Ian Hunter, well served by two terrific guitarists in Mick Ralphs (subsequently in Bad Company) and Luther Grosvenor (renamed Ariel Bender, formerly of Spooky Tooth), complemented by the excellent hard rock rhythm section of Overend Watts and Dale Griffin. When Verden Allen departed in 1973, he had to be replaced by two keyboard players, one of them being the genius that is Morgan Fisher.

We’d have been denied all of this record had Mott quit in 1972, but David Bowie gifted them All The Young Dudes which gave them the inspiration to continue. Hunter had found his feet as a band leader, and the next couple of years saw them play to their strengths, whilst not achieving quite the chart success their spiky street-smart anthems deserved, until they frayed and fractured under the pressure.

Their best songs, with a small sprinkling of cover versions, are documented on this record. It’s all the Mott The Hoople you’ll ever need. Ten out of ten.

YouTube won’t let me show the video here, so you’ll have to pop over there. Some great stuff from 1971 with Mick on guitar and, two years later, Ariel.

N.B. Seek out Hunter’s book Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star – you won’t find a more honest and illuminating account of life on the road.

P.S. I could have just as easily written about: Mogwai and the album Young Team

Wonder what N will be?