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Mott the Hoople

 
Album Review: Mott the Hoople

  • Artist: Mott the Hoople
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1969
  • Total Time: 39:01
  • Genre: Rock

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, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
You Really Got Me Ray Davies Mott the Hoople (2:55)
At the Crossroads (Lyrics) Doug Sahm Mott the Hoople (5:33)
Laugh at Me (Lyrics) Sonny Bono Mott the Hoople (6:32)
Backsliding Fearlessly Ian Hunter Mott the Hoople (3:46)
Rock and Roll Queen Mick Ralphs Mott the Hoople (5:10)
Rabbit Foot and Toby Time Mick Ralphs Mott the Hoople (2:04)
Half Moon Bay Mick Ralphs, Ian Hunter Mott the Hoople (10:38)
Wrath and Wroll Guy Stevens Mott the Hoople (1:48)

Credits

Pete Watts (Bass), Terry Buffin (Drums), Verden Allen (Organ), Andy Johns (Engineer), Ian Hunter (Keyboards), Mick Ralphs (Guitar), Zal Schreiber (Mastering), Mick Ralphs (Vocals), Ian Hunter (Vocals), Ian Hunter (Guitar), Guy Stevens (Producer), Pete Watts (Guitar (Bass)), Ian Hunter (Piano), Guy Stevens (Piano), Verden Allen (Keyboards), Dale Buffin Griffin (Drums)
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Wikipedia: Mott the Hoople (album)
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Mott the Hoople
Studio album by Mott the Hoople
Released 1969
Recorded May-October 1969, Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
Genre Rock
Length 38:26
46:22 (2003 reissue)
Label (UK) Island Records
Producer Guy Stevens
Professional reviews
Mott the Hoople chronology
Mott the Hoople
(1969)
Mad Shadows
(1970)

Mott the Hoople is the debut album by the band of the same name. It was produced by Guy Stevens and released in 1969 by Island Records. Stevens, the group's mentor and guide, wanted to create an album that would suggest Bob Dylan singing with the Rolling Stones. This was partially achieved, though the stand-out song was, perhaps, guitarist Mick Ralphs' "Rock and Roll Queen" which curiously predicts Mott's signature sound of three years later. The album featured a number of Dylanesque cover versions and some aggressive underground rock originals. In fact, vocalist Ian Hunter had only just joined the band prior to the recording and the album was made before the band had even played live together.

An instrumental version of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" introduces the album, though a vocal version was recorded and is available on Two Miles From Heaven. Doug Sahms' "At the Crossroads" and Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me" are suitably reminiscent of Bob Dylan, as is Hunter's "Backsliding Fearlessly". Initial copies of the album were wrongly pressed with "The Road to Birmingham", the flip side of their debut single, replacing "Rock and Roll Queen".

Contents

Track listing

  1. "You Really Got Me" (Ray Davies) 2.55
  2. "At the Crossroads" (Doug Sahm) 5.33
  3. "Laugh at Me" (Sonny Bono) 6.32
  4. "Backsliding Fearlessly" (Ian Hunter) 3.47
  5. "Rock and Roll Queen" (Mick Ralphs) 5.10
  6. "Rabbit Foot and Toby Time" (Mick Ralphs) 2.04
  7. "Half Moon Bay" (Mick Ralphs, Ian Hunter) 10.38
  8. "Wrath and Wroll" (Guy Stevens) 1.49
  9. "Ohio" (Neil Young - bonus track on 2003 CD re-issue) 4.26
  10. "Find Your Way" (Mick Ralphs - bonus track on 2003 CD re-issue) 3.30

Personnel

Charts

Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1970 Pop Albums 185

Trivia

The cover is from a litograph of M. C. Escher's Reptiles.


 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mott the Hoople (album)" Read more

 

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