Classic Rock Album of the Day- Mott The Hoople- Self Titled (1969) ***
It is funny how music morphs into into branches on a tree as the formula wears. By the late 1960's we were 3 years past Beatlemania, and Psychedelia had already about run its course. 1969 was a pivotal point year where the flower power fads had started wilting. By now Zep was already on its second album. Bands like Sabbath and Purple were dialing up 11 on the amps, Southern Rock bands like Allman Bros., Skynrd, ZZ Top,and Black Oak were beginning to get popular too. Oh, and one more.... Glam Rock. Early progenitors of this genre included Bowie, T-Rex, Slade, Stooges, and today's review, Mott The Hoople.
Maybe because I was a southern red neck, this genre kind of creeped me out in the day. Men who wanted to look like women just didn't appeal. Why the f-- would a man want to perform in makeup. It was a much different time. I was a huge fan of Alice Cooper in his day, but I chalked that up to theatrics. No one thought AC really wanted to be a woman. And admittedly those prejudices precluded me from being interested in some music more than others. Pulling from the "Office Space" theme with Peter and Lawrence lamenting abut Mondays...... Saying you liked David Bowie's music then might get your ass kicked. And even by my own standards, a-lot of late 1960's and 1970's Glam was shit. But in that conglomerate of fecal matter, the Rock and Roll Dung Beetle was able to pull out a few gems. 3 or 4 of Bowie's of course, and this one is a good example too.
Mott the Hoople was a very competent band that had some decent versatility. They Rock, They Bluezed, They Glammed. They Boogied. The talent center of the band musically and songwriting focuses on Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs. Admittedly, this album sounds very fresh, and something that doesn't seem to be produced in the 1960's. MTH's life on earth was pretty short, 7 studio albums in 5 years. After '74 Hunter and Ralph left the band, and subsequent work was known as singular "Mott". Simply, they were just awful. That lack of longevity (gone by '74) is most likely the reason they haven't made it to the Hall of Fame. Considering some of the crap artists that are in, I'd still say they are overdue.
It was an easy pick of which of their LP's to review. I liked '74's "The Hoople", but this one is a notch better, and with less filler.
Fun Fact: "Creedence Compilation Factor"? "9". 13 Compilation albums for 7 studio albums. Moo Cow... Moo. Sheesh.
Side 1-
------------
You Really Got Me- It's hard to mess up this Kink's classic. Kind of like doing covers of "Wild Thing" and "Louie Louie". Three Chords..... OH YEAH!!!!! Kind of nice how they did this as an instrumental. 5
At the Crossroads- One point I failed to mention earlier, was Hunter's attempt, cognizant or not was to sound just like Dylan. In any case, this Doug Sahm classic is done very tastefully and hits the mark nicely. 3
Laugh at Me- Bizarre take of this Sonny Bono effort that incorporates a Dylan "How Does it Feel" sound. This turd comes across as a Dylan like cover of this thing. Filler. 8
Backsliding Fearlessly- Taking another page from the Dylan/Gordon Lightfoot like stylist playbook. Seems Hunter doesn't even want to hide that fact. Good song though. 6
Side 2-
-----------
Rock and Roll Queen- Excellent rocker. And one of about three of their recognizable hits. This is the one on the LP that actually stretches the musical chops of the band. Some serious jamming at the end really punctuates how versatile this band against say, versus the rest of the album. 2
Rabbit Foot and Toby Time- Barrel House instrumental that is alright, but meh. 7
Half Moon. Ahhh...that sleeper that just blows you away. This gorgeous blue-ish number has that strong Dylan/Joe Cocker kind of vibe that just hits a home run. Hunter's intentional off key voicing exudes grit and emotion. You'd think the 10 minute length would wear, but they variate enough center point enough to ebb and flow, crescendo and decrescendo enough to me to keep it really interesting. . That crunching Hammond 2/3 the way through was ingenious. This song, though unheralded, was worth the price of admission. 1
Wrath and Wroll- Oddity. I guess band wanted to allow their Producer to provide a jam ditty for prosperity. Actually sounds a bit like the foundation of their future instrumental fare around their cover of Bowie's- All the Young Dude. Surprisingly good. 4
It is funny how music morphs into into branches on a tree as the formula wears. By the late 1960's we were 3 years past Beatlemania, and Psychedelia had already about run its course. 1969 was a pivotal point year where the flower power fads had started wilting. By now Zep was already on its second album. Bands like Sabbath and Purple were dialing up 11 on the amps, Southern Rock bands like Allman Bros., Skynrd, ZZ Top,and Black Oak were beginning to get popular too. Oh, and one more.... Glam Rock. Early progenitors of this genre included Bowie, T-Rex, Slade, Stooges, and today's review, Mott The Hoople.
Maybe because I was a southern red neck, this genre kind of creeped me out in the day. Men who wanted to look like women just didn't appeal. Why the f-- would a man want to perform in makeup. It was a much different time. I was a huge fan of Alice Cooper in his day, but I chalked that up to theatrics. No one thought AC really wanted to be a woman. And admittedly those prejudices precluded me from being interested in some music more than others. Pulling from the "Office Space" theme with Peter and Lawrence lamenting abut Mondays...... Saying you liked David Bowie's music then might get your ass kicked. And even by my own standards, a-lot of late 1960's and 1970's Glam was shit. But in that conglomerate of fecal matter, the Rock and Roll Dung Beetle was able to pull out a few gems. 3 or 4 of Bowie's of course, and this one is a good example too.
Mott the Hoople was a very competent band that had some decent versatility. They Rock, They Bluezed, They Glammed. They Boogied. The talent center of the band musically and songwriting focuses on Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs. Admittedly, this album sounds very fresh, and something that doesn't seem to be produced in the 1960's. MTH's life on earth was pretty short, 7 studio albums in 5 years. After '74 Hunter and Ralph left the band, and subsequent work was known as singular "Mott". Simply, they were just awful. That lack of longevity (gone by '74) is most likely the reason they haven't made it to the Hall of Fame. Considering some of the crap artists that are in, I'd still say they are overdue.
It was an easy pick of which of their LP's to review. I liked '74's "The Hoople", but this one is a notch better, and with less filler.
Fun Fact: "Creedence Compilation Factor"? "9". 13 Compilation albums for 7 studio albums. Moo Cow... Moo. Sheesh.
Side 1-
------------
You Really Got Me- It's hard to mess up this Kink's classic. Kind of like doing covers of "Wild Thing" and "Louie Louie". Three Chords..... OH YEAH!!!!! Kind of nice how they did this as an instrumental. 5
At the Crossroads- One point I failed to mention earlier, was Hunter's attempt, cognizant or not was to sound just like Dylan. In any case, this Doug Sahm classic is done very tastefully and hits the mark nicely. 3
Laugh at Me- Bizarre take of this Sonny Bono effort that incorporates a Dylan "How Does it Feel" sound. This turd comes across as a Dylan like cover of this thing. Filler. 8
Backsliding Fearlessly- Taking another page from the Dylan/Gordon Lightfoot like stylist playbook. Seems Hunter doesn't even want to hide that fact. Good song though. 6
Side 2-
-----------
Rock and Roll Queen- Excellent rocker. And one of about three of their recognizable hits. This is the one on the LP that actually stretches the musical chops of the band. Some serious jamming at the end really punctuates how versatile this band against say, versus the rest of the album. 2
Rabbit Foot and Toby Time- Barrel House instrumental that is alright, but meh. 7
Half Moon. Ahhh...that sleeper that just blows you away. This gorgeous blue-ish number has that strong Dylan/Joe Cocker kind of vibe that just hits a home run. Hunter's intentional off key voicing exudes grit and emotion. You'd think the 10 minute length would wear, but they variate enough center point enough to ebb and flow, crescendo and decrescendo enough to me to keep it really interesting. . That crunching Hammond 2/3 the way through was ingenious. This song, though unheralded, was worth the price of admission. 1
Wrath and Wroll- Oddity. I guess band wanted to allow their Producer to provide a jam ditty for prosperity. Actually sounds a bit like the foundation of their future instrumental fare around their cover of Bowie's- All the Young Dude. Surprisingly good. 4
