Ian Hunter - Stranded In Reality (Ltd Edition Box Set) at propermusic.com I believe it has only been available through the label.
It's only being offered by Proper Music, a UK company. Ian Hunter - Stranded In Reality (Ltd Edition Box Set) at propermusic.com EDIT: And I've been beaten to it!
Yeah, you can see why they have not sold out, too much material that we already own. If it was priced closer to the huge Sandy Denny and John Martyn sets from years past it would have sold out pretty quick IMO. But those sets has a lot less material therefore the cheaper price.
Although I'm sure Proper might have missed some selections or rarities, you can't say this release isn't comprehensive.
I'm still slowly making my way through the box set as this is all new to me and I don't to make a novice mistake of burning myself out on the performer. YUI Orta has emerged as a favorite of mine though. Lots of steam on that one.
It's a thing of beauty. Having said that, I'm not really a cd collector so I sold mine on a used cd's site right away, while keeping mp3's of the music. The dvd's were interesting but they're not something I'd often go back to had I kept the set. The booklet was a great read too. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of most of the unreleased tracks - and the unreleased songs were my motivation for buying. I can't help but think that the record company are missing a trick by not making a digital release available as I've already had one fan offer to but an mp3 copy of the unreleased stuff. I bought it for £250 and sold it on for £150 (less 10% commission) so it was still an expensive exercise for me but it really is a treasure trove of unheard Hunter material. Hope this helps you.
The essential solo Ian Hunter albums for me are the three with Mick Ronson: the self-titled debut, You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic, and Welcome To the Club: Live, all of which can be had cheaply in the used vinyl bins. The Live album is a new acquisition for me, it's a raucous, exhilarating show from late 1979.
Technically it's not an Ian Hunter solo record, since it's officially 'The Hunter Ronson Band'. But I'm glad I could turn you on to it. Edit: They put out a live record, too.
I think it's awful but that is just my own opinion. There is a detailed review & comments on it in the Mott/Ian ABA thread.
I like most of the material. I do agree with Ian that he choose the wrong producer but it's far, far from awful in my opinion. Something that can't be said about most,of Short Back n Sides. I just don't understand the love for that album. It has a ha drug of tracks that are worthwhile. I really haven't contributed that much to the ABA thread for Ian just because I kept forgetting to join in and it moved a bit too swiftly for me to keep up.
