I got mine on November 12....preordered in late October....glad I did. Its a bit more $$ now until it becomes available again on Amazon which I gather will be later this month.
" ...from the tracks the were included and left off of the box set...." Included or left off? Or included where?
@bobcat All the ones that say omitted from the set are not included on the Mental Train set. The rest are are all included on the set. The omitted tracks can be found on the various Angel Air releases and some of them on other releases as well. Much of this was discussed earlier in the thread.
I know it was discussed earlier in the thread. I was only seeking clarity.... But many thanks for all the incredibly useful information you regularly provide. It's much appreciated by me - and many others, I'm sure.
I suspect - but it's only a hunch - that a corrected version might be in the works, the clues being that it's "temporarily out of stock" on all Amazon sites so soon after it came out and on the Amazon.UK site there is a tab that says: "Report incorrect product information." Time will tell....
Thank you @bobcat. Sorry I'm on break at work right now and can't look up the sources for all of the omitted tracks.
1. If Your Heart Lay With A Rebel (Would You Cheer The Underdog?) (Vocal version) - Omitted from set - Two Miles From Live Heaven & In Performance 1970-1974 2. Little Christine 3. You Really Got Me (Vocal version) 4. Road To Birmingham (Guy Steven's Mix) 5. Moonbus (Baby's Got A Down) 6. Going Home 7. It Would Be A Pleasure - Omitted from set - All The Young Dudes: The Anthology & Mad Shadows (Angel Air reissue with bonus tracks) 8. Keep A Knockin' (Studio version) 9. Can You Sing The Song That I Sing? (Short version) - Omitted from set - Mott The Hoople Family Anthology 10. The Chosen Road - Omitted from set - Mott The Hoople Family Anthology 11. Growing Man Blues 12. Surfin' U.K. - Omitted from set - Two Miles From Heaven 13. One Of The Boys (Island version) 14. Till I'm Gone 15. Long Red 16. It'll Be Me - Omitted from set - All The Young Dudes: The Anthology & Wildlife (Angel Air reissue with bonus tracks) 17. Ill Wind Blowing 18. Downtown 19. The Debt 20. Midnight Lady (Vocal version) - Omitted from set - Rock And Roll Queen, All The Young Dudes: The Anthology & Brain Capers (Angel Air reissue with bonus tracks) 21. Black Scorpio 22. Movin' On
Black Scorpio is an interesting one on the box, as it seems to me that it's the Two Miles from Heaven version with the Ray Major overdubs, so not really an authentic Island era recording, surely. Or have I not listened carefully enough?
My first foray into early Mott the Hoople thanks to all the info in this thread. Ordered from AMZ US last Friday and received on Monday, less a 10% coupon. Looking forward to a 3 day weekend and enjoying this box set.
wow, this while set was worth it for me just to get a relatively clear sounding "Wildlife" and its quasi-outtakes. Not to mention the debut is one of the best ever, the uncompromising Mad Shadows, the sustained intensity of Brain Capers. Haven't gotten to to last two disks yet. And where should I display that poster?
Listening through this (one of my more pleasant chores of 2018), I had my ear tuned to hints of their (or Guy Stevens') original concept of the Stones meet Dylan. Certainly they could sound like either one, but the only time they actually sounded like that intended hybrid was on 'Sweet Angeline"
They played that this morning on 88.5 FM Southern California It sounded great! I'm sure some wiseass somewhere is going to play 'Death May Be Your Santa Claus" over the weekend.
Yeah - without even listening to it first to find that Santa isn't mentioned anywhere in the song! Will serve him right and give listeners a rare Xmas treat. I was always beguiled by early Mott's song titles - Backsliding Fearlessly, Thunderbuck Ram, The Moon Upstairs, Wheel of the Quivering Meat etc. - little or no connection with the lyrics but somehow making sense. And most of them coming from the tangled head of Guy Stevens!
I was on the fence about picking this box up. When it came to pre-Young Dudes Mott, I only was familiar with Wildlife and the comp, Backsliding Fearlessly. (Shame on me, because these albums came out when I was 17 to 20 years old and thought I was on top of everything that was happening musically during those years.) But, this thread convinced me it would be worthwhile to take a listen. And you were right! The released albums contain some very good tracks I had missed, but the previously unreleased tracks are chuck full of gems. This box set quadrupled my appreciation for this band and is a must have for anyone interested in late 60’s rock. Or just plain good music.
This was my Christmas present, which I bought for myself but put it under the tree to open Christmas Day. Is it just me, or is it hard to ask someone to buy you Mott the Hoople, Mental Train when you are in your late fifties? My wife was embarrassed when the mailman used to deliver Grateful Dead reissues I ordered. My early Mott collection before this box set included tracks from Ballad of Mott the Hoople, Two Miles from Heaven and Brain Capers. Now I have all four early albums plus extras and the live tracks. The book is adding a lot to my understanding of the band. Good stuff!
My wife makes faces whenever I pick up Mott the Hoople or Procol Harum things. Never fails! I love this set, even the packaging, which made me smile.
I ordered mine on Wednesday and it came it today. "Midnight Lady" is still the backing track, so I guess there won't be any upgrade or disc replacement coming. But at least it is a previously unreleased version, with studio chatter at the front, plus the song itself is about a minute longer, so there is that upside. But, I will be annoyed if they release this set as single disks and use the correct mono single version. [Edit] The Mental Train version actually seems to be a completely different take with some very nice guitar work from Mick. So I think I'm pretty happy with this unique version, mistake or not.
