Remembering.....Mott the Hoople

They began with some great, but absolutely unsuccessful albums.
They were so disappointed about that, that they did not believe in their own abilities. If there wouldn`t had been David Bowie, they would had quit.

But Bowie did "All the young dudes" for them - everybody knows this song.

They were absolutely great when playing fast and loud rock songs like "Rockn Roll Queen", "Walking with a mountain" or "You really got me". Her ballads weren`t so great in my eyes. Some were good, but must were quite boring, sounded forced as if they did not know why
they wrote it in the first place.

Ian Hunter, the mastermind, is 82 years old, but looks very healthy and much younger. I think he is still on the road.

From the classic lineup Overend Watts and Dale Griffin died some years ago. Later guys like Morgan Fisher and Ariel Bender are still in the band. Mick Ronson did play in 1974 with them.

For listening, I wanna start with a thrilling live concert issued officially some years ago.
It showed the great power of the band:


Rec.1970

Their first album had some smashing songs like Rockn Roll Queen and You really got me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIydQaDR1HM


After their great success they made

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc2A-s9GdlE


An unspectecular work, but worth to listen to.

Another great moment was the Big Medley on their live album, 16 minutes long featuring songs from former albums and some rockn roll stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp4EX_1GvmM
Here are 3 great songs from this album, featuring the Medley plus a stunnimg version from "All the way from Memphis and a ballad.



2019 they were till on the road. Look how young Ian Hunter appears here. He was born in 1939...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEY7py7aO8Y&t=266s

I don`t know what Hunter is doing in 2021. Anybody knows?

But... If he is still on stage, everybody will remember Mott the Hoople.

 

I saw them at the Fillmore around the same time as that Fairfield Halls album and, as I've said before, it's one of my top ten shows of all time. The were beyond fierce and played with an intensity that, at the time, could only be rivaled by The Who. Absolutely levelled that audience.
The Felt Forum show with The Dolls opening (All The Young Dudes tour) was almost as good.
Oh yeah, Brain Capers might have saved my life.

 

Mad Shadows.

 

You got to love a song with the title "Death may be your Santa Claus"

 

One stop shopping for their golden era, in my opinion.

 

A fantastic band!

 

' All The Young Dudes ' was\is such a great album, my introduction to Mott The Hoople.
Quickly picked up their debut and ' Brain Capers ' shortly afterwards. Both terrific.

 

Mott might be the best album of 1973.

Brain Capers is also aces!

 

Fantastic album cover.

 

Great band. Their ballads ain't that bad. Ballad Of Mott and Saturday Gigs are classics.

 

Check this one.

 

You can get updates each month from Ian's Horse's Mouth.

The Horse’s Mouth, July 2021

 

Starting a Mott thread and dumping on Ian Hunter’s ballads? Ok.

 

Here you can listen to a Bootleg that sounds really good.

 

Perhaps he means the early, Dylanesque ballads? Because it's hard to believe that anyone would call songs like "Sea Diver" or "I Wish I Was Your Mother" boring and forced.

Brain Capers, All the Young Dudes, and Mott are all brilliant records (as is Ian's first solo album with Ronson). All the Young Dudes might not be the best of the three, but it is my favorite.

 

I was too young to have caught them when me and my best friend became obsessed with them in 1973. Their run from Brain Capers to Live is one of the best by anyone. Not sure why you would describe Mott as "unspectacular".......it's a brilliant album from start to finish! I was fortunate to have seen them when they toured here in 2019......one of the greatest nights of my life.

 

Totally bummed Ian cancelled the West Coast swing of the Mott tour back in 2019. I had front row seat tickets for the Seattle show. I have always loved Mott

 

OP’s views are quite idiosyncratic. As if it’s not idiosyncratic enough to be a Mott The Hoople fan in the first place

 

I cannot believe that I actually saw Mott The Hoople in 2019 in Cleveland. I thought that ship had sailed decades ago and would have been happy to have finally seen Ian Hunter as I have always been a big fan of his solo material. The thrill I got when the piano began for the first encore ["All the Way To Memphis"] surprised even me. The show was all about their 1974 tour 45 years earlier and features Morgan Fisher and Luther Grosvenor from that band lineup. With Griffin and Watts dead, and Ralphs unable to play, this made perfect sense. And since "The Hoople" is my favorite Mott the Hoople album, I was over the moon.

 

Same here with the 2019 show. To see them do the Medley from the Live album was something that I never dreamed I'd be able to experience. An added bonus for the show I saw was the Dream Syndicate opening as well!

 

There were a few of us in high school who loaned each other albums on a regular basis. One of the guys loaned me Mott The Hoople in my junior year (70-71). I remember it well and was prompted to buy Wildlife a little later. Excellent albums.

I then bought All The Young Dudes which I listened to regularly. My favorite album though turned out to be Mott; I loved the campy feel of it. I still have ATYDs and Mott on vinyl. Loved them in my youth, and although I haven't listened to them in years, I still cherish the memories they bring me.

 

My best friend and I were huge fans of Mott the Hoople back in the day.

I never had a sense that most of our classmates in junior high or high school here in Los Angeles really knew the band (or had even heard of them), but Mott the Hoople was a top-tier band for us.

Do others remember when they appeared on ABC's live music series, "In Concert," in the fall of 1973? That was an epic event for this 15 year old.

Bill

 

Saw them in Toronto in the early 70s.
What do I remember about that show? Precious little unfortunately. It was one of those booze 'n' drug fueled weekends.

 

I've seen Ian solo a few times in Toronto and elsewhere (1981, 86, 87, 88 & 2017 ) and was lucky enough to attend the Mott reunion show in Detroit 2019 along with a night in 2019 that Ian played The City Winery in NY on his 80th birthday. The man is one of my few music heroes and a vastly underrated songwriter. May he continue to rock & roll for many more years.

 

Unforgettable great British band - such a creative powerhouse!

I have very fond and positive memories of Mott The Hoople and their members.

The very first time I came across Mott The Hoople was on German TV on “Beat Club” in March 1970 delivering a high energetic instrumental version of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”. Up to now this is the best version ever of The Kinks classical anthem as far as I’m concerned. When the band would perform this song live in the 70’s they would sometimes improvise in such a way that the song would last 30 minutes. Imagine that!

Mott The Hoople - You Really Got Me



The band’s guitarist Mick Ralphs left Mott The Hoople in 1973 to form the great British hard rock unit Bad Company together with former Free Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. Raymond “Boz” Burrell from King Crimson joined and the group was complete. Ian Hunter quit Mott The Hoople in 1974 and embarked on a highly successful and respected solo career.

By the way - all five original members reunited in October 2009 at The Hammersmith Apollo in London to celebrate Mott The Hoople's 40th birthday. All five concerts in a row were immediately sold out! We had such a blast!