“The Hoople” is Mott The Hoople’s follow up to “Mott” (see what they did there). Between the recording of “Mott” and “The Hoople” guitarist Mick Ralphs left the band (to help form Bad Company) to be replaced by former Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor who, for the purposes of this gig, changed his name to the much more Glam Ariel Bender (allegedly because he had a habit of bending the ariel’s on cars when drunk). It was also the last Mott The Hoople album to feature singer Ian Hunter before he embarked on a solo career.

Hunter delivered two more top 20 singles in “Roll Away The Stone” (#8) and “The Golden Age Of Rock ‘n’ Roll” (#16). This album version of “Roll Away The Stone” has Ariel Bender on guitar whereas the single version was Mick Ralphs final contribution before leaving. Oh and the girls voice responding to  the spoken “There’s a Rockabilly party on Saturday night…” part on this album version is future failed UK Eurovision entrant (OK she finished 2nd) Lynsey De Paul who was probably more famous for her beauty spot than any of her music.

Hunter wrote all but one song (“Born Late ’58” was written by Overend Watts) and supplies songs across his whole range of styles. We get the two Glam singles we already mentioned, the theatrical set piece of “Marionette”, proto-punk in ”Crash Street Kids” and I’m pretty sure many a BritPoop combo was more than familiar with “Pearl ‘n’ Roy (England)” and its barroom swagger.

Rolling Stone magazine (I think I’ve made my views on them clear before) panned this album calling these songs “debased replicas” of those on previous album “Mott”, once again they were so spectacularly wrong it’s a wonder the rag lasted this long ! “The Hoople” is a glamtastic British Rock record and not many have ever been able to do it as well as Mott the Hoople did.

(Artwork trivia…the girl on the cover is Norwegian model Kari-Ann Moller (with the bands faces in her hair) who also adorns the cover of Roxy Music’s debut album. These days she is married to Chris Jagger, Micks bro’.)

Pearl ‘n’ Roy (England) - https://youtu.be/cD0OkfuyhyY?si=LfFXQc7mNU4dVI9B