Another of those weird Sainsbury’s exclusives. 2 LP’s on Orange vinyl featuring 21 of Mott’s singles and key album tracks.

After 4 albums for Island with not a sniff of success David Bowie helped Mott The Hoople (their name was taken from an obscure 1966 novel by Willard Manus about Norman Mott who works in a freak show and his adventures with Hoople’s, or normal people) get their first hit with “All The Young Dudes”, and what a song that is. It’s rumoured that Bowie regretted giving it away almost as soon as he had and Mott made it their song so he couldn’t really claim it back. Lyrical sidenote is that Bowie once said that “the news” that the Dudes were carrying was the same news that the News guy wept about in “Five Years” on “…Ziggy Stardust…”.

Mott then ran with it and released a superb bunch of singles through 1973 and 1974. “Honaloochie Boogie”, “All The Way From Memphis”,  “Roll Away The Stone”, “The Golden Age Of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, “Foxy Foxy”, “Saturday Gigs”, a great run and all on this compilation. Alongside those singles we have key album tracks and other stuff. Outside those we’ve already mentioned over the last 2 albums we have the anthemic “One Of The Boys” (also a single but shockingly not a hit), “Sea Diver” (orchestrated by Mick Ronson) and the sleaze rock of “Jerkin’ Crocus” all from the album “All The Young Dudes” plus “Rose”, the B-side of “Honaloochie Boogie”.

Mott were great, this record is Orange and if you need a place to start finding out how great Mott were, this would be it.

One Of The Boys - https://youtu.be/h5MvCYKjHvU?si=-y-jdSiZPDf4Ij5b

“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

I’m not sure where my liking for Mott the Hoople came from. It wasn’t an at the time thing as I was so focussed in on Slade back then that I wouldn’t have noticed them. It may be the “All The Young Dudes” Bowie connection that intrigued me. It may well have been at the prompting of my old friend Philip Barlow who is also a massive Mott fan. Whatever it was I’m a big fan of Mott the Hoople and they are possibly not regarded as highly as they should be.

Mott The Hoople released their first album for Island Records in 1969. After three more albums in a heavy rock style, with no success forthcoming, they were on the verge of breaking up. Enter David Bowie who was a fan. He originally offered them “Suffragette City” to record and try and get them a hit. They turned it down (!) so Bowie wrote for them (?)/offered them “All The Young Dudes” which they loved. Bowie’s management, Mainman, did a deal to move Mott from Island to CBS and Bowie and Mick Ronson produced an album of the same title. The single peaked at #3 and the album #21 in the UK. Mott were back.

“Mott” is the follow up to “All The Young Dudes” (the album) and Mott’s 6th album. They were now writing their own material again, singer Ian Hunter being the primary writer. The album features 2 great Glam Rock singles in “All The Way From Memphis” and “Honaloochie Boogie”, hard rock tracks that hark back to their earlier years, “Whizz Kid” and “Drivin’ Sister” and one thing that Mott were really good at, self referential songs. On this album those would be “Hymn For The Dudes” and "Ballad of Mott the Hoople (26th March 1972, Zürich)”. “Hymn For The Dudes” possibly includes a couple of digs at Bowie (“You ain't the nazz, You're just a buzz, Some kinda temporary”) and “Ballad…” is the story of the band set to music

“Buffin lost his child-like dreams, And Mick lost his guitar

And Verden grew a line or two, And Overend's just a rock'n'roll star

Behind these shades the visions fade, As I learn a thing or two

Oh but if I had my time again, You all know just what I'd do”

The line about Mick losing his guitar even refers back to “All The Way From Memphis” (“Forgot my six string razor, Hit the sky, Halfway to Memphis ‘fore I realised” also telling of the time guitarist Mick Ralphs lost his guitar on tour). The other great song on “Mott” is “Violence”, a real theatrical piece about the sort of guy who likes, well, violence. The album ends on “I Wish I Was Your Mother” an almost Irish Folk ballad, it’s great BTW.

Bowie had given Mott their mojo back and “Mott” gave them another pair of hit singles. Said to have been a great live band in their pomp (I only saw them once in 2013 and sadly they were bloody awful !), they were the only band that Queen ever supported. If you’re not a fan I don’t think we can be friends. They deserve to be remembered as a great 70’s rock band.

Ballad Of Mott The Hoople (26th March 1972, Zürich) - https://youtu.be/sJeU37u6kU8?si=N646kU5rTBIc0MZo