This double C.D of Ian Hunter’s
latest tour of Britain in support of his
latest official release, the critically
acclaimed ‘Rant’, is a bootleg recording.
This means it is a recording made by a
member of the audience, transferred onto
a C.D, and then sold usually by the internet
or by post. The bad thing about this is,
of course, that the artists in question
get no money for their labour, but from
a fan’s point of view you get to hear
what your favorite artist is up to. This
recording from the Glasgow Opera House
is hardly likely to ever be officially
released, so I don’t see that financially
it hurts Mr. Hunter and his band. Plus,
the fact that after all the trouble Mr.
Graham Stuart has taken to produce these
albums, he is hardly likely to make a
fortune himself.
So,
what do you get for your money? Each double
C.D sells for 15 pounds sterling, including
postage, anywhere in the world, and this
is the eighth in Mr. Stuart’s series of
‘Handmade for Fans’ series. It is a very
professionally put together package with
an attractive front cover, a four page
informative booklet, a back cover with
fourteen colour shots of the band in action
on the night, two printed C.D’s, and over
two and a half hours of the best Rock
‘n’ Roll you are ever likely to hear.
This tour of Britain was of great historical
importance to any music aficionado, as
it was the first time for twenty-nine
years that two of the founding members
of Mott the Hoople had gone on tour together.
So it is not surprising that the quality
of the music is so high. Sitting behind
the bins is the drummer’s drummer Steve
Holley, whose contribution to the live
sound cannot be underestimated. On keyboards
is one of the great veterans of Rock ‘n’
Roll, Ian Gibbons (Ex Pretty Things and
The Kinks), whose style suits the band
down to a tee. On lead guitar is the impeccable
Andy York, (long time associate of John
Cougar Mellencamp). Then, of course, up
front are the two stars of the show, ex-Mott
the Hoople and original member of Bad
Company, Mr. Mick Ralphs and Mr. Ian Hunter.
Mick Rick, who through this recording
demonstrates that he has lost none of
his mastery of the electric guitar, belts
out solo’s to some old Mott classics as
well as adding new vigor to some of the
newer material. Out front of course is
the incomparable Ian Hunter, one of Rock’s
finest and most charismatic front men.
Together they put out a sound that is
timeless, and if only the Rolling Stones
could still pump out Rock ‘n’ Roll with
such enthusiasm and raunch. Over the two
C.D’s you get the whole of the gig in
its proper running order, including all
the on-stage banter between band and audience.
Although the temptation must have been
to go out and rely upon a set list of
old Mott the Hoople songs, nothing of
the sort happens. Ten songs from the Mott
the Hoople Hunter/Ralphs era are played,
and one from after Ralphs had left for
Bad Company (all of which have since been
in and out of the Ian Hunter solo live
set anyway). Five from ‘Rant’, a selection
from Ian Hunter’s solo work, and a couple
of covers (a classic version of Bob Dylan’s
‘Knockin On Heaven’s Door’ and a final
rave up of Little Richards ‘Keep A Knockin’).
In general all lead
guitar work is equally shared between
York and Ralphs, although Ralphs
steps to centre stage to do an instrumental
version of that old chestnut ‘Hideaway’,
which nearly |
|
brings the house down.
Mick Ralphs takes no lead vocals in the
set, the reason for which is hilariously
explained by Ian Hunter as one of his
between song raps.
In the hands of these boys, Rock ‘n’ Roll
is in good shape.
The sound quality throughout is of the
highest standard, and is actually a lot
clearer than some official live albums
by big name record labels. There is certainly
much more of a feeling of actually being
there.
This band is certainly one of the best
Ian Hunter has ever put together, and
the man himself over the years just gets
better and better like a fine wine. For
those of you that haven’t heard his last
album ‘Rant’, lend an ear soon or pop
down to Pattaya’s leading Rock ‘n’ Roll
bar, the Tahitian Queen on Beach Road,
where Ian Hunter music is always rocking
them in the aisles. One of the things
that occurred to me whilst checking out
the songs on the set list, is that such
is the great accumulation of wealth of
songs from both these artists that both
Mick Ralphs and Ian Hunter could produce
set lists for additional 2 1/2 hour concerts
containing many classics without touching
upon songs from this collection. I mean,
how many artists could go on stage and
leave out such classic self-penned songs
as ‘Can’t Get Enough’ or ‘Feel Like Makin
Love’ (Ralphs) and ‘Cleveland Rocks’,
‘Irene Wilde Bastard’ or ‘Loner’ (Hunter)?!
For those of you that would like to know
more about this particular release, contact
Graham Stuart of Handmade records at:
gstuart@cisco.com
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
