With seven days to record
their debut album, producer/mentor Guy
Stevens deemed a song a day to keep up
with his idea of a schedule. The flaw
to this, of course, was that the band
didn’t have any of their own songs to
record, so they just jammed on songs they
knew. All five members of the band were
huge fans of Ray Davies and the Kinks.
Their first number one single was “You
Really Got Me” (a song often credited
as giving heavy metal its guitar sound).
So after a brief run through the tapes
were switched on to lay a backing track
down. The original take was frenzied nonsense
some ten minutes long getting faster and
faster until total chaos prevailed. If
you think the Van Helen version of this
from their debut album was heavy, have
a listen to this little baby, it clear
takes the top of your head off. When vocals
were attempted Guy Stevens and equally
mad studio engineer Andy John’s deemed
them totally unnecessary, chopped off
the final 6 minutes of the studio jam
and used this as a stunning instrumental
opening track for Mott the Hoople’s debut
opus.
Next day, day two, and they needed track
two. After much debate Doug Sahm’s “At
The Crossroads” was chosen because it
had a cool title, had never been released
in England, was a great song, but mostly
because the band were afraid of what Guy
Stevens would do if they didn’t come up
with something by the end of the day.
Surprisingly the result was remarkable,
very vibrant with the boys leaving the
indelible Mott the Hoople stamp on it.
Day three saw track three, a song Ian
Hunter sung at his first audition with
the band, Sonny Bono’s “Laugh at Me”,
done much slower than the original. From
the tone of Ian Hunter’s voice you can
tell that when he sings “I don’t care
if you laugh at me” this is a line he
really means.
Day four and track four was needed. By
this time, obviously, the boys were full
of confidence and Ian Hunter came up with
an original song called “If The World
Saluted You”. It was really very much
in Bob Dylan vein, being a thinly disguised
re-write of “The times they are a-changing”.
However, with the new title “Back Sliding
Fearlessly”, it gave you the sound of
the band and Hunter’s lyrical imagery
blending beautifully.
That evening Stevens took Mick Ralphs
aside and told him that as lead guitarist
with the band he should go home and write
a guitar driven Rock ‘n’ Roll anthem to
record for day 5.
I’m not making this up. The very next
day Ralphs walked into the studio and
taught the rest his new song “Rock ‘n’
Roll Queen”, which was played at every
Mott the Hoople concert over the next
five years. (Anybody who has ever heard
this song blasted out at Tahitian Queens
Rock ‘n’ Roll Happy Hour on Friday will
verify this is an all time riff laden
classic).
Day six and seven were taken up with Mott
the Hoople’s first epic, opening with
Ralphs lead guitar jam “Rabbit, Foot,
and Toby Time” and leading into “Half
Moon Bay”, which laid down the template
for the Mott the Hoople sound; Hunter’s
rasping vocals; Ralphs soaring guitar,
Allen’s atmospheric organ; and the rock
solid rhythm section of Watts and Buffin.
The album closes with “Wrath and Roll”.
The final two minutes of “You Really Got
Me” jam, bringing the album to a frantic
conclusion.
For a debut album, “Mott the Hoople” ranks
amongst the best, extraordinary, considering
it was recorded under such circumstances.
Sounding as fresh now as it did thirty
three years ago.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
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1
