This
album has got class written all over.
Recorded in 1983, two years after his
previous album "Short Back and Sides",
it smacks of an artist at the top of his
powers, who has already been there, done
that, got the T-shirt, and was allowing
the rest to try and catch up. That is
not to say that every effort was not put
into this collection, in fact, all the
tracks were written by Ian Hunter with
the exception of the two written with
long time mates Mark Clarke and Hilly
Michaels. In similar vein to Hunter's
more thoughtful work like "All American
Alien Boy", Ian made lyrical assaults
on several controversial topics including
US television, government nuclear policy,
and the recent Falklands war.
Although Hunter's usual partner in crime,
Mick Ronson, was at the time off, involved
in other projects. (However, he did contribute
to one track, 'Death and Glory Boys',
some absolutely shattering lead guitar.)
Hunter has always had the luxury that
most of his best mates also happened to
be some of the leading lights in Rock
'n' Roll. So the main band was made up
of Mark Clarke (ex-Rainbow, Greenslade,
Tempest, to name but a few) on bass; Hilly
Michaels (ex- Little Feat) on drums; long
time sideman Tommy (Maddog) Mandel on
keyboards; and filling in Mick Ronson's
mighty plectrum work, Robbie Altar. When
you add to this some astounding, saxophone
work by the mighty Clarence Clemmons from
the E Street Band, you are left with a
very fine pedigree stamped on the recordings.
The album opens with the first of two
versions of the title track, a fast and
slow version were recorded to open and
close the album. The faster one being
used as a single by record label Columbia
to promote the album in the States. 'Every
Step of the Way' follows, which is a lovely
smutty dumb love song. Next song is 'Fun'
and it is self explanatory. It was later
covered by the Monkees on their"
Pool it" album. 'Speechless' was
the first of two songs on the album about
the absurdity of television.
"Every time I watch you
Gotta switch you off
You surely can't be serious
Every time I see you
I just can't believe
You go below ridicules"
'Speechless' was also covered this time
by "Status Quo" on their 1986
LP 'In the Army Now'. 'Death 'n' Glory'
was inspired by the Falklands War, but
could be about the futility of any war,
where the young are called out to fight
and die for reasons that they don't really
understand.
'That Girl is Rock 'n' Roll' is pretty
self-explanatory and is the good time
sister song to Hunter's earlier hit 'Once
Bitten Twice Shy'. It would make a good
soundtrack to any night down Pattaya Walking
street. 'Something's going on' was of
far more substantial matter, dealing with
the uncertainties of nuclear war and the
power that a small minority of people
have over the majority of us. Television
comes under the microscope once more in
'Captain Void 'n' the Video Jets ', only
this time in a comical manner, perhaps
implying that the writer himself was spending
a little too much time in front of the
Google box instead of the Rock 'n' Roll
lifestyle.
The album draws to a close in mellow fashion
with 'Seeing Double', a song of desperations
living out your life in these modern times,
and then the closing version of the title
track, with some of the best work Clarence
Clemmons has ever laid down, and yes,
I include anything he has done with Springsteen
.
Anyway, how can anyone possibly dislike
an album, when half way through the song
'Fun' Hunter implores his audience with
"I wanna party - Get down - Boogie".
What more do you want?
It is about time the record company got
hold of the master tapes from 1983, re-mastered
them, and added a few of the extra tracks
that were recorded at the time, with new
liner notes and not the ones taken from
the vinyl edition, which are now so unreadable
small without a magnifying glass, especially
as there is Ian Hunter's poem in tribute
to Guy Stevens on the inside sleeve in
its original hand written form.
But that does not detract from the marvelous
music provided on this timeless collection
of Rock 'n' Roll.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
