by Mott the Dog
*** 3 Stars Rating
Bit of a strange one this, catching Ian Hunter in a bit
of a flux in his career. Having just completed touring the highly
successful “Ian Hunter” album (Ian’s first solo work) all over
Europe and America, and having the hit single “Once Bitten Twice Shy”
reaching the upper reaches of the singles charts, Ian Hunter’s side kick
for the previous eighteen months, that Rock ‘n’ Roll Gypsy Mick Ronson,
decided to take his guitar and production talent off and join Bob
Dylan’s Rolling Thunder tour (Ronson’s work on that tour can be heard
on the fabulous “Hard Rain” album), so Ian disbanded the band and
moved lock stock and smoking barrel to America, where he still lives
today. Hence the title to this his second solo work.
The
completed album was built thematically around Hunter’s move. Recorded
over three weeks, several of the tracks were first or second takes, all
the material was written, arranged and produced by the man himself.
Unusually most of the lyrics were written in the third person, and it
appeared that the move Stateside had made him look towards Bob Dylan,
Randy Newman, and possibly another English Exile John Lennon for some of
his inspiration. Hunter had also become infatuated, it seemed, with the
mythology of America and the excitement he had discovered there, giving
the album new creativity and maturity. He certainly didn’t play safe
with the subject matter of this discerning and at times somewhat
disturbing record, as Hunter tackled subjects as diverse as Britain,
America, Young Love, the Mafia, Rapists, Anti-drugs, Political corruption,
Rock ‘n’ Roll life styles, and God. All head on. Lyrically this is the
most mature and potent record in the Hunter Canon, each and every track
deserving careful listening.
So 5 stars rating for lyrical content, but the slight
stumbling block is that although Hunter had assembled a glittering array
of session musicians around him to record the tunes they never had the
chance to become a band or sound like one, and here lies the problem, all
the players turn in a polished performance, but that is exactly how it
sounds: very smooth, but also somewhat clinical and sterile. Most Ian
Hunter albums sound as if the band are running through a prospective live
set, with a beginning, middle, & end, whereas this is just a good set
of songs laid down in any old order. Even the only rocker on the album
“Restless Youth” (the only track heavy enough on the album you would
dare to request in the famous Tahitian Queen’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Happy
Hour on Friday) sounds as if everybody is frightened to actually let rip
in case they offend someone.
Nevertheless the album does have some of Hunter’s
classic songs on it. The opening number, “Letter To Brittania From The
Union Jack”, a lovely lolloping song that would have been better off as
a center piece to the album, was a song Ian addressed to his homeland.
Sounding a slightly discordant note of national pride and a plea for
England to “Get Its Act Together”. He was at the same time critical of
the country of his birth, but also sorrowful of the state the country had
got itself into.
“Irene Wilde” was a song to a girl from Hunters
youth, a poignant fragile ballad of unrequited love, which has remained in
his live set to this day. His teenage dream girl rejects him in this
autobiographical true story of a “Barker Street Station non affair”,
which pushes him on towards ambition and stardom, away from his hometown
of Shrewsbry.
Hunters previous band Mott the Hoople had done two
tours of both the States and U.K with Queen as support so it is nice to
hear them adding backing vocals to the hymn like “You Nearly Did Me
In”.
Ian Hunter “All American Alien Boy” was released in
June 1976, as Hunter did not tour the album. And since label C.B.S. gave
only minimal promotion (no obvious single to promote) the album sunk more
or less without trace, although it remains Hunter’s own favorite amongst
his solo work.
But just around the corner the “Overnight Angels”
were gathering.
Musicians
Chris Stainton - Piano, organ, mellotron & bass on
“Restless Youth”
Jaco Pastorius - Bass & guitar on “God (Take
1)”
Aynsley Dunbar - Drums
Gerry Weems - Lead Guitar
David Sanborn - Alto Saxophone
Dominic Cortese - Accordion
Cornell Dupree - Guitar on “Letter To Brittania From
The Union Jack”
Don Alias - Congas
Arnie Lawrence - Clarinet
Dave Bargeron - Trombone
Lewis Soloff - Trumpet
Ian Hunter - Rhythm guitar, piano on “All American
Alien Boy” and all lead vocals
Track Listing
1. Letter To Brittania From The Union Jack
2. All American Alien Boy
3. Irene Wilde
4. Restless Youth
5. Rape
6. You Nearly Did Me In
7. Apathy
8. God (Take 1)
According to the back cover, this is not a new book,
having been written initially in 500 years BC. Axiom Publishing claim the
copyright for this new edition (ISBN 1-84013-512-3), which was printed
this year, though the initial English translation was apparently published
in 1905. As part of its credits, the book was supposedly used by Napoleon
to conquer Europe, having been brought to Europe from China by the French
in the first place.
Naomi
Watts plays Rachel Keller, a reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
who follows the trail of her niece’s mysterious death. Her son Aidan
(David Dorfman) tells her that his cousin told him that she would die.
Investigating further, she learns that her niece and some friends found
the video in a wood side cabin, and that they all died exactly one week
after watching it. The cabin itself holds nothing out of the ordinary but
the caretaker did find blank videotape, which he assumed the departed
teenagers left behind.
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