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Book Review: The most important books of the decade?
by Lang Reid
We have just had the celebrations to mark the ascension of the King of
Thailand to the throne 60 years ago. This made King Bhumibol Adulyadej the
Great, the world’s longest serving monarch, and as such merited all the
congratulations he received from world leaders. However, there was more than
that. Personally I know of no other monarch who has worked so tirelessly for
his people as the King of Thailand, and what is more, that labor was one
that he accepted with grace and humility, making him a role model not just
for Thais, but for everyone, including other royal families in the world. It
was indeed heartening that 25 other royal families came to acknowledge that
fact.
 Both
The Nation newspaper and the Bangkok Post have now published pictorial
essays in book form of the celebrations. I have no need to say that these
have been pitted against each other, as they are really complementary.
Amongst the formally posed photographs there are some wonderful candids,
especially the ones of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn with her own camera
peeping around her father on the balcony to take some shots for her own
personal family album. A wonderfully human vignette, allowing us a glimpse
of the ‘real’ person behind the royal trappings.
A 60th royal anniversary will most likely never again be seen in any of our
lifetimes, so it was a particularly significant occasion, and one that we
have been privileged to watch. The barge processions on the river were just
breathtaking in their beauty. We should try and impart that significance to
our children, and these books will allow us to do that. The RRP for The
Nation’s publication was B. 90 and the Bangkok Post’s was B. 99. A very
inexpensive investment for the future. Despite the words being in Thai (plus
some English translations), I have purchased both books for my friends and
family. Photographs can be understood by all nationalities!
Mott’s CD review: Ian Hunter
The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nuthin But The Truth
 The Truth, The Whole Truth by Mott the Dog
And Nuthin But The Truth by Meow the Cat
4 Stars ****
As Ian Hunter surges into the second half of his seventh decade, he
leaves many of the young pretenders in his wake. His live shows still
are full of energy, superb songs, great showmanship, and surprises. His
story is one of the more vivid and real of all the rock ‘n’ roll
stories. Many peaks and troughs, but never ever counted out.
After many years on the fringes of the rock scene, you would of thought
as Ian Hunter’s own twenties were coming to an end and the rest of the
world was rapidly advancing to the seventies, that his chance of fame,
fortune, etc., had passed him by. In 1969 Ian Hunter had a past record
as a rocker playing mainly as a bass guitarist with people like Freddie
‘Fingers’ Lee, touring Hamburg, but never really making an impression,
and had been reduced to working as a Tin Pan Alley song writer, with
only moderate success. But fate was waiting just around the corner.
A group of people including such firebrands as Chris Blackwell, David
Betteridge, and Guy Stevens, had set up Island Records. Guy Stevens had
just signed up and taken under his wing a band called ‘Silence’. As
ever, Guy Stevens was full of enthusiasm, but knew there was a missing
component in the band. So Stan Tippins, who at the time was singing for
the band, was shuffled across to be road manager, and auditions were set
up looking for a new focal point within the band. A friend persuaded Ian
Hunter to try out, and on a whim Hunter followed his friend’s advice and
went down to the studio where the band was rehearsing.
At thirty years old, extremely shy, rather fat, and with unfashionable
short curly ginger hair, the prospects were not exactly good. When Ian
Hunter arrived, Guy Stevens asked him what he could do, and Ian Hunter
sat down at the piano and jammed his way through, ‘Like a Rolling
Stone’, the old Bob Dylan standard, and then ‘Laugh At Me’ by Sonny
Bono. Ian Hunter is not a natural singer, nor did he have the stage
presence that now dominates his live performances. But Guy Stevens could
see something, and somehow managed to persuade the other four of
‘Silence’ to take the podgy guy hiding behind his shades into the band.
A name change for the band was deemed necessary and Guy Stevens came up
with ‘Mott The Hoople’ from the title of the Willard Manus novel. The
band then went into the studio, coming out with their self titled debut
album, half of covers and half band compositions. The singing was shared
by lead guitarist Mick Ralphs, and Ian Hunter perched behind his piano.
The rest of Mott The Hoople was made up of Dale ‘Buffin’ Griffin on
drums, Overend Watts on bass, and Verden Allen on keyboards.
After three years and four albums, Mott The Hoople could fill almost any
concert hall in the world, had toured the States almost every six
months, but could not sell an album, and after a bad gig in Switzerland
they decided to call it a day. A great live band, but the albums were
weak, not always the band’s fault as production often let them down,
massacring great songs like ‘Sweet Angeline’ from Brain Capers (1971),
making them sound weak when they could turn them into raging missiles in
the live arena.
Once home, Overend Watts rang up David Bowie, who at the time was just
taking off on the crest of his wave to the top of the rock ‘n’ roll
tree, to ask if he had any work for an unemployed bass player. Bowie was
horrified to hear ‘Mott The Hoople’ was splitting up, revealing himself
to be a huge fan. Bowie persuaded the whole band to come around and see
him. After a meeting, Bowie offered the band new management, a new
record label (they moved to CBS) and most importantly a song.
The first song that was offered was ‘Suffragette City’, but the boys
hung out for another little song Bowie had called ‘All The Young Dudes’.
Mick Ralphs added the guitar introduction and Ian Hunter added the rap
at the end, and bingo, Mott The Hoople had a huge hit on their hands.
Bowie and his lead guitarist Mick Ronson then produced their first album
for CBS, ‘All The Young Dudes’ (1972), and suddenly Mott The Hoople had
a hit album too. Off came the jeans and T-shirts and on came the glam
rags, platform boots, spandex, glitter, slap, and feathers.
By the time of their next album Verden Allen had flounced off, feeling
under used in Mott (it tells by his rather lacklustre solo career how
wrong he was to leave at the time), and David Bowie was having to put
all his energies into his own career. So Mott The Hoople were on their
own again.
This is when Ian Hunter stepped up to the plate. Ian Hunter wrote most
of ‘Mott’ (1973) which produced two more hit singles, ‘All The Way from
Memphis’ and ‘Honaloochie Boogie’. Mott was voted album of the year by
the prestigious ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine.
Even when Mick Ralphs left to form Bad Company with the remains of Free,
nothing could stop Mott The Hoople. Luther Grosvenor was given a new
name, Ariel Bender, and moved into the guitar spot, whilst Morgan Fisher
slid onto the keyboard stool. More hits flowed. The next album, ‘The
Hoople’ (1974), was even more of a success.
1974 was the year of Mott The Hoople: A week of sold out shows at the
Uris theatre on Broadway, touring America and the British Isles twice
with Queen as support, the world was in the palm of their sweaty little
hands.
Ariel Bender was then pushed out of the band, and replaced by David
Bowie’s old guitar player Mick Ronson, and Mott The Hoople was destined
for the stars. Instead of which, Ian Hunter collapsed with exhaustion,
and the band imploded, with Hunter and Ronson going off to form a new
band.
Since then Ian Hunter has followed his own path, releasing nine solo
albums since 1975, dotted with live albums, having hits of his own, and
writing hits for others (extraordinarily Barry Manilow had a No 1 hit in
America with Hunter’s song ‘Ships’), writing songs for soundtracks and
generally enjoying life. He toured every year with his band, mainly with
Mick Ronson as his sidekick until Mick Ronson’s untimely death in 1993.
All the band’s that Hunter has taken out on the road have featured
excellent musicians, all keen to feed at the trough of the master: Earl
Slick, Steve Holley, Steven Byrd, Darrel Bath, and presently Ian
Gibbons, Andy York, and after thirty years Mick Ralphs has returned to
play with his old mate again.
This double live CD gives all of Ian Hunter’s two and a half hour show
at the Astoria Theatre, London. All the hits are here, mixing songs from
Mott The Hoople’s debut album to Ian Hunter’s latest solo recording
‘Rant’ (2001). The band is as tight as any band in the world, firing off
each other with the two old boys Hunter and Ralphs having the time of
their lives.
The title track is as good as any rock ‘n’ roll gets with the guitarists
firing sparks at each other whilst Ian Gibbons, on keyboards, Gus Goad
on bass and the superb drumming of Steve Holley nail the music to the
floor, whilst the man himself leads from the centre of the stage.
To bring the whole thing to a blistering close, Brian May of Queen steps
out from the sidelines to throw some guitar shapes all over ‘All The Way
From Memphis’. It is a great tribute to Ian Hunter that after twenty one
songs, including a medley of old Mott The Hoople favourites, there are
still plenty of songs that you wish could somehow have been shoe horned
into the set, like ‘The Golden Age Of Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘Good Samaritan’,
‘All of the Good Ones Are Taken’, ‘Violence’, ‘Sweet Angeline’, ‘The
Outsider’, ‘One Of The Boys’; the list is endless. Maybe next time.
Only a four star rating though, as the packaging is awful. In this day
and age of downloading etc, you need to encourage people to buy the
product, therefore the packaging should be attractive to encourage the
buyer. But the music is great.
Ian Hunter’s Rant Band
Ian Hunter: Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, and Piano
Mick Ralphs: Guitar, Vocals
Andy York: Guitar, Vocals
Ian Gibbons: Keyboards
Steve Holley: Drums, Vocals
Gus Goad: Bass
Brian May: Guitar on ‘All The Way From Memphis’
Songs
Rest In Peace
Rock ‘n’ Roll Queen
Once Bitten Twice Shy
Twisted Steel
I Wish I Was Your Mother
Knees Of My Heart
23a Swann Hill
Irene Wilde
The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nuthin’ But The Truth
Rollerball
A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square
Roll Away The Stone
Saturday Gigs
All he Young Dudes
The Journey (Medley)
Dead Man Walking
Just Another Night
Cleveland Rocks
Michael Picasso
Standing In My Light
All The Way From Memphis
To contact Mott the
Dog email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mott-the-dog.com
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