All the old dudes.
To the uninitiated or younger generations, Mott The Hoople means 'All The Young Dudes.' You can imagine the surprise of hearing they were releasing a three cd collection of their back catalogue, did they have that many songs? And if so, why were they all hidden away in comparison to a song that they didn't even write? Room 13 took a walk down the path of enlightenment and if you'd like to traverse back with us, stick around.
The noticeable thing about the opening few tracks is that they sound very much like Bob Dylan or Steve Harley such is the nasal delivery and it completely throws the listener off any expectations of what the band were like. 'Backsliding Fearlessly' shamelessly steals the melody and delivery from Bob Dylans 'The Times They Are A Changing' and is quite likeable, although probably mainly because of its similarity to a very good song.
You get the feeling the band were developing quickly as the flip to rock n roll boogie woogie kicks in and the movement to glam rock comes through easily with 'Walking With A Mountain' sounding capable of being a Slade track. And the variety of music on show is quite astounding, perhaps one of the reasons Mott The Hoople were known for one big song was because they had nothing else that encapsulated their sound. Certainly the first disc of the three CDs is bouncing from genre to genre and it comes across very well. It's of its time but it's aged quite well and wouldn't be out of place in comparison to other acts of the era such as The Beatles, The Stones or T-Rex.
And mention of these three acts means it must be time to mention 'All The Young Dudes.' All three are name checked and it's easy to see why the songs still stand the test of time, it's a classic in cool, young rebellion and the dull beautiful reality of life and what can be done to escape from it. The build to the chorus is one of the key moments and its lunging guitar riffs have been re-appropriated throughout the decades with Oasis' 'Stand By Me' being just one of the songs that has benefited from leaning on the track.
And when a band gets a big success it takes bravery to ignore this breakthrough and its influence can be felt in the chorus of 'Honaloochie Boogie' which has the same strut and pomp to it although perhaps as a reaction, ballads and bigger sounding music came out in the form of 'The Ballad of Mott The Hoople' and 'Hymn for the Dudes.'
CD2 kicks off in similar impressive manner carrying on the momentum with 'The Golden Age of Rock n Roll' living up to its title with a swinging brass section and a vigour indicating there was life in Mott yet although the signs of cracking up were starting to show.
There was already a few line-up changes in the band but in the public eye these things mattered more and when the fabulously named Ariel Bender (not his real name, nor a phone call Bart made to Moe) was replaced by Mick Ronson the writing was probably all over the bathroom wall. And a lot of the songs on from here are the act of a band trying to recapture a previous sound as opposed to forging on and the variety of CD1 is gone. For all that, the songs are still good, if more limited in range.
After that, the solo career of Ian Hunter is viewed and it begins being more fans only or serves as an introduction to the Mott fans who perhaps ignored the frontman's solo output. It perhaps seems a bit pointless but it's not as if the songs are that bad, they just don't stand up to the greater moments of his past, then again, how many artists can that be said for?
It certainly put Mott The Hoople into a brand new light and indicated they were much more than the one trick (or track) pony they are sometimes known for. Even if it's just as a late present for the ex-glam rocker in your family or something to blow those record vouchers on, this neat collection has a fair swing to it.