Mott the Hoople – All The Young Dudes

142

5 Stars

The album from Mott the Hoople that was considered by most fans to be the end, the beginning and the end. Confused? Let me explain. After four critically acclaimed but poorly selling albums, numerous sellout shows all across Europe and early forays into the United States, the group of five musicians collectively known as Mott the Hoople decided to call it a day after a particularly disastrous concert in Switzerland. “The End.”

Upon hearing this, David Bowie, a huge Mott the Hoople fan, persuaded them to keep at it, gave them the song “All The Young Dudes,” offered to produce their next album, persuaded Tony Defines to take the band onto his management label Mainman, buy them out of their contract with Island, and got them re-signed on a new contract to CBS. The Beginning.

Although all this brought Mott the Hoople, and particularly Ian Hunter, international success, it also hastened the departure of keyboard player Verden Allen, never to be heard of again on the international rock scene, and guitar player/second vocalist Mick Ralphs, who went off to form “Bad Company” with Paul Rodgers, and we all know what’s happened to them. The End.

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But free from the pressures of their Island contract, Mott, under Bowie’s guidance, produced an absolute corker.

Opening with a rockin cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane,” taken much faster than “Velvet Underground” would ever have dared, gave the album an eye-opening start. Mott had never heard the original version before recording it, just following what Bowie strummed on a guitar. In fact, bass player Overend Watts thought the song was called “C.J.” until he saw the song title written down on the album cover. Nonetheless, it’s a great song and a particular favourite of Mr Rock ‘n’ Roll, the D.J. at Tahitian Queen.

After the hard rockin’ self-composed track “Momma’s Little Jewel” comes the Bowie song “All The Young Dudes.” Released as a single proceeding the album, it had been a top ten hit all over Europe and Mott’s first top thirty hit in the United States. Although a Bowie-written song, Mott had made it their own with Mick Ralphs’ guitar playing and Ian Hunter’s fantastic rap outro.

The album continues with three Mott rockers, all staying in their live set in one form or another until their demise three years later.

Then comes Verden Allen’s moment of glory⸺his first solo composition to be released under the Mott the Hoople banner. Unfortunately, it foretold of future trouble, as the title suggests poor old Verden felt he was on “Soft Ground.” It is still one of my favorite Mott the Hoople tracks and is undoubtedly one of the heaviest keyboard sounds ever laid down in a recording studio. The lyrics perhaps tell their own story.

“Too many people about,

Telling me what to do with myself,

It’s hard to get around

Walking on soft ground.”

Mick Ralphs contributed a superb composition with “Ready For Love,” essentially one song with two hook lines, which Mick later took and re-recorded for Bad Company’s debut album.

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The album closes with the emotional “Sea Diver” (which was to give its name to Mott the Hoople’s fan club). For this, David Bowie brought in his co-producer and lead guitarist Mick Ronson who arranged and conducted dramatic strings and brass for this Ian Hunter-composed song ironically written about the difficulty of writing a hit single.

The album entered the U.K. charts on 23 September and stayed for four weeks reaching number 21. The critics acknowledged that it was a much cleaner sounding Mott the Hoople and predictably noted a Rolling Stones “feel” on many tracks.

The British album release contained black and white group photos; the back of the U.S. Jacket featured colour live shots of the band members. The original album sleeve concept had comprised a photo of a young boy brandishing a cardboard cut-out guitar by Bob Rock.

However, for some reason better known to record company executives, it was changed to a rather bland illustration of three finely attired but slightly threatening “Young Dudes.” See which album cover you think suits Mott the Hoople best. Nonetheless, it was a ground-breaking album setting Mott the Hoople on the fast lane to Rock ‘n’ Roll stardom.