Mott the Hoople
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| Mott The Hoople | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Herefordshire, England, UK |
| Genres | Rock, Glam Rock |
| Labels | Island Records CBS Records Columbia Records |
| Members | Ian Hunter Mick Ralphs Verden Allen Pete "Overend" Watts Dale "Buffin" Griffin |
Mott the Hoople was a 1970s British rock and roll and glam rock band with strong R&B roots. They are perhaps best known for the song "All the Young Dudes," which was written for them by their fan David Bowie and which appeared on the 1972 album of the same name.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] The early years
In 1968, Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen, Pete "Overend" Watts and Dale "Buffin" Griffin formed a band called Silence, playing near Hereford, England. Adding then lead singer Stan Tippens in 1969, the band recorded early tracks at a studio in Monmouth, later dominated by Love Sculpture and Dave Edmunds. Stan was injured soon after joining the band and was unable to continue singing, but the band rallied and eventually signed with Island Records, moving to London to record with Guy Stevens as producer.
Stevens changed the band's name to "Mott the Hoople" from a novel of the same name by Willard Manus; the book is about an eccentric who works in a circus freak show. The band also recruited a new singer and boogie piano player, Ian Hunter. Hunter had replied to a music magazine advertisement which read "Singer wanted, must be image-minded and hungry." Tippens became the road manager for the band. Their debut album, Mott the Hoople (1969), was a cult success, and their repertoire included memorable cover versions of "Laugh at Me" (Sonny Bono), and an instrumental version of "You Really Got Me" (The Kinks).
The second album, Mad Shadows (1970), sold poorly and received generally negative reviews; as did Wildlife (1971). Even though the group was building a decent following, Brain Capers (1971) failed to sell well, and the band was close to breaking up.
[edit] The glam years
David Bowie had long been a fan of the band, and heard that they were about to split. Bowie convinced them to stay together, and offered them "Suffragette City" from his then yet-to-be-released Ziggy Stardust album. They refused the song so Bowie wrote "All the Young Dudes" for them instead. Released as a single in July 1972, it was a major success in the UK, with the band using Tippens - who by this time was the band's tour manager - to sing backing vocals during live gigs. A Bowie-produced album, also called All the Young Dudes, sold well. Late in 1972 the band was going to record another Bowie song, "Drive-In Saturday", but their intended arrangement dissatisfied the composer, and their professional relationship effectively ended. Another casualty in the wake of All the Young Dudes was Verden Allen, who departed before the release of their next album, Mott.
Mott climbed into the Top Ten of the UK album charts, and became the band's best seller to date in the US. It yielded two UK hits, "Honaloochie Boogie", and "All the Way from Memphis", both featuring Andy Mackay of Roxy Music on saxophone. "All the Way From Memphis" is also featured in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Mott the Hoople's new-found popularity ultimately helped lead to the band's break-up, perhaps helped along by an exposé in New Musical Express of Tippens' role in singing the chorus of "All the Young Dudes", from a hidden microphone backstage. Ralphs left in 1973 to form Bad Company and was replaced by former Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor. For contractual reasons, he changed his name to Ariel Bender for his stint with the band. At the same time, former Love Affair member Morgan Fisher joined as keyboardist.
In the afterglow of The Hoople (1974), a live album was quickly released, after which Mick Ronson replaced Bender. The end was nigh when both Ronson and Hunter left the group to form a duo. Ray Major and Nigel Benjamin were added to continue the group, which abbreviated its name to "Mott".
[edit] The post-Hunter years
This lineup released two more albums, Drive On (1975) and Shouting and Pointing (1976), offering a heavy, less Dylanesque taste on the Mott sound, and both of which sold poorly.After Nigel Benjamin quit in 1976, Mott added John Fiddler and became British Lions in 1978, but they soon split as well, similarly without any chart success. Hunter and Ronson worked and toured together sporadically until Ronson's death in 1993. Hunter has continued his solo career.
No Mott the Hoople reunion has ever occurred, though negotiations for one were attempted in 1985; all parties have shown some interest at various times in the idea over the last 25 years or so, though recently Hunter has ruled out a full Mott reunion. A full reunion currently seems unlikely, although in 2002 and 2004, Mick Ralphs toured with Ian Hunter, as part of Hunter's backing band.
In 2005 it was reported in the publication Classic Rock, that Hunter had received the offer of a seven-figure number to re-form the band.
[edit] Personnel
- Ian Hunter – born Ian Hunter Patterson on 3 June 1939 in Oswestry, Shropshire – lead vocals, piano (1969-74), guitar (1973-74)
- Mick Ralphs – born Michael Geoffrey Ralphs on 31 March 1944 in Hereford – guitar, vocals (1969-73)
- Pete "Overend" Watts – born on 13 May 1947 in Birmingham – bass, vocals (1969-76)
- Verden Allen – born Terrence Allen on 26 May 1944 in Crynant, Wales – organ, backing vocals (up to 1972)
- Dale "Buffin" Griffin – born Terence Dale Griffin on 24 October 1948 in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire – drums, backing vocals (1969-80)
- Ariel Bender – born Luther James Grosvenor on 23 December 1946 in Evesham – guitar (1973-74)
- Morgan Fisher – born on 1 January 1950 in London – keyboards (1973-80)
[edit] Trivia
- In 1974, for their tour of America, Mott the Hoople were supported by the band Queen. This tour later provided the inspiration for Queen's 1975 single "Now I'm Here," which contains the lyric "Down in the city, just Hoople and me." The song became a live favourite of Queen fans and reached #11 in the UK singles chart. The tour resulted in a lifelong friendship between the two bands, with Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson and David Bowie performing "All the Young Dudes" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992. Morgan Fisher also played piano on Queen's "Hot Space" tour in 1982.
- Mott the Hoople is also featured in the lyrics of the R.E.M. song "Man on the Moon", Daniel Johnston's "Living Life", and Reunion's #8 Billboard hit of 1974 "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" - also recorded by Tracey Ullman in 1984.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Mott the Hoople singles
- "Rock and Roll Queen" / "Backsliding Fearlessly" (1969)
- "Midnight Lady" / "It Must Be Love" (1971)
- "Downtown" / "Home Is Where I Want to Be" (1971)
- "All the Young Dudes" / "One of the Boys" (1972) – #3
- "One of the Boys" / "Sucker" (1972) – #96
- "Sweet Jane" / "Jerkin Crocus" (1972) – ?
- "Honaloochie Boogie" / "Rose" (1973) – #12
- "All the Way from Memphis" / "Ballad of Mott the Hoople (March 26, 1972 - Zürich)" (1973) – #10
- "Roll Away the Stone" / "Where Do You All Come From" (1973) – #8
- "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" / "Rest in Peace" (1974) – #16
- "Foxy, Foxy" / "Trudi's Song" (1974) – #33
- "Saturday Gigs" / "Jerkin' Crocus/Sucker/Violence" (1974) – #41
[edit] Mott the Hoople albums
- Mott The Hoople (1969) – UK #66
- Mad Shadows (1970) – UK #48
- Wildlife (1971) – UK #44
- Brain Capers (1971) – did not chart
- All The Young Dudes (1972) – UK #21 / US #89
- Mott (1973) – UK #7 / US #35
- The Hoople (1974) – UK #11 / US #28
- Live (1974) – UK #32 / US #23
[edit] Mott albums
- Drive On (1975) – #35
- Shouting and Pointing (1976} – did not chart
[edit] British Lions albums
- British Lions (1977) – US #83
- Trouble with Women (recorded 1978, released 1982) – did not chart
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition. ISBN 0-85112-190-X
- Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition. ISBN 0-85112-619-7
- Guinness Rockopedia - ISBN 0-85112-072-5
- Martin C. Short (2001). The Great Rock Discography - 5th Edition. ISBN 1-84195-017-3
