Mott The Hoople Reunion?

My mailbox has been bulging this week with suggestions that the original Mott the Hoople line-up (Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Overend Watts, Buffin and Verden Allen) have been discussing some gigs in 2009 to celebrate their 40th Anniversary.

This would be excellent news not least as it would allow those who are only familiar with the post-Dudes version of the band to be reminded that before their fateful dalliance with Bowie they were one of the coolest rock and roll bands in the land.


Their four Island albums contained a mixture of original songs and well-chosen covers (introducing me to the likes of Jesse Colin Young, Danny Whitten and Doug Sahm through their covers of Darkness, Darkness, Downtown and At The Crossroads respectively). And via Hunter's vocals and Allen's organ managed to do a decent job of being Dylan without the Bobster being present - check out Backsliding Fearlessly from the first album.

Throw in some priceless rockers - Rock'N'Roll Queen, Thunderbuck Ram, Walking With A Mountain, The Moon Upstairs - plus awesome epics in the shape of The Journey and Half Moon Bay to demonstrate that there's a whole priceless back catalogue worthy of investigation before the dudes were born, never mind being young.

I had the pleasure of seeing Mott twice at the legendary Green's Playhouse in Glasgow including on the iconic Rock'N'Roll Circus tour and they were the first gigs I can recall where the audience and the band were as one. Terrific memories.

All of the Island albums have been reissued on Angel Air Records and are worthy of investigation. If you were only able to buy just the one then make it Brain Capers.



As for Dudes itself, it was a great single but it wasn't Mott The Hoople and the album that shared its' name was very weak. The later albums were good but much more mannered and missing that spark that crept out the door when Verden Allen left the band; the door was slammed tightly shut when Mick Ralphs jumped ship to join Bad Company (a band not fit to lick the bootlaces of any of its' predecessors). Nevertheless, what proved to be the farewell single, Saturday Gigs, was a classic and a fine way to close that chapter on the bands' history after which Ian Hunter moved onto his solo career and his long term but occasional partnership with Mick Ronson. The rest of the band regrouped as Mott and then refashioned themselves as the British Lions along with John Fiddler, late of Medicine Head.

The clip is a promo for an Island-era single which failed to trouble the charts but did have the band appearing on Top Of The Pops.



Worth going to see almost forty years on? Bring it on!!!!