288. Mott - Mott the Hoople

I knew of two songs by Mott the Hoople, putting me in an "elite" category above my peers, but neither of them was on this album. This left me slightly concerned, along with the fact that the best of their song wasn't even written by them. Still, not writing your own material worked well for Shakespeare, so who was I to question it?

I hadn't realised that Bowie was such a fan of the band that he offered them Suffragette City and then All the Young Dudes to persuade them not to split up. This album was released after the latter had reinvigorated the band, and went to number 7 in the UK - their highest chart position. However, this success would ultimately lead to the band's demise, with a changing line-up that refused to settle down. 

All the Way from Memphis is a lively and energetic track, although possibly a bit lightweight. There are some decent cameos from the sax and keys, but then an offensive racial slur, which dates the song a lot. Whizz Kid has a powerful riff, but doesn't build on that much. Hymn for the Dudes is slightly ponderous, and is a pale shadow of the Bowie-penned wonder that the title hints at. Honaloochie Boogie has something of the Kiss about its chorus, with a similar focus on catchiness over any sense of meaning. Violence is an unsurprisingly aggressive track, with an earworm of a chorus but an ultimately disappointing end, and Drivin' Sister is a noisy up-tempo number that is a bit too meaningless to really work. The Ballad of Mott the Hoople is painfully introspective, and whilst it has some ok moments, I dislike the idea of a middling band singing about themselves; Sultans of Swing it most certainly is not. I'm a Cadillac/El Camino Dolo Roso has a depth to it that so many other songs are missing on the album. There is an air of Fleetwood Mac about the tune and transition from one song to the next, and that is always a double tick in my book. I Wish I Was Your Mother is musically ok, with lots of tremulous strings, but lyrically bizarre. Chloe enjoyed it nonetheless, and I can see why, but the chorus was just a bit too off piste for me.

The main thing that struck Chloe and I was how similar the vocals were to a combination of David Bowie and Damon Albarn. Whilst this is not a bad thing, both of those musicians are more revered for their songwriting than their vocal abilities, and in this realm Mott the Hoople fall well short of those two stand-outs. The songs are at least varied, showing a range of skill in performance, but the overall album doesn't really have a cohesion to it. It's not one I can see myself returning to any time soon.

Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 9. I Wish I Was Your Mother
Olly's album rating: 5
Olly's favourite track: 1. All the Way from Memphis

Next week is 315. No Other by Gene Clark; new to me too.