The Ballad of Mott the Hoople and Ian Hunter - Album by Album thread

I was lucky enough to see the Hoople 74 reunion tour in April 2019. Just a fantastic show hearing them perform the album live was an incredible night.

 

I saw the reunion as well....April of 2019 for me. It was a dream come true.....especially when they performed the "Jerkin' Crocus", "One of the Boys", "Rock & Roll Queen" medley!

 

Yes that’s right 2019……. what a fantastic night that was I was actually high for a couple days after the show.

In addition, my lifelong friend, since kindergarten is the lead guitar player in Ian hunters Rant band so what a thrill it was to see him up there with Ariel Bender and Morgan Fisher this time. Before the concert we caught up with him across the street at the pub, and had a few beers as well as afterwards.

 

One of my favorite concerts is when I saw Matt with Queen opening, I believe it was 1974. I still dig Queen but my love for them has waned over the years, but not much. In all honesty Queen did leave Mott in the dust that night. I’d love to see Ian again, he’s on my bucket list. If I’m correct he’s 83. I’ll have what he’s having.

 

Nice! Where did you see them at? I went to the Keswick Theatre show in PA. An added treat (at least for me) was having the Dream Syndicate open for them.

 

Looks like we saw them at the same place the KESWICK THEATRE.

 

I may have missed something but is this being reissued???? I didn't see catch that part!!

 

Count me in as one who views The Hoople as a "lesser" album in view of what came prior and a step in the wrong direction at the time (but perhaps the handwriting was on the wall at that point, with the band breaking up not too long afterwards). I probably said all this b4 in this thread or elsewhere up here but I think previous album Mott is one of the greatest albums ever (and the run of Brain Capers, Dudes, Mott to be magnificent) but The Hoople really threw me & some friends into a head scratching WTF quandry when we heard it back then. Gone were Mick Ralphs' wonderful solos and guitar lines and in their place were in your face piano, overbaked horns and background singers smothering everything. Only learned years later from reading Campbell Devine's All the Young Dudes book that there was a very good reason for that - Ariel/Luther simply could NOT come up with any decent guitar work in the studio so they went the keyboard/horns/etc direction instead. All that being said it's not like I HATE The Hoople, just that I find it over the top in its production (thus detracting from the songs) and lacking sorely in the rock guitar department which is my preferred type of music.

But wadda I know? No more or less than the next guy. Some people consider Hoople to be their favorite Mott album.

 

Not that I know of! I think someone got carried away because it is the 50th anniversary.

 

I will always love The Hoople, which marked a new phase for them, just as All the Young Dudes did, being so different from what came before… as did Wildlife, earlier on. I suppose Mott would be my desert island pick of the run, but really, that they didn’t do the same thing endlessly yet still remained Mott the Hoople somehow is something I admire about the band.

 

Wasn't the 2019 reunion basically a re-creation of the Mott on Broadway album?

My favorite Mott LP was Mott, but the Hoople was my second favorite.

 

It is the 50th anniversary of THE HOOPLE album!
Here is my review of their 45th anniversary reunion concert:

THE HOOPLE ROCK NYC! - April 10, 2019 - Madeline Bocaro

 

Here is my review of their 45th anniversary reunion concert:

THE HOOPLE ROCK NYC! - April 10, 2019 - Madeline Bocaro
THE HOOPLE ROCK NYC! - April 10, 2019 - Madeline Bocaro

 

Here is my review of Mott's 2009 reunion gigs in 1999 @ Hammersmith UK
BOOGALOO DUDES! The 2009 Reunion of Mott The Hoople - Madeline Bocaro

 

The 2019 reunion was great and The Rant band were excellent as honorary Hooples

 

Great review. I gather you went to all the shows? I saw them in Minneapolis; First Avenue, same venue as made famous by Prince in Purple Rain. Last minute ticket but it was all general admission anyway.

 

I will never forget the wondrous glory of the time and "all the way from Memphis" as a sort of musical backdrop and even though they were never a band I further explored beyond whatever commercial success they enjoyed during the late 70's that I caught as catch can. But that one track ( Memphis ) stands out for me as a gem of the time and not just because I can actually play it on piano. ha

 

1974. Queen opens for Mott. Queen were not allowed a soundcheck. They played for 30 minutes.

I had front row, center seats. Well, I stood, of course.

Freddie and Ian were three feet in front of me!! Have color prints somewhere . . .

Concert: Queen live at the Palace Theatre, Waterbury, CT, USA [04.05.1974] [QueenConcerts]

 

Yes, I attended all the reunion shows. Cool that you saw them at First Avenue!!! Here I am at the hotel with Overend and my buddy Joe Elliot of Def Leppard who opened the gigs with his Mott covers band Down N' Outs...

 

Ian Hunter Interview 1974 re: Diary of a Rock N Roll Star

 

MY STORY about Brain Capers...
MOTT ON THE BRAIN - Madeline Bocaro

 

What a show---

 

Saw the MTH Reunion in October 2009 in London. All 5 nights sold out!

Awesome!

 

Coincidence or not, while viewing this thread just now I got a spam phone call with a display name of only "Hlf Moon Bay, CA" on my phone.

Did a lookup of the number & the area code is from Half Moon Bay in California! Never knew where that town was (assumed it was in the UK since the 1st Mott album has a song called HMB, although maybe there is a Half Moon Bay in England too?).

 

I was there too! Incredible with Ian and Mick alternating with songs from their solo albums!!!