Mott (album)
Encyclopedia
Mott is a 1973 album by British
band Mott the Hoople
. "All the Way from Memphis", an edited version of which was released as a single, received considerable airplay on U.S.
radio and captured the band many overseas fans, as well as reaching the UK Top 10.
It was clear by the time Mott was released that Ian Hunter
had become the dominant figure of the band. Aside from the lead track, the album includes introspective songs such as "Ballad Of Mott The Hoople", which exposes Mott’s near break-up, and the peculiar "I Wish I Was Your Mother", featuring multi-tracked mandolin, in which Hunter sings of his wish to see his love as a child. Hard rockers are given their due with "Whizz Kid", "Drivin’ Sister", "Violence" and "Honaloochie Boogie", the last-named being another UK single. A fine performance is delivered by Hunter in the almost religious "Hymn For The Dudes."
The album has featured different covers in the UK
and U.S.
releases, as well as remastered tracks on some editions. The US cover featured a photo of the four band members with the big word MOTT on it , with Mott The Hoople written in the O. The UK front cover featured a motif based on the bust of a Roman Emperor, with a strange text. Initial copies had a gatefold sleeve with the Emperor motif printed on a transparent plastic sheet. The emperor motif would appear again of the inner sleeve of The Hoople
, the band's next and final album in both the US and UK. A remastered and expanded version was released by Sony's Columbia
/Legacy
imprint in the United States in 2006.
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
band Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
. "All the Way from Memphis", an edited version of which was released as a single, received considerable airplay on U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio and captured the band many overseas fans, as well as reaching the UK Top 10.
It was clear by the time Mott was released that Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (singer)
Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and he again fronted them at the time of their 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before Mott The Hoople, and...
had become the dominant figure of the band. Aside from the lead track, the album includes introspective songs such as "Ballad Of Mott The Hoople", which exposes Mott’s near break-up, and the peculiar "I Wish I Was Your Mother", featuring multi-tracked mandolin, in which Hunter sings of his wish to see his love as a child. Hard rockers are given their due with "Whizz Kid", "Drivin’ Sister", "Violence" and "Honaloochie Boogie", the last-named being another UK single. A fine performance is delivered by Hunter in the almost religious "Hymn For The Dudes."
The album has featured different covers in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
releases, as well as remastered tracks on some editions. The US cover featured a photo of the four band members with the big word MOTT on it , with Mott The Hoople written in the O. The UK front cover featured a motif based on the bust of a Roman Emperor, with a strange text. Initial copies had a gatefold sleeve with the Emperor motif printed on a transparent plastic sheet. The emperor motif would appear again of the inner sleeve of The Hoople
The Hoople
The Hoople is a 1974 album by British band Mott the Hoople. Its highest chart rating in the US was #28. A remastered and expanded version was released by Sony BMG on the Columbia Legacy label in Europe in 2006...
, the band's next and final album in both the US and UK. A remastered and expanded version was released by Sony's Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
/Legacy
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated...
imprint in the United States in 2006.
Reception
In 2003, the album was ranked number 366 on Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
.
Side one
- "All the Way from MemphisAll the Way from Memphis"All the Way from Memphis" is a single released by Mott the Hoople. The song tells a story about a rock n' roller whose guitar is shipped to Oriole, Kentucky instead of Memphis. The musician gets half-way there before he realizes his instrument is missing and takes a month to track it down. When he...
" – 4:55 - "Whizz Kid" – 3:05
- "Hymn For The Dudes" (Verden AllenVerden AllenVerden Allen is an organ player and founding member of 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople...
, Hunter) – 5:15 - "Honaloochie BoogieHonaloochie Boogie"Honaloochie Boogie" is a single released by Mott the Hoople. It was the follow-up to their breakthrough single "All The Young Dudes". It reached a peak position in the UK charts of number 12 in July 1973....
" – 2:35 - "Violence" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 4:37
Side two
- "Drivin’ Sister" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 4:42
- "Ballad Of Mott The Hoople (26th March 1972, Zürich)" (Hunter, Dale "Buffin" Griffin, Peter WattsPeter Watts (musician)Peter Overend Watts is a bass guitar player and founding member of 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople....
, Ralphs, Allen) – 5:40 - "I’m A Cadillac / El Camino Dolo Roso" (Ralphs) – 9:40
- "I Wish I Was Your Mother" – 4:41
CD
- "All the Way from MemphisAll the Way from Memphis"All the Way from Memphis" is a single released by Mott the Hoople. The song tells a story about a rock n' roller whose guitar is shipped to Oriole, Kentucky instead of Memphis. The musician gets half-way there before he realizes his instrument is missing and takes a month to track it down. When he...
" – 5:02 - "Whizz Kid" – 3:25
- "Hymn For The Dudes" (Verden AllenVerden AllenVerden Allen is an organ player and founding member of 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople...
, Hunter) – 5:24 - "Honaloochie BoogieHonaloochie Boogie"Honaloochie Boogie" is a single released by Mott the Hoople. It was the follow-up to their breakthrough single "All The Young Dudes". It reached a peak position in the UK charts of number 12 in July 1973....
" – 2:43 - "Violence" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 4:48
- "Drivin’ Sister" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 3:53
- "Ballad Of Mott The Hoople (26th March 1972, Zürich)" (Hunter, Dale "Buffin" Griffin, Peter WattsPeter Watts (musician)Peter Overend Watts is a bass guitar player and founding member of 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople....
, Ralphs, Allen) – 5:24 - "I’m A Cadillac / El Camino Dolo Roso" (Ralphs) – 9:41
- "I Wish I Was Your Mother" – 4:52
Bonus tracks (2006 reissue)
- "Rose" (Hunter, Ralphs, Watts, Buffin) – 3:56 B-side of "Honaloochie Boogie"; produced by Mott The Hoople
- "Honaloochie Boogie" (Demo version) – 3:07
- "Nightmare" (Demo) (Allen) – 3:36
- "Drivin' Sister" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 4:30 Live 1973 at the Hammersmith Odeon; produced by Dale "Buffin" Griffin
Personnel
- Ian HunterIan Hunter (singer)Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and he again fronted them at the time of their 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before Mott The Hoople, and...
– lead vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, guitar - Mick RalphsMick RalphsMichael Geoffrey "Mick" Ralphs is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.-Career:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocals, organ, moogotron, mandolins, tambourine - Pete "Overend" WattsPeter Watts (musician)Peter Overend Watts is a bass guitar player and founding member of 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Dale "Buffin" Griffin – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Paul BuckmasterPaul BuckmasterPaul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
– electric celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
on "Honaloochie Boogie" - Morgan FisherMorgan FisherMorgan Fisher is an English keyboard player / composer, and is most known for being a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still highly active in the music industry...
– piano, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, backing vocals on "Drivin' Sister" (live) - Mick Hince – bellsBell (instrument)A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
on "I Wish I Was Your Mother" - Andy MackayAndy MackayAndrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
on "All The Way From Memphis" & "Honaloochie Boogie" - Graham Preskett – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
on "Violence" - ThunderthighsThunderthighsThunderthighs were a high-profile UK backing vocal group, who quickly became artists in their own right.-Career:The female trio, consisting of Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou and Casey Synge, provided the backing vocals to Lou Reed's hit single, "Walk on the Wild Side"...
(Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou, Casey Synge) – backing vocals on "Hymn For The Dudes"
Charts
AlbumYear | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1973 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop Albums |
35 |