Customer Reviews

Live-30th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 2 CD Live expanded release celebrates the 30th anniversary of Mott The Hoople's Broadway concert at the Uris Theatre (now The Gershwin Theatre)in New York City in May 1974. CD 1 is the Broadway show which is harder edged and sharp, and CD 2 is the Hammersmith Odeon show from London in December 1973, which is powerful but with a warmer feel. The original album in 1974 had only a part of each show, and the new release has 13 previously unreleased live tracks. There is a 24 page colour booklet, new liner notes, and previously unseen photos. The rock group Queen was a support group to Mott The Hoople, and the group Led Zeppelin came to see Mott The Hoople at the Broadway show. I saw Mott The Hoople at a concert in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1974, and hearing this new double live CD brought back fond memories. The concert I saw is in my top 3 all time favorite concerts. Mott The Hoople was the first rock band to play Broadway, and the sound on this new release is improved from the original. CD 1 (Broadway)lasts 64 min. 56 sec., and CD 2 (Hammersmith) lasts 60 min. 8 sec.

At last; a proper release for this masterpiece of a live album in tribute to one of the great rock'n'roll bands of the mid-seventies . Mott the Hoople "Live" was originally released in 1974 , but because of time restraints, only part of two concerts were put out as the first vinyl bound release . This consisted of five songs from a concert of their week long residency at the Uris theatre Broadway May 1974, and three songs from their end of tour Christmas gigs 1973 , at London's Hammersmith Odeon, hardly satisfactory . As none of the songs ran in order , there were two songs midway through each side "Rose" and "Rest In Peace " which were used in the sets to give the members of the band a bit of a breather from all the leaping about, neither side had an opening number , and side one ended with a truncated version of the final encore, whilst side two closed with the end of the set proper, so although there were plenty of flashes of excitement , nothing like the full thing.
Here you get the both concerts ( Unfortunately there was a recording glitches at Hammersmith and we lose " Hymn For The Dudes " and "All The Way From Memphis" , and time constraints meant one song had to be culled from the Broadway show and Ariel Bender's solo track " Here Comes The Queen '' was left off which is a shame , but not really a Mott The Hoople number anyway.) in their proper running order .The results are simply devastating .
At this time ( Late 73 to early 74.) Mott The Hoople were probably the Number One live act in the world , Led Zeppelin were having their troubles ,The Beatles had long gone, The Rolling Stones were going through their " Black and Blue" period, Black Sabbath were doing their Los Angeles thing, David Bowie had split up the Spiders from Mars , Deep Purple were not sure who was in the band and who wasn't. So the field was wide open and Mott grabbed it with both hands . Touring both the Britain and America with a fledgling Queen in support they took no prisoners . Their last album " The Hoople " had just smashed it's way into the top twenty on both sides of the Atlantic , whilst their fifth hit single " The Golden Age Of Rock'n' Roll " was firmly entrenched in the top ten of the singles charts worldwide .They looked " The Business" -they were obviously it,seemingly without trying . They appeared as an agglomeration of bright colours , bizarre shapes , scarves , leather , sunglasses, velvet , huge boots , strange felt hats, blending seamlessly into masses of hair, beer bottles , battered guitar cases covered with stickers and that added something, SWAGGER, they exuded attitude, easy humour and the utter confidence born of knowing your the best. They had within the last year acquired the services of one of the greatest rock'n' roll guitarists to ever draw breath , the marvellously moniker Ariel Bender ( Previously known as Luther Grosvenor of Spooky Tooth fame ) who could not only play the guitar like a ringin' the bell, but also threw the most magnificent shapes , throwing his guitar behind his back , or in the air ,as he did it , being the perfect foil for the menacing leader of the band Ian Hunter , who stood centre stage glaring out at the audience behind his shades daring them not to get out of their seats and cause a riot. Also in the line-up was the originator of all the weird and wonderful clothes worn by all those people who followed in glam rock, Bass player Overend ( Pete ) Watts, Overend used to daily spray paint his long hair silver and virtually be winched onto stage such was the height of his platform boots, behind the drums was the mercurial Dale ( Buffin) Griffin, who when he wasn't hit his chosen instruments as hard as he could he would be scattering them across the stage with well aimed kicks , in total contrast on the piano forte' was Mr Morgan Fisher rockin' his heart out wearing a white piano keyboard suit, with a floppy bow tie , tifter on his head, and a perfectly groomed handle bar moustache adorning his upper lip.
Then there was the music , even with Queen as support there was never any doubt who the headline act was , Mott would swing relentlessly on stage , and go unstoppably into their show every night . The Intro from Holtz's Jupiter from "The Planets" was the intro theme to prelude the celebration of Rock'n' Roll that was to follow , On Broadway they did a clever little opening with Ian Hunter singing the opening bars of Don MacLean's American Pie , backed only by Morgan Fishers tinkling piano, but when it gets to the line " The day that music died " Overend Watts steps up to ask the crowd " Or did it" where upon the whole band breaks into a thundering version of " The Golden Age Of Rock'n' Roll " complete with over the top sonic guitar solo from Ariel Bender . Over both concerts there are too many highlights to mention them all , but "Hymn for the Dudes'' and Hunter's mini Rock Opera about the music business with the immortal lines ' These wires are tight' "Marionette" are particular highlights from the Broadway shows, and the final Rock'n' Roll medley from the Hammersmith Odeon with its pieces of Mott classic's along side snippets from the Beatles , Jerry Lee Lewis and David Bowie are unforgettable, with Ariel Bender laying down some volcanic guitar over every song , and Ian Hunter playing Ringmaster to the crowd throughout the concerts .
This two CD package comes beautifully encased in a cardboard and plastic Digi-pack with all the original sleeve notes , plus a new booklet and an eight hundred word essay by Brian May of Queen , which is worth the price of the package on it's own. If you want to hear how rock'n'roll should be played buy this package .
My only regret is that no body had the sense to film either of these events , so we could have a visual record of Mott The Hoople live , at the peak of their powers .
Mott the Dog.
Mott the Hoople.

In all honesty, I got quite heavily into MTH sort of...late, sort of "by default," I guess. In truth, I already had (and knew by heart) "Ian Hunter" and "All American Alien Boy." But I distinctly remember getting back from overseas and then, up nawth, '74, and then asking my baby brother (who was a bit of an expert on such...things...), "what's cool, what should I be listening to?" And all he, obviously uninterested in the question that someone in a uniform posed, would but reply "MARIONETTE! MARIONETTE!" I passed, and began getting heavily into Procol Harum. A couple of years later, Columbia released a double-album sort of thing called "Shades Of Ian Hunter." It was an epiphany. Not only was I introduced to "Overnight Angels" on side 4, but side 3 had something like, uh, "hidden gems" or something. And I was finally able to LISTEN TO "Marionettte" in its full, unmolested form - and I dashed out to purchase "MTH-Live." And the only adjective I could think of, upon listening, was "truncated." NO "Marionette," NO "The Golden Age Of Rock And Roll" with its wretchedly-wonderful guitar solo. "Well," I thought, ever the wit, "Once bitten, twice shy, or somethin'." And now, it's 30 years later, my brother works for the CDC in Atlanta, and is into "swing." I'm still into rock and roll, but as there really isn't that much demand for a skinny, 50+y/o bass player with multiple sclerosis, I frequent "open mike" nights at the local pubs, and wait... But here is "MTH Live" in all its pure, unadulterated glory, so for tonight (at least), I believe I'll...um, "bend my brain" a bit, put the stereo headphones on a long, long extension cord, get comfortably supine, and gloriously enjoy listening to what I missed out on in 1974. Oh, and by the way, Brian May's "essay" is marvelous!

Fans have been disatisfied for decades with the limited release of material from these two classic shows. This set goes as far as is technically and humanly possible to put that right. Despite the disparate nature of the source material, these discs have received a fine audio restoration job. All praise is due to the designer(s) of the packaging. For once done tastefully and intelligently and truly complimenting the music. Let's hope that future Hunter/Mott reissues live up to this high standard.

The original release of "Mott the Hoople Live" always seemed like a great opportunity squandered; Ian Hunter and company sucking the fumes of desperation but not so punch drunk that they'd pass up a chance at the history books as the first rock and roll band to play on Broadway (the Uris Theatre in 1974), nor host an actual riot masquerading as a Hammersmith Odeon gig six months previous. Their record company, CBS, dug in their heels and refused to release the tapes as a double album, though, dropping the ball again when editing time rolled around, chopping the tapes into pieces, dropping them on the cutting room floor, and then putting them back together in the wrong order.

Shame, really, because this reconfigured, expanded 30th anniversary edition goes miles beyond setting things right, revealing two sets that if released 30 years ago, would have stood chin to chin with anything released during the golden age of the live album, knocking pretenders like "Frampton Comes Alive," the Allman Brothers' "At Filmore East," and Thin Lizzy's "Live and Dangerous" into a cocked hat.

Godhead for most will be tracks from "The Hoople" - "The Golden Age of Rock `n' Roll," "Roll Away the Stone, " "Born Late '58," "Marionette," "Crash Street Kids" - that CBS refused to include at the time for some reason, Ariel Bender playing as if he's either on the brink of some great discovery or a complete mental breakdown, his patented angry-hornets-sprayed-by-Raid sonic quest for world dominance threatening to derail magnificently most of the time before snapping back into place with a resounding twang, squeal, or buzz. Don't believe what you read (and only half of what you see); the guy could play although it's possible he was making it all up as he went along, in which case he's a genius.

Hunter stakes his claim as one of the greatest front men ever - the guv'nor if you will - but when you have drummer Dale "Buffin" Griffin, bassist Pete "Overend" Watts, and pianist and resident odd duck (and that's saying a LOT with Bender on board) Morgan Fisher watching your back, it's difficult not to feel bulletproof.

While there may be a thousand happy stories in the big city, unfortunately this isn't one of them. Mott the Hoople would never fly this high again or really get off the ground much at all save for a few halfway decent farewell singles with Mick Ronson in "Saturday Gigs" and "Foxy Foxy." Before you could say "Once Bitten Twice Shy," Hunter was in the hospital suffering from nervous exhaustion and Griffin, Watts, and Hunter ran off with the band's first name. Me, I'm still sitting on my hands waiting for the reunion gig and obligatory studio album with BOTH Bender and Mick Ralphs, currently scheduled for the twelfth of Never.

This is a truly breathtaking set. Absolutely superb. The power and muscle of Mott in their prime, a prime that did not last very long. I did stage sound and miking on Mott's summer 1973 US tour, the first portion of this prime period, and I seriously doubt I ever heard anything sonically superior to this recording while I was right on stage. The stars and the planets (in particular, Jupiter, of course) all lined up for this recording. Nothing is missing here, nothing is muddy; you can hear it all. Everything is clean and clear, including Morgan Fisher's piano, which gave Mott such a classy edge. The band's performances are outstanding, and the sonic perfection of this recording could not be finer. Much of this high quality is conveyed through an extremely solid and muscular bottom-end punch from the drums and bass guitar, with no `boominess' at all. The recording engineers - all of them - should be commended for this superior result. If you have a good playback system, this thing will jump right out of your speakers and into your lap, knock the wind out of you, and leave you gasping for more. No other live recording of prime Mott could be any better. Start here. End here.

I was a huge Mott fan since their 1st album. Saw them in 73 or 74 at a small University in NJ - an afternoon concert in the gym! They rocked and I spent the whole show standing in my chair shaking my butt. Bought and played to death all their albums after "Escher". Mad Shadows, Wildelife, Dudes - played them all to death. I think Brain Capers is their best, loved Mott, but back when did not think The Hoople was all that great. Then I bought this on LP back when and again, I was lukewarm. Part of it was I could not accept the band without Mick and Verden. At the time Ariel Bender did not blow me away. What was I thinking?!?
I bought this expanded edition recently because of the extra trax. Again - 1974 - what was I thinking? Or not... These discs show a great great band in full power mode. In terms of the heavy hitters, Mott in the early 70's were at or near the top of the heap. Both shows in this package are exceptional. The two keyboard punch of organ and piano adds a lot of depth (though I miss Verden), and allows Ian more time on guitar. This results in a fuller sound which just adds to the intensity. Overend and Buffin as always lay down a great bottom. And to my ears today - Ariel is a great fit - certainly wilder than Mick, but still perfect for the bands style. His rhythm is properly crunching and his solo's a showcase of technique, speed and control. Ian? One of the great rock frontmen, and he is clearly having a ball at these shows.

NYC had better tapes to mix from. Love how American Pie segues into a steaming Golden Age. Can't say for me there is a standout - every cut is killer and the band is on fire from the get go. Hymn for the Dudes is really good here; and Dudes is electrifying. Great version of Memphis.

The UK show has a few rough mixes (noted on cd) and seems 2 trax did not make it. Still, the opening from The Planets into Drivin Sister is for me maybe the highlight of both sets. I like the rough, less polished mix. It adds to the raw energy of the show. Nice to have Angeline in here; interesting to compare the 2 versions of Sucker in terms of the mix. NYC is clean; UK rough. Both are great. The long medley launches with Jerkin Crocus - one of my all time fave Mott tunes which I wish they had done a full version of. But in context of the medley it still kicks @$$, and I guess they must be hip hop with all the short samples (hehe) (and catch the quick few bars of Jean Genie!) Also contrast the two closing versions of Walkin with Mtn. NYC is a solid effort. But the 2nd might be the best version available. Ariel really gives it a workout, and as the liner notes say, they were fighting management to stay on stage! Curtain coming down. Band keeps playing. Now that's rock and roll!!

I would put Fairfield Hall a little above this as my favorite live Mott - it is more primal and I still prefer Verden to Fisher/Weaver/Bolton. I can see others not agreeing though and would not argue. Sony really did fans a big favor by re-issuing this as they did. Two glorious shows by one of the all time great rock bands. I have always put them ahead of Zeppelin, Purple, Mountain, TRex, Hawkwind, etc though great bands all. Something about Mott - the attitude, the variety of rockers and ballads, change-ups like Wildlife. They had "IT", which can't be defined but you know it when you hear it. And it's all here in these shows. Pounce.

Bought this album ,used for a $ 1.00 in 1976. I was 18, played the he-- out of it, have the album cover in my music room, decided I needed the re-mixed CD version.. WOW, does this bring back memories, enjoy, be amused, be confused, shake your head in wonderment or disgust ,air guitar like no one is watching, who knows with this band , is it good ? is it bad ? are they strange ,,YES.. who knows.. its 1974...."Queen" opened for them for 2 years before this came out, they broke up 6 weeks after its release..there is a whole story written in the jacket about the 2 live concerts disc 1- New york, 2- London. keep in mind during the end of disc 2 the Mgm't is trying to stop the concert and lower curtains and stuff and the band keeps playing, ..utter chaos..ahh the good old days !!
Here comes a purely nostalgic, hard driving, return to the past,if hard driving rock and roll is your thing and you've never heard Mott, listen in their entirety to songs 9 & 10 on disc 2, you won't be disappointed.

Why did Mott the Hoople not become the preiminent band of the 70's? Was it "the suits and the platform boots"? Was it Ian Hunter's pronounced English-accented singing voice? Did the David Bowie-Dudes connection doom them to an obscure corner of musical genre? It certainly wasn't the playing, or the song writing. This was a band that delivered in the studio (especially on "Mott" and "The Hoople")and, as (finally)chronicled here, in concert. Great songs coupled with crackling, chaos-is-around-the corner energy made this a group that any aspiring rock musician would love to have been a part of. There are only a handful of truly "great" bands to have emerged from the long lost 70's. Mott the Hoople was one of them, and we in turn lost them all too soon. If you have doubts, these two CDs will dispell them. "All The Young Dudes" live on Broadway bulldozes the original studio version, but the highlight of the entire set has to be the medley at the end of CD2 (Hammersmith). Who could match Mott's musical mayhem back then? No one. And very few bands today come even remotely close.

Mott the Hoople "Live" is one of the all time greatest concert sets, rivalled only by Bowie's "David Live". They are captured here at their peak just prior to breaking up. It's always been my opinion that had they remained together, they'd be mentioned today in the same breath as The Who. I really believe that huge stardom awaited them.

Usually I prefer to review a studio album by a band, but this surpasses their studio output in terms of sheer excitement. It rocks way harder than previously recorded versions of these songs. Ian Hunter's stage banter with the rabid crowds is hilarious. He's the very definition of a great frontman - luring them in and amping them up.

Drawing from their classic releases "Mott", "All The Young Dudes", "The Hoople", and the earlier pre-glam headbangers "Brain Capers" and "Mad Shadows" - they throw in some rare single B-sides and covers. There's a few exquisite ballads, and several medleys wherein he sings most tracks nearly in their entirety. The best of these commences with "Jerkin' Crocus" and concludes with "Violence". In-between they sing "One Of The Boys" and "Rock 'N' Roll Queen", and tie them together with snippets from The Beatles ("Get Back"), David Bowie ("Jean Genie"), Jerry Lee Lewis ("Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On") - and their own heavy metal instrumental version of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me". I've never heard a more exciting medley from anyone in my whole life.

After disbanding, the core members carried on for two albums as just Mott (minus The Hoople) - and with a replacement singer for Hunter that sounded like Geddy Lee. Two more were issued under the name British Lions. Believe it or not, they're all pretty good. Hunter's solo work has been strong, especially his self-titled debut and "You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic".

I recommend all of their albums, but nothing beats this 2-disc Mott the Hoople "Live". Check it out.