Shrunken Heads

Ian Hunter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 15, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B000NTPGCK
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,597 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second Wind, May 15, 2007

By 

T. McCool "old married guy" (Lafayette, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shrunken Heads (Audio CD)

Ian Hunter's last three solo albums have been on different labels and all are out of print. Some may conclude that Ian's career never recovered from the loss of his friend and collaborator Mick Ronson to cancer. However, Ian has never been one to deliberately seek fame and fortune, even while fronting Mott the Hoople.

Because Ian creates music for music's sake, and because he has found a simpatico collaborator in Andy York from John Mellencamp's band, Ian gives us his strongest and most consistent post-Ronson effort. The songs on Shrunken Heads reflect Ian's take on life - both personal and community. He has been one of rock's most enduring songwriters for decades and he hasn't lost his touch one bit.

Musically, the album is based on the same Dylan/Stone-ish rock that has always served Ian's vocal range very well. There are also shades of Mellencamp and Springsteen. Thematically the album is an American version of Ian's last release - Rant - which took on the state of affairs in England, Ian's homeland. Ian has been a resident of the US since 1976 (reference All American Alien Boy), and Shrunken Heads gives equal time and focus to the other side of the Atlantic.

The title track is a wonderful "rant" about political leaders (the shrunken heads) who make bad decisions that hurt common people. Soul of America is a lament for the soul-less-ness that too often pervades the American landscape. Brainwashed takes on American consumerism (and reminds me of my 15 yr. old daughter for some odd reason). How's Your House is a post-Katrina story. The media takes their lumps in Fuss About Nothin'.

The political "rants" are balanced with insightful personal songs. Words (Big Mouth) is an apology for last night's temper tantrum, characterized as the "black dog lurking in the alley way." Throughout much of the album - as is the case in much of Ian's music - is the theme of redemption, found here in the song Guiding Light. A bit of humor to help those who, like Ian, are past middle age appears in I Am What I Hated When I Was Young, brilliantly paired with a bluegrass arrangement.

The album's closer, Read 'Em and Weep, showcases Ian's strength - the ballad. The song stands with other great Hunter ballads such as Sea Diver, Rose, Rest In Peace, Irene Wilde, Ships, and his tribute to Mick Ronson, Michael Picasso.

Whether or not Shrunken Heads catapults Ian into the charts (or at least into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) probably isn't on Ian's mind. Forget about charts and legacies, and enjoy finely crafted music from a master.

Note: Pre-orders from the record label included a three-track bonus disc that included two songs that are as good if not better than anything else on the full CD. Only 1000 were pressed in the US, so seek out this rarity.

UPDATE: The three songs on the bonus disc are still available for download from the record label. I strongly recommend them.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still One of the Boys, May 16, 2007

By 

Mr. R. K. HART "The Hartfoundation" (Flemington, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shrunken Heads (Audio CD)

Once upon a time, Ian Hunter was fast becoming a rock legend. Hits with Mott the Hoople and his early solo career had made him and his music easily recognizable. Then something happened. For some unexplainable reason, most people don't know who Mr. Hunter is, let alone that he is a wonderful, still relevant artist.
Mr. Hunter's latest effort, Shrunken Heads, shows he stills knows how to put together words and musics quite well, thank you. He goes forward without having to ride his catalogue of music in to the dust. His lyrics combine honesty and world weariness in a way few poets, let alone rockers, can.
In a world where more people are more concerned with Paris Hilton's latest exploit rather than Dafur, Somalia, etc., Mr. Hunter's lyrics remind us about the need to get real.
Shrunken Heads highlights are Big Mouth, When the World Was Round, Shrunken Heads, and Soul of America. Do you think the Stones would pen a song like "I Am What I Hated When I Was Young?" The album closes with a beautiful poem/song "Read 'em 'n Weep."
Miss this at your own risk.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of the Boys, July 14, 2007

By 

Anthony James "Tone Mullen" (Drexel Hill PA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Shrunken Heads (Audio CD)

Like many of you, we were turned on to Ian and Mott the Hoople in 1974. I will never forget it. They produced some of the most melodic rock of the years 1974-1976. We had a large group from Philadelphia at St. Joe's College that rallied around Hunter. This is indeed an extraordinary album. It is incredible to believe he is in his late sixties. I believe "Soul of America" would be an incredible smash hit for any of the top artists today. It is indeed a shame that only those of us left from that era will get to appreciate this masterpiece. Here's to all of you who realize how good "One of the Boys" was, especially as a live song. Hunter said: "this is what we're all about"... Amen!