In the annals of classic rock stardom, the space reserved for Ian Hunter and his band Mott the Hoople remains empty and unfulfilled. The one-time leaders of a movement are finally seeing some reconsideration, more than 30 years after its heyday. Its two great albums—All the Young Dudes and Mott—are just now getting the remastering treatment, and are two forgotten classics filled with bluesy glam-rock strut and '70s pomposity. Unlike its peers however, Mott remain grounded and honest throughout both albums, maintaining its spot among rock's other greats.No discussion of Mott is complete without mention of All the Young Dudes,\ its one surviving hit and classic rock radio staple written by glam rock king David Bowie. Bowie salvaged the band from obscurity, glamming them up in 1971 and offering to produce its next album and provide them with a surefire hit. What followed was All the Young Dudes, an album with as much swagger and flair as any Bowie record, but equally successful due to Hunter's unmistakably confident voice and songwriting. The Bowie-penned gift of a title track is one of rock's great songs, and it became glam rock's anthem, even name-dropping Marc Bolan's band T. Rex, another pioneer of the genre. The six degrees of rock doesn't end there. Opening track ""Sweet Jane"" is a Velvet Underground cover, written by Bowie's hero Lou Reed, and the first half of ""Ready for Love/After Lights"" would later be revived by guitarist Mick Ralph for his band, Bad Company.
Despite the almost incestuous nature of the scene surrounding the band, All the Young Dudes shows a band running on all cylinders. Indeed, only a band that strong could follow its first success with an album-long lament of the pain and exhaustion of the rock ‘n' roll life. On the follow-up Mott, Hunter's songwriting becomes wry, ironic and heartbroken, yet the band never rocked so hard, both loose and grand at the same time. Mott is a collection of songs that hit hard. Some, like ""All the Way from Memphis"" and ""Whizz Kid"" do it with pounding drums and soaring guitar, or ""six-string razor"" as Hunter calls it. Sometimes, it is the heartbreak of Hunter's songs that hit hardest. ""Ballad of Mott the Hoople"" conveys the pain of the average rock band's failure, but also the utter devotion. ""I Wish I was Your Mother"" closes the album in heartbreaking, cathartic fashion, contrasting with the high-octane rock of the rest of the songs, and gives the album a perfect emotional bookend. All the Young Dudes and Mott are the crowning achievements of one of rock's forgotten greats. Few bands before or since could make two consecutive albums filled with pure rock swagger and honest, transcendent songwriting. Hopefully these reissues will attract a few young rockers into the world of Ian Hunter, Mott the Hoople and its glam rock peers.
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