Mott the Hoople – The Hoople (1974): Shadows in Stereo

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For many fans of classic rock, Mott the Hoople will forever be linked with David Bowie and the brief flash of a pop music movement known as “glam rock.” After all, in 1972, somewhere between his Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane projects, Bowie gave the song “All the Young Dudes” to the commercially struggling Hoople and produced for them the successful album of the same name.

Fans of the band that consider themselves more hardcore might argue that the preceding release, 1971’s Brain Capers better captured the hard-rocking yet literate essence of the band, while All the Young Dudes’ 1973 follow up – simply entitled Mott – showed they could rely on the quality of their own writing as well as deliver the goods without the aid of some high-profile production assistance.

But collective memory doesn’t always reflect historical accuracy, so All the Young Dudes is the recorded document most often cited as evidence to include Mott the Hoople on that imaginary list of great rock ‘n’ roll ought-to-have-beens.

Unfortunately, this popular truism is also a bit of a diversion. The hard-to-accept fact is simply that although Mott the Hoople had a number of good albums, they never really had any great ones.

Sure, any of those of aforementioned albums could serve as Mott’s rock ‘n’ roll yearbook photo. But so could The Hoople, their final studio effort, released in early 1974.

The Hoople is often thought of as a just-OK album recorded in the band’s dying days. True, original organist Verden Allen had long departed, and guitarist Mick Ralphs had recently bailed shortly after the release of Mott. But newly recruited keyboard whiz Morgan Fisher was able to add all sorts of intricate yet muscular keyboard parts, and ex-Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor (masquerading under the nom de guerre Ariel Bender) developed an off-the-rails style of lead guitar that echoed at times that of New York Dolls’ axe man Johnny Thunders.

So armed, The Hoople shows the band aspiring to cover a lot of different angles, which is probably one of the reasons the album is often mistakenly characterized as “uneven.” Singer/songwriter Ian Hunter comes across as less sensitive and introspective than on previous outings, instead spinning imaginary and nostalgic retro-glam anthems (“Roll Away the Stone”) and spewing unique art-punk-prog inventions (“Crash Street Kidds”). Even bassist Overend Watts contributes a song and a lead vocal that fits right into the mixture.

Interestingly, the great unheralded secret weapon of The Hoople is probably the rhythm section of bassist Watts and drummer Dale “Buffin” Griffin – who, along with Hunter, function as the band’s production team. The overall sound is tight without being stiff, and the arrangements are intricate without being overindulgent.

Perhaps that tight, professional approach found on The Hoople is what fans of the spontaneously combustible Brain Capers dislike. And since it lacks the celebrity presence of someone like David Bowie (or a major hit single) and steers away from singer/songwriter introspection as well, it isn’t favored by boosters of All the Young Dudes or Mott either. But just like much of Mott the Hoople’s catalog, it’s maybe not good enough to be great, but it definitely has enough great moments to be good.

JC Mosquito