"All The Young Dudes" by MOTT THE HOOPLE (2006 Columbia/Legacy CD Reissue - Vic Anesini Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Gotta Work…"

After three albums on Island between 1970 and 1971 that saw constant touring, critical acclaim but little chart action ("Mad Shadows", "Wildlife" and "Brain Capers") – Mott The Hoople were about to throw in the towel when they finally hit paydirt with the David Bowie assisted  "All The Young Dudes" Single and LP in the heady days of 1972 (the height of Glam Rock in the UK). With the mercurial Bowie a fan and his star exploding everywhere – the timing and the song was perfect. And that’s where this wicked 2006 Expanded CD Remaster comes swaggering in. Here are the Dude-ish details...

UK released April 2006 – "All The Young Dudes" by MOTT THE HOOPLE on Columbia/Legacy 82796938092 (Barcode 827969380925) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and breaks down as follows (72:57 minutes):

1. Sweet Jane

2. Momma’s Little Jewel

3. All The Young Dudes

4. Sucker

5. Jerkin' Crocus

6. One Of The Boys [Side 2]

7. Soft Ground

8. Ready For Love/After Lights

9. Sea Diver

Tracks 1 to 9 are their 4th studio album "All The Young Dudes" – released September 1972 in the UK on CBS Records S 65184 and November 1972 in the USA on Columbia KC 31750

BONUS TRACKS:

10. One Of The Boys (Demo Version)

11. Black Scorpio (Demo Of "Momma's Little Jewel")

12. Ride On The Sun (Demo Version of "Sea Diver")

13. One Of The Boys (UK 7" Single Version) – released August 1972 on CBS Records S 8271 as the B-side to "All The Young Dudes"

14. Sucker (Live 1973 At The Hammersmith Odeon, London)

15. Sweet Jane (Live 1973 At The Hammersmith Odeon, London)

DAVID BOWIE originally produced the album and also plays Sax on some tracks (doesn’t say which). KEITH SMITH – Editor of the MTH Fanzine "Two Miles From Heaven" - provides the liner notes but I have to say that its 8-pages feels disappointingly slight – sporting centre spread liner notes by Ben Edmonds, recording details and precious little else… But the meat and potatoes lies in a fantastic new remaster by tape wizard VIC ANESINI whose credits include Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Jayhawks, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Hall & Oates, The Isley Brothers and Santana to name but a few. His name is a mark of Audio Quality I actively seek out.

It opens with a great cover of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" (lyrics above) where Mick Ralphs puts in some fantastically fluid Guitar playing. The muscle on the piano and guitar of the "Don’t Stop!" Intro to "Momma's Little Jewel" is just great as is Verden Allen’s slightly Prog Rock organ soloing throughout. It’s the first properly cool Hunter song on the album (co-written with Bass player Overend Watts). I’d have to admit a possible travesty here – I’ve always loathed the title track – it seemed hammy to me then and still does now – and it hung around the band's musical neck for decades. But at least it got the job done.

Far better is the menace of "Sucker" and the fabulous snotty British Rock 'n' Roll of "Jerkin' Crocus" (a B-side to the USA 7" single of "Sweet Jane"). It's back to Prog Organ for Verden Allen's "Soft Ground" where he unwisely ruins the song by taking Lead Vocals. Better is the Mick Ralphs double "Ready For Love/After Lights" where you can 'so' hear the beginnings of Bad Company (Hunter and Ralphs share vocals on this one). It ends on a short but poignant Ian Hunter piano balled "Sea Diver" – for me a real highlight - and like "Trudi's Song" on 1974's "The Hoople" – a hidden gem in their catalogue.  

The bonus tracks are shockingly good – especially "Black Scorpio" which is a pumping Rock Demo Version of "Momma's Little Jewel" and "Ride On The Sun" which is an equally delicate demo of "Sea Diver" but with different lyrics. It's still odd to hear David Bowie actually sing "All The Young Dudes" - but it actually suits him more. In fact what a single this previously unreleased duet between Bowie and Hunter would have made (as a double credit perhaps?). The reissue finishes with the huge guitar punch of "Sucker" and "Sweet Jane" - a track that will thrill fans of the Lou Reed live classic "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" – both recorded before a triumphant crowd at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.

So there you have it – a great album and a properly fab trip down Rock’s Memory Lane. It's a real shame that the booklet doesn’t celebrate "Dudes" a bit more (an Indie label would have splashed out 20-pages or more) but what is on offer is sonically brilliant - a fantastic remaster by Anesini.

With principal song-writer and singer Ian Hunter still at the helm – the band would go on to even better things with the beautifully presented "Mott" album in 1973 and the underrated 6th LP "The Hoople" in 1974 (see reviews). Now in 2015 - this remastered Mott The Hoople CD is cheaper than a stick of eyeliner at Boots. Get this nugget into your home right away...

"The Hoople" by MOTT THE HOOPLE (2006 Columbia/Legacy 'Expanded Edition' CD - Vic Anesini Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With Over 480 Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

CLASSIC 1970s ROCK On CD - Exception Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands and Thousands of E-Pages 

All Details and In-depth Reviews From The Discs

(No Cut And Paste Crap)

"…I'm In Love With Her…"

After four albums on Island between 1969 and 1971 that saw little chart action ("Mott The Hoople", "Mad Shadows", "Wildlife" and "Brain Capers") - then the David Bowie assisted breakthrough of "All The Young Dudes" in 1972 with its equally successful follow-up "Mott" in 1973 - the pressure was on to produce another winner. And Mott The Hoople's 7th LP "The Hoople" featuring Ian Hunter delivered what was needed.

UK released April 2006 – "The Hoople" by MOTT THE HOOPLE on Sony/Legacy 82796 978732 (Barcode 827969787328) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and plays out as follows (69:06 minutes):

1. The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll

2. Marionette

3. Alice

4. Crash Street Kidds

5. Born Late 1958 [Side 2]

6. Trudi's Song

7. Pearl 'N' Roy (England)

8. Through The Looking Glass

9. Roll Away The Stone

Tracks 1 to 9 are their seventh studio album "The Hoople" - released in the UK in July 1974 on CBS Records S 69064 and Columbia PC 32871

BONUS TRACKS:

10. Where Do They All Come From

Non-album B-side of the November 1973 UK 7" single "Roll Away The Stone" on CBS Records S CBS 1895

11. Rest In Peace

Non-album B-side of the March 1974 UK 7" single "The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll" on CBS Records S CBS 2177

12. Foxy, Foxy

Non-album A-side of a June 1974 UK 7" single on CBS Records S CBS 2439

13. (Do You Remember The) Saturday Gigs

Non-album A-side of a September 1974 UK 7" single on CBS Records S CBS 2754 (credited as "Saturday Gig" on the label)

14. The Saturday Kids (Work In Progress Mixes)

15. Lounge Lizard (Aborted B-side)

16. American Pie/The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll (Live From Broadway)

The 12-page booklet is pleasantly festooned with foreign picture sleeves and affectionate/knowledgeable liner notes by Campbell Devine - author of "All The Young Dudes: The Official Autobiography Of Mott The Hoople".

But the best news for fans is a fantastic new remaster by tape wizard VIC ANESINI whose credits include Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Jayhawks, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Hall & Oates and Santana to name but a few. The muscle on the rockers like "Marionette" and the Overend Watts track "Born Late '58" (the only Mott song to feature a non Ian Hunter vocal) is properly great. The singles too "The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll" and "Roll Away The Stone" still thrill in that T.Rex glam kind of way (Lynsey De Paul contributes vocals to "Roll Away The Stone"). But for me the bees-knees is the gorgeous ballad to Ian Hunter's wife "Trudi's Song" (lyrics above) - the kind of Seventies tune that reduces me to mush for some reason.

This is also one of those reissues where the Bonus Tracks actually up the ante rather than just acting as filler. The previously unreleased mix of "The Saturday Kids" rocks and the aborted single B-side "Lounge Lizard" is a guitar-driven find - fabulous stuff. And those great single sides like "Saturday Gig" remind me of the buzz I got just finding their stuff in record stores and in secondhand shops. It does seem odd though that the "Saturday Gig" non-album B-side Medley of "Jerkin' Crocus, Sucker and Violence" isn't here too when there was room. But overall - a very tasty package indeed.

In 2016 – a Remastered "The Hoople" CD is cheaper than a pair of cheap sunglasses at a market stall. And I'm down with that. Get this little audio nugget into your shady home right away...

PS: Inspired by the ballad that turned me into a big girl's blouse this afternoon - I formed the following 70's FEST CD compilation list for geysers between 50 and 75 (and that's just the waistline). I've called it "Songs To Make A Grown Man Cry" and it just about fits onto an 80-minute CD-R. Here goes...

1. That's The Way - LED ZEPPELIN (October 1970 on "Led Zeppelin III" LP)

2. Home Again - CAROLE KING (March 1971 on "Tapestry" LP)

3. If I Laugh - CAT STEVENS (September 1971 on "Teaser And The Firecat" LP)

4. Debris - FACES (November 1971 on "A Nod's As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse" LP)

5. Old Man - NEIL YOUNG (February 1972 on "Harvest" LP)

6. Watch Me - LABI SIFFRE (July 1972 UK 7" single-only on Pye International)

7. Journey - DUNCAN BROWNE (August 1972 UK 7" single-only on Rak)

8. My Friend The Sun - FAMILY (September 1972 on "Bandstand" LP)

9. You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio - JONI MITCHELL (December 1972 on "For The Roses" LP)

10. The Right Thing To Do - CARLY SIMON (January 1973 on "No Secrets" LP)

11. The Kiss - JUDEE SILL (April 1973 on "Heart Food" LP)

12. I'm In Love With A Girl - BIG STAR (January 1974 on "Radio City" LP)

13. Trudi's Song by MOTT THE HOOPLE (March 1974 on "The Hoople" LP)

14. Roll On Babe - RONNIE LANE & SLIM CHANCE (August 1974 on "Anymore For Anymore" LP)

15. You're A Big Girl Now - BOB DYLAN (February 1975 on "Blood On The Tracks" LP)

16. Misty - RAY STEVENS (August 1975 on "Misty" LP)

17. Stay Young - GALLAGHER & LYLE (January 1976 on "Breakaway" LP)

18. On And On - STEPHEN BISHOP (December 1976 on "Careless" LP)

19. Alison - ELVIS COSTELLO (July 1977 on "My Aim Is True" LP)

20. River Song - DENNIS WILSON (September 1977 on "Pacific Ocean Blue" LP)

21. She's Always A Woman - BILLY JOEL (December 1977 on "The Stranger" LP)

22. English Rose - THE JAM (November 1978 on "All Mod Cons" LP)

Further suggestions/slagging in the 'comment' postcard section please...

"The Last Station" on BLU RAY – A Review Of The 2011 Film by Michael Hoffman

Here is a link to Amazon UK to get this BLU RAY at a very cheap price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00370843A

"…You're What I Came To Find…" - The Last Station on BLU RAY

In the last two decades of his life – the author of "War And Peace" and "Anna Karenina" - wasn’t just the most famous writer in the world – Leo Tolstoy was the inspiration for an entire movement that advocated pacifism, vegetarianism and love as the core of its commune philosophy. Tolstoy also rejected Church dictate, private property and was even seen by some as a living saint. And in 1919 his fame was such that he actually became one of the world’s first modern-day celebrities - filmed on Pathe Cameras everywhere he went - with crews and press teams relentlessly stalking his home for photos and footage of the great man. And although he neither sought out publicity nor was comfortable with it – his ego as Demigod enjoyed it too – putting huge pressure of his home life and volatile marriage.

The statistics surrounding the lifelong union of Leo and Sofya Tolstoy are incredible (played to perfection by Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren). Married when she was 18, she bore him 13 children and they were still sexually passionate into their 80s. But forces like the leader of the worldwide Tolstoyan movement Vladamir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), his devoted Doctor Dushan (John Sessions) and even his daughter Sasha (Anne-Marie Duff) all wanted him to give his legacy to posterity. This effectively meant forfeiting the copyright to his written works – giving the lot to the people and not his family.

Seeing how her ageing husband was being flattered for political ends while her family’s fortune was being simultaneously shafted - Countess Sofya thought otherwise - battling constantly with him and his army of devoted followers. After all - she had hand-written “War And Peace” six times for him – spent her entire life devoted to the man – only at the end to see his life’s accomplishments be used by reformist zealots ("They read him but they don't understand a word…").

Entering into this cauldron of personal warfare and political intrigue comes a young virginal Moscow idealist of 26 - Valentin Bulgakov (James McAvoy) - who becomes Tolstoy’s Private Secretary for the last year of his life. Valentin’s stay at the Tolstoy Estate of Yasnaya Polyana and the nearby Tolstoyan commune of Telyatinki introduces him to temper tantrums, ideological debate at garden parties, endless scribbling and even love in the shape of the feisty Masha (a fabulous turn by Irish Actress Kerry Condon – the jockey Rosie in the TV series "Luck" – her dialogue above titles this review). But soon Valentin is more than in love – he’s conflicted. Should he keep on spying for the ruthless and obsessed Chertkov or should he leave the great man in peace. It all culminates in driving the old author into despair - until one day Tolstoy can take no more and leaves on a train. But ill health brings him to…

"The Last Station" was adapted by Writer and Director Michael Hoffman from Jay Parini's 1989 novel of the same name (itself based on Valentin’s diaries). With such a juicy story and a well-written script – big names and big talent were drawn to it.

But none of this would amount to naught if it weren’t for the central story of their 'love' – the difficulty of living in it and the impossibility of doing without it. Mirren’s Sofya is all spiky rage, steely determination and drama Queen swoons while Plummer’s bearded Tolstoy looks benevolently on her - adoring his long-suffering wife one moment - repulsed by her need and annoyed by her courage the next. Both characters are big shoes to fill – and with fantastic word battles – they give utterly convincing performances of trapped people – giggling in young bedroom tenderness one night then spitting ideological venom at each other the following morning on the porch.

There are also fabulous conversations between Plummer and McAvoy as they walk on lilac-scented evenings about 'actual life' instead of philosophy and the scheming Giamatti character fills ever scene with a self-righteous knowing that he is so good at. Throw in acting heavyweights like John Sessions, Anne-Marie Duff, Kerry Condon and the spot-on James McAvoy (married in real life to Anne-Marie Duff) and you’re in for an emotional ride as well as an engaging historical tale. This is sumptuous, well-crafted, intelligent filmmaking (and even funny too in places) and quite why either Mirren or Plummer didn’t get Oscars for their lead roles is frankly a bit of a mystery…

Filmed in Germany with huge production values "The Last Station" is also a gorgeous watch on BLU RAY. Defaulted to 2.35:1 – there are bars top and bottom of the screen - but even stretching to Full Aspect – it’s looks beautiful throughout – especially on close ups of clothes, steam trains and in the idyllic countryside communes.

One of the two Extras includes a truly superb 45-minute Making Of called "Conversations On…" which features extensive interviews with Director and Screenplay Writer Michael Hoffman, the original author Jay Parini, Producers Jens Meurer and Bonnie Arnold and all the leads (the work process, favourite scenes, discussion of Tolstoy and the period). There's even Anthony Quinn’s agent who owned the book rights for decades (he had hoped to do the part). Audio is 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and the Subtitle is English.

In the end it’s a fascinating story – and an insight into the world of arguably the world’s first global pop star – only with a beard, arteritis, a cranky wife and a troop of peasants in tow waving their cloth caps instead of their Dolce and Gabbana handbags.

A top job done by all (especially Michael Hoffman) – "The Last Station" is a movie journey well worth the huff and puff…