Mott the Hoople

charles21o7 · #1 08-20-2004, 05:03 PM

This band is one of my five absolute favorite artists, along with LZ, Neil Young, Todd Rundgren, and Van Morrison. But anyway, they are an absolutely awesome band , yet are about as obscure as Rundgren . So , are there any other Mott fans out here in TB land? Matter of fact, i had the words to "Ballad of Mott" tatooed on my back in small arabic styled script, when i was 19 . So come on , any others out here??

jerry · #2 08-21-2004, 02:39 PM

I was a huge fan when I was a kid.......still am! I saw them play in N.Y.C. a few times back then too. This coming Tuesday they are releasing a special addtion of thier '74 live album, it's not my favorite lineup of the band, but I ordered one anyway.

Zlartibartfast · #3 08-22-2004, 09:37 AM

"well my Daddy he disowned me
'cause I wear my sister's clothes
he caught me in th bathroom
with a pair of panty hose!"

"my basketball coach
done kicked me off the team
for wearin' high-heeled sneakers
and actin' like a Queen!!"

GREAT STUFF FER SHURE!

ah, to be a kid again.....

brianrost · #4 08-23-2004, 08:57 AM

Um, Zlartibartfast that lyric was Cheech and Chong

Big Mott fan here, never saw them live (was overseas in the Army when they were peaking in the USA) unfortunately.

**WillPlay4Food** · #5 08-23-2004, 09:06 AM

A buddy of mine turned me onto Mott the Hoople when I was 16 (he also turned me onto Little Feat). Some good stuff there, but that's probably the only album I've heard by them.

Zlartibartfast · #6 08-23-2004, 09:17 AM

brianrost - you are completely right! check the album credits - if my memory is correct, the tracks were recorded by Mott the Hoople. that was my first exposure to them...we covered that tune when I was in a band back in Califionia. The audience loved it! (i sang the lead, but I didn't wear a tutu)

Wildside · #7 08-24-2004, 12:17 AM

I'm a big Mott fan, Overend Watts is very solid. They really helped put the wheels in motion for the 80s glam scene that I really liked. Nikki Sixx has mentioned in many interviews, and in the Motley Crue book The Dirt, how he was very influenced by Mott the Hoople.

P. Aaron · #8 08-24-2004, 01:20 PM

Check out Ian Hunter's latest disc: "RANT". It isn't MOTT, but it is good.

LiquidMidnight · #9 08-24-2004, 06:01 PM

Mott had a ton of cool tunes. They'll probaly be best known for All the Young Dudes. (even though it was written by Bowie) I always dug the tasteful bass lines.

Vociferous · #10 03-19-2010, 06:51 AM

I love Mott. Always will. I like any band that can write a good lyric, and most especially if they are 96 decible freaks! Here is a picture of the inimitable Overend Watts in the 2009 reunion tour in Britain: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/...a622fd2821.jpg

Kink Rimson · #11 03-19-2010, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vociferous

Here is a picture of the inimitable Overend Watts in the 2009 reunion tour in Britain: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/...a622fd2821.jpg

Awesome! Love that bass.
Don't know too much Mott meself, outside of the 'hits'... Love that song Thunderbuck Ram, which is from an old Island records compilation. Don't sound like Ian Hunter though...

Hoover · #12 03-19-2010, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiquidMidnight

They'll probaly be best known for All the Young Dudes.

For some reason "All The Way To Memphis" got a lot more airplay when I was a wee teen in the 70's; that was their big hit, and I never even heard "All The Young Dudes" until Mott had broken up (...or gone through 900 member replacements).

But yeah, they were cool, a nice cross between glam rock and meat&potatoes bar band rock. I loved the fact that Ian and Overend used to play these ridiculous oversized custom instruments. And that almost no one in the band had a "normal" name.

fwiw, Andy Burton, the keyboard player in one of my current bands, is also in Ian Hunter's band.

bassasaurus · #13 03-19-2010, 09:37 AM

Huge Mott fan. Had the pleasure of seeing them twice live back in the 70's including a double bill with Queen. One of my favorite all time shows. Have seen there lead singer/song writer many times over the years. Also a fav. There albums Mott, The Hoople and Live are must haves.

Toddy54 · #14 03-19-2010, 09:38 AM

Saw them once in the seventies, awesome band, look out for the book " Diary of a rock and roll star " by Ian Hunter, brilliant and very funny in places. It a diary of there tour of the States.

Bruce Lindfield · #15 03-19-2010, 10:59 AM

They weren't obscure in the UK - big stars of the late Glam Rock period - big on TV along with Bowie and Roxy Music - I bought their first album and they were a very well-known band!

Passinwind · #16 03-19-2010, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

They weren't obscure in the UK - big stars of the late Glam Rock period - big on TV along with Bowie and Roxy Music - I bought their first album and they were a very well-known band!

They weren't all that obscure in the US either; they were a fixture on the 3000-ish seat venue circuit for several years at least. IIRC the first time I saw them live was 1970, opening for Grand Funk Railroad, with the Kinks in turn opening for Mott. Good times...

ryco · #17 03-19-2010, 11:17 AM

My band used to cover "All the Way from Memphis" = fun tune, but hard memorizing the order of the backup lines!

We had the privilege of opening for The Hunter/Ronson Band in the late 80s. Great guys!!

Mott sure wrote a lot of songs about being a band!

BassBrass · #18 03-19-2010, 11:46 AM

Rundgren wasn't obscure either! It's only with the passing of time do the rock stars of the 70s get lost in the billions and billions we now see...of the 50 albums in my local record store, Hoople were the ones with an MC Escher cover. I liked Zep better, but MtH were very good. People who were into Mott didn't tend to like Van Morrison albums, it was too jazzy and old fashioned. Gin vs weed. Jim Morrison, maybe. It's good that the passage of time blurs the categories.

M0ses · #19 03-19-2010, 11:48 AM

I am a Mott the Hoople fan! I'm only 17!! I don't know anyone my age who's even heard of them.

jerry · #20 03-19-2010, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Passinwind

They weren't all that obscure in the US either; they were a fixture on the 3000-ish seat venue circuit for several years at least. IIRC the first time I saw them live was 1970, opening for Grand Funk Railroad, with the Kinks in turn opening for Mott. Good times...

They came through NYC quite a bit back then too, usually as the opening or middle act, and they always came to play. The same with the J Geils Band, I can't remember how many times I would see them in the middle of a bill, and they would just slay!