Mott The Hoople

The Golden Age Of Rock ‘N’ Roll MADFISH The glam Clash at their very best.

Perpetuating the grand tradition of ignoring the band’s first four Guy Stevens-produced albums for Island Records, this inarguably brilliant double vinyl collection of Mott’s finest CBSera recordings is the ideal entry point for any young dude of a curious disposition.

After a grim five-year grind of much work for little reward, Mott were all for kicking their less-than-burgeoning career into touch after 1971’s Brain Capers album ‘peaked’ at No.208 in the US chart. Enter superfan (and soon to be superstar) David Bowie, who wrote All The Young Dudes for them while producing their breakthrough fifth album of the same name.

While it’s probably even less likely that there’s a new generation of kids gagging to buy a two-LP set of Ian Hunterdriven, lads-rocking 70s glam brilliance in the 21st century than it is for a Classic Rock reader to not already know the story of Bowie ‘saving’ Mott, let’s suspend disbelief and see how much bang any such mythical creatures might get for their buck.

The Golden Age Of Rock ‘N’ Roll’s 20-song track list writes itself. Side one comprises five from Dudes (including the single version of its epochal title track), followed on side two by the A and B of Honaloochie Boogie (the seven-inch where Hunter proved he could fly comfortably solo post-Bowie). Six more from the incomparable Mott album take us deep into side three where Roll Away The Stone concludes guitarist Mick Ralphs’s tenure. Ariel Bender arrives to riff a quintet from The Hoople (and Foxy Foxy), before Mick Ronson closes proceedings with the dazzling closing solo of poignant farewell single Saturday Gigs.

Neophyte or not, these tracks belong in any collection. A golden age and then some. ■■■■■■■■■■