Mott (album)

Mott
Studio album by Mott the Hoople
Released	20 July 1973 21 February 2006 (reissue)
Recorded	February–April 1973 except track 1, 22 December 1972 at Air Studios and Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre	Glam rock, hard rock
Length	43:00
Label	CBS (UK), Columbia (US)
Producer	Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople chronology
Rock and Roll Queen (1972 UK, 1974 US) Mott (1973) The Hoople (1974)
Alternative cover
U.K. album cover

Mott is a 1973 album by British band Mott the Hoople. It peaked at No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart.^[1]

"All the Way from Memphis", an edited version of which was released as a single, received considerable airplay on U.S. radio and captured the band overseas fans, as well as reaching the UK Singles Chart.

Background

The album featured different covers in the U.K. and U.S., as well as remastered tracks on some editions. The U.S. cover featured a photo of the four band members with the word "MOTT" on it, with "Mott The Hoople" written in the O. The U.K. front cover featured an illustration based on the bust of a Roman emperor, the band's name written in a typeface simultaneously evocative of a 1920s Art Deco font and the "Future Shock" font inspired by computer-readable punch cards. Initial copies had a gatefold sleeve with the emperor image printed on a transparent plastic sheet. The emperor would appear again on the inner sleeve of The Hoople, the band's next and final album in both the United States and the United Kingdom. A remastered and expanded version was released by Sony's Columbia/Legacy imprint in the United States in 2006.

Reception

In 2003, the album was ranked number 366 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Robert Christgau	A−[4]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[5]
PopMatters	favourable[6]
Rolling Stone	very favourable[7]

Track listing

All songs written by Ian Hunter, except where indicated

LP Side one

1. "All the Way from Memphis" – 4:55
2. "Whizz Kid" – 3:05
3. "Hymn for the Dudes" (Verden Allen, Hunter) – 5:15
4. "Honaloochie Boogie" – 2:35
5. "Violence" (Hunter, Mick Ralphs) – 4:37

LP Side two

1. "Drivin’ Sister" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 4:42
2. "Ballad of Mott the Hoople (26th March 1972, Zürich)" (Hunter, Dale "Buffin" Griffin, Peter Watts, Ralphs, Allen) – 5:40
3. "I’m a Cadillac / El Camino Dolo Roso" (Ralphs) – 7:40
4. "I Wish I Was Your Mother" – 4:41

LP track times from 1973 UK release (CBS 69038). Published track times for the US release (Columbia 32425) differ slightly.^[8]

CD

1. "All the Way from Memphis" – 5:02
2. "Whizz Kid" – 3:25
3. "Hymn for the Dudes" (Allen, Hunter) – 5:24
4. "Honaloochie Boogie" – 2:43
5. "Violence" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 4:48
6. "Drivin’ Sister" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 3:53
7. "Ballad of Mott the Hoople (26th March 1972, Zürich)" (Hunter, Griffin, Watts, Ralphs, Allen) – 5:24
8. "I’m a Cadillac / El Camino Dolo Roso" (Ralphs) – 7:50
9. "I Wish I Was Your Mother" – 4:52

Bonus tracks (2006 reissue)

10. "Rose" (Hunter, Ralphs, Watts, Griffin) – 3:56 B-side of "Honaloochie Boogie"; produced by Mott The Hoople
11. "Honaloochie Boogie" (Demo version) – 3:07
12. "Nightmare" (Demo) (Allen) – 3:36
13. "Drivin' Sister" (Hunter, Ralphs) – 4:30 Live 1973 at the Hammersmith Odeon; produced by Dale "Buffin" Griffin

Personnel

• Ian Hunter – lead vocals, piano, guitar
• Mick Ralphs – guitar, backing vocals, organ, moogotron, mandolins, tambourine, lead vocals on "I’m A Cadillac / El Camino Dolo Roso"
• Pete "Overend" Watts – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Dale "Buffin" Griffin – drums, vocals, percussion, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Paul Buckmaster – electric cello on "Honaloochie Boogie"
• Morgan Fisher – piano, synthesizer, backing vocals on "Drivin' Sister" (live)
• Mick Hince – bells on "I Wish I Was Your Mother"
• Andy Mackay – saxophone on "All The Way From Memphis" & "Honaloochie Boogie"
• Graham Preskett – violin on "Violence"
• Thunderthighs (Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou, Casey Synge) – backing vocals on "Hymn For The Dudes"

Charts

Album

References