(label)
16 October 2010 (released)
02 November 2010
The ballad begins with four lads from Herefordshire who, in the 1960’s, fell under the spell of musicians like Little Richard. So impressed were they by the sound of rock n’ roll that Verden Allen, Mick Ralphs, Dale Griffin and Overend Watts (what name is that?) set off to the big city of London to indulge in their newly found passion and better still, maybe even make a career of it.
Enter producer Guy Stevens, who took them under his creative wing but insisted the band get rid of their somewhat charisma-free singer, to be replaced with Ian Hunter – a musician with tons of charisma and an attitude to match! Stevens also came up with a new name for the band, taken from a book about an American circus freak, don’t you know. As if wasn’t entertainment value enough, Stevens happened to read the book while locked up in the slammer, courtesy of drugs charges.
With a new lead singer in tow and a new band name, the almighty Stevens got Mott The Hoople a deal with Island Records. The rock n’ roll circus had come to town.
Despite their legendary and crazy stage shows that were a huge success wherever they played, their albums failed to succeed on a commercial level. Enter David Bowie, by then already a hardcore fan of the band. He offered to write a song for them that turned out to be one of the biggest rock anthems of all time, ‘All The Young Dudes’. The band’s follow-up songs included ‘Roll Away The Stone’ and ‘All The Way From Memphis’ and an American tour was imminent. But the good vibes soon turned sour when the stress of the touring schedule kicked in and band members quit – foremost organ player Verden Allen, who wasn’tt too happy about the fact that Hunter wouldn’t use any of his songs on the albums. While the fans remained loyal, the band began to crack….
Forward 35 years and Mott The Hoople got together again for the celebrated 2009 reunion concerts at Hammersmith Apollo, with some band members not having spoken to each other for 30 years. They’re certainly getting on as they say, but they still know how to rock. The concerts were a huge success with old dudes and young dudes attending.
The Ballad of Mott The Hoople is a fascinating documentary about a band that seems as much Spinal Tap as it is rock n’ roll casualty. Including rare 70’s archive footage, concert extracts and interviews with the band members, the docu shows Hunter as a dazzling raconteur on a recall trip and a band that helped defy the golden age of rock n’ roll. Directors Chris Hall and Mike Kerry are without any doubt fan boys, too!
(Also, read my tie-in interview with ex-Mott The Hoople Verden Allen, who attended the premiere screening of the documentary during the London Film Festival.)
