Tuesday gig?

Have at it, all. Video of "The Saturday Gigs" from ofitato via YouTube.

Saturday video: The Moon Upstairs

An early sound glitch, but still OK. Song was the best in the set IMO.

"I swear to you, before we're through you're gonna feel our every blow. We ain't bleeding you, we're feeding you, but you're too f***ing slow."

Thursday's show

MOTT THE HOOPLE SETLIST

Jupiter
Hymn for the Dudes
Rock N Roll Queen
Sweet Jane
One of the Boys
Sucker
The Moon Upstairs





Acoustic portion
The Original Mixed Up Kid
I Wish I Was Your Mother

Ready for Love
Born Late '58
Ballad of Mott the Hoople
Sweet Angeline
Walkin with a Mountain/Jumpin Jack Flash
Like a Rolling Stone
The Journey
Golden Age of Rock N Roll
Honaloochie Boogie
All the Way from Memphis

Encore I (with Buffin)
Roll Away the Stone
All the Young Dudes
Keep a Knockin

Encore II
The Saturday Gigs

They played for a little over two hours. Buffin came out only for the three songs on the first encore. They had a second drum kit set up for him. He needed assistance. It was moving to see Martin Chambers help Buffin onto the drum chair and off, and lead applause for him. Buffin did bang away on his kit and kept a rhythm, but someone was crouched behind him in case of accident. It still was good to see him. Wonder if he'll come out tonight?

They had a chorus line of five backing vocalists on some songs. They were Ian's kids Jesse and Tracey, Mick Ralphs' son (is it Stan?), Stan Tippins with cowboy hat, and a woman I did not know. A sixth choruser joined them on ATYD -- Joe Elliott. He also came to the front and sang a verse (yeah, I know -- Joe Elliott got stage time and Morgan and Ariel didn't). Joe wore a T-shirt with the name of MMA fighter Randy Couture.

Mick had a goldish, spotted jacket, which he soon took off and went with a white shirt and black pants, Ian the same topped by a black jacket. Verden had a maroon T-shirt. He's rail-thin. Pete had on a multi-colored sweater that made him look like he was off to ski the Alps after these shows, and with all the money they're making, he could. The only concession to glam of anyone was Pete wearing white shoes.

The front line, Mick, Ian and Pete, looked really relaxed and into it. They clearly were enjoying it. Mick and Pete came to the edge of the stage several times. Pete came all the way across the stage once. I did not really see Verden interacting with the others, but I was on the other side of the stage. They lined up Mick left, Ian center, then Pete and Verden with Martin in back. Ian had keys all the way to the left and played them on maybe four songs.




The band smoked on the rockers, I mean smoked. The Moon Upstairs was off-the-hook good and a highlight for me as I'd never heard it live before. If you'd closed your eyes you'd never guess these were performers aged 65 and up. Angeline and Memphis were also highlights for me, though I hear them all the time with Ian's band. Mick's solo on Honaloochie Boogie was amazing -- made the song a lot different from the novelty song Ian has made it out to be in recent years. It was great.

They came forward on stools for a two-song acoustic set with Martin on bongos.

Finish of The Saturday Gigs saw Mick, Ian, Pete and Verden come to the front and lead the fans in singing "Goodbye, goodbye!" a capella, and they walked off with this as the backdrop. They teased another song but this was it.

Everyone I talked to was really satisfied, and overall so was I. You can go on about setlists, but I'd really rather hear "No Wheels to Ride" than "Sweet Jane," NWTR being a group composition that would bolster the representation of the earlier albums.



Oh I got a drumstick -- off the floor after it had struck my seatmate Platform Boots in the face. Yes, I offered it to him -- twice! But he was kind enough to let me bring it back to the U.S. Thanks Toni! Martin had broken it at the end of The Moon Upstairs and I guess heaved it. Martin should be an Olympic javelin-tosser.

Day 17: Countdown No. 1, Mott (1973)

"''Cos if you think you are a star, for so long they'll come from near and far. But you'll forget just who you are. You ain't the Nazz. You're just a buzz. Some kinda temporary ... " -- Hymn for the Dudes (1973)

This one finishes on top, deservedly so.

Debate all you want about MTH glam or not glam, pre- or post-Bowie, Verden in or out, Ralphs or Bender. Once all's said, this was one of the top albums of the greatest era in rock history.

Give it a spin to quench any emotion.

Angry? Shout along to "Violence."

Lonesome? Shed a tear to "I Wish I Was Your Mother." Defiant? Sing along to "Hymn for the Dudes," with a proviso -- the version on the three-disk anthology is superior to the Mott version.

Wistful? The guitar part alone should get you on "Ballad of MTH." And the full song is a heavyweight.

Happy? "Memphis" and "Honaloochie Boogie" are two of the most infectious songs ever recorded.

This was the album, and "Memphis" the track, that in 1973 pulled me away from AM radio and into a lifetime of appreciation of Mott the Hoople.

I know circumstances might push them into a supporting spot, but I hope to hear a lot of these songs at Hammersmith.

SONG RATINGS (OUT OF 5)

All the Way From Memphis (5)
Whizz Kidd (4)
Hymn for the Dudes (5)
Honaloochie Boogie (5)
Violence (3.5)
Drivin Sister (3.5)
Ballad of Mott the Hoople (5)
I'm a Cadillac/El Camino Dolo Rosa (2.5)
I Wish I Was Your Mother (5)

Day 22: Countdown No. 5, Mad Shadows (1970)

"Anything's better than the life I've known, I can't face anything that low." -- Walkin with a Mountain (1970)

This one should have been Sticky Fingers. I assume you've heard that story.

Mad Shadows is a better title anyway for the lyrical content. And the cover, which looks like a Rorshack test, is perfect because some of the lyrics make you want to call a psychiatrist.

I think it's great. Of the early era MTH albums, which I basically bought in a pack, this one has grown on me the most.

Mick Ralphs' "Thunderbuck Ram" is an awesome opener, from its first chords to its abrupt denouement. I think it would even be a great opener for the reunion shows. It's the best song Mick wrote for Mott. I love the way "No Wheels to Ride" builds from a ballad into something a lot more. Of course I love "Walkin With a Mountain," maybe because I know what it became as a concert staple for Ariel Bender in later MTH days.

The lyrics here are as dark and angry as anything on Brain Capers. The difference is that Brain Capers suggested a more physical expression of violence. This one is more psychotic. Case in point: Ian Hunter's "When My Mind's Gone."

It held together well as a selection of songs and still holds up today, but there was a ceiling on how far they could go with it. And it wasn't far, as the successor, Wildlife, was much lighter.

SONG RATINGS (OUT OF FIVE)

Thunderbuck Ram (4.5)
No Wheels to Ride (4)
You Are One of Us (3)
Walkin With a Mountain (4.5)
I Can Feel (3)
Threads of Iron (2.5)
When My Mind's Gone (3)

Day 23: Countdown No. 6, Mott the Hoople (1969)

"You can't live in Texas unless you've got a lot of soul." -- At the Crossroads (1969)

Mott the Hoople gives a unique demonstration in its first, eponymous album: How to cover Bob Dylan without covering Bob Dylan.

There are no Dylan covers here, not even "Blowing in the Wind," the coda of which was performed in many early MTH concerts. But that's not to say that song after song don't sound like Bob. They do.

"Backsliding Fearlessly" does. "Laugh at Me" makes a Sonny Bono cover sound as if it came from the Dylan catalogue. And "At the Crossroads" covers Doug Sahm, himself a Dylan mentor.

MTH strays from Dylan on "Rock N Roll Queen," channeling the Rolling Stones instead. (OK, hands. Who thinks it sounds like "Bitch?")

The point is that MTH at its genesis wore its influences and inspirations on its sleeves. For the most part, it worked here. The style piques your interest.

They carried it too far by kicking off the disk with a version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." I don't understand the point of that. Why make your first song an instrumental cover of a recent song by a band for whom you frequently open? I think the other instrumental, the MTH-composed "Rabbit Foot and Toby Time," is superior.

The Kinks cover gives the feeling that this was a hastily put together effort, without enough MTH-written songs nor any nod to what worked in their live performances. There's one MTH classic, "R&RQ," and some glimpses of what the band and Ian Hunter will offer in the future.

Other than that, I wouldn't consider it a strong debut.

SONG RATINGS (OUT OF FIVE)

You Really Got Me (1.5)
At the Crossroads (2.5)
Laugh at Me (3.5)
Backsliding Fearlessly (2.5)
Rock N Roll Queen (4)
Rabbit Foot and Toby Time (2.5)
Half Moon Bay (2)
Wrath & Roll (1)

Day 24: Countdown No. 7, Wildlife (1971)

"Maybe I'm just a loser. Maybe it's because my boots ain't as clean as they could be." -- Home is Where I Want to Be (1971)

I didn't experience MTH's albums sequentially. I think it's important you know that.

I started with Mott, went to The Hoople, eventually went back to ATYD then picked off the first four many years later.

So my initial reaction to Wildlife was to be struck by how different it sounded from what the band's ultimate product would be -- not what it had been.

Because of that I think I judge it less harshly than others do. Knowing that such fantastic output lay ahead, I could regard this one as a harmless curiosity.

But had I been a fan of Mad Shadows upon its release, and was breathlessly awaiting its sequel back in 1971, I would have been stunned and disappointed by this one. Having shown one identity on Shadows, the band yanked that away with Wildlife and decided, apparently, that it was Poco. And I like Poco. That's the problem. MTH was just a weak imitation here.

The songs are listenable. I don't mind giving it an occasional spin. The songwriting is, in fact, better than on the album that I'll be rating No. 6, but the difference is, that one has an essential, core MTH song and this one does not.

Four Mick Ralphs C&W songs combined with three of Ian Hunter's slower songs make this a leisurely album compared with its two breakneck predecessors. "Waterlow" is here, and it's brilliant, but the live versions on solo IH disks are better. They added "Keep A Knockin," almost certainly to give the disk some rock feel. It's great, but would have been more in place on an early MTH live album. The other Wildlife cover, "Lay Down," I don't know why they chose to record it. Melanie's version had recently been on the charts. I didn't like it, either.

I'm sure there were some confused British teenagers when this came out.

(I can say, though, this was the first MTH album I ever saw. I remember a high school classmate pointing out the record as an example of a great band -- probably on the strength of Mad Shadows. I saw the cover and figured they were in Central Park.)

SONG RATINGS (OUT OF FIVE)

Whiskey Women (2.5)
Angel of Eighth Avenue (3)
Wrong Side of the River (2)
Waterlow (3.5)
Lay Down (1.5)
It Must Be Love (3)
The Original Mixed-Up Kid (3)
Home is Where I Want to Be (3)
Keep A Knockin' (3.5)