Search - Mott the Hoople :: Hoople

A Masterpiece

Richard Martin | Tampa, Florida | 06/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all of the rock acts of the 1970's, Mott The Hoople was the band that experienced the most versitile creative changes of it's day. "The Hoople" is Mott's third and final release, completing the cycle that began with "All The Young Dude's" and continued with "MOTT."



Critics hated this album upon it's release in 1974 but for me this album is their defining moment. No disrespect to guitarist Mick Ralphs who left before this recording to form "Bad Company" but Ariel Bender (Luther Grovesnor formerly of Spooky Tooth) added the missing element from the Hoople's sound on all of their previous releases. His licks on this record remind me of the sound of other bands of this time including Queen and Sparks. Morgan Fisher who replaced original keyboardist Verdi Allen proved to be a superior musician and not nearly the head case that the explosive Allen could be.



Ian Hunter's songwriting, progresses on this recording in leaps and bounds. "Marionette," " Through the Looking Glass" and "The Golden Age of Rock N Roll" are just a few of the great songs that give us a peek into what would later become an outstanding solo career for Ian.



If you are a "Hoople" fan from the the 1970's as I am, then you probably already have a copy of this. However if you are a younger fan of bands like "The Darkness" or "Keane" then you might want to get back to the roots with this all-time classic release.



Also Recommended:

"Kimono My House" by Sparks

"A Night At The Opera" by Queen

"Desolation Boulevard" by Sweet"

The Stone Rolls Away

Robert B. Laidlaw | 07/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The last in the triumvirate of Mott's classic glitter rock albums, "Hoople" finds the boys near the top of their game. Although missing the higher number of standouts found on "Mott" and "All The Young Dudes," tracks such as "Crash Street Kidds," the Watt's sung "Born Late '58" rock-out sideways. "Roll Away The Stone," and "Marionette" suffer only from excessive production; Hunter knew this was the end, and wanted to make every track resonate like a cabaret version of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.""

The Unpopular Opinion

hammerman | Buda, Tx USA | 10/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Song by song for my money, this is a superior album to "Mott". It may not have the more guitar heavy tracks associated with some of MTH's Mick Ralphs era, but the songwriting is top-notch. In fact, were it not for the "Mott" tracks Drivin Sister, and I'm a Cadillac/ El camino Doloroso, it's essentially a very similar album.



It's not that this record is generally disliked, but it lives in the shadow of it's predocessor, not to mention that albums' predocessor, All the Young Dudes. It just seems unfair when you consider all of the unsung brilliance on this album. Anyone who knows Mott will tell you Golden Age of Rock n' Roll is right up there with All the Way from Memphis, and Marionette is considered by Ian Hunter (not to mention myself) to be the greatest thing Mott ever recorded. Then of coarse there's the Mott classic Roll Away the Stone, always great (though the albums legacy may have faired better were the track presented earlier in the sequence letting Through the Looking Glass end the record.



But aside from the more well known tracks on the album, there are two particular songs that really bring the whole piece together. The first is Alice, a very upbeat signature Ian Hunter pop gem complete with a quirky verse, two pre-choruses, and a very solid chorus.



The other is my favorite MTH song next to Whizz Kid and Marionette- Pearl and Roy (england). An incredible energy that reminds me of a great rowdy band playing in a pub (mostly because of the rowdy pub crowd noises at the beginning of the song.) Amazing guitar work you'd almost not even notice if you weren't listening, awesome piano riff, and a perfectly singable chorus.



Everything else here is perfect as it needs to be, the weakest track being Trudi's song, however indisposable. The bonus tracks on the import are excellent and very essentiall if you don't already have them on another MTH or Ian Hunter set. Especially the Single a-sides Foxy, Foxy, and the Mick Ronson on guitar shouldabeena classic Saturday Gigs."