MR

Agh previews finally online now http://www.mp3search.ru/album.html?id=103581

It sounds frickin amazing! I cannot wait for this now!

I loved Shrunken Heads and this one sounds just as good.. and I think better.

Man Overboard and Flowers I think will be two of my favourite ever Hunter songs.

Bump for christs sake! This is Ian friggin Hunter!

youkeepmewaiting wrote:Bump for christs sake! This is Bruce Springsteen!

There...I fixed it for you! Seriously, he sounds a LOT like him, and his influences couldn't be more obvious. It's almost like hearing a tribute singer, singing an original album while trying to sound JUST like his idol. I'm sure Deano's punk-ass will LOVE this album.

G.I.Jim wrote:

youkeepmewaiting wrote:Bump for christs sake! This is Bruce Springsteen!

There...I fixed it for you! Seriously, he sounds a LOT like him, and his influences couldn't be more obvious. It's almost like hearing a tribute singer, singing an original album while trying to sound JUST like his idol. I'm sure Deano's punk-ass will LOVE this album.

Ian Hunter is 70.. so certainly not a BS tribute.. but I see what you mean.

The guy sung the song "All the young dudes" for Mott The Hoople, which you may have heard. Although it was written by David Bowie.

He has often been called The British Bob Dylan.. but to me the man is just IAN HUNTER. Very talented man.. but he has brought out a fair few bollocks also.

Shrunken Heads, the album previous, has one of the best ballads ever written on it. It's my favourite album by him and he brought it out when he was 68.. wich is quite something.

Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-IccE9hsME

Cleveland Rocks (used on one of your Yank crappy chat shows)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsZOVJ40Q6w

When the world was round
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki620ZxtlMU

Irene Wilde
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU5VnpZEO7I

Soul of America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVp91YQ3PeU

Ian Hunter is one of the most underrated songwriters and performers around. He was belting out classics long before Springsteen and has been a huge influence on British rock music. In 1974 his band Mott The Hoople even took Broadway by storm supported by a very young Queen and had a rock operatic song called Marionette which predated and must have influenced Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Def Leppard's Joe Elliott cites Ian Hunter as one of his greatest musical heroes.

I quote from his official bio... 'Ian has been cited as a major inspiration and reference point for numerous bands including the Clash, Kiss, Def Leppard, REM, Motley Crue, Blur and Oasis. Hunter's influence has remained incalculable; accompanied on stage by Ian Astbury of The Cult, Axl Rose and Slash, Roger Daltrey, Meat Loaf and Bryan Adams amongst others (and at their request), there are now over 50 different cover versions of Ian's songs from artists as diverse as Great White, The Presidents of the United States of America, Status Quo, Blue Oyster Cult, Bonnie Tyler, Barry Manilow, The Pointer Sisters, Willie Nelson, Thunder and The Monkees - further evidence, surely, that he is one of our greatest-ever songwriters.'

In October this year Mott The Hoople are playing some reunion gigs in London, nearly 35 years after they last played together (all five original members of the band). For me this is a more eagerly anticipated reunion than Zeppelin was.

To anyone not acquainted with Ian Hunter, I thoroughly recommend any of his extensive back catalogue. If you could combine the lyrical excellence of Bob Dylan, the passion of Bruce Sprinsteen, the iconic persona of David Bowie, with a liberal dose of British humour and a cracking R&B sound - that's Ian Hunter.

I just finished reading his autobiography of their US Tour in 1972 - diary of a rock and roll star.
It's been out of print for years and I've not been able to get a copy of it until now.
They re issued it if anyone's interested and is fully available now.

SusieP wrote:I just finished reading his autobiography of their US Tour in 1972 - diary of a rock and roll star.
It's been out of print for years and I've not been able to get a copy of it until now.
They re issued it if anyone's interested and is fully available now.

I knew Susie would be a fan!

Vocally he reminds me of Steve Harley a bit.
And I love that he is rarely seen without his shades on.
He's a character.

Mott the Hoople and Queen were my first ever live gig.
So they hold a special place in my heart.