This is the 1975 first Hunter solo album after leaving Mott The Hoople and the initial effort of Ian and Mick Ronson on their own. Ian had landed at Bobby Colomby, jazz-rock fusion drummer, record producer, and television presenter's Rockland, New York home as his quarters while Colomby was on tour. Hunter wrote Did You See Them Run along with Shades Off, a poem, which eventually became Boy at Colomby's house while Ronson flew back to England to form a band. Ronno suggested Geoff Appleby on bass who was a former bandmate in The Rats when they were in Hull. Hunter engaged swing drummer Dennis Elliott because his jazz-rock background appealed to Ian. Finally, Ronson also yanked student Hans-Peter Arnesen as well on keyboards. Mott had booked Air studios in London, but Ian and Mick went in instead.
Ian signed a solo deal with Columbia with the idea of taking some of the work he started in Mott but with his new direction in mind. The leftover Mott material included Colwater High, One Fine Day, and Lounge Lizard. The latter song was re-recorded with the new band but the first two songs were not completed. Nine original tracks emerged and the album was released in British record stores on 28 March 1975.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy is one of the best known and common live songs included in Hunter's concerts. The well-known opening, 'Allo, allo, allo,' was spontaneous when recording and is a counterpoint to the goodbye in Mott's Saturday Gigs. The song emerged over time at a Mott rehearsal, Ronson"s flat, and at the Speakeasy club. It's partly about Mott's breakup but also a general dissatisfaction with the business side of music.
Ian Hunter is the first solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Ian Hunter, recorded following his departure from Mott the Hoople. Released in 1975, it is also the first of many solo albums on which he collaborated with Mick Ronson. The bassist, Geoff Appleby, was from Hull like Mick Ronson and they had played together in The Rats in the late 1960s. The track "It Ain't Easy When You Fall/Shades Off" contains the only recorded example of Hunter reading his own poetry.
The single "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" would be his first and last Top 20 hit in the UK Singles Chart. The pop-metal band Great White later covered the song on their 1989 album ...Twice Shy.[4]
"Who Do You Love" and "3,000 Miles from Here" were covered by Joe Elliott's Down 'n' Outz on their 2010 album My ReGeneration. Also, Def Leppard covered "Who Do You Love" on their 1999 single "Goodbye" as a B-side. "Who Do You Love" was also covered by the Pointer Sisters on their 1979 album, Priority.
Track listing[edit]
All songs written by Ian Hunter except where noted.
- "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" – 4:44
- "Who Do You Love" – 3:51
- "Lounge Lizard" – 4:32
- "Boy" (Hunter, Mick Ronson) – 8:52
- "3,000 Miles from Here" – 2:48
- "The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nuthin' but the Truth" – 6:13
- "It Ain't Easy When You Fall/Shades Off" – 5:46
- "I Get So Excited" – 3:48
30th anniversary bonus tracks[edit]
- "Colwater High" – 3:12
- "One Fine Day" – 2:21
- "Once Bitten Twice Shy" (single version) – 3:52
- "Who Do You Love" (single version) – 3:17
- "Shades Off" (poem) – 1:37
- "Boy" (single version) – 6:25
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report) | 36[5] |
Personnel[edit]
- Ian Hunter - vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, percussion, backing vocals
- Mick Ronson - lead guitar, organ, Mellotron, mouth organ, bass guitar
- Geoff Appleby - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Dennis Elliott – drums, percussion
- Pete Arnesen – piano, keyboards
- John Gustafson – bass guitar on "Lounge Lizard"
- Technical
- Bill Price – engineer
- Roslav Szaybo – design concept
- Martin Springett – illustration
Review
After leaving Mott the Hoople, Ian teamed up with guitarist Mick Ronson to record his first solo album. Mott had booked Air studios in London, but Ian and Mick went in instead. The result is an album that is totally stunning - one of Ian's best.
From the opening "'Ullo!" of Once Bitten Twice Shy to the savage cut-off of original album closer I Get So Excited this is an album packed full of good tracks. I can't pick out highlights because they're all good.
The 30th Anniversary issue now includes two session outtakes (unreleased at the time), together with two single edits. All of the bonus material was previously released on the Once Bitten Twice Shy compilation.
Sound quality is excellent, as are the sleeve notes.
This album has been issued several times on CD. The original Columbia (USA) CD had good (but not exceptional) sound quality, while the UK Sony/Rewind CD had very good sound quality. Neither had bonus tracks.
After leaving Mott the Hoople in early 1975, Ian Hunter quickly threw himself into recording this eponymous solo debut. Not surprisingly, it contains a lot of the glam rock charm of Hunter's old group: "The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nothing But the Truth" and "I Get So Excited" are fist-pumping tunes that combine punchy hard rock riffs with intelligent lyrics in a manner similar to Mott the Hoople's finest moments. However, Ian Hunter pulls off this grandiose sound without the overtly ornate production that defined the final Mott the Hoople albums because Mick Ronson's cleverly crafted arrangements manage to create a big wall of sound without utilizing a huge amount of instruments or overdubs. As a result, Ian Hunter's lyrics shine through in each song and show off his totally personalized mixture of attitude and intelligence: the legendary and oft-covered "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" is a cheeky, clever exploration of rock & roll's ability to corrupt the innocent, and "Boy" is a critique of a rocker who has allowed his pretensions to overpower his heart (many say this tune was aimed at fellow star and onetime Mott the Hoople producer David Bowie). Another highlight is "It Ain't Easy When You Fall," a moving tribute to a fallen friend that gracefully builds from delicate verses into a soaring chorus. The end result is a memorable debut album that gives listeners their hard rock fix and manages to engage their brains at the same time. Anyone interested in the finest moments of 1970s glam rock should give this classic a spin.
Festooned in glam-rock glad-rags, "Ian Hunter" has been given the expanded, remix treatment by Sony and sounds as exhilirating today as it did 30 years ago. Worth the price of admission alone for Hunter's " 'Allo " at the beginning of "Once Bitten Twice Shy" and Ronson kick starting his Les Paul and wah pedal a few minutes later, it's equal parts turbine-whine guitar roar ("Who Do You Love," "Lounge Lizard," and "I Get So Excited") and slightly more reflective tracks which manage to avoid dropping off the precipice into malaise or melancholia ("3,000 Miles From Here," "It Ain't Easy When You Fall," and "Shades Off").
What on earth was I worried about? Billed as the third movement of a trilogy - Mott and The Hoople being the others - it reveals a songwriter on fire. From the cheeky Cockney "Hello!" which signals the beginning of the awesome "Once Bitten Twice Shy" to the almost orgasmic chanting of "I Get So Excited", the album fairly bubbles with lyrical invention yet plants itself firmly in the rock ‘n’ roll tradition. "Once Bitten Twice Shy", "Who Do You Love", "I Get So Excited" and "The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin' But The Truth" are terrific. Whilst "Boy", Hunter and Ronson's song about Bowie, is a tour-de-force. But, true to form of being different, my favourite is the ballad "It Ain't Easy When You Fall" and the accompanying poem "Shades Off" because, even though not its subject matter, it brings to mind the traumas and pitfalls I encountered as a teenager and still manages to bring a tear to my eye.
Anspieltip: "Once Bitten Twice Shy"
Kaufempfehlung: Highlight des Glam Rock Genres! Kaufen!
Su propuesta es absolutamente digna y honesta.
Having made the split from the band that had made his name, Hunter took a little time to recover before heading in to the recording studio with former Spider from Mars, latter day Mott member and all round guitar icon, Mick Ronson and laying down the foundations of his solo debut.
Except that it wasn’t supposed to be. The original plan was for the album to be released as a collaboration between Hunter and Ronson, however contractual and management issues on Ronno’s side would mean that it would be released under Hunter’s name only. This was a great shame, as Ronson’s name alongside Hunter’s would have ensured that it shifted a few more units than it did, but nevertheless Ronno was featured prominently in the credits and the album as a whole confirmed that Hunter didn’t particularly need Mott the Hoople with him to record a genuinely great album.
It opens with an extended version of “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, Hunter’s only solo hit single here in the UK. It remains a great rock song, starting as a sort of an electric skiffle topped with Hunter’s unmistakable drawl, before a searing Ronson riff makes its entrance just before the two minute mark and the whole song takes off as Hunter kicks the song up a gear. Bowie may have abandoned rock and roll for icy art-rock but “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” is confirmation that Bowie lost a vital element of his sound when he gave Ronson his marching orders.
“Who Do You Love” is another stirling rocker, but this time with more of an obvious debt to the blues, something which is not always immediately obvious when listening to a lot of Ian Hunter’s work. “Lounge Lizard” is a song left over from the Mott the Hoople days, and although it lacks the scruffy charm of the version that has appeared on an early 90s Mott compilation, the album version is considerably more sure-footed.
“Boy” is the album’s epic and a reminder that rockers were just one of Hunter’s specialities, and that he was more than capable of writing more melodic and thoughtful material. His more tender and sentimental side was also evident on “3,000 Miles From Here”, and for me, it’s one of the best songs of his career.
“The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin’ But The Truth” is a slow-burning riff-heavy rocker which, despite over six minutes of run time, doesn’t overstay its welcome.
The siamese-twinned “It Ain’t Easy When You Fall” and “Shades Off” is another lengthy track, but is also the album’s secret weapon. “It Ain’t Easy When You Fall” is a startlingly tender song, combining the sensitive reflection and bombast that had been evident on the album’s other tracks with a killer chorus. It segues into “Shades Off”, a spoken word coda that plays over the repeated chorus as it fades out. It’s the type of song that manages to lodge itself into your subconscious in a way that leads you back to its parent album with increasing frequency.
Closer “I Get So Excited” is a Mott-style rocker with a insistent riff, batteries of drums and a gloriously straightforward chorus. Following “It Ain’t Easy When You Fall / Shades Off”, it’s a breakneck-sprint to the end, bringing the album to the only conclusion possible.
Ian Hunter’s self titled solo debut is as strong as any he recorded with Mott The Hoople and set the gold-standard for his solo work that he continues to work to today. With Mick Ronson as his running buddy, they produced something that was an evolution of the sound of Hunter’s previous band, but also hinted towards where Hunter would head for in the future, without being confused or muddled. This was a self-assured step and confirmation that there was life after Mott.
It’s an album of big choruses, and really those are the cuts that steal the show. From the well-worn classic rock staple “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” to the rompin’, stompin’ stadium anthem “Who Do You Love” (if your foot doesn’t tap to that one, check your pulse. You may be dead), to the crawling, uber-funky groove of “The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nuthin' but the Truth”, backing into a deadly solo from the glitter god of guitar himself, these vets of the silver pants-era deliver the goods.
It’s an album that flashes by quickly, rife with hooks, memorable songs, quintessentially British lyrics, rolling pianos, and occasional spoken-word waxings from Hunter. Only the lengthy Dylan-esque ballad “Boy” wears out its welcome after the first few minutes. It’s a song that wouldn’t have fit on a Mott album, and despite it’s colorful lyrics (Batman zips the monster as he bleeds), it just feels like a massive speedbump in this otherwise impeccable slab of glam pop.
The first of a run of cool releases from Ian Hunter. Recommended for anyone whose worn out the Bowie or Mott catalogs.
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