The good news for the LP was that Hunter recovered from his previous effort to hone his rock roots but the bad news is that mix was thin and the production did not always work to his advantage. Ian takes responsibility for the result but an overarching issue with the production is Baker's light touch while Hunter's style leans towards a heavy approach. In retrospect Ian thinks some of the rough mixes might have presented his songs and voice better.
Key to the release would be the marketing, timing, critical response, and of course sales. Roslaw Szaybo at CBS supervised the artwork with a gatefold sleeve and images of Hunter which could be marketed well. Most of the UK press greeted the release warmly. Elliott returned to Foreigner so Walter "Curly" Smith got the nod for the live shows and he was able to add an awesome harmonica to the proceedings. From the 3rd to the 12th of June the band toured England, but once Ian fired his manager Fred Heller the band was stuck in low gear but dates on the Continent were added to keep the group together.
With no material, and caught in a lurch Hunter hurriedly released a song on 22 July 1977 that he had originally written as Cleveland Rocks but re-done as England Rocks. It was a non-LP single but the record stiffed. Adding to his woes, suddenly Columbia Records refused to release the LP in America.
With punk and new wave all the rave and Hunter releasing two back to back commercially unsuccessful albums and a dead end single it was time to revaluate or anticipate the end of his career. It might have been time to consider the end seriously with no management, record company support, and a band that began to fragment with few prospects. Back in New York Hunter played keyboards on the first Tuff Darts LP.
Was it time for the outsider to hang it up?
Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me
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