Irene Wilde, Ian Hunter, All American Alien Boy

Irene Wilde from Ian's second LP is one of the most well-known, beloved, and most often played of all Hunter originals. The song is a classic coming of age song for so many of us young boys growing up. We have that first crush and then she breaks our heart. In Ian's case, this incident was the point of growing up and motivated him to confess:  

"I'm gonna be somebody - someday."

Hunter actually started his songwriting career based on this rejection and composed all his early songs for her. Thank you, Irene! As a result, we have the output that Ian has produced all from this key youthful rejection:

And I think most folks agree, a little put-down makes them see
They ain't no chain - just a link and that's why you made me think
Gonna be somebody - be somebody - be somebody - someday

Hunter was that sixteen year old who ran letters between Irene and a guy she went out with at Shrewsbury High School. According to Ian she had an irresistible Julie Christie jawline; Christie was a British actress and an icon of the Swinging 1960s. 

Irene really did snub Ian at the bus station, later married, had twins, and never saw her again but heard she liked the song. The Barker Street bus station is a car park now. At first the song was not going to be on the album since Hunter thought the melody was too much like Bach's Air On A G-String but manager Fred Heller insisted the song was included on the album and of course he was right, as Ian says: for once! 

The confessional nature of Hunter's ballad on this song is similar to the emotional impact that Waterlow and I Wish I Was Your Mother, immortalized as one of his finest autobiographical efforts. 

The true story played consistently on the 1979-1981 tours, then again in 1989, there is a Strings Attached version from 2002, two versions in 2004, an acoustic version in 2008, and a live version from 2010. Finally, an alternate version, Irene Wilde (Number One) is on the reissues of All American Alien Boy. There was another version considered for Shrunken Heads done Chet Atkins style but it was not fully completed. 

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Irene Wilde (Number One)

Irene Wilde

(Ian Hunter)

When I was just sixteen - I stood waiting for a dream - 
at Barker Street bus station every night
When I tried to get it on - she just looked at me with scorn - my courage
turned to dust and I took flight

For those looks they seemed to say
You ain't nuthin' - Go away
You're just a face in the crowd so I went home and I vowed
I'm gonna be somebody - someday

Her name was Irene Wilde - Oh such beauty for a child
When she started dating boys - I nearly died
For I could not barely stand to see someone hold her hand
I felt I had to crawl away and hide
In my mother's living room I composed so many tunes
All the same - just a frame - for her name, and just to say
Gonna be somebody - someday

Wild as your name I soon left that country town
I been around, seen some fame, seen some ups and seen some downs
Smile through your shock when you hear your name aloud
It's that face in the crowd - didn't dig it - much too proud...

When I was just sixteen I stood waiting for a dream
A Barker Street bus station non affair
At the time it seemed so sad, but it did not turn out bad
If you hadn't messed me up I'd still be there
And I think most folks agree, a little put-down makes them see
They ain't no chain - just a link and that's why you made me think
Gonna be somebody - be somebody - be somebody - someday

Ian Hunter LP/CD: "All American Alien Boy"

Sleeve and track listing

Sony BMG 82876 769432. 

1. Letter to Britannia From the Union Jack
2. All American Alien Boy
3. Irene Wilde
4. Restless Youth
5. Rape
6. You Nearly Did Me In
7. Apathy 83
8. God (Take 1)
9. To Rule Britannia From Union Jack (session outtake)¹
10. All American Alien Boy (early single version)¹
11. Irene Wilde (Number One) (session outtake)¹
12. Weary Anger (session outtake)¹
13. Apathy (session outtake)¹
14. (God) Advice To A Friend (session outtake)¹

¹ Bonus track on the 2006 reissue

Sleeve variations

The 1998 UK sleeve

The original sleeve

Review

Ian recorded his second solo album in NYC, and this finds him in an altogether softer mood - there are none of Ian's trademark rockers on this album. Management differences meant that Mick Ronson was absent ("I'll never work with Mick again so long as Tony DeFries is his manager" - Ian), so Ian brought in Chris Stainton on keyboards to act as a balancing force in the studio ("I need someone who'll argue with me").

Highlight of the album is Irene Wilde (which Ian maintains is a true story), and You Nearly Did Me In (which features Queen's Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor on backing vocals).

The 2006 reissue sees excellent sound quality, and a host of bonus tracks none of which have been released before. It also comes with an excellent booklet written by Campbell Devine. The original version of Rape has been restored, which some may see as a disappointment compared with the rare intro on the previous 1998 CD.

This is the third release of this album on CD. This album was previously available on a USA CD. Sound quality was good, considering that by all accounts the master tapes were not in good shape. No bonus tracks. In 1998 this album was issued in the UK as part of Sony's Rewind series. Sound quality was excellent, audibly better than the USA CD. The 1998 CD also came with a previously-unavailable version of Rape, which had the Singin' In The Rain intro. This version was previously available only on a few US test pressings and had never been issued officially before!

Terms and conditions.

Irene Wilde	3:44	Originally issued on All American Alien Boy, also on the compilations Gold Once Bitten - the CBS Collection and The Journey.
Irene Wilde (live 5-11th November 1979)	4:13	This live version (recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles CA) was issued on Welcome to the Club, and on the compilations The Collection and From The Knees Of My Heart.
Irene Wilde (live 22nd November 1979)	4:25	This live version (recorded Hammermith Odeon, London England) was originally issued on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).
Irene Wilde (live 19th April 1980)	4:41	This live version (recorded Rockpalast TV Show, Grugahalle, Essen Germany) was originally issued on Live At Rockpalast (not on the box set)
Irene Wilde (live 11th September 1981)	4:40	This live version (recorded Dr. Pepper Music Festival, Pier 84, New York NY) was originally issued on the Ian Hunter Rocks video (VHS/Laserdisc only). The video (DVD) can also be found on It Never Happened (box set only); the audio can be found on From The Knees Of My Heart (not on the box set).
Irene Wilde (live 15th February 1989)	5:50	This live version (recorded The Dominion, London England) was issued on BBC Live in Concert.
Irene Wilde (live 29/30th January 2002)	4:05	This live version (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) was issued on Strings Attached.
Irene Wilde (live 28th May 2004)	5:19	This live version (recorded The Astoria, London England) was released on The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nuthin' But The Truth. Not on the box set
Irene Wilde (live 12th June 2004)	5:09	This live version (recorded at the Bikini, Barcelona, Spain) was released on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 2) (box set only).
Irene Wilde (live 2nd March 2008)	(10:08)	This live version (recorded at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford England) was issued on Acoustic Shadows (box set only).
Irene Wilde (live October 2010)	4:18	This live version (recorded at an unknown UK venue) was released on Live In The UK 2010.
Irene Wilde (Number One)	3:52	An alternate version of Irene Wilde is on the 2006 and 2016 CD reissues of All American Alien Boy.

Invisible Strings, Ian Hunter, Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry.

Invisible Strings is part of the Dirty Laundry output but was solely composed by Ian despite the generally collaborative nature of the project. The release is strong enough to appear on a regular Hunter album but it has not and as such this is one of the most intriguing of the songs on the collection where the group nature of the project worked. 

The song is about the hold that a girl can have in dreams. The invisible strings are the metaphor of how much control that girls can have. At the end or "when the fat lady sings" that girl will still have the tie of invisible strings and the guy can't shake her. Hunter thought the song was strong but too wordy to perform live but reflects a genuine conversation. 

Perhaps a shame, no? 

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

Invisible Strings

(Ian Hunter)

One, two, three
Well I woke up this morning - there's a girl in my bed.
How did she get there? Was it something I said?
I don't understand it but somehow it seems
She visits me in invisible dreams.
Over and over I try to explain
How did that girl get into my veins?
Did somebody send her - was it my velvet wings?
And how does she touch my invisible strings?
Invisible Strings - Invisible Strings
These are a few of my favorite things Now it's all over when the fat lady sings
I'll still be playing my invisible strings

Well maybe she don't have a world of her own
Maybe she's using me just like a phone
And sometimes she's cool and sometimes she stings
And I'm all tangled up in invisible strings
Invisible Strings - Invisible Strings
These are a few of my favorite things When you're wearing black and I'm wearing wings,

We'll still be playing those invisible strings

Well she never leaves - I'm never alone
I ain't in the book but she's still calling home
I tried to lose her - watch the TV
But that woman's always picking on me
Well, there's strings round my body, strings round my heart
I'd like to know where the string-pulling starts
I'd give anything to meet the angel who sends
Invisible ink to my invisible pen
Invisible Strings - Invisible Strings
These are a few of my favorite things When you're wearing black and I'm wearing wings,
We'll still be playing our invisible strings
Invisible Strings - Invisible Strings
These are a few of my favorite things Now it's all over when the fat lady sings
We'll still be playing our invisible strings
Invisible Strings - Invisible Strings Oh yeah

Ian Hunter CD: "Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry"

Sleeve and track listing

Cherry Red CDM RED 321. 

1. Dancing on the Moon (5:24)
2. Another Fine Mess (3:28)
3. Scars (5:04)
4. Never Trust a Blonde (5:19)
5. Psycho Girl (2:48)
6. My Revolution (4:08)
7. Good Girls (4:01)
8. Red Letter Day (5:11)
9. Invisible Strings (3:53)
10. Everyone's a Fool (2:41)
11. Junkee Love (2:46)
12. The Other Man (5:23)

Running time: 50m 12s

Review

This 1995 album is an oddity. Not quite a full solo album, but more than just a collaboration. It started life as a project by Norwegian keyboardist Casino Steel with Ian invited to sit in in the studio. It soon became much more than that, with Ian writing a number of songs (some of which were written in the studio) and contributing to a few others. More importantly, it marked the return of Ian to the recording studio following the death of his long-time friend Mick Ronson.

With vocal duties shared as well this has something of a "band" feel to it. Despite being recorded at a number of studios, it also has a good live feel to it, which is no bad thing. Dancing On The Moon opens things up nicely, while Another Fine Mess looks back to life on the road with Ronson. My Revolution is another standout track, this time looking back to Ian's Mott days - fans will appreciate the reference to "a revolution for fun", while Ian acknowledges the advancing years in the next line with "you'd better lock up yer mums!" Sheer brilliance.

Darrel Bath's Never Trust a Blonde is great fun, as is Honest John Plain's Psycho Girl and Good Girls. All have a good, earthy 1950's rock n roll feel to them. The album ends with a trademark Ian weepie, this time the great The Other Man in which he forgives his lady but not the guy who shagged her.

This album originally came out with little fanfare in 1995 on a small Norwegian label, with the US label Cleveland International also picking it up. In the days before Amazon, etc, it meant getting hold of copies in the UK was difficult (but not impossible). This release on Cherry Red, therefore, makes it the first time this album has been available in the UK. This time round you also get a good booklet, explaining the background to the recording of the album.

This is a fun album. Not Ian's best but by no means his worst and certainly worthy of consideration.

Invisible Strings

3:53

Originally issued on Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry.

A landscape of conflict? Rural fortifications in the Argolid (400–146 BC)

 Anna Magdalena Blomley, A landscape of conflict? Rural fortifications in the Argolid (400–146 BC). Abingdon: Archaeopress, 2022. Pp. 328. ISBN 9781789699708

Review by

Dimitri Nakassis, University of Colorado Boulder. dimitri.nakassis@colorado.edu

---

Preview

 

Archaeologists who research rural landscapes have long known that asking locals is often the most efficient and most reliable way of finding certain types of sites like towers and fortifications. Yannis Pikoulas famously turned this practice into an art form, identifying and cataloging a vast number and variety of rural sites with his kafeneio (coffee-shop) method of extensive survey.[1] Yet while scholars have benefited from local knowledge, it has been less common for them to agree with the functions that locals (at least in this reviewer’s experience in the western Argolid) often associate with fortified structures: as local places of refuge in times of crisis.[2] It has rather been more common for fort-seekers to interpret them as traces of an elaborate regional defensive network organized by a powerful political authority. This interpretive framework has been challenged, however, by scholars who argue that rural fortifications fulfilled a variety of functions. This ongoing debate informs Anna Magdalena Blomley’s approach. She systematically collects the archaeological evidence for 146 rural fortifications in the Argolid that can be plausibly dated to the late Classical or Hellenistic periods (4th–mid 2nd century BCE), and subjects them to a series of rigorous and sophisticated analyses in an effort to understand their emergence and functions.

The book consists of eight chapters, a catalogue of fortifications, and an appendix. Blomley begins (ch. 1) by laying the foundation for her project, briefly surveying the history of fortification studies and defining her research area as “the territory of Argos and…Akte” (5). Thus, she defines the Argolid rather broadly, stretching from Kleonai in the north to Zarax in the south, and from the slopes of the mountain ranges that mark the edge of Arkadia on the west to the southern Argolid on the east. Chapter 2 discusses the landscape of the Argolid and includes sections on geomorphology, paleoclimate, and ancient land use. With the stage set, Blomley can begin her study of the fortifications in earnest, starting with a typology of fortifications (ch. 3). She adopts Sylvian Fachard’s classification of fortified settlements, forts, towers, and drystone circuits, a typology that has worked well elsewhere in Greece and is appropriate for the Argolid.[3] Chapter 4 addresses the thorny issue of chronology. To some extent, features such as architectural forms (types of gates, towers, etc.) and masonry styles can suggest probable construction dates, but there are difficulties with these dating methods, and Blomley addresses them directly. Yet it seems that masonry styles suggest a chronological pattern in her dataset; by correlating masonry styles with dates derived from independent evidence (written sources, finds from excavations or surface collections, or specific architectural forms), she is able to propose a “rudimentary ‘local masonry chronology’” (44).[4] Even if it seems inevitable that this chronology will be modified by future work, it allows Blomley to tentatively assign rough dates to ca. 65% of the fortifications in her database. This is a critical step, since it makes an (admittedly coarse-grained) historical analysis of the fortifications of the Argolid possible. In the last of the introductory chapters (ch. 5), Blomley sketches the region’s political geography and settlement patterns. Although both are poorly understood, she makes effective use of past archaeological and topographical research, including the results of four intensive archaeological surveys.

Chapter 6 is the most substantial analytical chapter. Blomley subjects her geospatial (GIS) database of fortifications to a number of tests: the relationship between fortifications and roads, the latter modelled by least-cost-path analyses; the intervisibility of fortifications, to test the possibility that they served as watch-posts or signal-stations in a complex interlocking visual network or networks; and the relationship between fortifications and the territories of city-states, to understand what role rural fortifications played in defensive strategies. She concludes that most fortifications in the Argolid addressed small-scale, local (rather than regional) concerns; they do not provide evidence for the large-scale campaigns attested in literary sources. Chapter 7 explores additional potential functions of these sites as places of refuge for local populations or as primarily agricultural installations (farm towers), and concludes that there are good reasons to regard both functions as plausible, especially in cases where there is no obvious military explanation.

Blomley’s conclusions are compelling: most fortifications in her study area were “built for local ‘civilian’ communities” (127), were largely focused on small-scale conflict, and were structures with multiple and overlapping functions. This suggests to Blomley, rightly, a degree of local autonomy that is corroborated by other sources of evidence, historical and archaeological. From these conclusions, a number of lessons follow. First, fortifications diverge significantly across southern Greece: there is no one single pattern of rural defenses. Second, the fact that Blomley can make a number of convincing inferences about rural fortifications despite poor chronological control confirms, if proof were needed, the efficacy of landscape-based studies, especially when enriched by geospatial analyses using GIS. Third, rural fortifications can make significant and novel contributions to the study of socioeconomic aspects of ancient life, in addition to their obvious relevance to military history.

The 130-page catalogue of fortified sites that follows the bibliography is extremely valuable and represents an enormous amount of work. Each entry includes basic information such as altitude, location, size, masonry style, associated finds, date, and bibliography, as well as a description and commentary, and in most cases a plan and multiple high-resolution color images. Indeed, one of the great strengths of the book is its extensive use of high-quality illustrations throughout, many of which are GIS-generated maps and digital photographs of fortified sites and their landscape context.

This book is a great success: it is empirically rich, analytically rigorous, and it asks and answers important and interesting questions. Indeed, it represents a substantial and timely contribution to a scholarly debate about the role of rural fortifications in the Greek world. Blomley’s analysis is heavily indebted to Fachard’s “Landscape Approach” to rural fortifications, which criticizes the tendency to understand fortifications as mere cogs in well-organized regional systems of defense that emerged in specific historical moments; Fachard advocates instead for holistic analyses that account for topography, settlement, road networks, agricultural resources, and so on.[5] This landscape approach is in turn strongly influenced by modern archaeological pedestrian survey, which treats rural fortifications as just one form of evidence for diachronic patterns of past human activity of various kinds, often with heightened sensitivity to the micro-regional context. In many parts of Blomley’s study area, we lack the rich historical and archaeological context that would enhance our understanding of individual fortifications, but this book effectively demonstrates that even in the absence of fine-grained data (the sort provided by excavations and intensive survey), careful analysis and judicious assessment of the extant evidence can yield insights at scale. It thus deserves a wide readership of ancient historians and archaeologists, especially those with interests in military history, ancient landscapes, and rural life.[6]

 

Notes

[1] Ι.Α. Πίκουλας, Ὀδικὸ δίκτυο καὶ Ἄμυνα. Ἀπὸ τὴν Κόρινθο στὸ Ἄργος καὶ τὴν Ἀρκαδία (Athens: Horos, 1995), 11.

[2] Cf. J. McInerney, The Folds of Parnassos: Land and Ethnicity in Ancient Phokis (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999), 110, citing F.B. Welch, “The Folklore of a Turkish Labour Battalion,” Annual of the British School at Athens 23 (1918–1919): 123–125.

[3] S. Fachard, “Studying Rural Fortifications: A Landscape Approach,” in Ancient Fortifications: A Compendium of Theory and Practice, edited by S. Müth, P.I. Schneider, M. Schnelle and P.D. De Staebler (Oxbow: Oxford & Philadelphia, 2016), 207–230.

[4] The correlation of masonry styles and chronology is laid out in the Appendix.

[5] See Fachard (supra n. 2).

[6] I noted few errors, which were mostly confined to the bibliography: e.g., the title of Fachard 2012 should be La défense du territoire: étude de la chôra érétrienne et de ses fortifications; Fachard 2020 is in fact co-authored by Fachard, Murray, Knodell and Papangeli; Πέππα (genitive) should be Πέππας (nominative) throughout.

If The Slipper Don't Fit, Ian Hunter, Alien Boy out take, Tilting The Mirror - Rarities (box set only).

This instrumental is an All American Alien Boy out take and is only available on Tilting The Mirror-Rarities (box set only). As with numerous Hunter releases the out takes either did not fit the rest of the release or were never finished. This one sounds like a demo that didn't make the cut. 

If The Slipper Don't Fit

3:06

This Alien Boy out-take can be found on Tilting The Mirror - Rarities (box set only).

I Wish I Was Your Mother, Ian Hunter, Welcome to the Club

Excerpt:

Originally I Wish I Was Your Mother was the closing track on the Mott The Hoople Mott release and later popped up throughout Ian's solo career. One thought at the time of the original release is that the song is one of the most personal Hunter songs, not a band track, and not surprisingly he has returned to it during his solo releases. The lyrics are highly personal to Ian and his frustration of not having an ideal upbringing. The song was prompted by his wife's more normal family and his desire to have had a better childhood with parents and siblings. The song is about heavy jealousy. People warned others about a troubled Hunter with his unhealthy background, most notably, Trudi's own mother who when she heard the song exclaimed: `get rid of him.' 

As a part of live sets it was performed at appearances throughout 1979-1980, Strings Attached in 2002, another in 2004, and as an acoustic release in 2008. 

Also recorded at the Rockpalast TV Show, Grugahalle, Essen Germany 19th April 1980 and is on Collateral Damage.

On Track Ian Hunter is shipping soon. Want to promote Ian? The publisher is marketing the book but asked for help from us fans in the Hunter orbit. If you have contacts with podcasts, magazines, or other music outlets let me know so we can promote Ian's music. I'm open for interviews to talk about Hunter's catalog. Thanks!

Great news! Advance copies of On Track Ian Hunter have reached the publisher and will be available soon! I even saw an advance copy on eBay.

On Track Ian Hunter https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044...

Upcoming Podcast Appearances! More details soon:
The Book 101 interview about On Track Ian Hunter will be released soon!

Better To ...? Podcast, recorded a terrific conversation, due for release 2 August 2024.

In the meantime, listen to previous appearances!
Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian
https://www.facebook.com/.../pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTip...

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

Full of Words
About writing including On Track Ian Hunter: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2129805/14708009

Frankly Francisco Podcast:
Mostly about Burning America but On Track Ian Hunter is mentioned as well:
https://open.substack.com/pub/micksmith/p/who-was-on-the-frankly-francisco?r=e00v8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Toby Gribben Show, awesome show, and live 8 February 2024!

Sign up now for behind the scenes information about On Track Ian Hunter at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

To book and interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

What is the difference between a Beatles biography or a song by-song review of the Beatles career?
https://micksmith.substack.com/p/what-is-the-difference-between-a-9fc

Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

I Wish I Was Your Mother

(Ian Hunter)

I scream at you for sharing
'n I curse you just for caring
I hate the clothes you're wearing, they're so pretty
'n I tell to not to see me
'n I tell you not to feel me
'n I make your life a drag, it's such a pity
'n I watch your warm glow palin'
'n I watch your sparkle fadin'
As you realise you're failin', cos you're so good
Now I don't mean to upset you
But there's so much crime to get through
If only I could make it easier, then I would

Oh I wish I was your mother
I wish I'd been your father
'n then I would have seen you
Would have been you as a child
Played houses with your sisters
And wrestled with all your brothers
And then who knows
I might have felt a family for a while

It's no use me pretendin'
You give and I do the spendin'
Is there a happy ending, I don't think so
Cos even if we make it
I'll be too far out to take it
You'll have to try and shake it from my head

Oooooh I wish I was your mother
I wish I'd been your father
'n then I would have seen you
Would have been you as a child
Played houses with your sisters
And wrestled with all your brothers
And then who knows
I might have felt a family for a while

These lyrics have been determined after careful listening to the tracks in question, and are provided for educational purposes only. Due to the possibility of mis-hearing, we cannot vouch for their accuracy. Copyright remains vested in the lawful copyright holders.

Mott The Hoople LP/CD: "Mott"

Sleeve and track listing

Columbia/Legacy 82796938102. 

1. All The Way From Memphis (4:59)
2. Whizz Kid (3:23)
3. Hymn For The Dudes (5:22)
4. Honaloochie Boogie (2:44)
5. Violence (4:50)
6. Drivin' Sister (3:51)
7. Ballad of Mott (March 26th 1972 Zurich) (5:24)
8. I'm a Cadillac/El Camino Doloroso (7:49)
9. I Wish I Was Your Mother (4:50)
10. Rose (non-LP b-side)¹
11. Honaloochie Boogie (demo)¹
12. Nightmare (demo)¹
13. Drivin' Sister (live)¹

¹ denotes bonus track on the 2006 reissue

Sleeve variations

The (rare) UK Gatefold sleeve

The most common UK sleeve

Review

Mott started 1973 with no tour commitments and no album already in the can - a first for them. They broke with Mainman (who wanted to concentrate on Bowie), and so after a handful of hastily-arranged club dates in the UK (during which they parted company with organist Verden Allen) they entered the studios to record their sixth album.

A couple of the producers they wanted were unavailable, so they decided to produce it themselves. The result is one of the best albums of the 70's. The songs are there, the playing is top notch, the arrangements are spot on, the production is superb... There is nothing to fault this album. It is the fan's favourite by a mile, while Rolling Stone magazine has called it "one of the great lost masterpieces of modern rock". If you are just a casual fan and are looking to buy just one Mott The Hoople album, then make it this one.

The 2006 reissue sees excellent sound quality, with the "moan" at the start of Whizz Kid thankfully restored. However, All The Way From Memphis appears to be a different mix, with the sax more prominent and Mick Ralphs' guitar mixed down in places. The bonus tracks are also odd - demos of Honaloochie Boogie and Nightmare, but no sign of the demo of Hymn For The Dudes - odd!

The booklet includes the lyrics and informative notes by Keith Smith, but few band photos.

Mott asked noted designers Hipgnosis to design a sleeve for the album. Their best design was one of a girl's face, with a tear running down her cheek - and no mouth. This totally freaked CBS, and they refused to use it. Roslav Szaybo came up with the "boy" cover, which was used in the UK. Columbia in the USA refused even to use the "compromise" cover, and instead used a group photo from a "do not use" set.

The familiar "boy" (UK) cover was originally issued as a gate-fold sleeve, with a photo-montage in the middle, and the boy's outline replaced with a transparent window. This proved expensive to make, so only a few thousand of the gatefold sleeve were ever produced.

This album has been issued on CD several times. Columbia released it in the USA (with the group photo cover). Castle released it in the UK in 1987, with poor packaging and average sound quality. Sony/Rewind re-issued it in the UK in 1995 ("boy" cover) - excellent packaging and excellent sound quality, but the "moan" at the start of Whizz Kid was inexplicably omitted. None of the previous CDs had any bonus tracks.

I Wish I Was Your Mother (live 5-11th November 1979)	6:33	Originally a Mott The Hoople track. This live version (recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles CA) was originally issued on Welcome to the Club and on the compilations The Best of Ian Hunter and From The Knees Of My Heart. Note that the rather ham-fisted editing at the end of the track (leading in to Irene Wilde) that were present on the original vinyl and 1994 CD has been fixed on subsequent issues (making it shorter than the original 6:48).
I Wish I Was Your Mother (live 22nd November 1979)	6:30	This live version (recorded Hammermith Odeon, London England) was originally issued on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).
I Wish I Was Your Mother (live 19th April 1980)	6:53	This live version (recorded Rockpalast TV Show, Grugahalle, Essen Germany) was issued on Collateral Damage. It can also be found (in much better sound quality) on Live At Rockpalast. Not on the box set.
I Wish I Was Your Mother (live 29/30th January 2002)	5:48	This live version (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) was issued on Strings Attached.
I Wish I Was Your Mother (live 28th May 2004)	6:38	This live version (recorded The Astoria, London England) was released on The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nuthin' But The Truth and on Behind The Shades and Greatest Hits Live In London. Not on the box set
I Wish I Was Your Mother (live 2nd March 2008)	(6:42)	This live version (recorded at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford England) was issued on Acoustic Shadows (box set only).

I Need Your Love, Ian Hunter, Short Back and Sides

Excerpt:

Regardless of the production issues the lyrics of  I Need Your Love are heart-felt and contrite from the lack of love in life. The singer is expressive, tender, and freely desires love for someone who broke through his coldness. Hunter feels that the song never really made it. He thinks it is dreary but he persisted; the drums and bass have no spark and it didn't sound like Ian heard it in his head. Perhaps surprisingly, the single went Top 50 in one American chart. 

The song is one originating from the uneven Short Back and Sides effort but there is also an alternate version and a live version from the 1981 Dr. Pepper Music Festival.

On Track Ian Hunter is shipping soon. Want to promote Ian? The publisher is marketing the book but asked for help from us fans in the Hunter orbit. If you have contacts with podcasts, magazines, or other music outlets let me know so we can promote Ian's music. I'm open for interviews to talk about Hunter's catalog. Thanks!

Great news! Advance copies of On Track Ian Hunter have reached the publisher and will be available soon! I even saw an advance copy on eBay.

On Track Ian Hunter https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044...

Upcoming Podcast Appearances! More details soon:
The Book 101 interview about On Track Ian Hunter will be released soon!

Better To ...? Podcast, recorded a terrific conversation, due for release 2 August 2024.

In the meantime, listen to previous appearances!
Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian
https://www.facebook.com/.../pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTip...

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

Full of Words
About writing including On Track Ian Hunter: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2129805/14708009

Frankly Francisco Podcast:
Mostly about Burning America but On Track Ian Hunter is mentioned as well:
https://open.substack.com/pub/micksmith/p/who-was-on-the-frankly-francisco?r=e00v8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Toby Gribben Show, awesome show, and live 8 February 2024!

Sign up now for behind the scenes information about On Track Ian Hunter at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

To book and interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

What is the difference between a Beatles biography or a song by-song review of the Beatles career?
https://micksmith.substack.com/p/what-is-the-difference-between-a-9fc

Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

I Need Your Love

(Ian Hunter)

It was a cold, cold house,
I was a cold, cold room.
No one lived in me.
I was an empty tune.
Lovers came to view
'n' they looked all around.
But they couldn't see nothin',
nothin but the ground, they really put me down
and then someone broke
inside of me
and I found myself learnin'
how to fight free.

And it feels so good
when I can turn to you
'n' look you straight in the eye,
say I need you, need you, oh I need you
I need your love, baby,
I need your love, I gotta hear your name
over and over, over again.
I need your love, baby,
I need your love, I got you up my brain
over, over, over again.

You know it hurts so bad
when you have to say
you ain't got nobody
and then one day
it makes you feel so good
when I can turn to you
and look you straight in the eye,
say I need you, need you, oh I need you
I need your love, baby,
I need your love, I wanna hear your name
over and over, over again.
I need your love,
oh how I need your love, I gotta hear your name
over, over, over again, yeah.
I need your love, baby
I need your love, I gotta hear your name
over, over, over again.

I Need Your Love	3:36	Originally issued on Short Back and Sides, also on the compilations The Collection and From The Knees Of My Heart.
I Need Your Love (rough mix)	3:49	An alternate version of I Need Your Love was issued on the outtakes CD Long Odds and Outtakes and on the box set version of Short Back 'n' Sides
I Need Your Love (live 11th September 1981)	6:48	This live version (recorded Dr. Pepper Music Festival, Pier 84, New York NY) was originally issued on the Ian Hunter Rocks video (VHS/Laserdisc only). The video (DVD) can also be found on It Never Happened (box set only); the audio can be found on From The Knees Of My Heart (not on the box set).

I Hate Dancin', Ian Hunter, (Laing/Hunter/Ronson/Pappalardi) The Secret Sessions

This song, I Hate Dancin', is one of the collaborations released on The Secret Sessions album with members of Mountain and Mick Ronson. When the text reached the publisher for On Track Ian Hunter this is one of those songs that the publisher recommended more needed to be said as a regular Ian release although songwriting credit actually goes to (Laing/Hunter/Ronson/Pappalardi).

On Track Ian Hunter is shipping soon. Want to promote Ian? The publisher is marketing the book but asked for help from us fans in the Hunter orbit. If you have contacts with podcasts, magazines, or other music outlets let me know so we can promote Ian's music. I'm open for interviews to talk about Hunter's catalog. Thanks!

Great news! Advance copies of On Track Ian Hunter have reached the publisher and will be available soon! I even saw an advance copy on eBay.

On Track Ian Hunter https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044...

Upcoming Podcast Appearances! More details soon:
The Book 101 interview about On Track Ian Hunter will be released soon!

Better To ...? Podcast, recorded a terrific conversation, due for release 2 August 2024.

In the meantime, listen to previous appearances!
Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian
https://www.facebook.com/.../pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTip...

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

Full of Words
About writing including On Track Ian Hunter: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2129805/14708009

Frankly Francisco Podcast:
Mostly about Burning America but On Track Ian Hunter is mentioned as well:
https://open.substack.com/pub/micksmith/p/who-was-on-the-frankly-francisco?r=e00v8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Toby Gribben Show, awesome show, and live 8 February 2024!

Sign up now for behind the scenes information about On Track Ian Hunter at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

To book and interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

What is the difference between a Beatles biography or a song by-song review of the Beatles career?
https://micksmith.substack.com/p/what-is-the-difference-between-a-9fc

I Hate Dancin'

2:40

This collaboration (Laing/Hunter/Ronson/Pappalardi) can be found on The Secret Sessions (not on the box set).