Look Before You Leap, Ian Hunter, YUI Orta, 1988, Experiments - Previously Unreleased Recordings (box set only).

Hunter notes that Look Before You Leap is a cautionary tale. There are no details about the song but it can be speculated that it is Mick Ronson on guitar as they began to collaborate again in anticipation of recording YUI Orta around 1988 when it was proposed but not included on the release. 

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

Ian Hunter Box Set: "Stranded In Reality"

Sleeve and track listing

Proper SHADES1

• Ian Hunter
• All American Alien Boy
• Overnight Angels
• You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic
• Welcome To The Club
• Short Back and Sides
• All Of The Good Ones Are Taken
• YUI Orta
• Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry
• BBC Live In Concert
• The Artful Dodger
• Rant
• Strings Attached
• Shrunken Heads
• Man Overboard
• When I'm President
• Live in the UK 2010
• Tilting The Mirror - Rarities
• If You Wait Long Enought For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale - Live 1979-81
• Bag Of Tricks - Live Rarities
• Acoustic Shadows - Live
• Experiments - Previously Unreleased Recordings
• It Never Happened - DVD
• (Go to the review)

Ian Hunter

1. Once Bitten Twice Shy
2. Who Do You Love
3. Lounge Lizard
4. Boy
5. 3,000 Miles From Here
6. The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin' But The Truth
7. It Ain't Easy When You Fall/Shades Off
8. I Get So Excited
9. Colwater High
10. One Fine Day
11. Once Bitten Twice Shy (single edit)
12. Who Do You Love (single edit)
13. Shades Off (poem)
14. Boy (edit)

All American Alien Boy

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)
10. All American Alien Boy (early single version)
11. Irene Wilde (Number One) (session outtake)
12. Weary Anger (session outtake)
13. Apathy (session outtake)
14. (God) Advice To A Friend (session outtake)

Overnight Angels

1. Golden Opportunity (4:31)
2. Shallow Crystals (3:58)
3. Overnight Angels (5:12)
4. Broadway (3:46)
5. Justice of the Peace (3:01)
6. (Miss) Silver Dime (4:34)
7. Wild n' Free (3:08)
8. The Ballad of Little Star (2:32)
9. To Love a Woman (3:54)
10. England Rocks(2:53)

You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic

1. Just Another Night
2. Wild East
3. Cleveland Rocks
4. Ships
5. When the Daylight Comes
6. Life After Death
7. Standin' In My Light
8. Bastard
9. The Outsider
10. Don't Let Go (demo)
11. Ships (take 1)
12. When The Daylight Comes (early version)
13. The Other Side of Life (Just Another Night early version)
14. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Welcome To The Club

Disc 1

1. FBI
2. Once Bitten Twice Shy
3. Angeline
4. Laugh at Me
5. All the Way From Memphis
6. I Wish I Was Your Mother
7. Irene Wilde
8. Just Another Night
9. Cleveland Rocks
10. Standin' In My Light
11. Bastard

Disc 2

1. Walkin' With a Mountain/Rock 'n' Roll Queen
2. All the Young Dudes
3. Slaughter On Tenth Avenue
4. One of the Boys
5. The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll
6. When the Daylight Comes
7. Once Bitten Twice Shy/Bastard/Cleveland Rocks (medley)
8. We Gotta Get Out of Here
9. Silver Needles
10. Man O' War
11. Sons and Daughters

Short Back And Sides

1. Central Park n' West 
2. Lisa Likes Rock n' Roll
3. I Need Your Love
4. Old Records Never Die
5. Noises
6. Rain
7. Gun Control
8. Theatre of the Absurd
9. Leave Me Alone
10. Keep on Burning
11. I Need Your Love (rough mix)
12. Old Records Never Die (version 1)
13. Rain (alternate mix)
14. Theatre of the Absurd (alternate version)

All Of The Good Ones Are Taken

1. All of the Good Ones Are Taken
2. Every Step of the Way
3. Fun
4. Speechless
5. Death 'n' Glory Boys 
6. That Girl Is Rock 'n' Roll
7. Somethin's Goin' On
8. Captain Void 'n' the Video Jets
9. Seeing Double
10. All of the Good Ones Are Taken
11. Traitor (12" single b-side)
12. Somethin's Goin' On (single radio edit)

YUI Orta

1. American Music
2. The Loner
3. Women's Intuition
4. Tell It Like It Is
5. Livin' In a Heart
6. Big Time
7. Cool
8. Beg a Little Love
9. Following In Your Footsteps
10. Sons 'n' Lovers
11. Pain
12. How Much More Can I Take
13. Sweet Dreamer

Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry

1. Dancing on the Moon
2. Another Fine Mess
3. Scars
4. Never Trust a Blonde
5. Psycho Girl
6. My Revolution
7. Good Girls
8. Red Letter Day
9. Invisible Strings
10. Everyone's a Fool
11. Junkee Love
12. The Other Man

BBC Live In Concert

1. Once Bitten Twice Shy
2. How Much More Can I Take
3. Beg a Little Love
4. Following In Your Footsteps
5. Just Another Night
6. Sweet Dreamer
7. (Give Me Back My) Wings
8. Standin' In My Light
9. Bastard
10. The Loner
11. You're Never Too Old To Hit The Big Time
12. All The Way From Memphis
13. Irene Wilde

The Artful Dodger

1. Too Much
2. Now Is The Time
3. Something To Believe In
4. Resurrection Mary
5. Walk On Water
6. 23A, Swan Hill
7. Michael Picasso
8. Open My Eyes
9. The Artful Dodger
10. Skeletons (In Your Closet)
11. Still The Same
12. Fuck It Up (1996 single track)

Rant

1. Ripoff
2. Good Samaritan
3. Death of a Nation
4. Purgatory
5. American Spy
6. Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders)
7. Wash Us Away
8. Morons
9. Soap And Water
10. Knees Of My Heart 
11. No One
12. Still Love Rock 'n' Roll

Strings Attached

Disc 1

1. Rest In Peace
2. All Of The Good Ones Are Taken
3. I Wish I Was Your Mother
4. Twisted Steel
5. Boy
6. 23A Swan Hill
7. Waterlow
8. All The Young Dudes
9. Irene Wilde
10. Once Bitten Twice Shy

Disc 2

1. Rollerball
2. Ships
3. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
4. Michael Picasso
5. Wash Us Away
6. Don't Let Go
7. All The Way From Memphis
8. Roll Away The Stone
9. Saturday Gigs
10. Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders) (bonus track)
11. Your Way (bonus track)

Shrunken Heads

1. Words (Big Mouth)
2. Fuss About Nothin'
3. When The World Was Round
4. Brainwashed
5. Shrunken Heads
6. Soul Of America
7. How's Your House
8. Guiding Light
9. Stretch
10. I Am What I Hated When I Was Young
11. Read 'em 'n' Weep
12. Your Eyes (bonus EP track)
13. Wasted (bonus EP track)
14. Real Or Imaginary (bonus EP track)
15. When The World Was Round (single radio edit)

Man Overboard

1. The Great Escape
2. Arms And Legs
3. Up And Running
4. Man Overboard
5. Babylon Blues
6. Girl From The Office
7. Flowers
8. These Feelings
9. Win It All
10. Way With Words
11. River Of Tears

When I'm President

1. Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman)
2. Fatally Flawed
3. When I'm President
4. What For
5. Black Tears
6. Saint
7. Just The Way You Look Tonight
8. Wild Bunch
9. Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)
10. I Don't Know What You Want
11. Life
12. When I'm President (radio edit single)

Live In The UK 2010

1. Sea Diver
2. Arms And Legs
3. Words (Big Mouth)
4. The Great Escape
5. Ships
6. Irene Wilde
7. Flowers
8. Soul Of America
9. Man Overboard
10. Waterlow
11. Michael Picasso
12. Wash Us Away
13. 23A Swan Hill
14. Sweet Jane
15. All The Young Dudes

Tilting The Mirror - Rarities

Disc 1

1. All-American Alien Boy (Single A-side)
2. You Nearly Did Me In (Single A-side)
3. Common Disease (Alien Boy Outtake)
4. If the Slipper Don't Fit (Alien Boy Outtake)
5. The Outsider (Early Version)
6. Alibi (Schizophrenic Jam)
7. When the Daylight Comes (Single A-side)
8. Just Another Night (Electric version #3)
9. Detroit (Rough Mix Instrumental)
10. Na Na Na
11. I Believe in You
12. Listen to the Eight Track
13. You Stepped Into My Dreams
14. Venus in the Bathtub
15. China (Ronson Vocal)
16. Detroit (Outtake 5 - Vocal)
17. Na Na Na (Extended Mix)

Disc 2

1. Bluebirds (Demo)
2. All is Forgiven (Demo)
3. Sunshine Eyes (Demo)
4. (I'm the) Teacher
5. Great Expectations (You Never Know What To Expect)
6. Good Man in a Bad Time
7. Wake Up Call
8. Ill Wind (Demo)
9. Women's Intuition (Single Edit)
10. Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady (Artful Dodger Outtake)
11. Resurrection Mary (Trio Version)
12. Something To Believe In (Trio Version)
13. Waterlow (Trio Version)
14. I'm In Awe (Rant Outtake)
15. Avalanche (Rant Outtake)
16. Morons (Early Version)
17. One More Time

If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale

Disc 1

1. FBI¹
2. Once Bitten Twice Shy¹
3. One Of The Boys¹
4. Laugh At Me¹
5. I Wish I Was Your Mother¹
6. Sons and Daughters¹
7. Irene Wilde¹
8. Just Another Night¹
9. Life After Death¹
10. Sweet Angeline¹
11. Standin' in My Light¹
12. Bastard¹
13. The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll¹
14. All The Way From Memphis¹

Disc 2

1. All The Young Dudes¹
2. Walkin' With A Mountain/Rock 'n' Roll Queen¹
3. Cleveland Rocks¹
4. When The Daylight Comes¹
5. Letter to Britannia From The Union Jack²
6. Ships³
7. Gun Control⁴
8. Violence⁴
9. Is Your Love In Vain⁴
10. Lisa Likes Rock n' Roll⁴
11. Theatre Of The Absurd⁴
12. Walkin' With A Mountain⁴

¹Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, London 22nd November 1979

²Recorded at Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley CA 7th July 1979

³Recorded at My Fathers Place, Long Island NY 12/13th June 1979

⁴Recorded at The Old Waldorf, San Francisco CA 26-28th October 1981

Bag Of Tricks - Live Rarities Vol 1

1. A Sane Revolution
2. Wild East¹
3. (I'm The) Teacher¹
4. While You Were Looking at Me¹
5. Day Tripper²
6. Pain³
7. Resurrection Mary⁴
8. Michael Picasso⁴
9. Shades Off/Boy⁵
10. Ill Wind⁵
11. Good Samaritan⁶
12. Purgatory⁶
13. American Spy⁶
14. Death of a Nation⁶

¹Recorded at Rock and Roll Heaven, Toronto ON 11th November 1987

²Recorded at Rock and Roll Heaven, Toronto ON 11th June 1988

³Recorded at The Caberet, San Jose CA 16th December 1989

⁴Recorded at Hammersmith Apollo, London 29th April 1994

⁵Recorded at The Robin 2, Bilston UK 19th May 2000

⁶Recorded at The Life Cafe, Manchester UK 19th May 2002

Bag Of Tricks - Live Rarities Vol 2

1. Rock And Roll Queen/Death May Be Your Santa Claus¹
2. One Of The Boys¹
3. The Original Mixed-Up Kid¹
4. Knockin' On Heaven's Door¹
5. Twisted Steel¹
6. 23a Swan Hill¹
7. Dead Man Walkin' (EastEnders)¹
8. Knees of My Heart²
9. The Truth, The Whole Truth And Nothing But the Truth²
10. Rollerball²
11. Irene Wilde²
12. Roll Away The Stone²
13. Lounge Lizard³
14. The Outsider⁴

¹Recorded at The Life Cafe, Manchester UK 19th May 2002

²Recorded at The Bikini, Barcerlona Spain 12th June 2004

³Recorded at SxSW, Town Lake Stage, Austin TX 18th March 2005

⁴Recorded at Nidaros Blues Festival, Kongressal, Trondheim Norway 29th April 2005

Bag Of Tricks - Live Rarities Vol 3

1. Hymn For The Dudes¹
2. All-American Alien Boy¹
3. Morons/Marionette/Broadway¹
4. Following In Your Footsteps²
5. Dancing On the Moon³
6. Shallow Crystals³
7. The Ballad of Little Star³
8. Just The Way You Look Tonight⁴
9. Black Tears⁴
10. Isolation⁴
11. Alice⁴
12. The Moon Upstairs⁴
13. (Ta Shunka Witco) Crazy Horse⁴
14. When I'm President⁵
15. Now Is The Time⁶
16. Shades Off

¹Recorded at Nidaros Blues Festival, Kongressal, Trondheim Norway 29th April 2005

²Recorded at the Lowry Theatre, Manchester England 23rd February 2008

³Recorded at The Journal Tyne Theatre, Newcastle England 11th October 2010

⁴Recorded at John Dee, Oslo Norway 8th October 2012

⁵Recorded at Memorial Hall, Sheffield England 20th March 2013

⁶Recorded at Garden Shimokitazawa, Tokyo Japan 16/17/18th January 2015

Acoustic Shadows - Live

1. Where Do You All Come From
2. Wash Us Away
3. The Other Man
4. Scars
5. Soul of America/I Wish I Was Your Mother
6. Shrunken Heads
7. Rain
8. Sons 'n' Lovers
9. Sweet Jane
10. Irene Wilde/Ships/Letter to Britannia from the Union Jack
11. Honaloochie Boogie/How's Your House
12. Twisted Steel
13. When the World Was Round
14. Once Bitten Twice Shy

Recorded at The Mick Jagger Theatre, Dartford, Kent 2nd March 2008

Experiments - Previously Unreleased Recordings

1. You're Messin' With The King Of Rock 'n' Roll
2. Money Can't Buy Love
3. More To Love
4. Look Before You Leap
5. My Love (The Jar)
6. Demolition Derby
7. Just Want It Real
8. Coincidence
9. Big Black Cadillac
10. San Diego Freeway
11. Nobody's Perfect
12. Too Much (All I Ever Wanted) (early version)
13. Artful Dodger (early version)
14. Michael Picasso (early version)
15. A Little Rock 'n' Roll (Artful Dodger outtake)
16. Testosterone (Artful Dodger outtake)
17. The Man In Me (Ian Hunter and Tribes)
18. Salvation

It Never Happened - DVD

DVD 1

1. Once Bitten Twice Shy (CBS promo video 1975)
2. All-American Alien Boy (Studio film 1975)
3. Standin' in My Light (Fragment) (Top Pop TV - Holland 1979
4. Irene Wilde (Chrysalis promo film 1980)
5. Once Bitten Twice Shy (Chrysalis promo film 1980)
6. We Gotta Get Out Of Here (Chrysalis promo film 1980)
7. Laugh at Me (Rockpalast 1980)
8. Irene Wilde (Rockpalast 1980)
9. I Wish I Was Your Mother (Rockpalast 1980)
10. All of The Good Ones Are Taken (CBS promo video 1983)
11. While You Were Looking At Me (Toronto 1988)
12. Day Tripper (Toronto 1988)
13. Beg a Little Love (The Dominion, London 1989)
14. Following in Your Footsteps (The Dominion, London 1989)
15. (Give Me Back My) Wings (The Dominion, London 1989)
16. The Loner (The Dominion, London 1989)
17. American Music (PolyGram promo video 1990)
18. My Revolution (Scandinavian NRK TV Session 1995)
19. Michael Picasso (MTV Take It To The Bridge Session 1997)
20. Irene Wilde (MTV Take It To The Bridge Session 1997)
21. When the World Was Round (Jerkin' Crocus Promo Video 2007)
22. Flowers (BBC Jools Holland Show 2009)
23. Once Bitten Twice Shy (BBC Jools Holland Show 2009)
24. When I'm President (Proper Promo Film 2012)

DVD 2

Ryerson Theatre Toronto, Canada 1979

1. Trailer and Interview
2. Life After Death
3. Just Another Night
4. The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll
5. Standin' in My Light
6. Bastard
7. Cleveland Rocks
8. All The Young Dudes
9. When The Daylight Comes
10. Slaughter On 10th Avenue

Ian Hunter Rocks (Dr. Pepper Festival, New York 1981)

11. Once Bitten Twice Shy
12. Gun Control
13. Central Park n' West
14. All The Way From Memphis
15. I Need Your Love
16. Noises
17. Just Another Night
18. Cleveland Rocks
19. Irene Wilde
20. All the Young Dudes

Strings Attached (The Sentrum, Oslo, Norway 2002)

21. Rest in Peace
22. All of The Good Ones Are Taken
23. I Wish I Was Your Mother
24. Twisted Steel
25. Don't Let Go
26. Boy
27. Wash Us Away
28. 23a Swan Hill
29. Waterlow
30. All the Young Dudes
31. Irene Wilde
32. Once Bitten Twice Shy
33. Rollerball
34. Ships
35. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
36. All the Way from Memphis
37. Saturday Gigs
38. Michael Picasso
39. Roll Away the Stone

Review

It was 2013 when fans were first teased with "coming soon... the ultimate Ian Hunter box set". Well, over three years in the making and what was originally going to be a 24-disc set is now a 30-disc whopper. And yes, it has been worth the wait.

OK, so what's in the box? Well there's every (regular) album that Ian has ever released, with the exception of 2016's Fingers Crossed and 2004's live double The Truth...Every album has been remastered, in some cases with bonus tracks (eg single edits) that haven't appeared on previous issues. Each is presented in a mini-LP replica sleeve, complete with an inner sleeve (for the CD itself) and a booklet. Sound quality is excellent throughout.

In addition, there are a further nine discs of rare and previously-unreleased material. There is an acoustic gig (Acoustic Shadows) from 2008, which is an interesting contrast to the (also acoustic) Live In The UK 2010 disc (also included here). Two discs of rarities (Tilting The Mirror) gather together bonus tracks that have appeared on "bonus CDs" on previous releases. Bag Of Tricks gather together various live tracks recorded over the years, including the 2002 Manchester gig that was previously thought to be "lost". It neatly showcases the last 30 years of live shows, from Toronto in 1987 through to Sheffield in 2013 and Tokyo in 2015. Fascinating.

Then there's If You Wait Long Enough... which included for the first time the 1979 Hammersmith Odeon gig. OK, an hour of this show was broadcast on BBC Radio One but this is the full show (nearly two hours!) and an improvement on the original BBC mix. We also get a 1981 show recorded in San Fransisco. This is interesting because it features Robbie Alter on guitar and Mick Ronson - on keyboards!

Experiments is fascinating. These are demos and (complete) unreleased tracks from the past thirty or so years. Look Before You Leap is a great power ballad (is that Ronno on guitar?), while Salvation (written in 1997 but not recorded until 2008) is a great way to close the collection. Ian has said it would be on his last record, and Proper's track listing has Experiments as the last disc... if this is really the last one (and Ian says it's not) then there's no finer way to finish.

Then there's two DVDs. The first is a motley collection of promo films, TV appearances and concert clips from the past 40 years. Disc 2 includes the 1979 Rhyerson Theatre show from Toronto which was broadcast on TV and has circulated amonst fans for years. There's also the Ian Hunter Rocks show from 1981, previously only issued on VHS (and Laserdisc). Then there's the Strings Attached show from Oslo in 2002. This has two tracks not included on the original DVD and a great way to round off a fascination collection. The 'Strings Attached' show is also in real-time sequence (unlike the original).

There is also a lavish hard-cover book which presents a biography of Ian's career so far, together with a track-by-track run-down of all the material in this collection, with Ian's (at times) brutally honest opinion. The book ends with tributes from a whole host of fellow musicians, all of whom are unstinting in their praise. Whorrabloke!

There is also a replica music paper, which contains reproductions of album and gig reviews from the past forty years. Finally, there is an Alien Boy-era lithograph (why don't they call it a photo?), signed by Ian.

The whole is presented in a large presentation case, complete with Escher-inspired artwork.

The whole collection is limited to just 2500 copies and Proper have stated that none of the (extra) discs will be available separately. So if you want any of these extras, you need to buy this box!

The cost is a whopping £250. This collection, therefore, is not aimed at the casual fan but the dedicated Ian Hunter fan (albeit one with very deep pockets). Given that such a fan will already own most if not all of the regular discs, this works out at £250 for the just nine "new" CDs and two DVDs. Whether this is worth the cost is a question for the individual fan to answer.

Ian has said his career isn't yet finished (he turned 77 in 2016!), but if it were to end now this set is an excellent way to bring the curtain down on the career of one of Britain's finest-ever rock stars.

Unsurpassable.

Look Before You Leap

5:24

Originally released on Experiments - Previously Unreleased Recordings (box set only).

Long Time, Ian Hunter, Fingers Crossed

This is the closing song on this first-rate CD and is a reflective hindsight view of his life and career. The two early verses comes close to a description of his early career in semi-pro bands,   Lynn's Cafe in 1950s Northampton, hookers, and traveling to Germany to try and make it in the music business which is the subject of Bed of Roses. To get his genuine start in music the "lunatic" is Guy Stevens who was the first person to encourage Ian and tell him he had a future in music. Hunter was desperate and he would sign any contract just to get in music. The sixth verse sound like a review of Mott The Hoople that 'tripped the light fandango" and how the dream went astray "fell off the edge of a dream." Then, he ends up in the USA. As Ian has spent so many years in music the song is a review of his musical career and life. This was another song that started with words one day as Hunter woke up and the song is reminiscent of The Band. 

Long Time

(Ian Hunter)

They called me the idiot
My hands were on fire
Blood flowed from my fingers every time I pressed the wires
Exiled to the attic, out of harm's way
I hit that bow and arrow till I hit the hay

I got a suitcase full of energy
I'm following the wind, old enough to know better young enough to join in
Lived opposite a graveyard, you could hear the hookers cry:
"You never paid me last week - so you ain't gettin' nothin' tonight!"

It's been a long time
It's been a long time
Hangin' out in Lynn's Cafe 1959
We ran the streets together and we never had a dime
It's been a long time, it's been a long long long long time

Still life never moved me or the friends that I chose
They was always up to something, as the saying goes
The road to good intentions was starting to fray
And then I met a lunatic who showed me the way

It's been a long time
It's been a long time 
Well 'no' is not an option when your ass is on the line
I didn't need no lawyer, I was desperate to sign
It's been a long time, it's been a long long long long time

Be careful what you wish for
Dreams can come true
I was used to failure
This was something new
We tripped the light fandango till we ran out of steam
And then one by one we fell off the end of a dream

It's been a long time, it's been a long time, 
You take a chance on destiny
You never know what you'll find
Fortune and misfortune are forever entwined, 
It's been a long time - it's been a long long long long time

It's been a long time, it's been a long time, 
You've been going your way
I've been going mine
I wasn't born in the USA but I'm that way inclined, 
It's been a long time
It's been a long long long long long long long long time, 
Oo if you're ever in the vicinity
Drop me a line
It's been a long time
It's been a long long long long...

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.

 

Ian Hunter and The Rant Band CD: "Fingers Crossed"

Sleeve and track listing

Proper Records PRPCD137

1. That's When The Trouble Starts
2. Dandy
3. Ghosts
4. Fingers Crossed
5. White House
6. Bow Street Runners
7. Morpheus
8. Stranded In Reality
9. You Can't Live In The Past
10. Long Time
11. Seein' Red^{1, 2}
12. Have A Nice Day²

¹ 'Incentive' download-only track available to initial purchasers

² Bonus track on the Japanese CD

Review

Ian's 2016 album Fingers Crossed shows that he's as sharp an observer and incisive commentator as ever. The run of form that started with 2001's Rant shows no sign of abating, with this album being up there with his very best.

Ian hasn't been this good since the 70's, with killer album after killer album. No, I'm not an "I praise everything" type of reviewer - this is the honest truth. At 77 years of age (oh, yes!) Ian shows no sign of slowing down.

Dandy is the standout track, his homage to David Bowie who passed away back in January 2016. See how many Bowie tracks he manages to weave into the lyrics! Clever, very clever.

Mid-tempo rockers such as White House, Bow Street Runners and Stranded In Reality sit alongside slower, more thoughtful songs such as Morpheus and the title track Fingers Crossed.

Ian has always had his feet planted firmly in reality, as on You Can't Live In The Past he notes "You can never go back, those days are gone". On the closing track, the rockabilly Long Time he offers advice to younger wannabes "Be careful what you wish for" as he notes "Take a chance on destiny, you'll never know what you find".

Sheers class. And as essential as ever.

Long Time

4:18

Originally released on Fingers Crossed.