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.

The Loner, Ian Hunter, YUI Orta

Hunter started working with John Jansen in 1987 and The Loner is one of his autobiographical songs which explains some of his lyrics and his music can be understood best when you grasp his background. As a stranger in a strange land, as on When I'm President, he informs us of his birthday, horoscope, family life, and youthful environs: all in the first verse! Hunter addresses his early years in Shrewsbury when he had no friends and he thinks it's one of the best songs he has ever written reminding him of something that Free would have done in the 1960s. It came quickly one morning and he got it down quick on an acoustic guitar since rockers such as this don't come that often. It came one morning and he wrote it out quickly on an acoustic guitar. Rockers are harder to come by. Ronson's fuzzed up, slow burning riff was one of the elements that got him interested in playing guitar again and working with Hunter because of strong songs such as this. Oddly a big heavy metal band in America asked for a rocker song and Hunter offered this tune but they never returned the call. The demo with Robbie Alter is a killer which kicked off the song. Alter was clouded with echo, he flashed a bit for his part, then with no echo there is his great solo. 

As relating to personal relationships the song is about still being a loner and that's all right since that's life. There is a live version from 1989 as well. 

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

The Loner

(Ian Hunter)

I was born
On the 3rd of June-hard labor-Gemini moon
I was raised In a country town-livin' dead were all puttin' me down
And my flesh and blood-my flesh and blood
Kicked me out - they never understood that..
That its alright-its alright- its alright to be a loner

Skin and bone, skin and bone, lean lookin' won't you let me take you home
How about is babe, how about , a little love 'til the money runs out
We'll give 'em hell babe, we'll give 'em hell
I ain't the kind that's gonna kiss and tell
I'm alright -you know I'm alright- its alright to be a loner
Its alright-its alright- its alright to be a loner

Turn out the lights-bring on the night- oh baby I'm a loner

I got my bags-I got my boots- I got ma wits about me-I got my roots
I gotta guitar-40 years old- I'm gonna play it til the stories been told

We'll knock 'em dead girl-we'll knock 'em dead
So when you think o' me remember what I said
Its alright girl-its alright girl- its alright to be a loner...
Its alright-you know its alright-its alright to be a loner
Tonights the night I'm gonna strap you in tight
oo baby, I'm the loner

Ian Hunter CD: "YUI Orta"

Sleeve and track listing

Lemon CD LEM 6. 

1. American Music (4:12)
2. The Loner (4:47)
3. Women's Intuition (6:31)
4. Tell It Like It Is (4:23)
5. Livin' In a Heart (4:34)
6. Big Time (4:03)
7. Cool (4:30)
8. Beg a Little Love (6:26)
9. Following In Your Footsteps (5:02)
10. Sons 'n' Lovers (4:55)
11. Pain (4:43)
12. How Much More Can I Take (3:48)
13. Sweet Dreamer (6:28)
14. 4th Hour Of My Sleep (3:08)¹
15. Power Of Darkness (3:32)¹

Running time: 71m 11s

¹Bonus tracks on the 2003 CD reissue

Review

Ian teamed up with his old mate Mick Ronson once again to record this album in the middle of 1989. Ian and Mick had toured the USA and Europe in late 1988/early 1989, before the album was even recorded, and the result is a highly polished album - one of their best.

Highlights include the Stonsey Women's Intuition (if only Mick 'n' Keef were still this good!), the full-tilt rocker How Much More Can I Take, Big Time (Ian borrows his own riff from Once Bitten...), Tell It Like It Is (Mick borrowing the Get It On riff) and Mick's guitar showcase Sweet Dreamer which is breathtaking beautiful.

When the album was released, they toured the USA and Europe again to promote it. Intended in some ways as a comeback album for both men, the record company did little to promote it themselves, and it didn't sell in great numbers. They were dropped by the record company, and all plans for a follow-up were put on hold when Mick Ronson was diagnosed with liver cancer.

Unavailable for many years, this CD has finally been reissued on the Lemon label (a planned reissue on NMC having fallen through when NMC went bust). This reissue includes a couple of Ronno bonus tracks from 1971 - great for the completist but somewhat at odds with the rest of the album. The insert includes the lyrics from the original CD, but the sleeve notes are appallingly inaccurate - a shame really that Campbell Devine's notes for the aborted NMC release weren't used.

In 1995, Windsong issued an official release of their 15-Feb-89 concert, which had been recorded by the BBC for radio broadcast. This live album has since been reissued on Strange Fruit.

As is normal these days, there was material left over in the vaults, some of which is circulating amongst fans. This includes (Give Me Back My) Wings, which was demoed but never recorded, Ill Wind (now available on the Once Bitten Twice Shycompilation), More To Love Than Meets The Eye and Look Before You Leap, which IMO would have been a great single and features some beautiful guitar work from Mick Ronson

The album title is derived from "Why you... I ought to...", a phrase popularised by The Three Stooges.

Technical

The original CD

The reissued CD

Comments

Analysis of the reissued CD shows some compression being used; this has boosted overall loudness slightly (by some 2.2dB) without any noticeable affect on sound quality.

Terms and conditions.

The Loner	4:48	Originally issued on YUI Orta, also on the compilations The Journey and The Golden Age 1969-1997.
The Loner (live 15th February 1989)	5:22	This live version (recorded The Dominion, London England) was released on BBC Live in Concert.

Your Way, Ian Hunter, live 29/30th January 2002 only on the box set version of Strings Attached

This Ian Hunter song is rare and can only be found on the box set version of Strings Attached. It was written specifically for the Oslo shows but not included on Strings Attached. Producer Andy York and Ian weren't keen on the performance but a year or two later upon reflection  they liked it and released it on the box set. One reservation that Ian considered initially is the similarity to the title of the famous Frank Sinatra song My Way. 

Your Way (live 29/30th January 2002)

5:07

This live track (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) can be found on the box set version of Strings Attached

Livin' In A Heart, Ian Hunter, YUI Orta

Livin' In A Heart was first entitled Angel but not the same song as on Defiance Vol. 1. It is a classic Hunter ballad, referencing Ian's marital breakup and visits a similar theme as on Waterloo, guilt and regret. This song is about lost love and maybe the guy is the reason for causing family pain and so he apologizes about his lust for success leading him to neglect his love. Probably more than one pursuer of commercial happiness can relate when they have made a choice to neglect a personal love for the height of fame. It's a gentle, reflective, and thoughtful tune about heredity and genetics. Upon reflection, Ian thinks family is more important than anything else but he has put music before them at times which causes grief. This song is an apology for making a mistake years ago and this is about atonement. 

How could I turn away love, how could I turn into stone
How could I turn my back on you
I wanted to be a success but success ever leaves you alone
Maybe I tried a little too hard
Maybe I pushed you way too far

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

Livin' in a heart

(Ian Hunter)

Once upon a time, somewhere in the back of my mind
I fell in love with you
But then, everything went wrong, I couldn't even write a song
There was nothing to look forward to

I don't go out very much, I'm always home on my own
Baby I was just too blind to see
I wasn't to conquer the world but the world had a mind of its own
Maybe I tried a little too hard
Maybe I pushed you away too far

Gotta room in your heart for a lonely heart
Gotta room in your heart for two
It might be nice-living in a heart with you

So sing and all the world will shine, somewhere in this nursery rhyme
A happy ending lies-for all the lovers with the lonely eyes
Easy come-easy go-this is just to let you know
Baby I apologize

How could I turn away love, how could I turn into stone
How could I turn my back on you
I wanted to be a success but success ever leaves you alone
Maybe I tried a little too hard
Maybe I pushed you way too far

Ian Hunter CD: "YUI Orta"

Sleeve and track listing

Lemon CD LEM 6. 

1. American Music (4:12)
2. The Loner (4:47)
3. Women's Intuition (6:31)
4. Tell It Like It Is (4:23)
5. Livin' In a Heart (4:34)
6. Big Time (4:03)
7. Cool (4:30)
8. Beg a Little Love (6:26)
9. Following In Your Footsteps (5:02)
10. Sons 'n' Lovers (4:55)
11. Pain (4:43)
12. How Much More Can I Take (3:48)
13. Sweet Dreamer (6:28)
14. 4th Hour Of My Sleep (3:08)¹
15. Power Of Darkness (3:32)¹

Running time: 71m 11s

¹Bonus tracks on the 2003 CD reissue

Review

Ian teamed up with his old mate Mick Ronson once again to record this album in the middle of 1989. Ian and Mick had toured the USA and Europe in late 1988/early 1989, before the album was even recorded, and the result is a highly polished album - one of their best.

Highlights include the Stonsey Women's Intuition (if only Mick 'n' Keef were still this good!), the full-tilt rocker How Much More Can I Take, Big Time (Ian borrows his own riff from Once Bitten...), Tell It Like It Is (Mick borrowing the Get It On riff) and Mick's guitar showcase Sweet Dreamer which is breathtaking beautiful.

When the album was released, they toured the USA and Europe again to promote it. Intended in some ways as a comeback album for both men, the record company did little to promote it themselves, and it didn't sell in great numbers. They were dropped by the record company, and all plans for a follow-up were put on hold when Mick Ronson was diagnosed with liver cancer.

Unavailable for many years, this CD has finally been reissued on the Lemon label (a planned reissue on NMC having fallen through when NMC went bust). This reissue includes a couple of Ronno bonus tracks from 1971 - great for the completist but somewhat at odds with the rest of the album. The insert includes the lyrics from the original CD, but the sleeve notes are appallingly inaccurate - a shame really that Campbell Devine's notes for the aborted NMC release weren't used.

In 1995, Windsong issued an official release of their 15-Feb-89 concert, which had been recorded by the BBC for radio broadcast. This live album has since been reissued on Strange Fruit.

As is normal these days, there was material left over in the vaults, some of which is circulating amongst fans. This includes (Give Me Back My) Wings, which was demoed but never recorded, Ill Wind (now available on the Once Bitten Twice Shycompilation), More To Love Than Meets The Eye and Look Before You Leap, which IMO would have been a great single and features some beautiful guitar work from Mick Ronson

The album title is derived from "Why you... I ought to...", a phrase popularised by The Three Stooges.

Technical

The original CD

The reissued CD

Comments

Analysis of the reissued CD shows some compression being used; this has boosted overall loudness slightly (by some 2.2dB) without any noticeable affect on sound quality.

Livin' In A Heart

4:34

Originally issued on YUI Orta

Listen To The Eight Track, Ian Hunter, Long Odds and Outtakes

This party-like song geared towards a typical young guy and what they typically do hits home; they have issues with family, hang out in a can in this case a Buick Skylark, get high, and appropriate for the time since this ne'er-do-well is listening to Bruce Springsteen on an eight track. 

ne'er-do-well 

Listen To The Eight Track

(Ian Hunter)

(Mick, I've got a...)

There must be one million stories in New York City, the naked city, and this is one of 'em

I live out on the island, and I got problems
My Mom don't like me, cause she says I know Sultan(?)
Sitting in the car park, in my old Buick Skylark
Getting high, getting high,
Getting high on the eight track

Oh, listen to the eight track
Oh, listen to the eight track
Oh, listen to the eight track
Oh, listen to the eight track

Oh it ain't easy, when you gotta survive
Keep on giving death, just to survive
Oh get out into the car park, sitting in my own Buick Skylark in the dark
Oh, 'n I'll listen to the eight track
Oh, I'll listen to the eight track
Oh, listen to the eight track
Oh, listen to the eight track
Yeah, can't wind it back
Listen to the eight track
In between the seats, in the cracks
Listen to the eight track

Oh sometimes I get a woman in here
And I put on Bruce Springsteen's new double album
And then, just when everything's getting hot
I start turning the volume right down low
Baby, let me snuggle right next to you

You turned to me sweetly, you know what she said,
She said, turn up the eight track
Oh listen to the eight track
Oh listen to the eight track, ain't no winding it back
Listen to the eight track
Listen to the eight track
Listen to the eight track

There must have been about a million stories in New York City, the naked city, and this has been one of them!

Ian Hunter LP/CD: "Short Back 'n' Sides"

Sleeve and track listing

Chrysalis CDCHR 6074. 

Disc 1 (Short Back 'n' Sides)

1. Central Park n' West (4:00)
2. Lisa Likes Rock n' Roll (3:56)
3. I Need Your Love (3:34)
4. Old Records Never Die (4:18)
5. Noises (5:51)
6. Rain (5:54)
7. Gun Control (3:12)
8. Theatre of the Absurd (5:49)
9. Leave Me Alone (3:29)
10. Keep on Burning (4:46)

Running time: 44m 55s

Disc 2 (Long Odds And Out-takes)

1. Detroit (rough mix - instrumental) (3:42)
2. Na Na Na (4:13)
3. I Need Your Love (rough mix) (3:46)
4. Rain (alternate mix) (5:50)
5. I Believe In You (4:15)
6. Listen to the Eight Track (6:08)
7. You Stepped Into My Dreams (4:41)
8. Venus In The Bathtub (4:29)
9. Theatre of the Absurd (6:08)
10. Detroit (out take 5 - vocal) (4:00)
11. Na Na Na (extended mix) (4:29)
12. China (Ronson vocal) (4:36)
13. Old Records Never Die (version 1) (4:18)

Running time: 60m 43s

Review

At the end of 1980 Ian returned to the studio to record the follow-up to Schizophrenic and Welcome To The Club. Mick had effectively stopped playing live earlier in the year, and Ian himself was unsure which (musical) direction to take. He got Mick Jones as producer, and on paper the fusion of Mott The Hoople with The Clash should have produced a phenomenal album.

I'll make no bones about it - I hate this album. The material is mixed, and the production (and all the sound effects Mick Jones added) IMO ruined the good songs on it. At the time Ian liked the album, with Mick using different production techniques in the studio. But today he hardly ever plays material from it, a sure sign that it ain't up there with the best.

The 2-CD set offers excellent packaging and excellent sound quality. The original album is on one CD, and a second CD ("Long Odds and Out-takes") containing alternate mixes and unreleased material from the Chrysalis era.

Listen To The Eight Track

6:03

Originally released on the outtakes CD Long Odds and Outtakes. It is also on the compilation From The Knees Of My Heart and on Tilting The Mirror - Rarities (box set only).

Lisa Likes Rock 'n' Roll, Ian Hunter, Short Back and Sides, Stranded, Wait

Often there is a funny, comical, or humorous song on releases and Lisa Likes Rock 'n' Roll is a good example of one but it also has the cuteness factor going for it; also, references in the song can be understood as one of Ian's tributes to rock 'n' roll. Wango-tango is a song by rocker Ted Nugent and a music series by LA radio station KIIS-FM, "Peppermint" was a popular NYC discotheque open from 1958-1965 and the launchpad for the global Twist craze, Be-Bop-a-Lula is a rockabilly song recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, while Peggy Sue was released by Buddy Holly in 1957. 

The cuteness is supplied with the saying "You're my daddy," difficult to get but finally said by Mick Ronson's daughter four or five-year old Lisa. The song has been described carrying the radiator and tin-can rattle of Bo Diddley. The Ronsons lived with the Hunter's part of the time and Ian wrote this kid's song for her but it was not easy to get her to say the phrase correctly. The families were so close if anything had happened to Mick and Suzi Ronson the Hunter's would have taken her in. Ian relates he knew he was taking a chance with a fun song like this: easy for The Rolling Stones to do but a chance to take for a lesser known artist such as Hunter. 

There is a live version from 1981. 

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

Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM

The Peppermint Lounge was a popular discotheque located at 128 West 45th Street in New York City that was open from 1958 to 1965, although a new one was opened in 1980. It was the launchpad for the global Twist craze in the early 1960s.

Be-Bop-a-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.

Peggy Sue" is a rock and roll song written by Jerry Allison and Norman Petty, and recorded and released as a single by Buddy Holly on September 20, 1957.

Lisa Likes Rock n' Roll

(Ian Hunter)

There's a wango-tango
at the peppermint inn
I'm gonna be there
Shakin' my thing
be bop a lula
little Peggy Sue
we both got company
don't know what to do
but that's alright
yeah that's OK
In the middle of the night
here's Lisa

CHORUS:
Lisa likes rock 'n' roll,
she plays it every day.
Down by the drugstore
everybody say
She turnin' on the radio,
she's shootin' up the stereo,
puttin' on a video,
she's sayin' let's go let's go

Lisa won't marry me,
she says she's only four.
Her mum don't like me,
she says I'm too mature.
Down at the disco,
I go solo
and the girls don't wanna know,
I've been too slow.
And that's alright,
and that's OK,
in the middle of the night.
Here's Lisa.

CHORUS
And when you see her
you wish you could hear her.
Ain't no one can beat her.
She goes yeah, yeah, yeah
yeah, yeah, "You're my daddy."

I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
I know Lisa likes rock 'n' roll
Yeah!

Ian Hunter LP/CD: "Short Back 'n' Sides"

Sleeve and track listing

Chrysalis CDCHR 6074. 

Disc 1 (Short Back 'n' Sides)

1. Central Park n' West (4:00)
2. Lisa Likes Rock n' Roll (3:56)
3. I Need Your Love (3:34)
4. Old Records Never Die (4:18)
5. Noises (5:51)
6. Rain (5:54)
7. Gun Control (3:12)
8. Theatre of the Absurd (5:49)
9. Leave Me Alone (3:29)
10. Keep on Burning (4:46)

Running time: 44m 55s

Disc 2 (Long Odds And Out-takes)

1. Detroit (rough mix - instrumental) (3:42)
2. Na Na Na (4:13)
3. I Need Your Love (rough mix) (3:46)
4. Rain (alternate mix) (5:50)
5. I Believe In You (4:15)
6. Listen to the Eight Track (6:08)
7. You Stepped Into My Dreams (4:41)
8. Venus In The Bathtub (4:29)
9. Theatre of the Absurd (6:08)
10. Detroit (out take 5 - vocal) (4:00)
11. Na Na Na (extended mix) (4:29)
12. China (Ronson vocal) (4:36)
13. Old Records Never Die (version 1) (4:18)

Running time: 60m 43s

Review

At the end of 1980 Ian returned to the studio to record the follow-up to Schizophrenic and Welcome To The Club. Mick had effectively stopped playing live earlier in the year, and Ian himself was unsure which (musical) direction to take. He got Mick Jones as producer, and on paper the fusion of Mott The Hoople with The Clash should have produced a phenomenal album.

I'll make no bones about it - I hate this album. The material is mixed, and the production (and all the sound effects Mick Jones added) IMO ruined the good songs on it. At the time Ian liked the album, with Mick using different production techniques in the studio. But today he hardly ever plays material from it, a sure sign that it ain't up there with the best.

The 2-CD set offers excellent packaging and excellent sound quality. The original album is on one CD, and a second CD ("Long Odds and Out-takes") containing alternate mixes and unreleased material from the Chrysalis era.

Lisa Likes Rock 'n' Roll	3:56	Originally released on Short Back and Sides, also on the compilations The Best of Ian Hunter, From The Knees Of My Heart, Shades of Ian Hunter and The Singles Collection 1975-83.
Lisa Likes Rock 'n' Roll (live 26-28th October 1981)	4:12	This live version (recorded at the Old Waldorf, San Francisco CA) was originally issued on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).

Life After Death, Ian Hunter, You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic

Life After Death is a bouncy and beautifully produced full tilt rocker features a staccato piano, an memorable drum run, along with a fabulous Ronson solo. Hunter could have been reflecting metaphysical questions but it may not be quite as existential as the title suggests since Hunter is sorry smoking so much and feeling the Devil's touch but wondering if he will live. Ian was writing tongue-in-cheek as on Wild East. Feeling under the weather after what sounds like too much partying he writes a clever line asking:

I hear choirs filled with Fenders say return to sender

Anyone who has partied too hardily can relate to the idea that you might not live.  

Hunter relates that this song just came and he did it. The piano track came with a hook and the rest came later about fun and fear. 

It was a standard play list song during 1979 eliciting three live versions in that year alone.

Also recorded at My Father's Place, Roslyn NY 12th June 1979 on Missing In Action.

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

Life After Death

(Ian Hunter)

Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe? Oh yeah!
Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe? Oh yeah!

Do you stop take another roller coaster ride
Do I beg, steal, cheat or lie? Oh my is there life after death?
Oh I wish I'd never smoked so much
I wish I'd never felt the Devil's touch
All that passes through my eyes so fast. Oh my.
Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe? Oh yeah!
Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe? Oh yeah!

It's such a sad sad song
Mother Nature ain't never wrong
She always tells you when you're getting on
Oh my, is there life after death?

I can hardly wait to see my face
Will I still have one in a different place
Oh you'll forgive me if I hesitate, but oh my
Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe? Oh yeah!
Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe? Oh yeah!

Is it any wonder, I feel just a little bit under
I hear choirs filled with Fenders say return to sender
Jumping information, I've got hyperventilation
Will it help me if I walk the streets
I gotta get down search around feel the ground by my feet

Oh no I never knew just how long this could go
If only I could go down slow
I'm gonna shake it, shake it, shake it, is there life after death
I can't remember when I felt so sick and rough
And now they're gonna legalise the stuff
It sure tells you when you've had enough, off the cuff

Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe? Oh yeah!

Is there life, is there life? Is there life after death? Do you believe,
I've run out of breath.

Ian Hunter LP/CD: "You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic"

Sleeve and track listing

CHRX 1214 / 50999 698134 2 9. 

Disc 1

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)¹
11. Ships (take 1)¹
12. When The Daylight Comes (early version)¹
13. Just Another Night (early version)¹
14. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On¹
15. Ships (early version)²
16. Just Another Night (electric)²

Disc 2

1. FBI³
2. Once Bitten Twice Shy³
3. Life After Death³
4. Sons And Daughters⁴
5. Laugh At Me⁴
6. Just Another Night⁴
7. One Of The Boys⁴
8. Letter To Brittania From The Union Jack⁵
9. Bastard⁵
10. All The Way From Memphis³
11. Cleveland Rocks³
12. All The Young Dudes⁴
13. When The Daylight Comes³
14. Sweet Angeline³

¹Bonus track on 30th Anniversary 2-CD issue

²Download only (eg from Amazon) - not on the physical CD!

³Live, Agora Ballroom, Cleveland OH 18th June 1979

⁴Live, Hammersmith Odeon, London 22nd November 1979

⁵Live, Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley CA 7th July 1979

Sleeve variations

The US CD sleeve

The original UK sleeve

Review

Ian came back after a two-year absence in 1979 with this album. Mick Ronson was back on guitar, and Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band were the backing musicians (they had just worked on Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album).

This is a brilliant album, and the yardstick by which all his other work is judged. From the opening beat of Just Another Night to the closing strains of The Outsider there isn't a bad track on here. Mixing full-tilt rockers (Cleveland Rocks, Life After Death) with sensitive ballads (Ships) the album is well-paced and leaves the listener wanting more.

This was issued on CD on Chrysalis in the UK in 1994, and on Razor & Tie in the USA in 1995. The UK release was a limited-edition "25th Anniversary" edition, in a long (blue) box, with a blue jewel-case and booklet (which was about Chrysalis generally, not Ian). Sound quality is very good. No bonus tracks.

1999 saw this CD reissued in the UK, this time on the EMI label as part of their "Classic Rock" series. It boasted new sleeve notes, and improved (remastered) sound quality.

2009 saw a 2-CD issue with a wealth of bonus tracks and a second disc of previously-unreleased live material. As a live document the second disc works very well, despite being recorded at a variety of venues.

Of the bonus material on the first disc perhaps the most interesting is the early version of Just Another Night which features radically different lyrics, showing how such a classic song can develop from the initial germ of an idea to the finished product.

Life After Death	3:49	Originally released on You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic, and on the compilations From The Knees Of My Heart and The Singles Collection 1975-83.
Life After Death (live 12th June 1979)	4:37	This live version (recorded at My Father's Place, Roslyn NY) was released on Missing In Action (not on the box set).
Life After Death (live 18th June 1979)	4:46	This live version (recorded at the Agora, Cleveland OH) is on the 30th Anniversary issue of You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. Not on the box set.
Life After Death (live 22nd November 1979)	5:16	This live version (recorded Hammermith Odeon, London England) is on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).

Life, Ian Hunter, When I'm President

The closing song Life on this excellent release is a philosophical reflection of a wise elder statesman. It's advice about taking life easier since fear, stress, age, and holding grudges can kill you so learn to laugh at life. Regardless of your status in life we are all just trying to get by. He suggests not to take social media seriously and this seems to be all the stupid stuff. There are serious things in life but these are not it. The song started out as a strong piano melody but at first Ian didn't realize how well it closes out his live shows; this sound advice is related before a segue into a signature rendition of All The Young Dudes. 

Less obvious than Ships but Ian is thinking of his father who died of a stroke and how Hunter tended to take his work home with him. He is describing how doing something that you love can also become a job with all the responsibilities. Hunter also writes to his kids to do your work but then come home, relax, and be happy. 

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

Life

(Ian Hunter)

Easy come, easy go... just another rock 'n' roll show, hope you had a great night
When you get home and climb in to bed
Just remember what I said 
'n laugh because it's only life

Fear knows how to kill ya
stress knows how to kill ya, take a little sound advice
We're all gettin' older
Let some of those chips fall off your shoulders
And laugh because it's only life

Laugh because it's only, laugh because it's only 
Laugh because it's only life

When you're down remember that 
It's all water off a duck's back
And laugh because it's only life

Some of us are born rich 
Some of us ain't got a tent to pitch, most of us just get by
You gotta learn to live with it, you gotta learn to smile a little bit 
And laugh because it's only life

I ain't talkin' 'bout the serious stuff, just talking 'bout the stupid stuff
The things you do when you get high
Did you blow it on MySpace, did you Twitter when you were outta your face
Well laugh because it's only life

Laugh because it's only - laugh because it's only - laugh because it's only life
When you're down remember that - it's all water off a duck's back
And laugh because it's only life

I hope you had a good time - hope your time was as good as mine, my you're such a beautiful sight
I can't believe after all of these years, you're still here and I'm still here
Laugh because it's only life

Laugh because it's only - laugh because it's only - laugh because it's only life
When you're down remember that - it's all water off a duck's back 
And laugh because it's only life

Ian Hunter and The Rant Band CD: "When I'm President"

Sleeve and track listing

Proper Records PRPCD104

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

Review

Now this is more like it. Ian's new album is a welcome return to form. The good news is this album is chock full of rockers. The bad news is... well, there isn't any. In the fullness of time this album could well turn out to be his best in many years.

The run of good albums that started with Rant and continued with Shrunken Heads continues here. Guitars are to the full, with strong solos from both James Mastro and Mark Bosch. Ian's singing is strong without ever sounding strained and the rhythm section is as tight as a duck's whatsit.

What helps of course is that the songs are top-notch. Comfortable (Flyin' Scotsman) sets the tone, being a powerful full-paced rocker with guitars and subtle use of saxes. The title track is also strong, a mid-paced rocker with a repeated keyboard refrain reminiscent of The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again.

What For is another rocker with strong guitars and piano reminiscent of early Mott The Hoople. Ian hasn't rocked like this for years, and it sounds like he's having fun. Black Tears is slower but powerful and moody with a guitar solo that reminds me of the much-missed Mick Ronson. Saint is another up-tempo rocker, this time it reminds me at times of Twisted Steel. Wild Bunch meanwhile is a rocker that reminds me of The Faces.

There are so many good songs on this album it is hard to pick out highlights. What's interesting is that this album is credited to Ian Hunter And The Rant Band. This is much more of a band album than most of Ian's recent albums, and it is much the better for it.

What more can I say? It's brilliant... 'nuff said,

Life

4:58

Originally issued on When I'm President.