Death 'n' Glory Boys, Ian Hunter, All Of The Good Ones Are Taken

Death 'n' Glory Boys is a political song and a straight forward denunciation about the stupidity of continually sending the young off to war. It should be clear that the song is inspired by the trauma of war and Ian has confirmed that the song is about the Falkland Islands war and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's adventurism. The conflict cost a great deal of money and young lives but the song can be applied to any unnecessary warfare. Hunter's daughter was seventeen years old then which hit home for him that a child that young could be killed in war. 

Fortunately, since on most of the record he is absent, Mick Ronson offered a blistering guitar solo with Ian next to him. Hunter reports that Ronno forgot the chords so he was winging it. When Ian saw Mick freeze Ronson said afterwards `Well, if you're lost, you might as well stay where you are." Priceless! 

More on On Track Ian Hunter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044...

Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil

https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian who is not from Great Britain

https://www.facebook.com/keepitasahobby/posts/pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTipnWEhR23axesLKoRysawg9MLcKZxLs1xNFQ5ogADRedl?mibextid=YxdKMJ

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson

https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

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

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

Death 'n' Glory Boys

(Ian Hunter)

Get your son - young 'n' dumb
Give him a gun - make him run
Hot stuff - on a Saturday night
Wait a minute - this ain't right

It's that same old story
Talkin' 'bout the death 'n' glory boys
When your head is on the scaffold
'N' your ass is on the line
You gotta give it that old religion
One mo' time
Get the death 'n' glory boys

Midnight - no light
Cool sand - like mud in my hands
Got this feelin' - in my hair
What's that movin' - I ain't a scared

It's that same old story
Freak out with the death 'n' glory boys
When it's down to stealing apples
'N' you been doin' time
They can buy the hero in you
For a dime
You're a death 'n' glory boy

You'd better pack up your troubles
In your old kit bag
Say goodbye to your mother
She's the only friend you have

Long live the leaders
Long may they reign
May they live long enough
To feel every single pain

They don't care about the widows
They don't give no reasons why
They just keep on making medals
You can buy

From the death 'n' glory boys

Ian Hunter LP/CD: "All Of The Good Ones Are Taken"

Sleeve and track listing

Sony/Columbia 474780 2. 

1. All of the Good Ones Are Taken (3:42)
2. Every Step of the Way (3:55)
3. Fun (4:21)
4. Speechless (3:49)
5. Death 'n' Glory Boys (5:57)
6. That Girl Is Rock 'n' Roll (3:18)
7. Somethin's Goin' On (4:33)
8. Captain Void 'n' the Video Jets (4:12)
9. Seeing Double (4:24)
10. All of the Good Ones Are Taken (3:48)
11. Traitor¹

¹ Bonus track on the 2007 CD

Review

Ian recorded this album at the end of 1982, and is a real mix of styles. Mick Ronson was absent, as he was seriously considering quitting the music business ("At one point I was even considering becoming a chef" - Mick). Strongest tracks are Speechless (later to be covered by Status Quo), and the title track. Every Step of the Way was also later covered by The Monkees on their Listen To The Band box set.

Side two closes with a slow version of All Of The Good Ones Are Taken, while side one opens with a fast version. The original version was "lost", but the record company persuaded Ian to re-record it ("But I couldn't get the feel back" - Ian). The fast version was released as a single, which was accompanied by a video which was shown for a while on MTV.

Death 'n' Glory Boys

5:58

Originally issued on All of the Good Ones Are Taken, and on the compilations Gold, Once Bitten - the CBS Collection and The Singles Collection 1975-83

Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders), Ian Hunter, Rant

Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders) is a mostly uptempo and political LP but with this song Ian diverts his attention to a more personal touch. It is one of Hunter's favorites containing a mesmeric blend of piano, groove box and drums. The figure depicted is in decline and facing mid-life monotony. In fact, it's a sensitive song with hand-holding, trembling, and reminiscing about early days of being together what are often called the honeymoon phase. Then, the man is now conscious of his mortality, achievements in the past, and now lacking in freshness. The dead man walking is not on stage or on television as the EastEnders British drama which tackles controversial or taboo topics. Inundated with TV, computers, and video games nothing is fresh and people are too depressed to think. Oddly, the song arose by hitting on a wrong note and stumbling across a spark of inspiration. 

Ian could simply be referring to himself not in the limelight and aging with no one calling. Hunter is saying life is the real thing and he's walking to the end. It's brutal self-assessment. During mid-life often people are like dead men. Life is boring and often there is a crisis since we realize that we are past our peak. At the time of writing, Hunter had no label, musicians, and no access to get his music out. In your forties nothing is new and life is not as much as fun as when you were younger. At fifty, the idea of mortality starts you thinking more about your looming death. 

More on On Track Ian Hunter:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_B2K7YSTB337KEK41GYPY

Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil
https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian who is not from Great Britain
https://www.facebook.com/keepitasahobby/posts/pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTipnWEhR23axesLKoRysawg9MLcKZxLs1xNFQ5ogADRedl?mibextid=YxdKMJ

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

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

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

More info or to request an interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

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

A (male) prisoner on death row who is walking to the place of execution

EastEnders has been important in the history of British television drama, tackling many subjects that are considered to be controversial or taboo in British culture, and portraying a social life previously unseen on UK mainstream television.^[2]

Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders)

(Ian Hunter)

I've been here before - this is where my fingers slipped into yours
This is where I trembled - when you touched mine
This is where the seeds we planted long ago
Grew up to tell us we're too old to know

I've been here before - this is where the novelty starts wearing off, wearing off, wearing off
And all the world's a stage - it's just that I ain't on it anymore, anymore
This ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders, it's the real thing
What am I supposed to do now?
Crawl down the hole of monotony - monotony - monotony - monotony

The silence is deafening - the phone never rings
Won't somebody help me cos - I feel like I'm drowning
If I should sink - if I should swim
It doesn't really matter anymore - Dead man walkin'

I've been meaning to tell you for oh so long
Baby you got it right 'n I got it wrong
Now I know what ageism means - you gotta try a little harder
you gotta be a little stronger

I've been here before - this is where nothing happens anymore, anymore, anymore, Someone else's rage - someone else's pain
Someone else's ego - you will believe, you will believe

This ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders, this ain't Eastenders, it's the real thing
What am I supposed to do now?
Sink to the bottom of obscurity, obscurity, obscurity, obscurity

It's a foregone conclusion - a fait accompli
It's all taken care of - you don't have to worry
If I should lose - If I should win
It doesn't really matter anymore - Dead man walkin'

Ian Hunter CD: "Rant"

Sleeve and track listing

Fuel2000/True North TND 235. 

1. Still Love Rock 'n' Roll (4:34)
2. Wash Us Away (3:57)
3. Death of a Nation (5:35)
4. Morons (5:32)
5. Purgatory (4:46)
6. American Spy (4:30)
7. Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders) (6:20)
8. Good Samaritan (4:07)
9. Soap & Water (5:18)
10. Ripoff (4:50)
11. Knees Of My Heart (3:35)
12. No One (3:37)

Running time: 56m 47s

Sleeve variations

UK sleeve

Review

Ian's first studio album since The Artful Dodger finds him in a determined mood with a lot to say. Always at his best when he feels he has something to say, Ian is on the warpath with this one, his most politically charged in over 25 years. And boy has he delivered, an album that will stand the test of time mixing belting rockers with poingant ballads.

Opening track Still Love Rock 'n' Roll is a nod to the music that inspired Ian in the first place, a great mid-tempo rocker, Chuck Berry meets Little Richard covering all points in between but with a fresh perspective. I can see this being in the live set for years to come. Wash Us Away is a great slower number that grows on you, you'll soon find yourself humming the tune when you're busy doing something else.

Death Of A Nation is next, some of you may remember it from last year's tour. Almost folkish in places with acoustic guitar, Ian laments the decline of the England that (WW2 leader) Churchill would have known, and has a message for the politicians responsible for it all: "But you've been getting away with it for far too long/Your promises ain't worth the paper they're written on". In terms of pace and delivery it is reminiscent of God (Take 1), I can see it becoming another live favourite.

Morons is an up-tempo rocker, with plenty of piano, reminiscent musically of Marionette and lyrically Crash Street Kidds where Ian positively spits venom at the politicians and media for treating people like... well, morons: "Read moron newspapers, watch moron television... Etonians, Harovians think they're the chosen ones", and later "Look at those morons! They do nothing but whine and they're slow all the time... We can leave 'em behind, while we're dumbing them down we'll be robbing them blind!"

The subject of the high cost of living in England crops up again later, like in American Spy where Ian notes "Always in the red, never in the black/You make a bit of money and they take it all back/This ain't no way to spend the rest of my life" and in the more obvious Ripoff: "I really don't know why England's such a ripoff" and, he notes, "Some day you might win the lottery/Some day you might win the pools/But that's all you've got to live for" which for an awful lot of people isn't to far from the truth.

But it isn't all political, as Ian shows time and again he can write beautiful ballads that hit the emotional nail right on the head, such as Knees Of My Heart ("Slipped the ring on your finger/It's still there to this day" and "Honest and faithful, loyal and true/Where would I be if it were not for you".

Soap 'n' Water is direct and to the point, being directed at someone else entirely: "I can't believe what you did, you know how to hurt/All you do is drag old memories through the dirt".

This is a CD that takes a couple of plays to hit you (Ian never makes it easy for his fans!). But believe me, there is quality and depth here that will reward repeated playing. The (US) CD comes with an insert that folds out to reveal full lyrics and musician credits - I can only assume the UK CD will do likewise. All in all, highly recommended.

Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders)	6:20	Originally issued on Rant, also on the compilation The Journey.
Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders) (live 29/30th January 2002)	7:00	This live version (recorded Sentrum Scene, Oslo Norway) can be found on the box set version of Strings Attached
Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders) (live 19th May 2002)	7:00	This live version (recorded Life Cafe, Manchester England) was released on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 2) (box set only).
Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders) (live 28th May 2004)	7:11	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. Not on the box set.

On Track Notes on Style, Tone, and Format (rough draft)

 "On Track" series -Notes on Style, tone and formatWord count for the series is a minimum of 40 000 up to a maximum of 60 000 for artists with many albums.  

You are also asked to fill a 16 page picture section.

Tone and Content

The series is designed to provide a contrast between solid, factual information and critical analysis. How these two balance is up to the author (in conjunction with the publisher, of course). None of this is set in stone, so if what I say belowdoes not chime in with what you want to do, let's discuss it. 

However, please note the followingas rules of thumb:

Basic album credits are given at the beginning of each chapter (see below). It is not necessary to give credits for each track UNLESS this provides useful insight into how the track was created.

Discussion of live performance variations in arrangements (for instance) are very useful, but there's no need to list every gig or tour the trackwas played at. 

Track and album timings are an optional extra. They are not compulsory. Writing credits are important, though.

Every artist has peaks and troughs, but part of the ethos of the series to treat every album with respect. Poor or unsuccessful albums must be discussed in the same way as good ones, where possible.

HOWEVER do not get bogged down on CD bonus tracks and demos, unless they give genuine insight, though these should be listed. It's the songs on the original albums that people will want to hear about in detail.

Arrive at abalance between discussion of music and lyrics. Do not get bogged down in too much analysis of lyrical content.

Using quotes from the artist or other critics can be very useful, but do not rely on them. We want to hear the author's voice in the book. 

HOWEVER...This is not the time to give us your revisionist take on the artist, so all strong opinions -good and band -MUST be justified, either by argument or by quoting from external sources. Remember that purchasers will -in the main -will be fans wanting to read positive comments. 

On track series - Notes on Style and Tone.pdfFormatGeneral Introduction

This should set out the artist's work in context and give a brief history if appropriate, discussing overall changes in musical style. You should also set out what you are aiming to achieve in the book, plus any quirks the reader needs to be aware of.

For each studio album, we want UK and US information by default, plus the country of origin if relevant (eg. Canadian or Australian chart places and release datesfor artists from those countries)

Dates should be in US style (Eg. 26 April 1973).

For each album. Credits.Title.Release date (UK and US if different)Personnel: (name and instruments played)Recorded at: Studio name, location, datesProduced by: NameAny other significant credits: (eg. Engineers)Chart placings -(eg. UK -5, USA -did not chart)Current edition: (eg. EMI CD)IntroductionPlace the album in context. 

Discuss it's musical direction, its success, line up changes and critical reception. How do you feel about it and why?SongsName off track.

Writing creditsAny other credits (eg, guest musicians, chart placings if releases as a single) can be included in the text. 

The text may be anything from500 words to a single line depending its complexity and place in the canon. 

Bonus tracks and demos included on CD special editions should be covered briefly.Live albums, DVDs and other media

These should be discussed in a separate chapter at the end of the book. Some may be worthy of extensive coverage, others may be dismissed in one line.Again, this is not set in stone, so if in doubt, ask.

Acknowledgements and Bibliography

Useful if you can fit them in. On track series - Notes on Style and Tone.pdf The Colour sectionSee my separate note regarding picture research. You are asked to provide enough pictures to fill a 16 page colour section. In most cases this will be about 25 pictures.Thesewill be the only pictures in the book. There is no budget to pay for photo library pictures except for the cover, so it is necessary to be creative. 8 pages will be acceptable in some circumstances.  On track series - Notes on Style and Tone.pdf 3 of 5 

Day Tripper, Ian Hunter, Missing In Action, and on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 1)

 

Ian performing this Beatles classic is hard to find and unfortunately the sound quality is not the best. It is a terrific song though which upon listening and due to its rarity may be worth a listen. 

Ian Hunter CD: "Missing In Action"

Sleeve and track listing

Burning Airlines/NMC PILOT 52. 

Disc 1: Missing In Action

1. Life After Death (4:37)¹
2. Ships (6:47)¹
3. Letter To Britannia From The Union Jack (3:03)²
4. We Gotta Get Out Of Here (3:44)³
5. While You Were Looking At Me (4:23)⁴
6. (I'm The) Teacher (4:02)⁵
7. American Music (3:49)⁵
8. Day Tripper (5:15)⁵
9. Tell It Like It Is (6:26)⁴
10. Pain (5:54)⁴
11. Women's Intuition (6:14)⁴
12. Wild East (4:30)⁶
13. Na Na Na (5:05)⁶

Running time: 63m 55s

Disc 2: Collateral Damage

1. FBI (4:57)¹
2. Once Bitten Twice Shy (4:56)¹
3. When The Daylight Comes (6:18)²
4. Laugh At Me (3:41)²
5. I Wish I Was Your Mother (6:26)³
6. Cleveland Rocks (6:15)²
7. Bastard (6:19)²
8. Standin' In My Light (4:44)²
9. Angeline (4:13)¹
10. All The Way From Memphis (7:17)²
11. Walkin' With A Mountain/Rock 'n' Roll Queen (4:22)²
12. All The Young Dudes (3:40)²
13. Slaughter On 10th Avenue (2:51)³

Running time: 66m 05s

¹ Recorded My Father's Place, Roslyn NY 12th June 1979

² Recorded Park West, Chicago IL 22nd June 1979

³ Recorded Rockpalast TV Show, Grugahalle, Essen Germany 19th April 1980

⁴ Recorded The Cabaret, San Jose CA 16th December 1989

⁵ Recorded Rock and Roll Heaven, Toronto ON 11th June 1988

⁶ Recorded Rock and Roll Heaven, Toronto ON 11th November 1987

Collateral Damage bonus disc available with the first 5000 copies only (supposedly).

Review

With Ian's 2-CD Once Bitten Twice Shy anthology hitting the shelves, and the resulting press coverage, this CD has been rush-released in a desperate attempt to cash in on all the publicity. It showcases a CD's worth of previously-unreleased live material - indeed, songs that have never been released in "live" form before.

The disc opens strongly enough, with a blistering version of Life After Death and a beautiful version of Ships and Letter To Britannia. After that, the sound quality heads south - the sound balance is all wrong on We Gotta Get Out Of Here and if Ellen Foley is present (Ian's acknowledges here, so I assume she is) then she is completely inaudible.

Things get worse for While You Were Looking At Me, while for American Music it sounds like the microphone (yes, we're talking audience recording here folks!) is right in front of the drum kit. In fact, on all these tracks the source has been either an (off-air) FM tape or and audience recording.

Don't get me wrong, therse are all "mice-to-have" tracks, but just don't expect to get the last word in sound quality. In fact, the whole package has a "bootleg" feel to it, right down to the booklet which, despite being written by Campbell Devine still contain the odd typo here and there. Even the title is a nod to glorious bootlegs past (Behind Enemy Lines, anyone?).

Initial copies come with a bonus disc, called Collateral Damage, which is actually much better quality. It is taken entirely from (off-air) FM tapes, and was recorded in Long Island and Chicago. Granted all the material here has appeared in live form before (on Welcome To The Club), but it is certainly interesting to hear these performances from earlier in the tour.

Good tho' this set is, it could have been so much better. It is a shame the original broadcast masters weren't tracked down and used (if any effort was spent searching for them, the booklet doesn't say). I think I'd also have preferred the 1989 San Jose show to have made up Disc 2, as this contains several YUI Orta tracks that have yet to appear in "live" form.

So, in conclusion as a live album this release is let down by the less-than-ideal sound quality. It's better to think of this as an "official bootleg" in which case it is a more worthy release.

Note that there is no indication on the packaging of the presence of the bonus disc. No sticker, '2CD' logo on the case - nothing.

Day Tripper (live 11th June 1988)

5:16

This live version (recorded at Rock and Roll Heaven, Toronto ON) was originally issued on Missing In Action, and on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 1) (box set only).

Dandy, Ian Hunter, Fingers Crossed

Dandy could easily have been a disaster writing about a complicated relationship with just about the most famous rock star of the 1970s. Starting out as a song entitled Lady with a different topic Hunter heard about Bowie's passing. The song became Dandy and it practically leaps out at you as the standout track on the LP. His homage to David Bowie who passed away back in January 2016 bears a comparison to Micael Picasso as a tribute song which must be extremely difficult to write. The songwriter is trying to say something profound, personal, and memorable about figures who Ian knows both as a person and a professional. He really is able to pull off both the impact of Bowie, references his songs, and band, while weaving clever lyrics to a catchy melody about a larger than life figure in Technicolor. 

Ian has said about Bowie that he was the only musical artist who did anything of note during the 1970s. Hunter picks a perfect image by referring to Lord Fauntleroy who set the fashion of his time just as Bowie did in the '70s. The "Cabaret Voltaire" reference is replete with references since it is a name of a 1970s, band, one of Scotland's most iconic and historic music venues, and at the same time the name of an artistic nightclub in Zürich credited as the birthplace of the Dada movement. All of these references seem particularly apropo considering the cultural impact of Bowie. Piccadilly Circus is associated with people in the UK but there are Bowie connections as well. His first film was screened there in 1967 and Bowie posed on Heddon Street, close to Piccadilly Circus for his iconic Ziggy Stardust album cover. This is a stellar track and an impressive homage to Bowie. 

Along the way we are treated to nods to Dylan's Ballad of a Thin Man, references to Bowie's The Prettiest Star, Life on Mars, Heroes, and The Jean Genie. The bridge references Starman and Hunter nails the description of guy who had it all: the swagger, the looks and style, and a way with word craft. Bowie was the "keeper of the flame" for a generation while Ian name checks the Spiders from Mars. It is a clever presentation in that like Michael Picasso he never mentions the name of the artist. Upon first hearing it sounds like an instant classic with a great hook "and then we took the last bus home."

Proper Records released the song as a promo single and Classic Rock immediately placed it on the "Heavy Rotation" chart at #2. Proper also released an exclusive gold vinyl single, limited to 1,000 copies, the hand-numbered disc feature the non-album track Seein' Red as the B-side and was presented in a red and gold picture sleeve. 

More on On Track Ian Hunter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_B2K7YSTB337KEK41GYPY

Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil

https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian who is not from Great Britain

https://www.facebook.com/keepitasahobby/posts/pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTipnWEhR23axesLKoRysawg9MLcKZxLs1xNFQ5ogADRedl?mibextid=YxdKMJ

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson

https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

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

More info or to request an interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

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

If there is any London location which can be justifiably described as THE Ziggy Stardust "shrine" it would have to be Heddon Street where Bowie posed outside #23 for the Front cover and inside a traditional red London phonebox for the Back cover of the Ziggy album.  This street has for many Bowie fans the same significance that the Abbey Road zebra-crossing has for Beatles fans. 

Heddon Street is a small, quiet U-shaped side-street and alleyway off Regent Street located in the heart of London, close to Piccadilly Circus.

Zürich,

Cabaret Voltaire is one of Scotlands most iconic and historic music venues

Cabaret Voltaire was the name of a short-lived artistic nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland in 1916 

Dandy

(Ian Hunter)

Something is happening, Mr Jones
My brother says you're better than the Beatles or the Stones
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning
You turned us into heroes, can you hear the heroes sing?

Dandy, you're the prettiest star
There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be
Dandy, you opened up the door
You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home

Who let the genie outta the lamp?
And little Lord Fauntleroy, who let him outta his amp?
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning, 
Well Trevor's getting bolder, 'n Woody likes to hit things

Dandy, this world was black 'n' white
You showed us what it's like to live inside a rainbow 
Dandy, You thrilled us to the core
You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home

You beat up Goliath, you had it all
The voice, the look, the songs that shook
The gift of the gab 'n the gall
Saturday night 'n Sunday morning
When all we had to look forward to was the weekend, you made our lives worth living

Dandy, you're still the prettiest star
There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be
Dandy, you took us to the fair
Cabaret Voltaire - and then we caught the last bus home

Dandy, you know we've waited long enough
They should put a statue up in Piccadilly Circus
Dandy, you blew us all away moutta the drab and the grey
And then we caught the last bus home

Dandy, the keeper of the flame, we won't see your like again
No, Dandy was a one-off
Dandy, look at what you've become
I guess I owe you one, so thanks for the memories

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.

Dandy

4:41

Originally released on Fingers Crossed.

Dancing on the Moon, (Ian Hunter/Darrell Bath/Honest John Plain), Ian Hunter, Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry

Dancing on the Moon has a strong live feel to it and it opens the record to a rocking start. The band didn't know what they were doing and the drums were all over the place since Ian kept changing the chords. It is totally spontaneous. Nonetheless, a great feature of the track is a strong chorus filled with some word play about being out and about. It feels like the musicians are just giving it all and having a great time letting it all hang out. It reminds me of the sort of creative chaos that Guy Stevens tried to inspire in the Brain Capers era Mott The Hoople. Chaotic but somehow less than polished rock efforts work. 

More on On Track Ian Hunter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789523044?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_B2K7YSTB337KEK41GYPY

Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil

https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS

Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian who is not from Great Britain

https://www.facebook.com/keepitasahobby/posts/pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTipnWEhR23axesLKoRysawg9MLcKZxLs1xNFQ5ogADRedl?mibextid=YxdKMJ

Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson

https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650...

HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2

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

More info or to request an interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

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

A live version is available from 2010.

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

Dancing On The Moon

(Ian Hunter/Darrell Bath/Honest John Plain)

Oh!!
Well I climbed through the fence, out with the (?), head for the river plate(?).
The river's not tame, heat in the city meant dogs can't smell the same.
Don't wait up, I'll be home soon, but I can't come now cos I'm
Dancing on the (dancing, dancing) moon, yeah.
(dancing, dancing....)
I crawl like a snake, seen a better daybreak, I sleep when I'm wide awake.
All my body's achin', I know they're tryin' to break me, but that's a chance I
gotta take.
Oh, don't wait up, I'll be home soon, but I can't come now cos I'm
Dancing, dancing, dancing (dancing on the moon) dancing, dancing, dancing on
the moon
All right.

I'm outside a Memphis, My motors little danger(?) she gives me
pharmaceuticals
Knowin' my friends, they help me beat the hangman, they know I'm innocent
Well that's all right, I'll be home soon, but I can't come now cos I'm
Dancing, dancing (dancing, dancing) on the moon
(dancing, dancing on the moon) .

I can see your house in between the trees
I can feel your body shakin' in between my knees.
You know it feels so low, I come so far
I always love to have some fire on me

You're looking so good

Well I got me a room, can't say where it is, you can guess the address
Well I need some money, need it in a special place, not try the weaknesses(?)
Wake up (?) , nursin' my wounds, I told you I was comin, I was comin' home soon. yeah.

(Want you, want you, want you, want you right away, )
((To fade))

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.

Dancing On The Moon	5:24	Originally issued on Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry.
Dancing On The Moon (live 11th October 2010)	5:40	This live version (recorded at The Journal Tyne Centre, Newcastle England) was released on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 3)(box set only).

Cool, Ian Hunter, YUI Orta

With Cool Ian teamed up with his old mate Mick Ronson once again to record this song and 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 and one of their best. The team was tight and the LP examples their exemplary collaboration. 

Originally, the song was originally entitled Cool Jerk and Hunter is identifying the herd mentality of people who won't change their mind. The song is a cloying look at the idea of being "cool" or a hipster since every society has some people within that group who decides these things. As Ian identifies the cool people he points out that it can be anyone highly placed or an ordinary everyday person; the point of the song is to oppose the cool people because the singer says:

But don't you ever cross me dude
'Cos that ain't cool, that's an attitude

The song features kicking drum beats, wah-wah guitar, and synthesized brass, the punchy song noting all trendy things.  

More on On Track Ian Hunter:

https://a.co/d/4vsj2aw

Yeah Uh-Huh by Lisa and Phil https://youtu.be/r46AbOSo-MM?si=uuWy3T8rQjhnGkwS Tell Me About Your Book, The Phenomenal Musician John Christian who is not from Great Britain https://www.facebook.com/keepitasahobby/posts/pfbid09pnutefvQEpSF8uz8jMTipnWEhR23axesLKoRysawg9MLcKZxLs1xNFQ5ogADRedl?mibextid=YxdKMJ Set Lusting Bruce with Jesse Jackson https://podcasts.apple.com/.../set.../id1038228650... HODGEPOD with Rob Fredette https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bgfx7-14962b2 Sign up now for the pre-release of Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing at TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me!

More info or to request an interview: TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me

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

Cool

(Ian Hunter)

You might be a celebrity-everybody sits up and begs
You might be the sexiest thing since God invented legs
You might be a dictator, a dealer or a saint
Cool is here to tell you when you're cool and when you ain't
If you lose your cool-if you lose your cool-if your cool don't work
If your cool's gone fishin' you ain't nothing but a cool jerk

Now you might be a nazi-lookin' for a friend
You might be a beginning- looking for an end
Some folks go for the ice and snow-some like it Florida hot
Cool is here to tell you what is cool and what is not

You can write a book about the money you took
You and pose on the cover nude
You can flip on an ego trip-time'll do the cover on you
But don't you ever cross me dude
'Cos that ain't cool, that's an attitude

You might be a macho man
Do 50 million sit-ups a day
You might be an expert, with something important to say
You might be an evangelist-livin' on the wages of sin 

              Cool is here to tell you what is out and what is in 

Cool

4:30

Originally issued on YUI Orta.

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.