Blog Smith

Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse), Ian Hunter, When I'm President

Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse) comes somplete with tom-toms sounding like heartbeats, guitar attacks and flute, the song is tense and powerful as Hunter digs into history fairly often and Native American themes are a topic of interest, e.g., River of Tears. The attraction for Ian is the underdog nature of historical characters and Crazy Horse is ideal for that purpose. 

Cavalry tactics dictate that on the defense soldiers dismount but at the Battle of Little Bighorn the accounts state that Crazy Horse (tashunka witco) did the same as noted in the song:

I never shoot from the saddle
Always shoot from the ground
I walk my horse up 'n' I ride him down

The cavalry retreated as they were surrounded and outnumbered as there were a series of ground attacks until all of Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer's men were killed. 

"I decoyed Fetterman" refers to the Fetterman Fight on 21 December 1866 when Crazy Horse and nine warriors lured a detachment of 81 troopers to their death who were led by Captain William J. Fetterman. The song relates:

The only good white is a dead white
That's what I was taught

Truthfully, Hunter relates that Crazy Horse, Lakota war leader of the Oglala band, fought not only troopers but also other Native Americans such as the Shoshone, Arapahoe, Omaha, and Crow. As a young boy Crazy Horse was known as Curley Hair. Later he was renamed Horse On Sight. During a battle with the Arapahos the young Crazy Horse showed bravery. As a result Crazy Horse, the father, passed on his name to his son in honor of his war deed. The father would be known thereafter as Worm.

There is a live version of the song from 2012 as well. 

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

https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/crazy-horse.htm

The Fetterman Fight, also known as the Fetterman Massacre or the Battle of the Hundred-in-the-Hands or the Battle of a Hundred Slain,[1] was a battle during Red Cloud's War on December 21, 1866, between a confederation of the LakotaCheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and a detachment of the United States Army, based at Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming. The U.S. military mission was intended to protect travelers on the Bozeman Trail. A group of ten warriors, including Crazy Horse, acted to lure a detachment of U.S. soldiers into an ambush. All 81 men under the command of Captain William J. Fetterman were then killed by the Native American warriors. At the time, it was the worst military disaster ever suffered by the U.S. Army on the Great Plains.

Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer

Crow King said, “When they saw that they were surrounded they dismounted.” This was cavalry tactics by the book. There was no other way to make a stand or maintain a stout defense. A brief period followed of deliberate fighting on foot.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-was-won-63880188/

Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)

(Ian Hunter)

All I need is a feather
All I need is a stone
All I need is a shadow
To follow me home
All I need is a vision
All I need is a dream
All I need are my people following me
I never shoot from the saddle
Always shoot from the ground
I walk my horse up 'n' I ride him down, 
I decoyed Fetterman, I got no remorse
They used to call me Curly now I'm Crazy Horse

We fought Shoshone, we fought Arapahoes
We fought the Omahas 'n' we fought the Crows
I can't wait to cut your long hair short
The only good white is a dead white
That's what I was taught

Hey, hey, hey
hey, hey, hey
Hoka hey, hoka hey

Paid by the rich to steal from the poor
There ain't no honour in ya
Ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, Crazy Horse

I know these rivers
I know this land
I know those hills like the back of my hand
Now the buffalo's gone, there ain't nothin' left
'cept little yellow stones in this wilderness
I lost my brother, I lost my wife
I lost my daughter, the love of my life
Tell your great white father up in Washington
I got a knife between my teeth for that fork in his tongue

Hey, hey, hey
hey, hey, hey
Hoka hey, hoka hey

You're gonna wish you'd never been born
When you get to Little Big Horn
Ta Shunka Witco, ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, Crazy Horse

When you talk peace, you mean war, we'll be waiting for ya
Ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco, ta shunka witco
Never surrender, never surrender, never surrender
Never surrender, never surrender, never surrender
Never surrender



Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)5:47Originally issued on When I'm President.
Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse) (live 8th October 2012)6:45This live version (recorded at the John Dee, Oslo Norway) was released on Bag Of Tricks (Vol 3) (box set only).

Friday, November 10, 2023

Sweet Jane, (Lou Reed), Ian Hunter, Mott The Hoople, All The Young Dudes LP, Live 2010

Sweet Jane is a Lou Reed song and was originally released on the 1972 All The Young Dudes LP by Mott The Hoople nonetheless it was a staple of Ian Hunter solo concerts. David Bowie strummed the classic riff for Mott and the band reacted wanting to know what it was. Although Ian was puzzled by the New York gay scene Bowie stood next to Ian and sang the lyrics. Thereafter, Lou Reed came in the studio to do a guide vocal and Hunter was even more mystified. Ian told Reed an awful joke and Lou just stared at him and they didn't speak again. It was just one meeting and that's it and they didn't get along at all. Lou reduced his music to its simplest components and Hunter admits that is really difficult to do. How the riff emerged from Reed is just as mysterious. Out of an obligation to Bowie's help Mott recorded the tune although the song was not really Mott. 

Nonetheless, Hunter has made the song his own way live and kudos to James "Maestro" Mastro for his original arrangement of the song. 

There are live releases from 2008, 2010, and a Tribes version.  

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

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

Sweet Jane

(Lou Reed)

Standing on the corner
Suitcase in my hand
Jack is in his corset and Jane is in her vest
And me I'm in a rock and roll band
Riding in a Stutz Bearcat Jim
Those were different times
And the poets studied rules of verse
And all the ladies rolled there eyes
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Now Jack he is a banker
And Jane she is a clerk
And they're both saving up all their money
And when they come home from work
Sitting by the fire
Radios a-playin'
A little classical music for you kids
To the march of the wooden soldiers and you can hear Jack say
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Some people like to go out dancing
Other people they got to work
And there's always some evil mothers
I tell you life is just full of dirt
And the women never really faint
And the villains always blink their eyes
And children are the only ones that blush
And that life is just to die
But anyone who had a heart
He wouldn't want to turn around and break it
And anyone who ever played a part
He wouldn't want to turn around and hate it
Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane Sweet Jane
Oh my sweet Jane


Sweet Jane (live 2nd March 2008)5:22Originally a Mott The Hoople track. This live version (recorded at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford England) was issued on Acoustic Shadows (box set only).
Sweet Jane (live October 2010)4:23This live version (recorded at an unknown UK venue) can be found on Live In The UK 2010.
Sweet Jane4:39Credited to 'Ian Hunter and Tribes', this can be found on Sampling In Reality (not on the box set).

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Sweet Dreamer, (D. Gibson/Mick Ronson) (Instrumental), YUI Orta

Sweet Dreamer arose from an interpretation of country music superstar's Don Gibson's Sweet Dreams whose most famous version of the tune was by Patsy Cline. Hunter Ronson listened to the song on the road tour bus and then as adapted by the creative mind of Mick Ronson the song became an instrumental and was also a part of live shows with a version available from 1989. 

Mick loved slow and simple songs and he made it his own and something really special. Hunter says this is his all-time favorite Ronno solo. This was Mick as a master of style applying electric lead guitar to a country standard. Hunter added a bit of gospel piano. 

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

"Sweet Dreams" or "Sweet Dreams (of You)" is a country ballad, which was written by Don Gibson. Gibson originally recorded the song in 1955; his version hit the top ten of Billboard's country chart, but was eclipsed by the success of a competing version by Faron Young. In 1960, after Gibson had established himself as a country music superstar, he released a new version as a single. This version also charted in the top ten on the country chart[1] and also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number ninety-three. The song has become a country standard, with other notable versions by Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris.

Sweet Dreamer6:28Originally issued on YUI Orta.
Sweet Dreamer (live 15th February 1989)7:42This live version (recorded The Dominion, London England) can be found on BBC Live in Concert.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Sweet Angeline, Ian Hunter, Brain Capers

Sweet Angeline was a favorite performed live and was originally released on Mott The Hoople's Brain Capers. It's a great up tempo rocker and was highlighted during the 1979-1980 shows. Hunter likes to perform it on occasion reminding him of producer Guy Stevens. He plays harp in an unusual way for the song; he blows instead of sucks and Ian says it's like reading newspapers backwards. 

Also recorded at My Father's Place, Roslyn NY 12th June 1979 on Collateral Damage. Listed as Angeline

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

Sweet Angeline

(Ian Hunter)

Oh Angeline, I love you, your mouth is like a stain
and when I close my eyes each night, I often hear you sing
Imagination's hidden book, you wrote it on the wing
And when I vowed to comfort you, well you swallowed everything

Angeline, oh my Angeline
My Sweet Angeline - you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen

Well your body it is broken in so many different ways
And when I stoop to find your head, well it disappeared in haze.
your blood flows like the finest juice - the kiss of burgundy
and where it comes from no one knows, but where it's going I can't see

Angeline, oh my Angeline
My Sweet Angeline - (y'know) you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen

Angeline, oh my Angeline
You little Angeline - you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen

And your crystal-coloured cardboard bins - attack me from the paint
and I think that I am getting lost among the swollen states
oh rescue me or bury me, for I care not what you do
there is just one thing that I want to say am I really you

Angeline, oh my Angeline
My Sweet Angeline - you have rendered me unseen
I would cry a million smiles for my Indian City queen


Sweet Angeline (live 12th June 1979)4:14Originally a Mott The Hoople track. This live version (recorded at My Father's Place, Roslyn NY) was released on Collateral Damage. Not on the box set.
Sweet Angeline (live 18th June 1979)4:30This 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.
Sweet Angeline (live 5-11th November 1979)4:56This live version (recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles CA) was released on Welcome to the Club, and on the compilation From The Knees Of My Heart.
Sweet Angeline (live 22nd November 1979)5:00This live version (recorded Hammermith Odeon, London England) was originally issued on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).
Sweet Angeline (live 19th April 1980)5:00This live version (recorded Rockpalast TV Show, Grugahalle, Essen Germany) was originally issued on Live At Rockpalast (not on the box set)

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Sunshine Eyes, Ian Hunter, Once Bitten Twice Shy

This is a demo from Hunter's home studio that did not earn a release on his regular album output. It reflects the breath of styles Ian can cover and is a love song for the birth of his youngest son and only child with Trudi. He welcomes son Jesse to the world who he indicates has all the faith, dreams, and spirit to open up his sunshine eyes. 


Sunshine Eyes

(Ian Hunter)

Let this morning like this moment
Let the sun break through your hair
All you have is love

Let your spirit be unbroken
Oh I would give you faith
But I know you've got enough

All you do is make me new
All you need is time
Here's the morning
Welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes

Are you dreaming of the red house
Underneath the trees
In a green and pleasant land

Are you wishing you could go back
Well I can't give you this
I hope you'll understand

All you do is make me new
All you want is time
Here's the morning
Welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes

And there's a chill in the air
Little waves flow down the river
I'm naked as the day I was born

Clothes have a way
Of changing what I'm feeling
I try but I can't put them on

May your spirit be unbroken
All you have to know
Is the someplace you can go

You have filled me with devotion
You are in my heart
And you are in my soul

All you do is make me new
All you need is time
Here's the morning
Welcome to the world
Open up those sunshine eyes
 

 


Both Sunshine Eyes and All Is Forgiven are demos, recorded in Ian's home studio and as such are true solo recordings. They are certainly interesting, and demonstrate the breadth of styles Ian is capable of. But demo quality is all they are, and Ian didn't see fit to record them on any of his albums.

Sunshine Eyes4:21This demo was originally released on Once Bitten Twice Shy. It can also be found on Tilting The Mirror - Rarities(box set only).

Monday, November 6, 2023

Stretch, Ian Hunter, Shrunken Heads

The riff-driven and infectious tribute song Stretch was heralded by a jangling guitar chord that is scruffy, strong, and arresting. There are songs that demonstrate that the Northampton years are still very much a part of his life and here Hunter describes one such unfortunate friend, Barry Parkes, also referenced in Rain who Ian lost and how easily it could have been him. Barry passed in 2003 and used the literary reference. 

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reference is about the Gothic novella and used in the vernacular to refer to people with an outwardly good but sometimes shockingly evil nature. Ian tried to intervene but all to no avail since Stretch went his own way. Hunter's mate had a great brain and a sense of humor but with a dark side so he hit people. He had a messed up life and when Ian met his mate again around 2000 they enjoyed a couple of good years until his buddy got cancer and died. Missing him, Ian wrote this song for him. 

The term Stretch does double duty referring to a long term prison sentence contrasted to the rock lifestyle in a stretch limousine. Stretch is the "pirate with the silver tongue" who went to his death. There are powerful images and words in this song about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who couldn't turn his life around when Hunter escaped a dead end life.  

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

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde[1] is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of the most famous pieces of English literature, and is considered to be a defining book of the gothic horror genre. The novella has also had a sizable impact on popular culture, with the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" being used in vernacular to refer to people with an outwardly good but sometimes shockingly evil nature.

Stretch

(Ian Hunter)

Abandoned by - abandoned by - abandoned by your Mother
Stranded in a boys' home - stranded in a boys' home
And never really recovered
Drain that poison from your mind
Or it's gonna take you down

STRETCH
Stretch - fish outta water - yah swim against the tide
Ain't no takin' sense to ya
Jekyll 'n' Jekyll 'n' Jekyll 'n' Hide

Oblivious to - oblivious to - oblivious to the danger
I tried, but I could never - I tried but I could never
I tried, but I could never - change ya
You went your way - I went mine
There was nothing I could do
You wouldn't listen - no you wouldn't listen to me

STRETCH
Stretch - always something' eatin' at ya - never towed the line
Mixed up 'n' dangerous - most 'o' the - most 'o' the
Most of the time

I can still see you walkin' down the street
I can still see the placed we'd meet
I can hear the voices in my head
One 'o' them yours
Even though you're dead

Attracted by - attracted by - attracted to the lifestyle
I could never go the - I could never go the
I could never go the last mile
The pirate with the silver tongue - among my souvenirs
You wouldn't listen -- aah you wouldn't listen to me

STRETCH
Pride of the army - hero of the corps
You hated every minute of it - they gave you two years
You made it four

I gotta stop hangin' out with ya - perhaps it's just as well
Now we're both doing stretches - I'm in a limo
And you're in a cell
I loved you like a brother - deep down sad
You were the best friend - I ever - I ever - I ever - had



Stretch (another guitar-led rocker) sees Ian taking aim at some of the ne'er-do-wells he grew up with, perhaps noting that things could easily have turned out so very differently.

Stretch4:12Originally released on Shrunken Heads.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Stranded In Reality, Ian Hunter, Fingers Crossed

During his later career Hunter has come up with startlingly well-written and insightful songs and Stranded In Reality is one of his best in the latter part of his career. The echoey, psychedelic sound collage incorporated one of Ian's unique and offbeat lyrics, during the "age of the deluded" stating that people have brain but no batteries to use. 

Here the narrator is depicted on a second-hand spaceship and looking where to land. Now, that is an interesting place to start a song. In the second verse he lands in this strange land called earth. Upon landing, he experiences baptism by fire. Here he is: stranded in reality. These earthlings believe in fairy tales and their ammunition. As he grows up adolescence is no better and the narrator finds himself bat crazy. Maybe the narrator can get out but it is not likely; stranded in reality there is a loss of enthusiasm. The song is a fresh approach to the idea of being a stranger in a strange land but from the perspective of a space visitor since we are all thrown here in this world as in Jim Morrison's Riders On the Storm we are thrown in this world.  

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

 Into this world we're thrown / Like a dog without a bone / An actor out on loan / Riders on the storm

said "like a dog without a bone." stranded in reality. 



Stranded In Reality

(Ian Hunter)

Let me unveil a soberin' tale 
I bought my spaceship second-hand
Should'a known better, the steering jammed 
I'm lookin' all over for a place to land

Episode two: Earth to the rescue
Somebody pulled the emergency cord
Everybody jumped overboard and I wound up in the maternity ward
It was a baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism by fire

Stranded in reality
It's a dodgy proposition
They still believe in fairy tales
'n' lots of ammunition

Adolescence, it doesn't make any sense
Anti-social media saw their communication cords
And something in me wants to roar
Bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy

Stranded in reality
It's the age of the deluded
Everybody's got a brain
But the batteries ain't included
(let's go)

Let me conclude this sad interlude 
The spaceship's fixed but whaddya know
PCB won't let us go and all I said was UFO
UFO, UFO, UFO, UFO, UFO

Stranded in reality
Well I ain't too optimistic
Realism's upped and left
It's all materialistic
Stranded in reality
I'm beginning to see what this is
Give the people what they want
Or it's gonna be bad for business

Stranded in reality
Why am I losing my enthusiasm


Stranded In Reality4:48Originally released on Fingers Crossed.

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Still The Same, Ian Hunter, The Artful Dodger

The closing song Still The Same is one that seems like a lost love and the pain that accompanies that loss. It is the great what if? How am I supposed to go on if my love is still the same? If love is right it's the greatest feeling in the world but if the lover leaves you in the dust you are stuck in the same emotional place you have been. People change and if the lover does not feel the same and respond in kind you are left in the lurch. The song is a reminder of pain and feeling the same although the lover has moved on. It's a terrific song about a breakup. Hunter thinks is has good lyrics and it's just a love song. 

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


Still The Same

(Ian Hunter)

They say that some people never grow up
Lost in time shackled to the past for ever, stung by love
Still weaving, still believing yesterday's dreams
If life is real then so is my imagination
All I feel is who I am, who I am, who I am
'n if I wished so hard I bled, would you come true
All I need's a bottle 'n' the memories come flooding back
'n I see you though the rain, through the rain, through the rain
They say you can never go back
What if my love's
Still the same, still the same, still the same
Still the same, still the same, still the same

When love goes right it's the ultimate high you can be on
Oh baby I've lost count of the times when things went wrong
But I pick myself up 'n' I carry on
On and on and on and on and on and on it goes
I can't pretend imaginary friends are better
All I know is people change, people change, people change
They say I'm supposed to forget 'n' go on
What if my love's
Still the same, still the same, still the same
Still the same, still the same, still the same
Still the same, still the same
Still the same, still the same, still the same
(Oh baby now)
What if your love, what if your love is still the same
What if your love, what if your love is still the same
What if your love, what if your love is still the same
What if your love, what if your love is still the same
What if your love, what if your love is still the same
Still The Same5:07Originally issued on The Artful Dodger.

Friday, November 3, 2023

Still Love Rock 'n' Roll, Ian Hunter, Rant

Depending on which version you have, US or UK, determined the placement of Still Love Rock 'n' Roll which could be last or first on the CD. At first, this was considered as a bonus track. In either the UK or UK release, this song is a nod to early rock 'n' roll and music that inspired Hunter in the first place; it is a mid-tempo rocker wherein Chuck Berry meets Little Richard and could be a great opening for a live set. Hunter tips his hat as a tribute to the early greats of rock 'n' roll when the style was invented. It gave his life meaning and he respects their achievements. 

Ian describes the environment of the 1950s which was comparatively bland, especially in the UK, and then, rock! This is certainly autobiographical 

It's the only way - I know how to say what's on my mind

Tommy Steele is regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock 'n' roll star and here he is depicted singing a Guy Mitchell song who was well-known in the 1950s as an American pop star. Lubbock is mentioned as a reference to Buddy Holly, Memphis as home to the birthplace of rock 'n' roll, and Macon as a note about Little Richard. Rock 'n' roll pioneers Billy Fury, Little Richard, Tommy Steele, and Gene Vincent played the Kettering Granada in England. 

You have to love the finishing thought about how the 1950s are better than the contemporary world:

I get up every morning - I put the coffee on the stove
The computer's gone - the turntable's on
I can't believe it's 2001 - God, I must be knockin' on
But I still love rock 'n' roll, I still love rock 'n' roll.

 

As an 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. 

Ringo Starr requested Irene Wilde instead of this song although he got the name wrong but Ian switched to accommodate the request when first played as part of his 2001 All Starr Tour. 

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

Still Love Rock n Roll

(Ian Hunter)

Way back in the 50's - you never said a wrong word
People were clean - people were mean
Children should be seen, but children should be not heard
You learned to keep your mouth shut - you did what you were told
But then one day the radio played the sound that we'd all been waiting for
The whole of our lives 'n'

I still love Rock 'n' Roll - I play it every day
Hummin' along, singin' the song
It's the only way - I know how to say what's on my mind

I get up in the morning - put the kettle on the stove
Tommy Steele croons a Guy Mitchell tune
I never felt more like singin' the blues - but if I had to choose
You know I still love rock 'n' roll
I still love rock 'n' roll (let me hear ya)

I never been to Lubbock, Texas or Memphis, Tennessee
I never washed dishes in Macon, Georgia
I wasn't half as good and I wasn't half as pretty as you
But I still got the feelings - embedded in my soul
A rebel armada - Kettering, Granada
It ain't my fault that I never grew up - I got bitten by your bug
And I still love rock 'n' roll, I still love rock 'n' roll, I still love rock

I know what you're thinkin' - it's a little bit strange to you
I know what you're thinkin' - 'cos I'm thinkin' the same way too
But oh those two little four letter words - they're all you need to know
'cos when it all comes down to it - I don't like the sound of it
When you mess around with it - I'm still in it for the thrill of it
I know you tried to kill it but

I still love rock 'n' roll - I play it every day
Hummin' along - singin' the songs
It's the only way I know how to say what's on my mind

I get up every morning - I put the coffee on the stove
The computer's gone - the turntable's on
I can't believe it's 2001 - God, I must be knockin' on
But I still love rock 'n' roll, I still love rock 'n' roll.



Still Love Rock 'n' Roll4:34Originally issued on Rant; also on the compilation Old Records Never Die.

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Standin' In My Light, Ian Hunter, You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic

Shimmering keyboards and an atmospheric drone start Standin' In My Light as this song builds once Hunter reveals a new beginning in his life. From this release the song is a highlight and often performed as well. The entire CD project started coming together with this song. It is a genuine song about a guy that was in the way who was a coked out manager: Fred Heller. And, there are elements of svengali Tony Defries as well.The song began to take shape after Overnight Angels. Managers have always been difficult for Hunter and this is representative of having issues with them. They want consistency and money. On the other hand, Ian thinks that consistency is boring and the money should be his. The song was tailor made for Mick Ronson. The song began on a keyboard and wrote the song around that sound. 

These are the type of people who have their agenda despite that fact that it does not help you. The New York Dolls gets a mention since Ian has identified that they could have been much bigger if they had been allowed to develop properly but they were pushed too hard too early and they should have kept away from dope. Someone was standing in their light as in our own lives someone can be standing in ours. The trick is to get the naysayers out of the way and find your light. 

The song was regularly played during 1979 live shows, then again in 1989, as well as in 2004. 

Also recorded at the Park West, Chicago IL 22nd June 1979 on Collateral Damage.

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

Standin' In My Light

(Ian Hunter)

Well I finally found you out
All through your mess of dreams
You won't make it to the night
and you're standing in my light
You know you've been bad for me
You ain't got the weight to hate
But you ain't no pretty sight
And you're standing in my light

Move over cause you're standing in my light
Move over cause you're standing in my light
Move over cause you're standing in my light (yeah)
Move over cause you're standing in my light

Now when your old man beats the drums
Gotta run run run that's dumb
A little less ego A little more fight
Move over cause you're standing in my light

Things go bad and the risks get high
Sweeping dead bodies 'cross an open sky
You took my pictures from your walls
Ain't gonna trade with the pain of the New York Dolls

Move over cause you're standin in my
(Move over cause you're standin in my)
Move over cause you're standin in my
(Move over cause you're standin in my)
Move over cause you're standin in my
(Move over cause you're standin in my)
Move over cause you're standing in my light
Move over cause you're standing in my light
Move over cause you're standing in my light
Move over cause you're standing in my light
Move over cause you're standing in my light
Move over cause you're standing in my light Yeah.......Alright
Move over cause you're standing in my light

I wish you luck on your very last chance
Cause I knew you blew it at the song and dance
you froze my feelings, but thats alright
and you're standing in my light


Standin' In My Light4:35Originally issued on You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic, and on the compilations The CollectionFrom The Knees Of My HeartThe JourneyOnce Bitten Twice Shy and Shades of Ian Hunter.
Standin' In My Light (live 22nd June 1979)4:44This live version (recorded at Park West, Chicago IL) was released on Collateral Damage. Not on the box set.
Standin' In My Light (live 5-11th November 1979)5:49This live version (recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles CA) was released on Welcome to the Club, and on the compilation From The Knees Of My Heart.
Standin' In My Light (live 22nd November 1979)6:03This live version (recorded Hammermith Odeon, London England) was originally issued on If You Wait Long Enough For Anything, You Can Get It On Sale (box set only).
Standin' In My Light (live 15th February 1989)5:33This live version (recorded The Dominion, London England) was released on BBC Live in Concert.
Standin' In My Light (live 28th May 2004)6:15This live version (recorded The Astoria, London England) was released on The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nuthin' But The Truth. Not on the box set.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Speechless, Ian Hunter, All of the Good Ones Are Taken

Bassist Dan Hartman of the Edgar Winter Group contributed a great deal to Speechless which is an effective satirical take on obsession and the absurdity of TV. This is one of the strongest tracks on the record and it was later recorded by Status Quo as well although their version sounds formulaic. The song seems addressed to a specific person who is so intoxicated they have to be switched off. Hunter confesses that people like this leave him speechless. They got to him and he has to get them off his chest; these are powerful words and filled with emotional weight. Ian is warning about people you're fed up with and with television people waste more time. Kids are passively mesmerized by television which dumbs us down, and is getting worse. The song is ahead of its time with social media, computers, and the internet things have certainly gotten much worse than when this was written in the 1980s. Worse than gross indeed. 

Hunter also played this on stage during the summer of 1991 with The Mats Ronander Band and Swedish covers group The Few. 

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


Speechless

(Ian Hunter)

Every time I watch you
Gotta switch you off, you surely can't be serious
Every time I see you
I just can't believe you go below ridiculous

All those days I spent
Starin' at your wilderness
All those ways you got to me
Through me, you, you leave me speechless

You, you make me scared of you
You make me scared of losing concentration
You make me afraid of you
Make me afraid of losing conversation

All my friends say that you're forbidden - fruitless
I hide away with you - I'm guilty - I'm guilty
You found my only weakness
You, you leave me speechless

Entertainment came and went
Why can't you be more curious, adventurous, mysterious, sensuous

Your remote control
Is sending out patrols, I've go consumer sadness
Spray me - camouflage me - blind me
So I can't see, help me through this madness

All those years I spent
Clingin' to your warm breast
All those words
I don't think I guess

Gotta get you off my chest - you pest
You, you leave me speechless



Strongest tracks are Speechless (later to be covered by Status Quo),

Mott The Hoople/Ian Hunter CD: "Old Records Never Die"

Sleeve and track listing

Shout 826663-10970. (4 stars!)

Disc 1: Mott The Hoople

  1. Rock And Roll Queen
  2. Walkin' With a Mountain
  3. Whiskey Women
  4. Sweet Angeline
  5. Death May Be Your Santa Claus
  6. All The Young Dudes
  7. Sweet Jane
  8. Sucker
  9. All The Way From Memphis
  10. Honaloochie Boogie
  11. Violence
  12. Ballad Of Mott The Hoople
  13. Roll Away The Stone
  14. Crash Street Kidds
  15. The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll
  16. Saturday Gigs

Disc 2: Ian Hunter

  1. Once Bitten Twice Shy
  2. Who Do You Love
  3. 3000 Miles From Here
  4. You Nearly Did Me In
  5. Justice Of The Peace
  6. Cleveland Rocks
  7. Just Another Night
  8. Ships
  9. When The Daylight Comes
  10. Old Records Never Die
  11. Central Park 'n' West
  12. Speechless
  13. Women's Intuition
  14. The Artful Dodger
  15. Still Love Rock 'n' Roll
  16. Words (Big Mouth)

Review

Hard on the heels of The Journey (a 3-CD UK compilation) we get another compilation of Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter, this time originating from the States. The neat thing is one disc is Mott and the second disc is Ian.

For Mott all the choice album tracks are here, although I would have preferred the single version of Roll Away The Stone (American compilers always go for the album version, which I feel is inferior featuring as it does Bender on guitar instead of Mick Ralphs).

The same can be said for the Ian Hunter tracks - a strong collection, save perhaps for the inclusion of Artful Dodger which is one of the weaker tracks on that album. Fans will always argue over which tracks to include or leave out, but what is here is a good balance.

There's a good booklet, half of which is devoted to Mott and the other half to solo Ian Hunter. Sound quality is excellent throughout.

If you're new to Ian and Mott, and are looking for a compilation that takes in nearly 40 years of great music, this is as good a place as any to start.

Speechless3:51Originally issued on All of the Good Ones Are Taken, also on the compilations The JourneyOld Records Never Die and Once Bitten Twice Shy. The version on Once Bitten Twice Shy is shorter (at 3:39) due to s shorter fade-out.

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