Mott the Hoople - Live, Fillmore West, San Francisco

It seems that I have probably written about MTH more than just about any other band and, as much as I love them, that is probably due to the proliferation of comps and live CDs that have come out recently. Here we have another stellar release.

Compiled from two shows at the Fillmore - one in 1970, on their first US tour, and one a year later. The song selection is based on their first couple of albums, of course, which works for me, as those are terrific! Ballads such as "Angel of Eighth Avenue" and "At the Crossroads" go up against stompers like "Walkin' With a Mountain", "Rock'n'Roll Queen" (with more of an organ solo than the studio version), "Keep-a-Knockin'" and "You Really Got Me". Some tunes mix both sides, such as the wonderful cover of "Darkness Darkness" and the Mick Ralphs original "Thunderbuck Ram". Other fine covers include "It'll Be Me" and "Laugh At Me". Ian rants at and berates the audience at times, which doesn't seem to be too professional, but I guess it did help get a reaction. I think they must have won over the crowd almost every time with performances like these!

There's even a bonus unreleased, unfinished (no vocals) studio track called "The Wreck of the LIberty Belle", which sounds like it could have been a dynamic tour-de-force had they completed it.

Again, this has been overseen by Overend Watts and includes a booklet jammed with otherwise unseen photos. Another great buy for MTH fans!