Rock'n'Roll Sweepstakes, the Authorized Biography of Ian Hunter by Campbell Devine

 

Although I didn't realize it when I bought this new bio, Devine also wrote a book on Mott the Hoople, All the Young Dudes, the Biography, which I enjoyed, so I think that this tome is already in good company. I have been fascinated with Ian and MTH since I first heard "All the Young Dudes" and I have played their records probably every week of my life since then!

A bit of a loner as a child, Ian drifted towards music and then was completely enthralled when rock'n'roll hit the British shores while he was a teenager, being especially enamored with Jerry Lee Lewis and the wildman Little Richard. Despite disappointing his parents, he had to join in and was soon playing'n'singing in local bands. As I've said numerous times, I always love reading about the rabidly exciting days of r'n'r in the 60's and Ian's tale is certainly no different - he played in all types of bands, including a Screamin' Lord Sutch take-off that sounds like it was literally out of control!

Of course, Devine brings in the other MTH members around this time, giving their convoluted, intertwined, innumerable bands-histories. There's a nice aside when the pre-Ian band, then called The Silence, played in Germany and Overend raves about the Monks! The Silence is eventually picked up by Guy Stevens and signed to Island records on the condition that they change out their singer - Guy famously desired a band that was a combination of the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and that's where Ian Hunter came in and the rest is rock'n'roll history.

Recording four albums in reasonably quick succession, Guy Stevens' production sometimes hampers the group (he seems to have been literally teetering on the brink of insanity) and sometimes lets them go fairly berserk and the material varies dramatically from blistering rock'n'roll that obviously influenced punk bands, especially the Sex Pistols (Ian notes this, as well), to Dylan-ish ballads to country rock!

Although the albums were not big sellers, the band grew into a monstrous live act with a rabid fan base. The early albums are now considered classics, with their mix of blazingly hot rockers and Ian's more mellow ballads that are indeed, Dylan-esque. Unfortunately, they did not sell and the band had actually broken up when they got a call from David Bowie who offered them "All the Young Dudes" and sudden stardom. Everything moved at lightning speed, with big shows, tours, another critically acclaimed album, Mott, that produced a couple more (Ian-penned) hits (although I'm fairly flabbergasted that the group did not like the American album cover, with a fantastic photo of them looking ultra-rock'n'roll and preferred the blase, unexciting British version) followed by the departure of their incredible guitarist, Mick Ralphs. After already having lost organist Verden Allen after ATYD, this huge loss could have meant the end for them but they rush-procured former Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor and renamed him Ariel Bender. Unfortunately, although they put out an album and toured with Luther, he never really clicked with them (I never really cared for him in the band and feel a bit vindicated by this book's interviews that showed that the band agreed, despite their public approval) and he was asked to leave, with the plan to bring in Mick Ronson. This combo, which seemed perfect on paper, literally only lasted weeks, ending with the demise of the band altogether.

This books really is the story of MTH, with a sequel due in 2021 concentrating on Hunter's solo career. Devine does a great job of gathering everyone's input, especially Ian's, and putting the tale together in a highly enjoyable way. MTH created an incredible amount of fantastic r'n'r in a mere 5 years (boggling how short their career was!) and any fan of real rock'n'roll music should own all of their albums and this book!