12056 - CORKY LAING, IAN HUNTER, MICK RONSON & FELIX PAPPALARDI -THE SECRET SESSIONS (1979) (REPOST)

CORKY LAING, IAN HUNTER, MICK RONSON, FELIX PAPPALARDI
''THE SECRET SESSIONS''
JANUARY 19 1999
38:49
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1/Easy Money 02:50 (Ian Hunter, Corky Laing)
2/Silent Movie 03:20 (Ian Hunter, Corky Laing)
3/I Ain't No Angel 03:19 (Ian Hunter, Corky Laing)
4/The Best Thing 03:29 (Corky Laing)
5/I Hate Dancin' 02:40 (Corky Laing)
6/The Outsider 07:46 (Ian Hunter)
7/Just When I Needed You Most 03:06 (Van Warmer)
8/Lowdown Freedom 04:12 (Billy Joe Shaver)
9/On My Way To Georgia 03:42 (Mick Jones, Corky Laing, Leslie West)
10/Growing Old With Rock'n'Roll 04:25 (Corky Laing)
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Dickey Betts/Guitar
Eric Clapton/Guitar
Ian Hunter/Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Corky Laing/Drums, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Felix Pappalardi/Bass, Vocals (Background)
Mick Ronson/Guitars, Vocals (Background)
Todd Rundgren/Organ (Hammond), Vocals (Background)
John Sebastian/Harp
Leslie West/Guitars
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REVIEW/AMG
Bruce Eder
Listening to this album is to hear a real tragedy for rock & roll -- a tragedy that this supergroup, as opposed to such overhyped outfits as Blind Faith and Ginger Baker's Air Force, never got its work out in its own time, and that Pappalardi and Ronson are no longer with us. From the opening notes of "Easy Money" to the ironic final track, "Growing Old With Rock 'n Roll," it radiates inspiration, power, and authority in songwriting and execution, and extraordinary boldness. As fine as Ronson's playing is -- and he does some great mandolin-style riffing, apart from some of his most inspired and fluid rock leads (in tandem with Leslie West on three tracks) -- the dominant players are Laing at the drum kit and Pappalardi on bass, who seemingly pick up right where Mountain left off. Coupled with Hunter's songwriting and his and Laing's singing, the whole effect is of a top-flight hard rock band running on all cylinders from the get-go, one that could have blown any rivals off the stage. As a bonus, two outtakes from Laing's 1977 solo album Makin' It On the Street are included, cut in Macon, Georgia with Dickey Betts and Eric Clapton. These are appendices more to Laing's work, or to the Allman Brothers' history, than to the work of this quartet, but they don't detract from the rest -- indeed, "Growing Old With Rock 'N Roll" may be the best thing Laing has ever done.
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In 1978 Corky Laing (of Mountain), acting on a suggestion from his record company, put a "supergroup" together featuring himself (drums/vocals), Ian Hunter (ex Mott The Hoople) on keyboards/vocals, Mick Ronson on guitar and Felix Peppalardi (Mountain) on bass. They started recording, but shortly after the record company lost interest and funding stopped. The sessions were completed at a different studio, but remained in the can, until now.

The CD opens strongly enough, with the superb Easy Money, but soon descends into ordinaryness. Although all the tracks are complete versions, they sound rushed or demo-like, with little standing out, apart from a brilliant, lengthy version of The Outsider, which of course Ian recorded for his Schizophrenic album.

The CD is filled out with two tracks from Corky's 1978 solo album, perhaps because originally once funding had stopped there wasn't the time or money to record a full album's worth of material.

In summary, a CD mainly of historical interest only. Ian Hunter completists will want it, ditto Corky Laing/Mountain fans, but I doubt if the casual fan would be persuaded to part with his cash.
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TO THE TOP
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7457 - IAN HUNTER BAND Live At Rockpalast (Feat. Mick Ronson) (2011)

IAN HUNTER BAND FEATURING MICK RONSON
''LIVE AT ROCKPALAST''
RECORDED AT GRUGAHALLE, ESSEN, GERMANY, APRIL 19-20 1980
DECEMBER 2 2011
68:30

1 F.B.I.3:41
P. Gormley
2 Once Bitten Twice Shy 5:24
Ian Hunter
3 Angeline 5:00
Ian Hunter
4 Laugh At Me 4:26
Sonny Bono
5 Irene Wilde 4:41
Ian Hunter
6 I Wish I Was Your Mother 6:53
Ian Hunter
7 Just Another Night 7:24
Hunter, Ronson
8 We Gotta Get Out Of Here 4:19
Ian Hunter
9 Bastard 7:41
Ian Hunter
10 All The Way From Memphis 4:17
Ian Hunter
11 Cleveland Rocks 8:02
Ian Hunter
12 All The Young Dudes 3:50
D. Bowie
13 Slaughter On 10th Avenue 2:46
R. Rogers

Bass – Martin Briley
Drums – Eric Parker
Guitar – Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, Tom Morrongiello
Keyboards – George Meyer, Tom Mandel
Saxophone – George Meyer
Vocals – Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson

BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With Mott the Hoople, guitarist/vocalist Ian Hunter established himself as one of the toughest and most inventive hard rock songwriters of the early '70s, setting the stage for punk rock with his edgy, intelligent songs. As a solo artist, Hunter never attained the commercial heights of Mott the Hoople, but he cultivated a dedicated cult following.

Hunter was born in Owestry, Shropshire, but was raised in cities throughout England since his father worked in the British Intelligence agency called MI5 and had to move frequently. Eventually, the family returned to Shrewsbury, where the teenaged Hunter joined a band called Silence in the early '60s. Silence released an album, but it received no attention. In the years following Silence, Hunter played in a handful of local bands and worked a variety of jobs.

In 1968, Hunter began playing bass with Freddie "Fingers" Lee and the duo played around Germany. Shortly afterward, Hunter became the vocalist for Mott the Hoople. During the next six years, Hunter sang and played piano and guitar with the band, becoming its lead songwriter within a few albums. Although few of their records sold, Mott the Hoople was one of the most popular live bands in England. In 1972, David Bowie produced their breakthrough album, All the Young Dudes, which brought the band into the British Top Ten and the American Top 40. For the next two years, the group had a consistent stream of hits in both the U.K. and the U.S.

Toward the end of 1973, the band began to fall apart, as founding member and lead guitarist Mick Ralphs left the band. Hunter carried on through another album, but he left the group in late 1974, taking along former Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson, who had just joined Mott. Just prior to leaving the group, Hunter published Diary of a Rock Star, an account of his years leading Mott the Hoople, in June 1974.

Hunter moved to New York, where he and Ronson began working on his solo debut. Released in 1975, Ian Hunter spawned "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," a Top 20 U.K. hit. Following its release, Hunter and Ronson embarked on a tour. After its completion, the pair parted ways, although they would reunite later in the '80s. All-American Alien Boy, Hunter's second solo album, was recorded with a variety of all-star and session musicians, including members of Queen. Released in the summer of 1976, All-American Alien Boy was a commercial failure. It was followed in 1977 by Overnight Angels, an album that saw Hunter moving closer to straightforward rock & roll; disappointed with the completed album, Hunter decided to leave it unreleased in America.

Following the mainstream approach of Overnight Angels, Hunter became involved with England's burgeoning punk rock movement, producing Generation X's second album, 1979's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. For Hunter's next solo album, he reunited with Mick Ronson, who produced and arranged 1979's You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic. The album was a hit, especially in America, where it peaked at number 35. Hunter and Ronson set out on another tour, which resulted in the 1980 double-live album, Ian Hunter Live/Welcome to the Club. In 1981, Hunter released Short Back N' Sides, which was produced by the Clash's Mick Jones.

Two years later, he released All of the Good Ones Are Taken. After its release, Ian Hunter became a recluse, spending the next six years in silence; occasionally, he contributed a song to a movie soundtrack. In 1989, he resumed recording, releasing YUI Orta with Ronson. After its release, Hunter remained quiet during the '90s, appearing only on Ronson's posthumous 1994 album Heaven and Hull, and at tribute concerts for Ronson in 1994 and Freddie Mercury in 1992. Hunter returned to recording with Artful Dodger, which was released in Britain and Europe in the spring of 1997. After a Columbia/Legacy compilation titled Once Bitten Twice Shy offered a wealth of Ian Hunter solo titles in the year 2000, much attention was paid to 2001's fine Rant. In 2002, Hunter performed a pair of semi-acoustic concerts in Oslo, Norway, which were recorded for later release on CD and home video; the resulting project, called Strings Attached, introduced some new songs, including "Twisted Steel," inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. Shrunken Heads, a collection of all-new material, was released in 2007 on the Yep Roc label, followed by Man Overboard in 2009 from New West Records. That same year, Hunter unexpectedly reunited with Mott the Hoople for a series of concerts at the end of the year; Live at HMV Hammersmith Apollo 2009 documented these well-reviewed gigs. After a couple of quiet years, Hunter returned in the fall of 2012 with When I'm President, another critically acclaimed collection of rock & roll.

2459 - IAN HUNTER & THE RANT BAND - When I'm President (2012)

IAN HUNTER & THE RANT BAND
''WHEN I'M PRESIDENT''
SEPTEMBER 4 2012
46:00

1. Comfortable (Flyin' Scottsman)/3:02
2. Fatally Flawed/5:03
3. When I'm President/4:21
4. What For/4:22
5. Black Tears/3:37
6. Saint/3:35
7. Just The Way You Look Tonight/3:34
8. Wild Bunch/3:54
9. Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)/5:47
10. I Don't Know What You Want/3:47
11. Life/4:58

Mark Bosch/Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
Andy Burton/Accordion, Additional Music, Bells, Clavinet, Farfisa Organ, Hammond B3, Keyboards, Piano, String Samples, Vibraphone, Wurlitzer
Steve Holley/Drums, Shaker, Tambourine
Ian Hunter/Guitar (Acoustic), Handclapping, Piano, Producer, Vocals
James Mastro/Dobro, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Mandolin
Christine Ohlman /Girl's Choir, Screams, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Paul Page /Bass
Jesse Hunter Patterson/Vocals
Rick Tedesco /Guitar (Electric), Soloist
Mark Rivera /Flute, Saxophone
Andy York/Dulcitone, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Electric), Handclapping, Harmonium, Mellotron, Producer, Tambourine, Vocals (Background)

REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Don't read too much into the release of When I'm President just weeks prior to the 2012 U.S. Presidential election. This is by no means a protest record. Ian Hunter isn't nearly as angry as he was back in 2007, when he released the savagely funny Shrunken Heads, nor is he as reflective as he was on 2009's Man Overboard. Perhaps inspired by the brief but glorious reunion of Mott the Hoople, Hunter indulges in good old-fashioned noise, grinding out three-chord boogies and occasionally slipping into a sweet reverie, the slower tunes letting the faster ones kick a bit harder. Backed once again by the Rant Band, the music is loose and earthy, easily swinging into a snippet of gospel at the end of "Wild Bunch" or quoting Jerry Lee Lewis on "What For," and it's a pure pleasure to hear them play whether they're luxuriating in a ballad or updating Chuck Berry, but once again, the key to When I'm President is Hunter's sharp, incisive songwriting. He may not go broad, but he does go deep, finding new twists within his sonic signatures and writing lyrics that cut to the quick. As always in Hunter's third act, there's an acknowledgment of his advancing age but he never dwells on it, never spends time making When I'm President into a last testament. It's a snapshot of where he is, and he's in a wickedly joyous mood.

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