Mott The Hoople - Old Records Never Die

Old Records Never Die is an outstanding two-CD retrospective of Ian Hunter’s best work as the frontman and main songwriter for Mott The Hoople and his subsequent solo material. Disc One, which is all Mott The Hoople, contains pretty much everything most people would want from the band. This CD is a fantastic journey from the band’s Stonesy beginnings to their glam rock heyday, which commenced when David Bowie gave the band “All The Young Dudes” in order to jumpstart a then-sinking career. In addition to the aforementioned classic, other highlights include the stomping “Roll Away The Stone” (see lip-synched video above!), their gritty cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane” and the epic “Ballad of Mott The Hoople.” The Ian Hunter disc is also excellent. Weighted heavily towards his Seventies material, it’s easy to see how influential of a songwriter Hunter is. “Once Bitten Twice Shy” was later covered by Great White in a much more over-the-top form, while the poignant “Ships” was one of Barry Manilow’s last hits. In addition, a re-recorded version of “Cleveland Rocks” was used as theme music for The Drew Carey Show! Also great are two songs I fondly remember from my FM radio-listening youth, “Just Another Night” and “When The Daylight Comes.”