Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Mott the Hoople

A British rock band formed in 1968 in Herefordshire, England, by former members of the group Silence and named after a novel by Willard Manus (the main character of which is an eccentric working in a circus freak show). Critics noted both Ian Hunter's lyrics and the band's sound — "a tough, muscular sound rooted entirely in rock soil, despite the band's flirting with a homosexual image and makeup." Initially, Mott The Hoople performed experimental hard rock (with elements of rhythm and blues and psychedelia), then, unexpectedly for many, found themselves at the epicenter of the glam movement. To a large extent, this shift in direction was predetermined by the success of the song "All the Young Dudes": written for the band by David Bowie, it became not only a hit single (climbing to 3rd place in England) but also a kind of anthem for the entire glam era. The band followed up its chart success with the singles "Honaloochie Boogie" (1973, #12, featuring Andy Mackay of Roxy Music), "All the Way from Memphis" (1973, #10; the song was included in the soundtrack to the film "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"), and "Roll Away the Stone" (1973, #8).