As the much-loved sixties began to dissipate, the freshness it cultivated with freedom of expression, in music, clothes, politics, and religion had seeped ever so cool into the early ’70s with bands that created new music for the new times, all with a look unparalleled in music history. One of those trend-setting bands was Mott The Hoople.
In their early years, they recorded four magnificent albums for Island Records before moving over to Columbia and explosive fame with their Bowie-penned “All The Young Dudes”. And while many fans point lovingly at All The Young Dudes (1972), and the albums that came after, particularly Mott (1973), those Island sets were loved ever more deeply by early fans. Those included Mott The Hoople (1969), Mad Shadows (1970), Wildlife (1971), and Brain Capers (1971). For those fans, treasure awaits.
On November 2, it pleases MusicTAP to no end to alert you to the upcoming arrival of a 6CD Box that centers on the Island years (1969-1971) with newly remastered albums (Andy Pearce), 45(!) bonus tracks from the sessions periods (including a dedicated CD of twelve unheard and previously unreleased songs and fragments), and twelve live performance tracks from two shows. The “ShoeBox” will be called Mental Train – The Island Years 1969-1972.
The bonus tracks will feature a stunning collection of remixes, demos, BBC session performance tracks, instrumentals, A-sides, B-sides, rehearsal tracks, alternate takes, and more.
The 6CDs are accompanied by a 50-page booklet filled with rare photos, new liners notes, credits, and much more. The individual CDs will issue in cardboard sleeves with original album artwork.
Mental Train – The Island Years 1969-1971 – Mott The Hoople
CD1 (Mott The Hoople – Originally released November 22 1969 (UK), 1970 (US))
01 You Really Got Me
02 At the Crossroads
03 Laugh at Me
04 Backsliding Fearlessly
05 Rock and Roll Queen
06 Rabbit Foot and Toby Time
07 Half Moon Bay
08 Wrath and Wroll
Bonus Tracks
09 If Your Heart Lay with the Rebel (Would You Cheer the Underdog?) (Instrumental Take 2)
10 Rock and Roll Queen (Single A side)
11 Road to Birmingham (Single B side)
12 Road to Birmingham (Guy Steven’s Mix)
13 You Really Got Me (Complete take)
14 You Really Got Me (Vocal mix)
15 Rock and Roll Queen (Guy Steven’s Mono Mix)
16 Rock and Roll Queen (Kitchen Sink Instrumental)
17 Little Christine (2 Miles)
CD2 (Mad Shadows – Originally released September 1970)
01 Thunderbuck Ram
02 No Wheels to Ride
03 You Are One of Us
04 Walking with a Mountain
05 I Can Feel
06 Threads of Iron
07 When My Mind’s Gone
Bonus Tracks
08 Thunderbuck Ram (BBC Session)
09 Thunderbuck Ram (Original Take with Organ)
10 No Wheels to Ride (Demo)
11 Moonbus (Baby’s Got a Down on Me)
12 The Hunchback Fish (Vocal Rehearsal)
13 You Are One of Us (Take 9)
14 Going Home (2 Miles)
15 Keep A-Knockin’ (Studio version)
CD3 (Wildlife – Originally released March 1971)
01 Whiskey Women
02 Angel of Eighth Avenue
03 Wrong Side of the River
04 Waterlow
05 Lay Down
06 It Must Be Love
07 The Original Mixed Up Kid
08 Home Is Where I Want to Be
09 Keep A-Knockin’ (Live)
Bonus Tracks
10 Midnight Lady (Single A side)
11 The Debt (Single B side)
12 Downtown (Single A side)
13 Brain Haulage (Whiskey Woman)
14 Growing Man Blues (Take 10)
15 Long Red (Demo)
16 The Ballad of Billy Joe
17 Lay Down (Take 8)
CD4 (Brain Capers – Originally released December 1971 (UK), 1972 (US))
01 Death May Be Your Santa Claus
02 Your Own Backyard
03 Darkness, Darkness
04 The Journey
05 Sweet Angeline
06 Second Love
07 The Moon Upstairs
08 The Wheel of the Quivering Meat Conception
Bonus Tracks
09 Mental Train (The Moon Upstairs)
10 How Long? (Death May Your Santa Claus)
11 Darkness, Darkness
12 Your Own Backyard (Complete Take)
13 Where Do You All Come From (Backing Track)
14 One of the Boys (Take 2)
15 Movin’ On (2 Miles)
16 Black Scorpio (Mommas Little Jewel)
CD5 (The Ballads of Mott The Hoople – Unheard and previously unreleased music from the Island archive)
01 Like a Rolling Stone (Fragment)
02 No Wheels to Ride (1st House)
03 Angel Of 8th Avenue (Tape 816)
04 The Journey
05 Blue Broken Tears (Tape 816)
06 Black Hills (Full Ralph’s Version)
07 Can You Sing the Song That I Sing (Full Take)
08 Till I’m Gone (2 Miles)
09 The Original Mixed Up Kid (BBC Session)
10 Ill Wind Blowing (2 Miles)
11 I’m A River (Vocal Rehearsal)
12 Ride on The Sun (Sea Diver) (2 Miles)
CD6 (It’s Live And Live Only)
Fairfield Hall, Croydon – September 13, 1970
01 Rock and Roll Queen
02 Ohio
03 No Wheels to Ride / Hey Jude
04 Thunderbuck Ram
05 Keep A-Knockin’
06 You Really Got Me
07 The Moon Upstairs
Paris Theatre, London (BBC Radio One In Concert Session) – December 30, 1971
08 Whiskey Women
09 Your Own Backyard
10 Darkness, Darkness
11 The Journey
12 Death May Be Your Santa Claus
You can pre-order here.