Throwback Thursday: All the Young Dudes, by Mott the Hoople

 
In 1972 British glam rock band Mott the Hoople were facing some rough times and were about to break up. They were struggling and just not having the kind of success that they were hoping to achieve. However, by a stroke of luck the king of glam himself David Bowie saw great potential in the band and decided to try to save them by stepping in to write a hit and produce a new album for them; both would become known as All the Young Dudes.

Bowie's writing and production certainly did Mott the Hoople a lot of good. All the Young Dudes is full of glitter, sparkle, and everything else one looks for in a glam rock album. The guitars played by Mick Ralphs almost literally sound like they are gleaming with light and life while singer Ian Hunter brings the songs to life with his charismatic vocal style. The songs are upbeat, cheery, and overall just good fun.

All the Young Dudes is what pretty much put Mott the Hoople on the map and made them a staple in the glam rock genre. The guitar melody in the intro makes it one of the most well known songs in glam. It was written by David Bowie and is a sad funeral-like ballad talking about the troubles of growing up in the 70's as well as teenage suicide. The song screams Bowie, but it does fit in well with the rest of the album.

Ready For Love/After the Lights is a slower grooving blues tune. It is a bit of a departure from the style of the rest of the album. Rather than trying to make the song shimmer it is more gritty and guitar centric. The layering of acoustic guitar underneath in the interludes however helps tie it in to their overall sound a little bit. Guitarist Mick Ralphs who wrote the song would later rework the song and make it punchier and more rocking for Bad Company's debut album Bad Company in 1974.

If you're interested in getting into glam rock, All the Young Dudes is a fantastic place to start. In nine songs it spells out what the entire movement was and even to this day is all about. No doubt this is thanks to the help from Bowie, but the natural talent of these musicians also played a heavy role in the success of the album. Unfortunately Mott the Hoople would break up not long after it was released, but its members would go on to do bigger and better things.

All the Young Dudes, by Mott the Hoople receives 3.5 stars out of 5.

Track List:

1. Sweet Jane
2. Momma's Little Jewel
3. All the Young Dudes
4. Sucker
5. Jerkin' Crocus
6. One of the Boys
7. Soft Ground
8. Ready For Love
9. Sea Diver

Buy the album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/All-Young-Dudes-Mott-Hoople/dp/B000E6EJAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440732975&sr=8-1&keywords=All+the+Young+Dudes