...and it frankly blew my tiny geriatric mind.
Just to put this in context -- I've been a rabid Mott the Hoople fan from the minute I stole a then new copy of their eponymous debut album from my college radio station in 1969. And I remained one through all their subsequent flop albums on Atlantic, and then their commercial rebirth as glam icons after David Bowie gifted them "All the Young Dudes." They're like one of my favorite bands ever.
So how did I miss the above?
You got me, although to cut me some slack, the Mott version was never on an American LP back in the day, and it was apparently only released (in 1971) as a 45 in Britain.
Still, I'm hanging my head in shame. But better late than never, I guess.
And thanks, Hoople guys -- granted, it doesn't really sound like you (is that really Ian Hunter singing lead?), but it's unquestionably one of the coolest Crazy Horse covers (written by the late great Danny Whitten) -- and proto-power pop songs -- ever committed to magnetic tape.
6 comments:
It's Mick Ralphs singing.
Captain Al
Ahh....
So cool to hear a Mott The Hoople song I haven't heard. Thanks. There was a great live comp called Two Miles From Heaven from 1971-74 concerts (released 2001?) streaming recently that has disappeared from Qobuz, but it was/is killer.
Mick recorded the vocal before his testacles had descended.
The very poor speller Captain Al
Correction:Two Miles From Heaven was actually released in 1980 and featured outtakes and such from their first four albums on Island Records. The reissued version from 2003 includes the version of Downtown. Two Miles From Live Heaven is from 2001 and features live material from 1971-74.
I too was a big Hoople fan from the very beginning and had never heard this song and wasn't aware of Two Miles from Heaven either. For shame.
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