The Album Review Club - Week #145 - (page 1923) - Tellin' Stories - The Charlatans

IAN HUNTER YOUR’E NEVER ALONE WITH A SCHIZOPHRENIC

I can remember exactly when I matured from a kid to a teenager, I was 14 years old going out with my first girlfriend who I’d met at a youth club , who coincidentally became a big city fan I discovered years later.We used to spend time in her parents lounge listening to her favourite band The Osmonds( The things we do for love).Her parents were pretty well off compared to my one parent family and they had a Stereo.! We just had an old Dansette my brother played his albums on.Anway I decided to sell my beloved bike and buy a second hand Sterero, it was’nt very Hifi, I’m not even sure the output was in stereo but it had two speakers and sounded a lot better then the Dansette.
The first two albums I bought were ‘Sing It again Rod’ (Great Cover) and ‘Mott’ by Mott the Hoople.
I played both albums to death,but Ian Hunter soon became my first musical hero.I went on to buy most of their albums when I could and watched them on Top of The Pops and other Tv shows.I then went to see them live at The Opera House supported by Queen.

MTH had been around as a rock band in the late sixties but only got a breakthrough after Bowie gave them ‘All The Young Dudes’ to record and shortly after they joined the glam rock scene and had hits with the likes of ‘Honaloochie Boogie’ ‘Golden Age of RocknRoll,’ Roll away the Stone’ and others.It was evident that IH knew how to write a pop hit but the albums showed he was an excellent song writer.
After leaving MTH he went on to record many solo albums a number with the late Mick Ronson, Bowies side kick.I was fortunate to meet them both after a number of gigs, two of the nicest rockers I have ever met.Ian’s 84 and still recording,!OB1 picked one from his latest for the Xmas playlist and despite suffering from Tinnitus he’s still got it.

Anways onto the album, I could’ve picked a number of IH albums but imo this is probably his best, The personnel backing him are superb,obviously MR is on it along with members of the E Street band.
It starts with a rocker ‘Just Another Night’ Co written by MR which has shades of MTH’s ‘All the way from Memphis’this sets the album up nicely on to two more rockers the third being ‘Cleveland Rocks’ which might be familiar as it was the theme song to ‘The Drew Carey Show’ but covered by ‘The Presidents of The USA’.Then we get a ballad which again should be well known as Barry Manilow had a hit with it.’When The Daylight comes features MR on dual lead vocal.The tracks continue to show case Mick’s guitar playing and Ian’s song writing which suits his voice, not the best vocalist in rock but very distinctive.The albums ends with the epic ‘The Outsider’

I think MR did a fine job with the production, it’s a rock album so play loud!

The bonus tracks are worth a listen too.
 
Sounds interesting.

On the Wikipedia page, I noticed that it was released in 1979 and recorded at the Power Station in New York.

Given that Bruce and his band were holed up in this studio for the mammoth River sessions around this time, I guess this is how a number of the band came to play on this album.
 
Sounds interesting.

On the Wikipedia page, I noticed that it was released in 1979 and recorded at the Power Station in New York.

Given that Bruce and his band were holed up in this studio for the mammoth River sessions around this time, I guess this is how a number of the band came to play on this album.
I saw that too and The River album recording info confirms those were indeed The Ties That Bind:
Released October 17, 1980
Recorded March 1979 – August 1980
Studio Power Station (New York City)

Here's the Springsteen angle on their recordings: The venue was chosen after Weinberg, Tallent, and Bittan had recorded Ian Hunter's You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic album there. Several different microphones were set up around the studio's large gymnasium-sized room designed to capture the live sounds of the band.

Since the Hunter album was done, there probably wasn't much left that the band could Look (But You Better Not Touch).

The band certainly wasn't going to Fade Away after playing on a double album after this, and I'm sure not having to Drive All Night after the Hunter album sessions was also welcome too.

I'm looking forward to hearing this week's selection for the first time in not have heard any of Ian Hunter's material save for Bowie's song to the band as MCD mentions in the writeup.

(and I got another reference to a track off of each side of the double album when I first became a Bruce and the E Street Band fan)
 
IAN HUNTER YOUR’E NEVER ALONE WITH A SCHIZOPHRENIC

I can remember exactly when I matured from a kid to a teenager, I was 14 years old going out with my first girlfriend who I’d met at a youth club , who coincidentally became a big city fan I discovered years later.We used to spend time in her parents lounge listening to her favourite band The Osmonds( The things we do for love).Her parents were pretty well off compared to my one parent family and they had a Stereo.! We just had an old Dansette my brother played his albums on.Anway I decided to sell my beloved bike and buy a second hand Sterero, it was’nt very Hifi, I’m not even sure the output was in stereo but it had two speakers and sounded a lot better then the Dansette.
The first two albums I bought were ‘Sing It again Rod’ (Great Cover) and ‘Mott’ by Mott the Hoople.
I played both albums to death,but Ian Hunter soon became my first musical hero.I went on to buy most of their albums when I could and watched them on Top of The Pops and other Tv shows.I then went to see them live at The Opera House supported by Queen.

MTH had been around as a rock band in the late sixties but only got a breakthrough after Bowie gave them ‘All The Young Dudes’ to record and shortly after they joined the glam rock scene and had hits with the likes of ‘Honaloochie Boogie’ ‘Golden Age of RocknRoll,’ Roll away the Stone’ and others.It was evident that IH knew how to write a pop hit but the albums showed he was an excellent song writer.
After leaving MTH he went on to record many solo albums a number with the late Mick Ronson, Bowies side kick.I was fortunate to meet them both after a number of gigs, two of the nicest rockers I have ever met.Ian’s 84 and still recording,!OB1 picked one from his latest for the Xmas playlist and despite suffering from Tinnitus he’s still got it.

Anways onto the album, I could’ve picked a number of IH albums but imo this is probably his best, The personnel backing him are superb,obviously MR is on it along with members of the E Street band.
It starts with a rocker ‘Just Another Night’ Co written by MR which has shades of MTH’s ‘All the way from Memphis’this sets the album up nicely on to two more rockers the third being ‘Cleveland Rocks’ which might be familiar as it was the theme song to ‘The Drew Carey Show’ but covered by ‘The Presidents of The USA’.Then we get a ballad which again should be well known as Barry Manilow had a hit with it.’When The Daylight comes features MR on dual lead vocal.The tracks continue to show case Mick’s guitar playing and Ian’s song writing which suits his voice, not the best vocalist in rock but very distinctive.The albums ends with the epic ‘The Outsider’

I think MR did a fine job with the production, it’s a rock album so play loud!

The bonus tracks are worth a listen too.
Rod Stewart great until do you think I'm sexy.
I just about handled sailing but that was it for e after that shite.
 
Funny, for an album I've never listened to, I recognized the first 2 songs from the radio in the past, I just didn't have context of the artist at the time.

Throw in track 3's "Cleveland Rocks" remake from the Drew Carey Show later from the Presidents of the USA, and there's more music I've heard.

Track 4 was a actually a single. Hmm, "Ships". Let's see.. don't recognize this at all, unless, what?, wait... oh geez, thanks Mom for playing all that Barry Manilow in the car as a kid and now I recognize that one too! Wow, that's a much different take for sure.

And how does Barry get to release the same song in the same year a mere 7 months later? Hunter releases the song as a single in August 1979, 2 months before Manilow's album comes out, and his release of the single never made the charts. The song is said to be about Ian's relationship with his father, and then Barry comes along and gets it to #9 on the US Top 100. Hardly seems fair, but music seldom is.

Ok, track 5 is new to me, I'm good now. Play that organ, Roy. Very nice.

In all seriousness, a good start to the album, and enjoying the overall band, even if Clarence wasn't on sax on track 2.
 
Crazy how vocally he sounds so much like Bowie. Especially on Wild East - had to check it wasn’t actually Bowie.

Then again I assumed ‘All the Young Dudes’ was Bowie singing for years
Well, Bowie does have backing vocals on that track (AtYD) and can be clearly heard, but yes, Ian is the lead singer there.

Also interesting how that song saved the band Mott the Hoople - they were on the verge of breaking up before that song became a hit.
 
Crazy how vocally he sounds so much like Bowie. Especially on Wild East - had to check it wasn’t actually Bowie.

Then again I assumed ‘All the Young Dudes’ was Bowie singing for years
Bowie was always changing his vocal style to suit the different genres with limited success,IH always kept his vocals true.
 

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