The Ballad of I. H. & Mott the Hoople

by Dave Thompson Departing Columbia, his label for the past five years, Ian Hunter shifted to Chrysalis and unveiled the earth-shattering You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. His old label, meanwhile, contented itself with a double album compilation tracing back not only through his last three solo albums, but also three Mott The Hoople LPs as well. It was a well-designed set, aiming for both the casual fan and the committed collector. Though sundry CD compilations have now rendered it absolutely redundant, still 23 tracks divided almost exactly down the middle highlight both the best and the rarest of the Columbia years, mixing hit singles ("All The Young Dudes", "Roll Away The Stone", "Once Bitten Twice Shy") with rare b-sides ("Rose", "Where Do You All Come From", "England Rocks"), then topping it up with a few choice LP cuts. Mott's "I Wish I Was Your Mother", The Hoople's "Marionette" and Ian Hunter's "I Get So Excited had already established themselves as lifelong classics, and their inclusion cannot be faulted. But even the last, and least of all Hunter's recordings, 1977's Overnight Angels, came out looking good, and that really was an achievement to be proud of!