Family Anthology

Performer: Mott the Hoople
Distributor: Phantom Import Distributi

Notes: Mott the Hoople: Verden Allen (vocals, various instruments); Les Norman (vocals, guitar); Joe Elliot, Jon Best, Benny Marshall, Stan Tippins (vocals); Overend Watts (various instruments, bass guitar); John Fiddler, Mick Ralphs, Morgan Fisher (various instruments); Roger Brinn (guitar, harmonica); Paul Jeffrey, Dave Tedstone (guitar); Blue Weaver (Hammond b-3 organ); Pat Kilbride, Ray Majors, Geoffrey Applegate, Cyril Townsend, Ched Cheeseman, Jim Houghton, Boz Burrell (bass guitar); Mickey Curry, Paul Stratton (drums); Steve Bywater (cymbals, unknown instrument); Michele Hendricks (background vocals); Chris Johnson , Dale Buffin Griffin, Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, Nigel Benjamin, Ariel Bender, Sandy Dillon, Mark Eden, Tommy Mandel, John Cambridge, Bob Hall, Mick "Woody" Woodmansey, Phil Hendriks, Thor A. Hurd, Gary Oswell, Mick Trigg. Personnel: Ian Hunter (vocals, guitar, piano); Pete Watts (vocals, guitar, bass guitar); Ray Majors (vocals, guitar, percussion); Phil Hendriks (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Ray Major, John Fiddler, Luther Grosvenor, Mick Ralphs, Nigel Benjamin, Ariel Bender (vocals, guitar); Morgan Fisher (vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Sandy Dillon (vocals, piano); Dale Buffin Griffin (vocals, drums); Stan Tippins, John Best , Benny Marshall, Robert Fisher, Mark Eden (vocals); Dave Tedstone, Mick Ronson, Gary Oswell (guitar); Patrick Brooke (harp); Verden Allen (organ); Chris Johnson , Tommy Mandel, Mick Trigg (keyboards); Mick Kirton, Simon Kirke, John Cambridge, Bob Hall, Mick "Woody" Woodmansey, Thor A. Hurd (drums); Steve Bywater (cymbals). Additional personnel: Simon Kirke. Audio Remasterer: Simon Murphy. Liner Note Author: Dale Buffin Griffin. Ensembles: The Doc Thomas Group; The Paper Bags; Bad Company. There are ten songs by Mott the Hoople on this two-CD collection, Family Anthology, but about two-thirds of it contains tracks by Mott the Hoople-related artists, not Mott the Hoople themselves. You also get solo efforts by various members of the band, as well as groups in which members played before Mott the Hoople formed (such as the Rats and the Doc Thomas Group) and after Mott disbanded (like British Lions). It's not a great starting point for a highly listenable anthology, though at least the concept will appeal to hardcore Mott the Hoople fans. The execution isn't so good, however, as it jumbles together 32 recordings spanning the years 1964 through 2005; in other words, four decades of very different styles, not all of them strongly related to what Mott the Hoople did while they were active. The discs are sequenced so they jump back and forth all over the place chronologically, and what's more, more than two-thirds of it has already been issued on CD, usually on other releases from the same label (Angel Air) responsible for this compilation. Nothing's truly essential, but there are a few interesting items here, whether live recordings from Mott the Hoople's early-'70s prime; a previously unreleased outtake from their Mad Shadows album, "Can You Sing the Song That I Sing"; Mick Ralphs' original early-'70s demo of "Can't Get Enough"; and odds and ends from '60s groups predating Mott the Hoople's formation, going all the way back to Les Norman & the Buddies' 1964 demo of "I Ain't Got You" (with Ralphs on guitar). Admittedly, most of these '60s rarities are generic period British R&B/rock, blues-rock, and psychedelia without any obvious similarities to Mott the Hoople, but they're more interesting than the various post-Mott projects, which (as in Dale Buffin Griffin's 1993 cover of "The Lady Is a Tramp") can be pretty desultory. In its favor, this set was produced with ex-members' cooperation, and has a 24-page booklet of detailed liner notes. Only Mott the Hoople completists will want it, however, and even they might already have much of it on previous CD releases. ~ Richie Unterberger

Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[I]t's a Pete Frame-styled family tree..."

While most rock fans remember Mott The Hoople as a thriving early-'70s glam band, they were also one of the first British bands to serve as a mouthpiece for the working class (predating both The Sex Pistols and The Clash by several years). Led by singer Ian Hunter and future Bad Company guitarist Mick Ralphs, Mott could rock out and pose with the best of 'em.

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