Ian Hunter was the front man for Mott the Hoople who had their career saved for a short while by Bowie who wrote "All the Young Dudes" for them. After Bowie dumped Ronson (his greatest mistake) and Mott the Hoople broke up Hunter and Ronson teamed up to produce this gem of an album, proving that Mick Ronson was a hell of a right hand man to have in a band and what a great songwriter Ian Hunter is. Basically a rock album this is a showcase for Ronson's guitar and Hunter's vocals and lyrics.
Album Tracks
- Once Bitten, Twice Shy
- the single, a classic rock song with Hunter's great vocals and lyrics. A track that slowly builds to a superb solo from Ronson
- Who Do You Love
- The bass and drums keep this tune swinging along with Mick Ronson contributing some fine guitar work and mouth organ.
- Reinforcements
- A slower paced tune. Instrumentally sparse to start with, a simple rhythm with great vocals building towards the end. One of the best.
- Lounge Lizard
- A heavy rocker with some great guitar work and a fine vocal performance
- Boy
- An epic song that builds and fades only to build again into an emotional finale with Hunter's vocals/lyrics excelling over the sound Mick and the band are laying down. A great track that takes a while to get into.
- 3,000 Miles From Home
- An short acoustic ditty that highlights Hunter's unusual voice\vocal style.
- The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nuthin' But the Truth
- A powerful song with a steady, simple bass riff and a brilliant solo from Ronson that shows speed isn't everything. The solo bears all of Mick's trademarks and fits in beautifully with song. The best track on he album.
- It Ain't Easy When You Fall
- A simple, restrained song, a good follow on from the last track. It has a pleasant melody with good lyrics. The extended chorus gradually fades as Ian Hunter lays his soul bare with-
- Shades Off
- a five verse biographical poem that fits in beautifully over the fading chorus from the previous song.
- I Get So Excited
- A Standard rocker that is the weakest tune on the album. Would have been better used as a B side.
Other albums
- "All American Alien Boy"
- OK, a more subdued album, but hasn't got Mick Ronson. The title track, Irene Wild and some of the others are well worth a listen. Some members from Queen help out with the vocals.
- "You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic"
- Back with Mick Ronson, and in full flight. This is a more sophisticated album than the first. It still has some great rock, check out "Bastard", but the strength is in the ballads like "Standin' In My Light". Well worth having.
- "Yui Orta"
- A Hunter/Ronson album.(at last) "Cool" has a great beat, vocals and guitar work. The rest: there are some pretty good rock tunes and ballads and the last track "Sweat Dreamer" is an instrumental with Mick Ronson in a subdued mood.