| Ian Hunter |
Fingers Crossed |
Ian Hunter — Fingers Crossed (September 16, 2016) 
★↔★ English singer/songwriter and frontman for Mott the Hoople, with a knack for hard rock and a distinctive gravelly voice.
★↔★ Famed singer & songwriter Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople sits down with with long~time friend Joe Elliott, lead singer & frontman of the legendary rock band Def Leppard.
★↔★ The two chat about the power of music, the resurgence of vinyl/box sets, and their respective relationships with David Bowie.
Birth name: Ian Hunter Patterson
Born: 3 June 1939, Oswestry, Shropshire, England
Location: London, UK
Notable instruments:
★ Baldwin Piano
★ Fender Stratocaster
★ Gibson Les Paul
★ Gibson SG
★ Mosrite
★ Takamine Guitars
Album release: September 16, 2016
Record Label: Proper Records
Duration: 45:57
Tracks:
01 That’s When the Trouble Starts 3:37
02 Dandy 4:43
03 Ghosts 4:09
04 Fingers Crossed 5:12
05 White House 3:37
06 Bow Street Runners 4:59
07 Morpheus 5:10
08 Stranded in Reality 4:50
09 You Can’t Live in the Past 5:11
10 Long Time 4:29
Review
Written By Peter Gerstenzang // September 2, 2016 // Score: 4/5
★↔★ Ian Hunter’s run of 21st Century records has been so consistently excellent that he doesn’t have a contemporary in rock and roll even close in comparison. Starting with 2001’s Rant, you’d have to look to literature’s Philip Roth or film’s John Huston to see such superb work coming from an artist in his seventies. The former Mott the Hoople leader’s newest disc, Fingers Crossed, may just be the best of this golden group. Bob, Neil, Van, their glories are mostly in the past. Ian Hunter, 77, is now simply the finest practicing songwriter from the Classic Rock era.
★↔★ Beginning with the greasy, primeval groove of “That’s When the Trouble Starts,” with guitarist James Mastro’s sleazy slide playing and an irresistible “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!” chant, you know this ain’t no old rocker grinding out a generic, ghost version of his glorious past — like Rod Stewart. The minute Hunter’s outraged rasp crashes in, growling about showbiz, getting old and all the other unbearable inequities of life, you know we have a live one here. “After your 15 minutes of fame/ Look out, here comes the howlin’ rain’!” spits Hunter, his light undimmed. Young punks would pull out their nose rings for such authentic anger.
★↔★ Longtime listeners will probably be most eager to hear Hunter’s musical eulogy for old pal David Bowie. They won’t be disappointed. “Dandy” manages the neat trick of being dry~eyed and warm~hearted, an emotional sendoff to “Mr. Jones,” that not only cleverly references Bowie song titles, but has the poignance of Hunter’s best ballads like “Saturday Gigs.” Keep the Kleenex handy for this “Dandy.”
★↔★ Track by track, hook by hook, growl by growl, the guy has simply never been better. He may talk death (“Ghosts in the Room,” “Morpheus”), but the album is really about the continuing vitality of one of rock and roll’s living legends. At one point, our dude sings a song called “You Can’t Live in the Past.” Though he has many glorious accomplishments, with this album, Ian Hunter proves he is still incredibly active. As well as a man capable of taking his own advice. ★↔★ https://americansongwriter.com/
© ★↔★ Ian Hunter in 1973 as a member of Mott the Hoople.
★↔★ Photo credit: Jim Summaria
★↔★ Autosave~File vom d~lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine; Score: ***½
★↔★ As he closes in on his 80th birthday, Ian Hunter exists on a plane of his own. ★↔★ Younger than Jerry Lee Lewis by four years and older than Bob Dylan by two, Hunter resists the siren call of nostalgia on 2016’s Fingers Crossed, but he also never pretends he's younger than his years. Where 2007’s Shrunken Heads kicked against the pricks, Fingers Crossed feels settled even when the tempo starts to quicken. Maybe Hunter is a little slower and softer than he was even as a 60~year~old, but he’s still a rebel, not least in how he’s still striving to engage with new music. Make no mistake, Hunter isn’t attempting to connect with the modern world — quite frankly, it sounds like he hasn’t heard an album since 1978 — but his faith in his form gives the lean rock & roll of Fingers Crossed energy. Maybe the kicks aren’t so high, but Hunter works within his limits, rocking just hard enough to seem vital and, best of all, his songs remain a thing of wonder: careful and clever, the work of a singer/songwriter who values idiosyncrasy over eccentricity.
Solo albums:
♠ Ian Hunter (1975) UK No. 21 / US No. 50
♠ All American Alien Boy (1976) UK No. 29 / US No. 177
♠ Overnight Angels (1977)
♠ You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic (1979) UK No. 49 / US No. 35
♠ Welcome to the Club (1980) UK No. 61 / US No. 69 (live)
♠ Short Back ‘n’ Sides (1981) UK No. 79 / US No. 62
♠ All of the Good Ones Are Taken (1983) US No. 125
♠ YUI Orta (1990) — with Mick Ronson US No. 157
♠ BBC Live in Concert (1995)
♠ Dirty Laundry (1995)
♠ The Artful Dodger (1996)
♠ Once Bitten Twice Shy (2000)
♠ Missing in Action (2000) (compilation unreleased material)
♠ Rant (2001)
♠ Strings Attached (DVD and CD) (2004)
♠ Just Another Night (DVD, 2004, US release, 2005))
♠ The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin’ But The Truth (DVD and CD) (2005)
♠ Shrunken Heads (2007)
♠ Man Overboard (2009)
♠ When I’m President (2012) — (with The Rant Band) UK No. 97 / US No. 151
♠ Live In The UK 2010 (2014) — (with The Rant Band)
♠ Fingers Crossed (2016) — (with The Rant Band) UK No. 36
Website: http://www.ianhunter.com/
_____________________________________________________________
| Ian Hunter |
Fingers Crossed |
★↔★ Famed singer & songwriter Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople sits down with with long~time friend Joe Elliott, lead singer & frontman of the legendary rock band Def Leppard.
★↔★ The two chat about the power of music, the resurgence of vinyl/box sets, and their respective relationships with David Bowie.
Born: 3 June 1939, Oswestry, Shropshire, England
Location: London, UK
Notable instruments:
★ Baldwin Piano
★ Fender Stratocaster
★ Gibson Les Paul
★ Gibson SG
★ Mosrite
★ Takamine Guitars
Album release: September 16, 2016
Record Label: Proper Records
Duration: 45:57
Tracks:
01 That’s When the Trouble Starts 3:37
02 Dandy 4:43
03 Ghosts 4:09
04 Fingers Crossed 5:12
05 White House 3:37
06 Bow Street Runners 4:59
07 Morpheus 5:10
08 Stranded in Reality 4:50
09 You Can’t Live in the Past 5:11
10 Long Time 4:29
Review
Written By Peter Gerstenzang // September 2, 2016 // Score: 4/5
★↔★ Ian Hunter’s run of 21st Century records has been so consistently excellent that he doesn’t have a contemporary in rock and roll even close in comparison. Starting with 2001’s Rant, you’d have to look to literature’s Philip Roth or film’s John Huston to see such superb work coming from an artist in his seventies. The former Mott the Hoople leader’s newest disc, Fingers Crossed, may just be the best of this golden group. Bob, Neil, Van, their glories are mostly in the past. Ian Hunter, 77, is now simply the finest practicing songwriter from the Classic Rock era.
★↔★ Beginning with the greasy, primeval groove of “That’s When the Trouble Starts,” with guitarist James Mastro’s sleazy slide playing and an irresistible “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!” chant, you know this ain’t no old rocker grinding out a generic, ghost version of his glorious past — like Rod Stewart. The minute Hunter’s outraged rasp crashes in, growling about showbiz, getting old and all the other unbearable inequities of life, you know we have a live one here. “After your 15 minutes of fame/ Look out, here comes the howlin’ rain’!” spits Hunter, his light undimmed. Young punks would pull out their nose rings for such authentic anger.
★↔★ Longtime listeners will probably be most eager to hear Hunter’s musical eulogy for old pal David Bowie. They won’t be disappointed. “Dandy” manages the neat trick of being dry~eyed and warm~hearted, an emotional sendoff to “Mr. Jones,” that not only cleverly references Bowie song titles, but has the poignance of Hunter’s best ballads like “Saturday Gigs.” Keep the Kleenex handy for this “Dandy.”
★↔★ Track by track, hook by hook, growl by growl, the guy has simply never been better. He may talk death (“Ghosts in the Room,” “Morpheus”), but the album is really about the continuing vitality of one of rock and roll’s living legends. At one point, our dude sings a song called “You Can’t Live in the Past.” Though he has many glorious accomplishments, with this album, Ian Hunter proves he is still incredibly active. As well as a man capable of taking his own advice. ★↔★ https://americansongwriter.com/
★↔★ Photo credit: Jim Summaria
★↔★ Autosave~File vom d~lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine; Score: ***½
★↔★ As he closes in on his 80th birthday, Ian Hunter exists on a plane of his own. ★↔★ Younger than Jerry Lee Lewis by four years and older than Bob Dylan by two, Hunter resists the siren call of nostalgia on 2016’s Fingers Crossed, but he also never pretends he's younger than his years. Where 2007’s Shrunken Heads kicked against the pricks, Fingers Crossed feels settled even when the tempo starts to quicken. Maybe Hunter is a little slower and softer than he was even as a 60~year~old, but he’s still a rebel, not least in how he’s still striving to engage with new music. Make no mistake, Hunter isn’t attempting to connect with the modern world — quite frankly, it sounds like he hasn’t heard an album since 1978 — but his faith in his form gives the lean rock & roll of Fingers Crossed energy. Maybe the kicks aren’t so high, but Hunter works within his limits, rocking just hard enough to seem vital and, best of all, his songs remain a thing of wonder: careful and clever, the work of a singer/songwriter who values idiosyncrasy over eccentricity.
Solo albums:
♠ Ian Hunter (1975) UK No. 21 / US No. 50
♠ All American Alien Boy (1976) UK No. 29 / US No. 177
♠ Overnight Angels (1977)
♠ You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic (1979) UK No. 49 / US No. 35
♠ Welcome to the Club (1980) UK No. 61 / US No. 69 (live)
♠ Short Back ‘n’ Sides (1981) UK No. 79 / US No. 62
♠ All of the Good Ones Are Taken (1983) US No. 125
♠ YUI Orta (1990) — with Mick Ronson US No. 157
♠ BBC Live in Concert (1995)
♠ Dirty Laundry (1995)
♠ The Artful Dodger (1996)
♠ Once Bitten Twice Shy (2000)
♠ Missing in Action (2000) (compilation unreleased material)
♠ Rant (2001)
♠ Strings Attached (DVD and CD) (2004)
♠ Just Another Night (DVD, 2004, US release, 2005))
♠ The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin’ But The Truth (DVD and CD) (2005)
♠ Shrunken Heads (2007)
♠ Man Overboard (2009)
♠ When I’m President (2012) — (with The Rant Band) UK No. 97 / US No. 151
♠ Live In The UK 2010 (2014) — (with The Rant Band)
♠ Fingers Crossed (2016) — (with The Rant Band) UK No. 36
Website: http://www.ianhunter.com/
_____________________________________________________________