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Ian Hunter always struck me as one of those rock stars who outlasted his usefulness. Mott was cool and All The Good Ones Are Taken was alright but after that what is there to get excited about? The songs he records are average, his voice nothing special, musicianship appropriate but less than thrilling.
I went into the room alone with his new album, Man Overboard, hoping as I always do: that I’ll find something special I’ll want to write home (to you!) about.
Sorry…no dice.
The Great Escape starts out with some promise, a touch of the Pogues underlying an otherwise average song. Unfortunately, like the career of Daryl Strawberry, promise only goes so far. Up And Running is a medium tempo stomp that sounds like someone trying to sound like Keith Richards (without the sloppy drunk rhythm guitar that makes Kool Keith cool).Â
Arms And Legs is actually a decent piece of work. A solid guitar opening, standard grade but acceptable lyrics and a nice melody, a little bit like Bryan Adams without all the usual kitchen sink pop cliches. Nice harmonies at the end, too.
The rest of the record veers about a cadre of styles, from late night, post-footie singalongs (Man Overboard) to heading home ballads (River of Tears, which is actually kind of pretty). Bad, no. But with bands like MUTEMath and singers like Dan Auerbach and Iron and Wine available to my ears, I have to ask why I would want to invest in an old man who hasn’t done much new for too many years.
Listen and disagree if you wish…
Ian Hunter – The Great Escape
Ian Hunter – Up And Running
Ian Hunter – Arms And Legs
The record is sadly awash in a sea of mediocrity. I dunno… Hunter is hard to listen to ever since he lost Mick Ronson as his running partner.
Of his three recent studio albums, Man Overboard is the least interesting, but Rant is indispensable to anyone who has ears for 70′s style (Mott esp.) rock and roll. Sorry, I don’t get mute mush and some of the younger groups who are, to these leaden ears, trying too hard to have an edge. It all sounds like a boardroom to me.
Ian Hunter – Live at the Club ( The Roxy in ’79) is one of my favorite live albums. Give it a listen.
As I read your words I thought, “Lout! You can’t write that about Ian Hunter!” Of course, I haven’t paid any attention to him since Schizophrenic and even at that time I’d figured this was his last big moment. I hate to hear ageism as a reason for turn our backs on a (once) brilliant artists but, alas, who among us has not but gone oh too gently into the dark night? Well, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan: Even with their severely limited vocal abilities they still manage to be relevant. (Maybe they could teach seminars to the legions of aging 60-70s acts that won’t go away.)
I can’t even have pity on Hunter. These songs are stridently banal. There’s no truth to them. There’s nothing worse than a pander that fails. Sorry, Ian. You made work that was once such an important part of my life. I’ll always have the first Hunter/Ronson album. Fare thee well.
Hey Fusion, Johnny, and Dieter:
What a simplistic underachieving load of drivel you have written. Ian is an acquired taste, and takes a person of superior intellect to see and hear the nuance. Next time if we want your opinion, we’ll give it to you.
Go eat with the children boys…
[Love is blind...and, in this case, arrogant, too. -- Fusion 45]
I recognize that Man Overboard is not his best work as a whole but there are some jems amongst those stones. The same is true of Shrunken Heads released a short 2 years ago. But that may be due to me comparing it to 2000′s Rant which is an awesome album. It’s clear his influences have changed a little since Rant. When I listen to Man Overboard and Shrunken Heads as one body of work I get a more “American” feel to his music. When compared to the music coming out of America today MO and SH sounds a lot better. Just my opinion.
You have been gracious enough to print my remarks unaltered, so I thought I would look at your recommendations.
I would have been better off listening to Cher’s greatest hits (did I mention I don’t like Cher?).
MuteMath has a real interesting video team and a very uninteresting sound, sort of like Oingo Boingo without the oing and without the boing, The second guy (Dan Auerbach) reminded me of Andy Griffith on Aunt Bee’s porch playing that lonely guitar.
I feel these songs are streetlengths worse than the weakest track on “Man Overboard” but that is OK. You should be proud of your site, it is clean, informative and nicely done. I wish you well.
[I don't necessarily agree with your opinion. Well, on the Cher issue I do, but that should be universal. But, I certainly appreciate the color with which you write them. Maybe you should be an F45 guest scribe? -- Fusion 45]
Played the album a few times and found myself singing along with it.It may not be to everybody’s taste,but I’ve played it a lot and,to date,haven’t played Springsteen’s Greatest Hits through the entire album.One man’s meat………..
Those who can, do. Those who cannot, criticise.