#6 The Hunter-Ronson Band

1st April, 1975

Colston Hall, Bristol

Mott The Hoople finally disintegrated, having valiantly attempted to do so many times previously. They had nearly vanished in the early seventies when Bowie, in a gesture of remarkable generosity (considering he had no big hits himself), gave them All The Young Dudes, which, of course, became an enormous success. Bowie & Mick Ronson produced it, played guitar on it, sang on it and just let Ian Hunter sing the verses again, where Bowie had originally sung. There are numerous versions circulating of the Bowie version.

When Bowie split The Spiders, Mick Ronson was projected onto the UK public as a superstar-elect. He wasn’t really convinced by that himself, despite releasing two solo projects. Ian Hunter invited Ronson to join The Hoople, which he did for a few weeks, but it just led to resentment with the others in the band and a huge amount of apathy for work. Saturday Gigs was the only product of the union, a satisfactory valediction for such a band.

Hunter and Ronson decided to form a partnership of sorts for touring, since Ronson had virtually produced Hunter’s excellent1975 solo album. As a result, they toured the UK & the States, plundering most of Mott’s big hits and cherry-picking the best of their own sol material. The setlist was an outstanding showpiece of contemporary rock and the musicianship was incredible. The pianist couldn’t make it, so they managed to acquire the services of Blue Weaver, who later had years of success with the Bee Gees! Its only rock ‘n roll, innit Keef?

It proved to be inspired, since the two became inseparable for ages, touring right up to Ronson’s serious ill-health. What can you say about Ronson? There are virtuosos, like Vai & Satriani, but he was unique. Perhaps it was his understanding the violin or growing the nails on his “wrong” hand? He dug into the fretboard with his left to bend the strings and used mainly a ‘Cry-Baby’ pedal, but at such excessive volumes that he was virtually deaf in one ear. Genius is often carelessly banded about. In Mick’s case it is apt.

On to the concert. April Fool’s Day, 1975, Bristol, at the now-infamous Colston Hall. What a privilege to witness this!

(As I mentioned elsewhere, I tried for years to find a recording of this tour. By chance, I happened upon a friendly Scandinavian Mott fan, who had all the shows. Thank you, my friend, for sending them to me).

Once Bitten Twice Shy

Well, this was fun. It’s a great opener on the album, but worked even better live. A rock ‘n roll song about………rock ‘n roll. It has a casual introduction and meanders along for a minute or so until Ronson crashes into the tune with his blistering guitar work. The audience go berserk and that’s the tone set for the evening. Stunning.

Lounge Lizard

A song carried over from the last days of Mott and another masterclass from Ronson on his Les Paul. I think you can find their demo on an Anthology. Ronson’s screaming guitar takes it to a different place.

Growing Up and I’m Fine

Time for a change of pace. This time Ronson gets to show off a couple of his recent solo tunes. The piano-driven Bowie-penned song is a jolly interlude. But it doesn’t last long.

Angel No. 9

Ronson pulls out another classic, in the vein of Moonage Daydream. For much of the time Hunter stands in awe and appreciation of his talent, smiling smugly. After this, they could have walked off and we would all have been happy.

Who Do You Love?

Then it’s a new one from Hunter’s solo project, with more bar-room piano and Ronno adding some Running Gun Blues type riffing to the song. It gets everyone jumping about.

White Light White Heat

What’s this? The Spiders used to play this live. Bowie intended to record it for his Pinups 2 project, but gave the backing to Ronson for one his solo albums. The Hunter-Ronson band bring the house down. It’s been a non-stop breathtaking assault.

Boy

Ian Hunter gets to calm things right down with a lengthy attack on a boy, a multi-faceted flawed creature. It could be a number of people he’s referring to and probably was. He wasn’t too happy with a couple of his ex-colleagues, nor of Bowie’s behaviour at the time. It has the grand gesture without really convincing. It’s ok, though.

Play Don’t Worry

Ronson then does the title track off his latest solo album and it sounds much better than the recorded version. This happens all the time in concerts. Weird.

The Truth The Whole Truth Nothin’ But The Truth

Complete carnage from Ronson! What he could do with a Marshall stack, Les Paul & a simple Cry Baby pedal is ridiculous. He throws all his tricks into this. Hunter barks and roars, while Ronson pulls out feedback and distortion, similar to his playing on Pleasure Man (Slaughter on 10th Avenue). It veers back and forth from near-silence to deafening noise. That’s the artistic statement done. Now it’s time for some fun.

Roll Away The Stone

Out come the hits. First up is the Mott fifties pastiche. Bit of a sing-along.

Slaughter On Tenth Avenue

Mick surprises everyone by playing the title track of his first solo album. For many years he played snippets of this in concert, but here, he plays the full version, which he rarely did later. It’s a belter and, again, works well live.

The Golden Age Of Rock ‘N Roll

More of Mott’s 50s /60s retrospection and another sing-along.

All The Way From Memphis

Then a highlight. The classic. It’s almost as if Ronson knows this inside out. Audience chaos.

All The Young Dudes

Then it’s the Bowie gift which, of course, Bowie and Ronson recorded for Mott. It’s almost as if Ronson knows this inside out. Getting the picture? It’s the grand finale. That went quickly.

The Girl Can’t Help It

They finish with a slapdash version of an oldie from Ronson’s second album. The vocals are shared. It’s done at a crazy pace. Then bang. It’s all over.

The Hunter-Ronson band often reconvened over the years to come, but never reproduced this kind of set. Unique.