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Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter

Ian Hunter CD: "From The Knees Of My Heart"

Sleeve and track listing

Chrysalis 5099923270121. (4 stars!)

[Box set sleeve]

Disc 1: You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic

  1. Just Another Night
  2. Wild East
  3. Cleveland Rocks
  4. Ships
  5. When The Daylight Comes
  6. Life After Death
  7. Standin' In My Light
  8. Bastard
  9. The Outsider
  10. Don't Let Go (Demo Version)
  11. The Other Side Of Life (Outtake)
  12. Ships (Early Version)
  13. When The Daylight Comes (Early Version)
  14. Just Another Night (Version #3)
  15. The Outsider (Early Version)
  16. Alibi

Disc 2: Welcome To The Club

  1. FBI
  2. Once Bitten Twice Shy
  3. Angeline
  4. Laugh At Me
  5. All The Way From Memphis
  6. I Wish I Was Your Mother
  7. Irene Wilde
  8. Just Another Night
  9. Cleveland Rocks
  10. Standin' In My Light
  11. Bastard
  12. Walkin' With a Mountain/Rock And Roll Queen
  13. All The Young Dudes
  14. Slaughter On 10th Avenue
  15. One Of The Boys
  16. The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll

Disc 3: Short Back n' Sides

  1. Central Park 'n' West
  2. Lisa Likes Rock 'n' Roll
  3. I Need Your Love
  4. Old Records Never Die
  5. Noises
  6. Rain
  7. Gun Control
  8. Theatre Of The Absurd
  9. Leave Me Alone
  10. Keep On Burning
  11. Na Na Na
  12. I Believe In You
  13. Listen To The Eight Track
  14. You Stepped Into My Dreams
  15. Venus In The Bathtub
  16. Detroit (Take 1)
  17. China (Rough Mix with Ronson vocal)

Disc 4: Ian Hunter Rocks

  1. Once Bitten Twice Shy
  2. Gun Control
  3. Central Park 'n' West
  4. All The Way From Memphis/Honky Tonk Women
  5. I Need Your Love
  6. Noises
  7. Just Another Night
  8. Cleveland Rocks
  9. Irene Wilde
  10. All The Young Dudes/Honaloochie Boogie/Roll Away The Stone/Ships
  11. Sons And Daughters
  12. We Gotta Get Out Of Here (Alternate version)
  13. Silver Needles
  14. Man O' War

Review

Hot on the heels of Ian's 2012 album When I'm President comes this 4-CD box set neatly packaging Ian's Chrysalis albums from 1979 to 1981.

Discs 1 and 3 comprise his two studio albums of the period (1979's You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic and 1981's Short Back 'n' Sides), while Disc 2 gives us his 1980 live album Welcome To The Club. For the fan who probably has these already, disc 4 is the most interesting comprising as it does the audio from the live video Ian Hunter Rocks. Never before issued on CD, these tracks are a worthy addition to Ian's live output. OK, so Mick Ronson isn't here (it is Robbie Alter on guitar) but that doesn't matter so much. At least Ian is brave enough to try something new style-wise: these tracks are sufficiently different from the ...Club tracks that the listener doesn't feel overwhelmed.

No issue like this is complete these days without bonus tracks, and we have them here in abundance. They are also different from the tracks on the individual albums (...Club excepted) that the fan who has everything won't be disappointed.

The booklet is good but not exceptional (Ian's track-by-track comments are the same as on previous reissues). Sound quality is excellent throughout.

All in all, highly recommended, to the die-hard and the casual fan alike.