Brain Capers

An excellent early outing by Mott. Dedicated to James Dean, this album is full of Ian Hunters classic vocal style and the solid backing of the rest of the band. Their later releases brought much more attention to the band (along with their association with David Bowie), but here's a bit of the foundation as it's being built. My copy has seen better days, but it still finds its way to the turntable on occasion.

Re-teaming with producer Guy Stevens, Mott the Hoople delivered the great forgotten British hard rock album with their fourth album, Brain Capers. Stevens was a legendary rock & roll wild man and he kept Mott careening through their performances; they sound harder than ever, even dangerous at times. This fortunately coincided with Ian Hunter's emergence as a fantastic songwriter, as tuneful and clever as any of his peers. All these changes are evident from the moment Brain Capers kicks in with the monumental "Death May Be Your Santa Claus," a phenomenally pile-driving number that just seems inevitable. As it gives way to a cover of Dion's "Your Own Backyard," it becomes clear that Mott has pulled off the trick of being sensitive while still rocking. And that's not the end of it — they ride an epic wave on the nine-minute "The Journey," pull off a love song on "Sweet Angeline," and generally rock like hell throughout the record. The most amazing thing about the album is that none of the songs really change character — it's all straightforward hard rock, graced with Dylanesque organ — but there are all sorts of variations on that basic sound, proving how versatile they are. It's a fantastic album, the culmination of their early years. When a record this confident and tremendous stiffed, it's little wonder they thought about chucking it all in; and it isn't a surprise that, when they decided to continue, it was with a change in sound. They couldn't have topped this if they tried. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine.