Ian Hunter - You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic

Details:

• Year of release : 1979
• Label : Chrysalis CHR 1214
• Review format : LP

Ian Hunter is one of those artists who’s solo output is largely overlooked by many. Best known as lead singer of 70’s rock group, a band who seem increasingly only remembered for “All The Young Dudes”, Hunter has actually released a number of fine albums and is still receiving good reviews today, with the recent release of new album “Shrunken Heads”. Schizophrenic though was Hunter’s fourth solo release and arguably his finest. Featuring usual cohort Mick Ronson on guitars its only nine tracks long but three of them are absolutely essential listening for any rock music fan.

A marvellous low key start as the drums begin, Hunter coughs, then counts the band in on a Ronson co-write Just Another Name. Mid-tempo, bar-room rock ‘n’ roll with the piano pounding away in the background similar to many songs from the Faces, but also with touches of Bowie, Kinks and unsurprisingly Mott The Hoople wrapped up within the raucous opener. Barely a gap before next number Wild East, again one with clear David Bowie similarities and also the first of the solo Hunter written tracks. In fact from now on everything is from his own pen, however this one is defined more by the saxophone ringing out pretty much throughout this decent piece of early 70’s style pop-rock.

A short Alan Freed radio introduction begins the albums first gem, Cleveland Rocks. With it’s big chanted chorus it’s actually the song that many years ago introduced me to the solo work of Ian Hunter. Sure I owned ‘Dudes’ on a number of solo albums but of course with it being a Bowie composition and credited to Mott The Hoople I wouldn’t have delved deeper. However this superb rocker was covered by late 80’s favourites of mine Little Angels, albeit as ‘England Rocks’ and released as a live b-side, and it was this that lead me to seek out the original and actually initially buy this very album on a second hand cassette.

Ships is a fine ballad although very much infused with a 70’s flavour again with keyboards dominant. A superb lyric though, showcasing Hunter’s fine ability to purvey feeling, along with a fine typically raspy vocal make this worth hearing. I am pleased to say that Barry Manilow’s Top 10 US hit cover of this has passed me by however!

Following this the pace is accelerated once more for side one’s closing track When The Daylight Comes which is another piece of period pop-rock that isn’t going to head many ‘best of’ lists but is a good enough album cut I reckon.

Side two of this album is where the real appeal for me lies however. The art-rock of Life After Death could quite easily have made a fine Roxy Music release and despite this being a late 70’s release seems to capture the Glam-Rock period of some five years previous quite superbly, but is mere appetiser here. Standing In My Light, the following song, places it firmly in it’s shadows and is quite superb, with the organ droning behind a superbly delivered and perfectly timed vocal performance on a slow track that is very different to much of this album. The highlight of this album it was featured in it’s own right over at Rock and Roll and Meandering Nonsense back on June 15th this year and was rightly identified as the song that “really stands out”. It certainly is the albums finest moment and also one of Hunter’s best ever across a long career.

The abruptly named Bastard also rates highly with me. A really catchy riff with booming bass and drums and another well described lyric, it’s obviously never going to get much airplay but then when has anything off this album. It’s well worth checking out though and for me is the third of those gems hidden away on this album. Personally I’d have kept this one for last but instead Hunter chose to end on a much more low key note with the impressive piano lead ballad The Outsider. Again there is no faulting the lyrics, it’s a hell of a story, and once more there is nothing at all wrong with the delivery either. Touches of Roger Waters’ circa “The Wall” about this one and for all my willingness to end with the previous song, it’s another fine number and fitting curtain-closer although it does leave the listener in a slightly different mood as the stylus lifts.

Summary : One of those overlooked artists and overlooked albums that once discovered yields at least three absolute gems in Cleveland Rocks, Bastard and the superb Shining In My Light. There is nothing on the album that really disappoints either so if you’ve only ever heard Ian Hunter as the frontman of Mott The Hoople then there is much to be gained by discovering his solo work as well. Now with something around twelve solo albums to choose from this one is as good a place as any to start.

If You Listen To One Track Listen To : Shining In My Light

Score : 3.5/5

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“Cleveland Rocks” at the Astoria, London 2004…

BL