Mott the Hoople: All the Way from Memphis

[bagpipe]

It must be at least 40 years since I've listened to this classic track from Mott the Hoople. What a great song. I seem to remember watching a video of it on The Old Grey Whistle Test back in the day. They used to play videos (before the video era) of tracks set to old black and white cartoons.

Listening again now, I'd totally forgotten about the tasty guitar playing throughout. I'm guessing this was Mick Ralphs playing?

 

[monwobobbo]

Love Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter's solo stuff.

 

[BluesForDan]

I seem to remember the name Ariel Bender that I think was Mick Ralph's stage persona . I also remember a guitar with an H-shaped body.

then again, I'm old so it could just be figments of my imagination

 

[ant_riv]

Ariel Bender was after Mick Ralphs.
Ariel did have the ‘H’ guitar, he was a bit more glam.

 

[BlackT-Shirt]

Ariel Bender was after Mick Ralphs.
Ariel did have the ‘H’ guitar, he was a bit more glam.

Ariel was ex-Spooky Tooth Luther Grovsnor. Hunter had the H guitar.

 

[Jon C]

Loved it then, it now.

 

[BUK]

Saw them at the Fox theater in Atlanta in '74! So good! Kicked ass!
It was REO Speedwagon, Mott and Queen! Queen cancelled because Freddy took ill. It was a looong time ago and this is the best I can recall.
No wonder Freddy took ill, I just looked up setlist.fm and the had just finished 5 dates at the Uris Theater!!

 

[abby_normal]

Big Mott fan back in the day. Mick left when Ian couldn't sing Can't Get Enough of Your Love. Paul Rogers could.
Guitarist Luther Grosvenor, formerly of Spooky Tooth, went by the name of Ariel Bender while in Mott the Hoople.
Legend has it that Ralphs was walking down a street and was bending every car antennae as he passed them which is how the name Ariel Bender originally came about.

 

[GCDEF]

I just listened to it for the first time in about 40 years the other day too. Great band

 

[gennation]

I still listen to this and their other albums regularly. I saw the Mott tour in 2019, that was the first time seeing Ian, I was not disappointed. I even named my son after Ian, as well as all the other great rocking Ian’s, but mainly Hunter.

 

[Member 234866]

Ian Hunter always wrote some of the greatest and well-arranged songs in rock . Great band, great song indeed

 

[dan in RI]

Awesome band. Don't stop there. Put on Walking with a mountain, Roll away the stone etc etc

 

[djkwan]

Yup, great song. Remember the cover by Contraband? Michael Schenker and Tracii Guns.

 

[fitz]

I loved Mott the Hoople and especially Mick Ralph's guitar playing then and in Bad Company. In this tune, it sounds to me like a Les Paul Jr and is one of my favorite tones. When he pulls off that soaring harmonic in one of the solo fills, I still get chills til this day.

 

[Nobtwiddler]

it was a LP junior, I played it at Micks place in Redding quite a few years ago, 83 I believe.

Same one he used on All the Young Dudes.
Great player.....
Really great guy!

 

[moore-fiend]

Mott The Hoople Live was a staple when I was younger.....Great version on there!!

 

[Echoplexi]

Love it. Mott and Ian crafted some ultra fun and catchy rock tunes.

 

[Litterick]

It must be at least 40 years since I've listened to this classic track from Mott the Hoople. What a great song. I seem to remember watching a video of it on The Old Grey Whistle Test back in the day. They used to play videos (before the video era) of tracks set to old black and white cartoons.

Here’s Felix:



I loved those old cartoons on Whistle Test; so much more fun than a promo video.

I wanted to show the opening scene from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, but it seems the lawyers have taken it down.

Summary:

"A view of the town of Soccoro, New Mexico with Mott the Hoople's All the Way From Memphis blasting on the soundtrack. Inside a tacky, blue-collar home is Alice trying to sew and she turns down her son's record player. Alice is clearly a bright and witty woman that clowns around with her son, but stuck with a bored, uncommunicative husband that works as a Coca Cola truck driver. He berates and threatens her for her son's bratty antics and behavior."

 

[Spupilup]

Saw them at the Fox theater in Atlanta in '74! So good! Kicked ass!
It was REO Speedwagon, Mott and Queen! Queen cancelled because Freddy took ill. It was a looong time ago and this is the best I can recall.
No wonder Freddy took ill, I just looked up setlist.fm and the had just finished 5 dates at the Uris Theater!!

I saw them at the Uris. I was thirteen and owned Queen II but the real draw was Mott. It was a great show. I can't remember which night it was but it had to have been a weekend otherwise I would have had a lot of convincing to do in order to get my folks to let me take the train into Manhattan on a school night.

 

[vegarman]

all the young dudes, man, david bowie. great band. saw em live back in the day. with the new york dolls and aerosmith.