Track 4:-->"Career" - Mott - (Shouting and Pointing) - (1976)


"There's no such thing as me or you.
Just the feeling someone had
when they saw shadows on the wall."
Mott


Let me be upfront...and let your slings and arrows land where they may. "Shouting and Pointing" is a pretty good record.

Not perfect. Not a 5-star LP. But certainly better than most rock critics would have you believe.

"Mott" was, of course, the off-shoot of the legendary band...Mott the Hoople. The band was trying their best to carry on...after three of the original bandmates...Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson and Mick Ralphs had left. Talk about taking a hit!

However..."Shouting and Pointing" (their final album)...shows Mott surprisingly having more fun and rocking harder than many LPs previously. And their energy is contagious.

Sadly...no one was buying what they were selling.

Choosing Mott as their new moniker...obviously hoping to keep their old fans......played a large part in their demise.

Most of the "...Hoople" followers jumped ship soon after Ian Hunter left. And those who thought "...Hoople" was crap anyway...wasn't about to give Mott a chance.

Finally, the younger music fans coming up...believed Mott to be rock-n-roll dinosaurs and spent their money elsewhere.

The end was inevitable. Too bad.

"Shouting and Pointing" is a lot of fun. Sounding like a cross between Slade and Humble Pie...guitars slice and churn throughout...while pounding piano attacks the ears like an M-16.
Add some crazy vocals and you have yourself a fine RnR barbecue.

A glimpse of Rock-n-Roll in America circa 1974 shot by Morgan Fisher.
(legendary keyboardist with Mott the Hoople & Mott)
9 minutes and absolutely fascinating.


Of the nine tracks...a few standouts...
"Collision Course" is a burner with churning guitar and tasty hooks.
"See You Again" is a mid-tempo number with acoustical runs that remind me of an Alice Cooper sound.
"Storm" is a blister ready to burst. A freight train.
"Shouting and Pointing" sets the table nicely with some tasty "in-your-face" keyboard...overtaken by guitar.

Track 4:-->"Career" is a very nice change of pace ballad. A weary look at life on stage. A rather sweet acceptance of the inevitable. Again...very nice.

Would have cutting their ties to the past made a difference? Hard to say. The musical flavor of the day was changing so rapidly. Disco, Punk and New Wave.

Sadly...Mott has become a nearly forgotten rock-n-roll footnote.

But when revisiting this album...it appears that Mott's..."Shouting and Pointing" was unfairly assigned to the local bargain and cut-out bins.
They deserved "Mottch" better.
Good stuff!

Casey

Mott:-->
"Career" (Shouting and Pointing) <--Import Only) (1976) (Own It)

Comments

WZJN said…
Right on spot about Mott. I am a die hard Mott fan and I really enjoyed this album.

Thanks for spotlighting it!
Anonymous said…
GREAT post! Already have the cd, but this is a really good lp that's definitely worth a listen....some may snobbisly ignore the post-Ian Hunter era, but they're missing some great material here including a super cover of the Easybeats....and to think that Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue play with singer Nigel Bemjamin, post Mott!!! Yow!!! jim

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