Mott
Drive On

By tonight (O Watts)
Monte Carlo (O Watts)
She does it (O Watts)
Stiff upper lip (O Watts)
Love now (O Watts)
Apologies (Major)
The great white wail (O Watts)
Here we are (O Watts)
It takes on to know one (O Watts)
I can show you how it is (O Watts/Griffin)

Arranged, produced and directed by Mott

Overend Watts Bass guitar, Vocals
Nigel Benjamin Lead Vocals, Guitar
Morgan Fisher Piano Organ, Synthesiser, Vocals
Ray Major Lead Guitar, Vocals
Dale Griffin Drums, Vocals

Engineers: Geoff Emerick and Alan Harris

Musical Co-ordinator Morgan Fisher

Recorded by Alan 'the loveliness of' Harris with Ron Fawcus at Clearwater Castle, Gloucestershire, england in Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio, April 28th - May 20th 1975. Master Mix and final overdubs by Geoff Emerick with Pete Henderson and Gary Edwards at AIR(London) Studio No.3, Oxford Street, London w.1 May 23rd - June 9th 1975.

Mott Management: Fred Heller Enterprises Ltd., Associate Sunny Schnier, Dobbs Ferry on the Hudson, New York
London Office: Associate Stan Tippins and Gerry Mantell-Sayer
Motts Mann: Chris Whitehouse

Album mastered by Arun Chakraverty at CBS Studios, Whitfield Street, London
Art Direction: Roslav Szaybo (CBS Records)
Sleeve Design: Michael Farrell
Photography: Peter Lavery, Mike Putland
Front cover photo: Roger Bamber

Half Moon Bay says... Well, I was sort of looking forward to this CD, which Sony have made available in the UK as part of their budget Rewind series. Pleasing that they felt they will get some money back by selling enough.

First time around I really, really liked this record. They had a tough job on their hands: by using the Mott moniker they were setting themselves up as heirs to the Mott the Hoople inheritance; Hunter had released a quite brilliant debut solo album a couple of months earlier and scored a UK top 20 hit.

Now, of course, Hunter had been the main writer and hit provider for Mott the Hoople and this album was going to show up any deficiencies on that front.

And for me, that was one of the most pleasing aspects, for from the pen of Overend Watts came some quite tremondous tunes: 'Monte Carlo' with that simple organ note intro that heralds a lovely guitar riff; 'I'll Tell you Something'; the intro to 'Stiff Upper Lip'; 'Love Now' with Pete on lead vocals (maybe he should have done more!) and great guitar and piano from Morgan, the gorgeous 'Apologies' and the epic and quite magnificent 'Great White Wail', which alone proves that Buff was one of the greatest drummers of all time. 'It Takes One to Know One', which includes the great line "I heard its tough at the top, well it sure looks good from the floor", which I sadly use to this day.

Its easy with hindsight to say that by this stage and in this incarnation they had fallen back to being little more than a good circuit band not unlike the band they were before Guy Stevens intervened, as I have seen written in 'Rough Guide to Rock'. But at the time, it was up there with Lone Star, Ian Hunter, UFO, etc..

They received patronage from the important Sounds magazine and had it not been for punk rock then, well...

Anyway, at £7.99 or whatever, this is a good addition to your collection (at least for me it doesn't jump in 'Stiff Upper Lip' anymore) and, it could be argued, worth it for the 'What a Bloke' list included - which amused us all quite a bit at the time. And its all the original and quite excellent artwork, apart from the reflective silver of the original UK 12" sleeves. I can remember being impressed with this at the time: CBS didn't scrimp with this album and were putting a lot behind the band.

The other interesting point, I suppose, is Buffins little retort to Ian Hunter in the shape of the final track which was maybe in reply to the "...Cheer up mate, the drummers in the past" line on his own debut albums 'Boy'. Not that I want to rake anything up, but its a bit of Mott angst and history.

Review Date: 25th April 1997

Drive On | Shouting and Pointing | Live - Over Here and Over There 75/76 | Gooseberry Sessions