Mick Ralphs
Take This

All it Takes
Hey Baby
Take This
Give you my Love
Fast Travelling Man
On the Run
Last Chance Saloon
Rock Fever
When the Revolution Comes
Another Lonely Day

bonus tracks
Rock N Roller (previously unreleased)
All Across the Nile (previously unreleased)
All it Takes (working mix)
Give you my Love (working mix)
On the Run (working mix)
Last Chance Saloon (working mix)
When the Revolution Comes (working mix)
Another Lonely Day (demo)
Rock N Roller (working mix)
All Across the Nile (working mix)

All tracks written by Mick Ralphs and published by MCPS except track 2 "Hey Baby" written by Channel/Cobb

Recorded at The Townhouse, London, England. Engineer: Alan Douglas
Mixed at Ridge Farm, Dorking. Engineer: Max Norman
Produced and Engineered by Mick Ralphs
Remastered and digitally enhanced by Nick Watson at RT, Cambridge, England, October 1998

Simon Kirke drums
Mickey Feat bass
B J Cole pedal steels
Vicky Brown backing vocals
Sam Brown backing vocals
Stevie Lange backing vocals
Mick Ralphs All other instruments and vocals

Sleeve Design: Mick Ralphs/APP/Richard Evans
Photographs: Neal Preston

Licensed from Mick Ralphs
Special thanks to Campbell Devine, Martin Colley and Justin Purington

SJPCD037
Available in all good record stores,
or by mail order from Angel Air Records

Half Moon Bay says...

In some ways, Mick was my favourite Mott and looking back it was because his songs were a nice antidote to Hunters more famous and often-heard stuff; 'I'm a Cadillac...' is still my fave cut from the block-busting Mott album, for example.

I followed him into Bad Company, but must admit that as funds became acute and choices had to be made, I chased the Mott and Ian products.

So, I approach this record with some anxiety: Micks playing might be great, but Bad Co. were a bit formula after a while. And here is a record made at a time when our hero is between Bad Company bouts and with songs to demo.

Having said that, the company of players is not that bad with Simon Kirke on drums, B.J.Cole on his famous pedal steel guitar and Sam Browne amongst the backing vocalists. And to top it all off, Mick himself on guitar.

From track one - "All it takes" - it is clear that Micks Mott days are well and truly behind him and this collection cries out for the complete Bad Company touch. That said, its not too far away from that conclusion as on some tracks Micks guitar work is blistering and top-drawer and the effect is much more than the demo-feel your first listen suggests.

Oh yes, on that first listen I thought that I wouldn't be listening to this record too much and that "All it Takes" apart, there wasn't much to the disc. Wrong. And how wrong...

It is yet another of those growers and one that I find I listen to more and more and making me realise I ought to correct the error of my ways and invest in more Bad Company product, for the guitar playing here is absolutely wonderful and there must be more on those other Mick Ralphs post-Mott records.

Stand out tracks? Oh, I don't know, they are all so good it is hard to pick anything. That said, beware of "Take This" which is a jazzy instrumental and will not be everyones cup of tea. Pure and die-hard Mott the Hoople fans ought to handle the whole package with care as its musical slant is definitely towards Bad Co -- "Rock Fever" is Bad Company. And the guitar on this track... wow!

This Angel Air release is a re-release of something that originally saw the light of day in 1984 and comes with some bonus tracks, working mixes and demos. These are curious in that some seem to feature a different, and it seems unidentified vocalist from the final rendition.

So, another addition to the growing Mott related list of CDs that are becoming available, and a worthy addition and a welcome new-comer to my collection.

Rock on.

Terry Burgess. January 1999