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Rating: I have always preferred virtuos singers, particularly those with full, warm timbres, rich with harmonics.
I imagine you have now checked the name on the cover again. No, you weren’t mistaken.
Ian Hunter is the exception that proves the rule. He and his slurred voice that mimics Bob Dylan. Perhaps a little less irritating, perhaps a bit more in tune. Perhaps.
What makes the difference, however, for me, is his true rocker soul, which has very few rivals. I love his physicality, his voluminous mane, and the large dark glasses that almost cover his face.
From the Greenwich Village minstrel, he fortunately borrowed the talent of a true composer. And that's enough for me to justify any technical limitations.
After a long period of struggle, the British frontman found success with Mott The Hoople, thanks to the generational anthem “All The Young Dudes,” a kind and providential gift from an eminent fan: the White Duke.
And it is together with the guitarist from the Spiders From Mars, Mick Ronson, that a few years later, Ian will begin his long solo journey. The chemistry between the two is immediate, the classic spark that ignites an explosion of raw rock'n'roll, like we weren’t even used to back in the Hoople days.
The trio of songs that open the album is pure and irreverent energy, starting with the successful hit “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.” The fresh riffing, garnished with a bouncing piano, is the perfect carpet on which Hunter spits out catchy choruses and his street poetry. Music to be devoured in one go, the ideal soundtrack for our best drunken nights and clumsy dances in decaying venues.
Breaking this fiery rhythm are the ballads, among which “Boy” stands out, a theatrical poem recited in the manner of a Bowie having fun imitating Lennon. The usual imperfect, yet lively and thrilling performance. The artist continues throughout the album with the same scheme of polished melodies and vibrant rock, songs that come out on their own and flow smoothly, without any heaviness. And they invite us to live life carefree, despite lyrics that describe its harshness.
Ian Hunter is this, take it or leave it. Come on. Out with the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. Do you like me, also love this man?
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Once Bitten Twice Shy (04:44)
Well the times gettin' hard for you little girl
I'm a hummin' and a strummin' all over God's world
you don't remember when you got your last meal
and you forgot just how a woman feels
you didn't know what rock n' roll was
until you met a drummer on a Greyhound bus
I got there in the nick of time
before he got his hands across your state line
well in the middle of the night
on the open road
and the heater don't work and it's oh-so cold
you're gettin' tired, you're lookin' kinda beat
the music of the street, drive you off your feet
you didn't know how rock n' roll looked
until you caught your sister with a guy from the group
half-way home in the parking lot
by the look in her eyes she was givin' what she got
Once bitten twice shy, babe
Woman you're a mess gonna die in your sleep
all the blood on my amp and my Les Paul's beat
I can't leave you home cos you're runnin' around
my best friend told me you're the best lick in town
You didn't know that rock n' roll burned
so you bought a candle and you loved and you learned
you got the rhythm, you got the speed
mamma's little baby likes it short and sweet
Once bitten twice shy, babe
I didn't know ya got a rock n' roll record
until a saw your picture on another guy's jacket
you told me I was the only one
and look at you now, well it's dark as it's dumb
Once bitten twice shy, babe
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