Mott the Hoople
Brain Capers

I discovered Mott The Hoople through indirect paths, as I never found anyone who talked about them, no one who even accidentally knew one of their songs. I arrived here because I read somewhere that Mick Ralphs played in this group, who in 1974 would go on to form Bad Company with Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, and Boz Burrell.

And I must admit that these indirect paths led me to discover a great band, unjustly and inexplicably almost unknown to the general public, in which the singer and undisputed leader Ian Hunter stands out for his personality and songwriting skills. He would be the last member to join, completing the lineup that included the aforementioned Mick Ralphs on guitar, Verden Allen on keyboards, Pete Overend Watts on bass, and Dale Buffin Griffin on drums.

"Brain Capers" was released in 1971 and is the fourth album by Mott The Hoople, the first of a trilogy completed by "All The Young Dudes" and "Mott," marking their artistic peak. An album recorded almost live, attempting to capture the great energy expressed by the band live, otherwise difficult to reproduce in the studio. It combines stylistic elements typical of glam rock, an attitude that falls somewhere between hard rock and punk, which at that time was still far from emerging, the Dylan-esque singing style of Ian Hunter (listen to "Your Own Backyard" for verification) and Ralphs' passion for blues, which occasionally pops up. A mix from which several bands later drew, but at the time didn't achieve the expected and deserved success, making Mott The Hoople the right band at the wrong time.

The right band, because songs like the opener "Death May Be Your Santa Claus" (great title), "Darkness Darkness" (cover of the Youngbloods sung by Mick Ralphs), "Sweet Angeline", and especially the long "The Journey" placed exactly in the middle and a masterpiece of the album, testify that Mott The Hoople had all the tools to reach the top and stay there for a while.

Unfortunately, something went wrong, "Brain Capers" did not arouse the interest of the general public, and Mott The Hoople came to the brink of breaking up, which was only avoided by the intervention of one of their early fans, a certain David Robert Jones, better known as David Bowie, who knocked on their door and convinced them to continue, offering to write a song for them...

But that's another story called "All The Young Dudes"...