Hunter, Ian: Strings Attached

Ian Hunter rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of the British rock band Mott The Hoople, and is one of the finest songwriters of his generation. This performance took place in 2002 at the Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway. MIG Music has rereleased the two CD set.

I always felt that Hunter's body of work has been underrated so it was a nice surprise to learn of this live effort. Joining Hunter are Andy York (guitar), Torstein Flakne (guitar), Kjetil Bjerkestrand (keyboards), Sven Lindvall (bass), Per Lindvall (drums) and the Trondheim Soloists, an accompanying orchestra.

Highlights of disc 1 include the stripped down beauty of "Rest In Peace" showcasing some beautiful strings and Hunter's gravelly emotive voice, the moving "All Of The Good Ones Are Taken" and a bristling version of "All The Young Dudes". The tender ballads "Waterlow" and "Irene Wilde" are also worth a mention as Hunter bares his soul for all to hear.

The second disc is punctuated with the fiery hard rockers "Rollerball" and "All The Way From Memphis" and the nostalgic ballads "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" and "Michael Picasso". Some of these songs are absolutely heart wrenching especially "Roll Away The Stone", a Mott The Hoople classic.

Not all rock music works well within the confines of an orchestra but that is not the case with Strings Attached. The strings serve to take this music to even greater heights and add a lush softness to Hunter's gritty vocals and lyrics. If you are a Hunter and/or glam rock fan this should be an easy purchase.

Track Listing:
Disc 1
1. Rest In Peace
2. All Of The Good Ones Are Taken
3. I Wish I Was Your Mother
4. Twisted Steel
5. Boy
6. 23A Swan Hill
7. Waterlow
8. All The Young Dudes
9. Irene Wilde
10. Once Bitten Twice Shy

Disc Two
1. Rollerball
2. Ships
3. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
4. Michael Picasso
5. Wash Us Away
6. Don't Let Go
7. All The Way From Memphis
8. Roll Away The Stone
9. Saturday Gigs

Added: September 15th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1774
Language: english

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