Wildlife (Mott the Hoople album)

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1971 studio album by Mott the Hoople

Wildlife

Studio album by

Mott the Hoople

Released| 19 March 1971 (1971-03-19)
Recorded| November–December 1970
Studio| Island, London
Genre| Country rock[1]
Length| 40:05
Label| Island (UK), Atlantic (US)
Producer| Mott the Hoople (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6–8)
Guy Stevens (track 3)
Mott the Hoople/Guy Stevens (tracks 5 and 9)
Mott the Hoople chronology
| Mad Shadows
(1970)  | Wildlife
(1971)  | Brain Capers
(1971)

|
|

Wildlife is the third album by the British band Mott the Hoople.

The album was originally released in 1971; in the UK by Island Records (catalogue number ILPS 9144) and in the US by Atlantic Records (cat. no. SD 8284). It was subsequently re-released by Angel Air in 2003 SJPCD159.

It reached No. 44 in the UK Albums Chart in April 1971.[2]

## Recording

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The album was recorded in November and December 1970 at Island Studios in London. It was produced by Guy Stevens and Mott the Hoople. The engineers were Andy Johns, Brian Humphries, and Phill Brown.

## Release

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The album was released on vinyl in 1971; in the UK by Island Records and in the US by Atlantic Records. It was subsequently re-released on CD by Angel Air in 2003. It was the band's third album since their debut, Mott the Hoople, in 1969.

## Reception

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Ben Edmonds, reviewing for Rolling Stone in June 1971, felt that the band and singer Ian Hunter had moved on from the Bob Dylan comparisons of the first two albums, and had added a country music influence, to produce an album with "more than enough solid music" to warrant some attention in America.[3]

The album reached No. 44 in the UK Albums Chart in April 1971.[2]

## Legacy

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Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five and stated:

> Since they had little success and seemed to be going off the tracks, Mott the Hoople was encouraged to produce their third album with anyone that wasn't Guy Stevens. Eventually, they chose themselves, creating a record that is bright and punchy, standing in direct contrast to Mad Shadows' enveloping fog. They wound up with Wildlife, a record that still seems a little transitional, yet is considerably more confident, unified, and enjoyable.[4]

## Track listing

[edit]

Side one

1. "Whisky Women" (Mick Ralphs) – 3:34
2. "Angel of Eighth Avenue" (Ian Hunter) – 4:25
3. "Wrong Side of the River" (Ralphs) – 5:14
4. "Waterlow" (Hunter) – 3:00
5. "Lay Down" (Melanie Safka) – 4:02

Side two

1. "It Must Be Love" (Ralphs) – 2:15
2. "Original Mixed-Up Kid" (Hunter) – 3:35
3. "Home Is Where I Want to Be" (Ralphs) – 4:07
4. "Keep a Knockin'" (live at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, 13 September 1970) (Richard Penniman) – 9:50*

* *This track is a rock and roll medley that, in addition to "Keep a Knockin'", includes snippets of "I Got a Woman" (by Ray Charles), "What'd I Say" (Charles) and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (Jerry Lee Lewis). On the recording, singer Ian Hunter incorrectly introduces "What'd I Say" as being written by Jerry Lee Lewis.

2003 CD bonus tracks

1.   2. "It'll Be Me" (Jack Clement) – 2.58
3. "Long Red" (Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, John Ventura, Norman Landsberg) – 3.47

2018 CD bonus track

In 2018, as part of a boxed set of Island era material, "Whiskey Women" was issued under its original title of "Brain Haulage". This is an unedited take, with the guitar power-chords mixed higher. It's heavier, and closer to the live versions of the song.

## Personnel

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Mott the Hoople

* Ian Hunter – lead vocals (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9), and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
* Mick Ralphs – lead guitar, lead vocals (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8), backing vocals
* Verden Allen – organ, backing vocals
* Pete "Overend" Watts – bass, backing vocals
* Dale "Buffin" Griffin – drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel

* Jerry Hogan – steel guitar on "It Must Be Love" and "Original Mixed-Up Kid"
* Jess Roden – background chorus on "Lay Down"
* Stan Tippins – background chorus on "Lay Down"
* Michael Gray – string arrangements and conductor on "Waterlow"
* Jim Archer – violin on "Angel of Eighth Avenue"

Technical

* Andy Johns, Brian Humphries, Phill Brown – engineers
* Brian Cooke – photography

## Charts

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Chart (1971)  | Peak
position

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UK Albums (OCC)[5] | 44

## References

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1. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2016). "Hard to Be Real: David Bowie and Friends Conquer the World". Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy. London: Faber & Faber. p. 284\. ISBN 978-0-571-30171-3.
2. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 381\. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. ^ Ben Edmonds (10 June 1971). "Wildlife". Rolling Stone.
4. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Wildlife". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
5. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Mott the Hoople

* Pete Overend Watts
* Dale "Buffin" Griffin
* Ian Hunter
* Mick Ralphs
* Verden Allen

* Morgan Fisher
* Ariel Bender
* Mick Ronson

Studio albums|

| Mott the Hoople|

* Mott the Hoople (1969)
* Mad Shadows (1970)
* Wildlife (1971)
* Brain Capers (1971)
* All the Young Dudes (1972)
* Mott (1973)
* The Hoople (1974)

|

Mott|

* Drive On (1975)
* Shouting and Pointing (1976)

British Lions|

* British Lions (1978)
* Trouble with Women (1980)

Live albums|

* Live (1974)
* In Performance 1970–1974 (2008)

Compilation albums|

* Rock and Roll Queen (1972/1974)
* Greatest Hits (1976)
* The Ballad of Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople (1979)
* Two Miles from Heaven (1980)
* London to Memphis (1992)

Singles|

* "All the Young Dudes"
* "One of the Boys"
* "Sweet Jane"
* "Honaloochie Boogie"
* "All the Way from Memphis"
* "Roll Away the Stone"
* "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll"
* "Foxy, Foxy"
* "Saturday Gigs"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Mott the Hoople (novel)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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