Mott The Hoople – Brain Capers (WMG)
The story goes that Mott The Hoople, who by 1971 had released a pair of albums that were overlooked and underwhelming, were about to be dropped by their record company if the label didn’t see some sales results. Most bands would approach their third album with an increased awareness of having to make that leap towards financial independence.
From the sounds of it, Brain Capers doesn’t put too much consideration into giving their record company—or their own bank accounts—a much-needed lift. Instead, it is a middle finger to anyone projecting higher expectations, and they do it with fuck-all rock arrangements and Ian Hunter‘s burgeoning growth as a songwriter.
It should come as no surprise that the record ultimately did nothing to fatten their wallets, but it sure sounds like those that were listening—specifically one David Bowie—used Brain Capers as their own model of excellence. The album remains such an incredible document that once you’ve stumbled on to it, you’ll wonder how you could have overlooked it for so long.
Continue reading Lost Classics: Mott The Hoople – Brain Capers
