Cosmic Harmony
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2009
- Posts
- 12,935
- Reaction score
- 25
1. "Still Love Rock 'n' Roll" - 4:34
2. "Wash Us Away" - 3:57
3. "Death of a Nation" - 5:35
4. "Morons" - 5:32
5. "Purgatory" - 4:46
6. "American Spy" - 4:30
7. "Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders)" - 6:20
8. "Good Samaritan" - 4:07
9. "Soap & Water" - 5:18
10. "Ripoff" - 4:50
11. "Knees of My Heart" - 3:35
12. "No One" - 3:37
Ian Hunter is best remembered in time for his days fronting Mott The Hoople some nearly 40 years ago but he was making music before Mott and has continued to do so afterwords. While his solo work is best known for being covered by Great White and for being played as Drew Carey danced around the streets of Cleveland for over half a decade, much of Ian's less known work has been critically beloved, especially in the last decade.
Upon it's release in 2001, "Rant" was completely unnoticed commercially but was held high by any critic who reviewed it, many of which were bold enough to say that it belonged with or even trumped his work with Mott The Hoople. Because of this acclaim Ian would even win Classic Rock Magazine's "Songwriter of the Year" award in 2005, four years after the release of "Rant", his most recent album at the time.
With "Rant" Ian set out onto a few seas he'd never sailed before. First of all this was his first album in four years and more importantly his first album to start on since the death of his longtime partner Mick Ronson who had work with Ian on most of his solo records. This was also the first album he released where he had wrote all of the music himself and (aside from "Words (Big Mouth)" from the following album "Shrunken Heads") all albums since as well.
The album was named "Rant" because that is exactly what Ian does on it, he rants. He talks about politics, his life, music, the world, and so many other things that are all executed with such tact and raw feeling that Ian Hunter could and should be placed among the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and anyone else who could be considered the greatest lyricists of all time.
Musically "Rant" is a unique blend of various forms of classic 60's and 70's rock and roll, more modern styles of music, as well as pieces of pre-rock genres all played with a menagerie of different instruments incorporated into each and every song. Aside from the staples of guitar, bass, drums, and piano other instruments include the groovebox, organ, harp, mandolin, harmonica, bongos, steel lap guitar, zither, a full string section, and more all layered beneath Ian voice. Now while his voice isn't pretty and is something of an acquired taste anyone who listens can hear and absolutely feel the emotion that Ian puts into his singing and it rips my heart out each and every time like no one else could ever do.
All I can really say is that "Rant" is an absolutely fantastic album. Not only do I feel it is one of the best albums of the last decade but I think it could very well be the most overlooked albums in recent memory. Actually, I don't even know if it could be called "overlooked". So very few people even know of it's existence so how could they overlook it? Either way though I simply cannot speak well enough of this album. I highly recommend "Rant" and if you do actually listen to it and it doesn't hit you right away (it seems like Ian always wants to challenge listeners) I pinkie promise you that if you really soak it in over a few days then it will hit you like a freight train right to your chest.
Unfortunately since this album is so unknown these are the only two songs on Youtube but I think they will serve as an adequate sample, especially since "Dead Man Walkin' (Eastenders)" is my favorite song on the album.
