Mott The Hoople / Mental Train: The Island Years 1969-1971

Universal Music will, in November, issue Mental Train: The Island Years 1969-1971, a new six-disc Mott The Hoople box set which delivers everything the band recorded during their time at Island Records including many bonus tracks and unreleased material.

Mental Train includes the four albums – Mott The Hoople (1969), Mad Shadows (1970), Wildlife (1970) and Brain Capers (1971) – each of which include eight or nine bonus tracks, including A-sides, B-sides, demos, rehearsals and alternate takes.



The fifth CD includes more unheard and unreleased music from the Island archive while the final disc features live material recorded at Fairfield Hall, Croydon on 13 September 1970 and a BBC Radio One In Concert from the Paris Theatre, London on 30 December 1971.

The studio albums have all been remastered from the original tapes (where available) by Andy Pearce and this set comes in what looks like the familiar Universal ‘shoebox’ package (Tears For Fears, Simple Minds etc.) with a a 50-page booklet designed by Phil Smee with sleeve notes by Kris Needs.

Mental Train: The Island Years 1969-1971 will be released on 2 November 2018.

Box Summary

Disc One: Mott the Hoople plus bonus tracks
Disc Two: Mad Shadows plus bonus tracks
Disc Three: Wildlife plus bonus tracks
Disc Four: Brain Capers plus bonus tracks
Disc Five: The Ballads of Mott The Hoople
Disc Six: It’s Live and Live Only

CD1 – MOTT THE HOOPLE
Originally released November 22 1969 – Island Records ILPS 9108

1. You Really Got Me

2. At the Crossroads

3. Laugh at Me

4. Backsliding Fearlessly

5. Rock and Roll Queen

6. Rabbit Foot and Toby Time

7. Half Moon Bay

8. Wrath and Wroll

Bonus Tracks

1. If Your Heart Lay with the Rebel (Would You Cheer the Underdog?) (Instrumental Take 2)

2. Rock and Roll Queen (Single A side)

3. Road to Birmingham (Single B side)

4. Road to Birmingham (Guy Steven’s Mix)

5. You Really Got Me (Complete take)

6. You Really Got Me (Vocal mix) 

7. Rock and Roll Queen (Guy Steven’s Mono Mix)

8. Rock and Roll Queen (Kitchen Sink Instrumental)

9. Little Christine (2 Miles)

CD2 – MAD SHADOWS
Originally released September 1970 – Island Records ILPS 9119

1. Thunderbuck Ram

2. No Wheels to Ride

3. You Are One of Us

4. Walking with a Mountain

5. I Can Feel

6. Threads of Iron

7. When My Mind’s Gone

Bonus Tracks

1. Thunderbuck Ram (BBC Session)

2. Thunderbuck Ram (Original Take with Organ)

3. No Wheels to Ride (Demo)

4. Moonbus (Baby’s Got a Down on Me)

5. The Hunchback Fish (Vocal Rehearsal)

6. You Are One of Us (Take 9)

7. Going Home (2 Miles)

8. Keep A-Knockin’ (Studio version)

CD3 – WILDLIFE
Originally released March 1971 – Island Records ILPS 9144

1. Whiskey Women

2. Angel of Eighth Avenue

3. Wrong Side of the River

4. Waterlow

5. Lay Down

6. It Must Be Love

7. The Original Mixed Up Kid

8. Home Is Where I Want to Be

9. Keep A-Knockin’ (Live)

Bonus Tracks

1. Midnight Lady (Single A side)  

2. The Debt (Single B side)

3. Downtown (Single A side)

4. Brain Haulage (Whiskey Woman)

5. Growing Man Blues (Take 10)

6. Long Red (Demo)

7. The Ballad of Billy Joe

8. Lay Down (Take 8

CD4 – BRAIN CAPERS
Originally released December 1971 – Island Records – ILPS 9178

1. Death May Be Your Santa Claus

2. Your Own Backyard

3. Darkness, Darkness

4. The Journey

5. Sweet Angeline

6. Second Love

7. The Moon Upstairs

8. The Wheel of the Quivering Meat Conception

Bonus Tracks

1. Mental Train (The Moon Upstairs)

2. How Long? (Death May Your Santa Claus)

3. Darkness, Darkness

4. Your Own Backyard (Complete Take)

5. Where Do You All Come From (Backing Track)

6. One of the Boys (Take 2)

7. Movin’ On (2 Miles)

8. Black Scorpio (Mommas Little Jewel)

CD5 – THE BALLADS OF MOTT THE HOOPLE
Unheard and unreleased music from the Island archive

1. Like a Rolling Stone (Fragment) 

2. No Wheels to Ride (1st House)

3. Angel Of 8th Avenue (Tape 816)

4. The Journey

5. Blue Broken Tears (Tape 816)

6. Black Hills (Full Ralph’s Version)

7. Can You Sing the Song That I Sing (Full Take)

8. Till I’m Gone (2 Miles)

9. The Original Mixed Up Kid (BBC Session)

10. Ill Wind Blowing (2 Miles)

11. I’m A River (Vocal Rehearsal) 

12. Ride on The Sun (Sea Diver) (2 Miles)

CD6 – IT’S LIVE AND LIVE ONLY
– Tracks 1 – 7: Fairfield Hall, Croydon, 13 September 1970
– Tracks 8 to 12: Paris Theatre, London, BBC Radio One, In Concert, 30 December 1971

1. Rock and Roll Queen

2. Ohio

3. No Wheels to Ride / Hey Jude

4. Thunderbuck Ram

5. Keep A-Knockin’

6. You Really Got Me

7. The Moon Upstairs

8. Whiskey Women

9. Your Own Backyard

10. Darkness, Darkness

11. The Journey

12. Death May Be Your Santa Claus

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