Mott The Hoople - A Tale of Two Cities (Reissue) (1971-72/2000)

A straightforward reissue of the much-prized All the Way from Stockholm to Philadelphia CD (which itself compiled two previously released discs -- Mott collecting is nothing if not repetitive!), A Tale of Two Cities finds our heroes in Sweden in 1971 and the U.S. the following year, and in two radically different frames of mind. At the earlier show, touring in the aftermath of the low-key Wildlife album, Mott are facing up to the fact that they're doomed to remain a second-division attraction, adored by the faithful but unknown to the rest of the universe. A six-song set that opens with a Mountain cover and closes with Little Richard is excellent, of course, but nobody witnessing it (or hearing it without the benefit of hindsight) could ever imagine this band seriously transcending the beer-and-dandruff club circuit that had nurtured it so far. What a difference a year (or, more accurately, 20 months) makes. By November 1972, Mott had already chalked up two hit singles, "All the Young Dudes" (which is here) and "Honaloochie Boogie" (which isn't), had completed their fifth album, and were working towards their sixth. Everything was on the up-and-up and, from the opening overture of Gustav Holst's "Jupiter," the newly ascendant band's chosen intro tape, Mott swagger, slash, and cavort as though to the manner born. Even a guest appearance from "Dudes"' writer David Bowie cannot upstage the superstars and, though the set list itself is scarcely anyone's idea of a "best of Mott," there still is no better snapshot of the band as it raced toward its peak.