#484

Impressions:  A great Bowie album, without Bowie’s voice (mostly). A cover of Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane” is no-brainer slam-dunk, and although it doesn’t dispell the weird feeling of imitation, it’s beautifully done. Lead singer Ian Hunter has a lot of Dylan, a lot of Bowie, and a sharp sense of humor and self awareness. The band plays pitch-perfect glammy rock that doesn’t get tired and you can really hear what young Mick Jones was listening to before he played with the Clash. These tunes are a great bed for Hunter’s wacky little subversive ditties like “Momma’s Little Jewel” or “Jerkin’ Crocus.” With the Bowie-penned “All The Young Dudes,” you wouldn’t blame anyone if people thought “Ian Hunter” was a new character for Bowie. Songs like “Ready for Love/After Lights,” shows off the band’s well-balanced diet of crunching riffs, searing leads, stomping beats, and just-enough keyboard. They even have time for some non-annoying saxophone (courtesy of guess who.) Fun, glammy rock thoughout. I really can’t believe I didn’t run into this before. Maybe it’s something my aversion to weird names?