Album: All the Young Dudes
Artist: Mott the Hoople
Release Date: September 8, 1972
Genre: Glam Rock
Length: 0:40:47
Label: CBS Records (U.K)/Columbia Records (U.S)
Producer: David Bowie
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2012): #484
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2020): N/A
I was "All the Young Dudes" before this album, now I'm just an old dude...
Otherwise a fairly unknown group, Mott the Hoople with their 1972 release All the Young Dudes, almost single-handedly created an entire subset of rock at the time in glam rock. The groups previous albums were underwhelming and if not for the help of David Bowie giving them the song "All the Young Dudes" and assistance in recording an album, Mott the Hoople would forever have been remembered as a failed band. The album itself peaked at #89 on the US Billboard 200 and the album's title track, "All the Young Dudes" peaked at #34 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Opening the album with "Sweet Jane", a cover of the same song originally by the Velvet Underground, sets up the type of feel Mott the Hoople has learned to perfect under the guidance of Bowie, but still leaves the listener wanting more. While the next song, "Momma's Little Jewel", isn't the "more" the listener wants, the following song "All the Young Dudes" is the pinnacle of the album. It may take a while to get to the peak of the album, but this peak is well worth it as this song alone is what some may say started the glam rock movement. The dreamy guitar melody, the airy yet mystical vocal part, and the iconic choral singing makes this song an anthem for an entire generation of glam rockers.
Following this song however, there aren't many notable songs after the following song "Sucker". The different types of instruments prevalent, such as the mandolin and the horns throughout this song, keep what was starting to become a slightly repetitive album a little more exciting. The instrument performances by the band members are satisfactory, but nothing to note that was very shocking except a few different instrument sounds like "Sucker" contains.
While All the Young Dudes does start to drag on towards the latter half of the album, the amount of attention and detail Bowie packed into the album is impressive, especially for an album released in 1972. One of the more notable spots his production ideas came into play is during the song "One of the Boys". In the middle of the song, a phone starts to go off after the music fades out, and when the phone is "answered" the music starts to fade back in. While this may not seem very impressive, it's definitely unique. Production techniques and strategies weren't very evolved in 1972, so to make an album that could easily be seen as a late 70s or early 80s album is amazing. This doesn't make it safe from songs that seem to extend too long though, especially when the song starts to get too repetitive.
The album itself, apart from a few songs, is less than stellar in my opinion. The influence Bowie had on Mott the Hoople is noticeable in multiple songs, but the influence Mott the Hoople had on future groups is important for music history. The effect Mott the Hoople seemed to have on later groups in the 70s and eventually the hair-metal movement of the 80s is something that cannot be overshadowed. This in itself makes the album more tolerable, even during the songs that are not as impressive as the title track.
Do I love this album? No. Do I hate this album? No. All the Young Dudes is an album that is historically important due to the movement it created and the influence it had on other groups. Without Bowie's contributions, I'm sure no one would have any idea who Mott the Hoople was as a group. I would recommend listening to "All the Young Dudes" and "Sucker", and if you love those songs, give the rest of the album a listen, if not, no need to worry as those are by far the most notable songs on the album and you wouldn't be missing anything else...
Favorite Songs: "All the Young Dudes", "Sucker"
Least Favorite Song: "Soft Ground"
Production Quality:
Mix = 8/10
Innovation = 10/10 (started a whole genre of music in glam rock)
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 6/10 (some songs start to drag on-and-on)
Lyricism = 7.5/10
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 6.5/10
Instrumental Timbre = 7/10
Group Chemistry = 7/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 4/10 (only REALLY enjoyed a few songs, the rest are mediocre in my opinion)
Overall Rating: 6.8/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!