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 Get it NOW! Nov 03, 2009
If you don't know who Ian Hunter is, you really owe it to yourself to find out now! Man Overboard, and its predecessor, Shrunken Heads, have to be two of the sharpest and infectious rock n' roll albums in years. After you've listened once, you'll be compelled to go back again and again to the musical skill and verbal fluency that is Hunter. The title song of his latest is really beyond moving; particularly for anyone who feels awash in the skillfully manipulated lock-step that is the new millennium. Hunter presents an uncompromising assault on the indifference of our "flat world." But, if his full-frontal assaults are unequaled (listen to "Babylon Blues" right now!), so too is the simplicity and sweetness of songs like "Arms and Legs." When Hunter sings:
"I'm the one who walked away from love.
Couldn't take that chance.
I don't know what I was thinkin' of...
But if you wanna know what love is...
Oh, if you wanna know what love is...Oh!
These are my arms, these are my legs
These are the thoughts running 'round in my head.
I wanna be where you are
I wanna do what you do, cause
Nothin' really matters but you."
It's a beautiful love song that has the same effect as his most acerbic attacks - making us stop and think about where we are and how we got here after such a long time.
The instrumentation - the music and arrangement - on both albums is creative and, in a word, perfect.
Whether you were a Mott fan (I was, and still have my LP of, "All the Yuung Dudes," purchased the day it was released in the US) or not, you NEED to hear some of the best Rock n' Roll of the last decade. And probably one of the top 10 albums of the year! Now after you've listened to both of these albums several times; I couldn't stop and had to play them over and over, realize that this guy is 70 years old. I'm sure Hunter hates to have this mentioned in reviews, but I find it encouraging and breathtaking that his music has not a hint of (unintentional) nostalgia. He made this 54 year old guy feel like a kid and show again that our future doesn't lie in the past!
Better than everybody else, but not as good as Shrunken Heads Oct 22, 2009
I was tempted to give this one four stars simply because it's not quite as good as Shrunken Heads or Rant. But really, why should Ian Hunter be penalized for setting such a high standard for himself? (Like he loses sleep over whether I give his record four or five stars.) This album doesn't have the intensity of Shrunken Heads, but does have a few songs done in a style that Ian rarely attempts. Girl from the Office is a charmer that starts out doing one thing and then shifts gears--then shifts again. Flowers is the centerpiece here, and anyone else would give their proverbial right arm to pen a song this good. But Ian Hunter himself has done a better in the past. This album has a lot more "quiet reflection" than previous ones, but it will still blister the paint off Paramore's tour bus. Get it! Remember, Beethoven's Fourth Symphony isn't as good as his Third, but hell, it's still Beethoven. And Man Overboard is still very much Ian Hunter.
 Hunter hits a triple Sep 26, 2009
Ian Hunter has crafted another very good album, taking on topics from Native American folklore to his own personal perspectives on life, youth and even aging. While not as strong overall as SHRUNKEN HEADS, it is a great listen, and will stay in your rotation. He can't hit a home run every time, but a triple still excites!
Encore Performance Aug 28, 2009
I wasn't much of a Mott the Hoople fan, although I loved All The Way From Memphis. Until I heard a few Shrunken Heads cuts on XM radio shortly after it was released, I didn't know that Ian Hunter was even alive much less still recording. Based on the XM cuts, I bought Shrunken Heads and was blown away--by far the most enjoyable CD I had heard in at least a decade. On first listening, I thought Man Overboard, while a strong performance, wasn't up to Shrunken Heads. After repeated listenings, I'm not so sure. The highlights are many and they are remarkable works. River of Tears is a masterpiece. Flowers, while understated, packs an incredible lyrical punch and has a beautiful, lilting melody that you can't get out of your head. The title song rivals both of the above. Arms and Legs is a great song as well,(a bit reminiscent of Don Henley's Heart of the Matter). The Great Escape is a fun, rollicking memoir. Way With Words is a beautiful ballad and tribute to, I presume, Ian's wife. If the lyrics were nasty, it sounds like it could have been a cut from Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Even the two or three songs that seemed like filler at first blush have grown on me as happend with Shrunken Heads. How can an artist with this much talent can remain so obscure?
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The Power Grows Aug 21, 2009
I first thought this was the most consistently somber work Ian has ever done. Musically, lyrically, it was anger, frustration, pain, suffering, fear, doubt, disappointment, heartbreak, really strong stuff and kind of a bummer. I have changed my mind. It's still about all those things but I have come to understand that the real theme is strength and survival. And it isn't a bummer, it's a triumph. Ian isn't a 14-year old pop tart from the Disney assembly line or an adenoidal heartthrob who doesn't need to shave but wants to tell us all about the trials of love and life. For those reasons, this album won't make a commercial ripple. But if you thrive on the real, Ian is the man. "Rant", "Shrunken Heads" and "Man Overboard" are masterpieces and represent some of the best rock/pop music that 99% of the world will never hear. He still tours too and his live act kills. Go Ian.
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