Brain Capers - MOTT THE HOOPLE***

Death May Be Your Santa Claus/Your Own Backyard/Darkness Darkness/The Journey/Sweet Angeline/Second Love/The Moon Upstairs/The Wheel Of The Quivering Meat Conception

Brain Capers was the last album from the first incarnation of Mott The Hoople. Like its predecessors it was a commercial failure, but after splitting up and reforming the group would attract a saviour.

“Brain Capers, is a pretty chaotic release, filled with lush sounding yet hard edged ballads like the almost near epic The Journey which features some of front man Ian Hunter’s greatest qualities, as well as hard bar room rockers like the less than stellar opening track Death May Be Your Santa Claus.”

“It's an album made by a band that was all but finished, so all caution was thrown to the wind. Finally they made an album that was closer to their live sound and what they were known for at the time. It is chaotic, it is all over the place, it's messy, they are a band who no longer care what anyone thinks, an I don't care attitude that makes this album stand out as one of Mott's finest.”

“You'd swear you were listening to a metal band, except they have melody and more talent than that. It's an audio onslaught for most of the album, dipping into folky territory or piano based ballads only briefly before coming back to the sludge.”

“What a classic this one is. Mott the Hoople not only prefigured the punk sound but drew a line in the sand, daring their more timid contemporaries to follow along. Few did, and the group would soon mellow considerably when paired with their soon-tobe mentor David Bowie.”

“An interesting album by Ian and the gang, pre-glam. The band sounds a lot like The Faces, the music is great, if a tad sloppy, but that's what makes it fun and hardrocking. Ian Hunter's voice isn't the greatest, but it works on this album.”

“Call it proto-punk or proto-metal or whatever you want, but Mott The Hoople's fourth album is all about intense rock 'n' roll. They somehow managed to be both melodic and articulate while delivering a sonic pummelling that bordered on sheer chaos.”

“The Journey is maybe the greatest track from the boys, a totally raw and raucous listening experience, manic and hectic in its delivery that audibly gains momentum with its pace until its demise.”