...and on guitar - The Book (2023)

Now that I've posted what could turn out to be the final entry in the '...and on guitar' series, here's something that I've been thinking about doing this for quite a while. When the number of posts in the series reached over 75 then I thought that now was the time to put them all together in one place, almost like a book. So what you have here are all the write-ups for the '...and on guitar' series, presented in alphabetical order, so that they can be dipped into as you are listening to the albums, or just read as a history of the lives of all these great guitarists. 

Soulseek hint      book aiwe

Mick Ronson - Seven Days (1975)

After touring his first solo album 'Slaughter On 10th Avenue', Mick Ronson returned to the studio to craft his second set of songs for the follow-up 'Play Don’t Worry'. Adding guest musicians including Jeff Daly on saxophone, Neil Kernon on ARP, John Mealing on piano, and Ritchie Dharma, Paul Francis, and Tony Newman on drums, he recorded a version of Pure Prairie League’s swaggering 'Angel No. 9', on which he'd guested on guitar on the original recording, as well as an amped-up version of Bobby Troup’s oldie 'The Girl Can't Help It', featuring his Mott The Hoople pal Ian Hunter on background vocals. Another Pure Prairie League song 'Woman' was also selected, and a couple of different takes were taped, before the faster, full-on rock version was selected for the album, and he also contributed some original material, including the title track. Also taped were a couple of versions of Annette Peacock's 'Seven Days', from which the more mellow, stripped-back take was chosen to be the flip of the 'Billy Porter' single, and at the same time demos were recorded of other songs which were considered for the album, including a great country-ish version of Bowie's 'Soul Love', re-titled 'Stone Love', and '(Is There) Life On Mars', which strangely enough is not the Bowie song, but one of an identical title by Bob Barnes (aka Roscoe West). There are also a couple more Ronson originals in 'I'd Rather Be Me' and 'Pain In The City', and a lengthy jam based around Peacock's 'Seven Days'. Collecting all these together makes for a great companion album to 'Play Don't Worry', and to round it off there's a superb live rendition of the previous record's title track, so enjoy this collection of rarities from a much-missed musician. 

Track listing

01 Seven Days (b-side of 'Billy Porter' 1974)
02 Pain In The City (demo 1975) 
03 I'd Rather Be Me (demo 1975)
04 Stone Love (Soul Love) (demo 1975)
05 Dogs (French Girl) (demo 1975)
06 (Is There) Life On Mars? (demo 1975)
07 Seven Days II (alternate take 1975) >
08 28 Days Jam (out-take 1975)
09 Woman (alternate take 1975)
10 Slaughter On Tenth Avenue (live) 

Mick Ronson - ...and on guitar (1979)

Mick Ronson initially wanted to be a cellist, but moved to guitar upon discovering the music of Duane Eddy, whose sound on the bass notes of his guitar sounded to Ronson similar to that of the cello. He played with a number of small bands in the 60's including The Mariners, The Crestas, The Voice,  The Wanted, and then Hull's top local band, The Rats. In 1967 The Rats recorded the one-off psychedelic track, 'The Rise and Fall of Bernie Gripplestone' at Fairview Studios in Willerby, Yorkshire, which can be heard on the 2008 release 'Front Room Masters – Fairview Studios 1966–1973'. When John Cambridge left The Rats to join his former Hullaballoos bandmate Mick Wayne in Junior's Eyes, he was replaced by Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey, and in early 1970, Cambridge came back to Hull in search of Ronson, intent upon recruiting him for David Bowie's new backing band The Hype, along with drummer Woodmansey. He found Ronson marking out a rugby pitch, one of his duties as a Parks Department gardener for Hull City Council, and although initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to accompany Cambridge to a meeting with Bowie. Two days later, on 5 February, Ronson made his debut with Bowie on John Peel's national BBC Radio 1 show, and from that point on his future was assured. 
Within a few years his reputation had grown so much that he was often asked to contribute to other artist's albums, and later even to produce them. His first post-Bowie guest spot was actually on the recommendation of his employer, who was producing Lou Reed's 'Transformer' album, and he invited Ronson to play guitar on it. The same year he was asked to contribute to The Pure Prairie League's second album 'Bustin' Out', and I've included his superlative work on 'Angel No. 9' as an example of his contribution to the record, and Ronson was so taken with this song that he included a cover of it on his second solo album 'Play Don't Worry'. In 1974 Mott The Hoople were recording their last single before Ian Hunter left and the rest of the group reformed as simply Mott. During the recording of 'The Saturday Gigs' guitarist Ariel Bender was replaced by Ronson, marking his only official appearance on a Mott the Hoople release, and Ronson's image was used in the middle of the band's line-up on the single's cover. After Ian Hunter left Mott The Hoople he embarked on a long and successful solo career, starting which what I still consider his best album 'Ian Hunter', and 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy' shows Ronson at his very best. 
In 1976 Ronson contributed guitar to the title track of David Cassidy's 'Getting It In The Street' album, giving the former bubblegum pop star a bit of street cred. The same year he was a surprise addition to Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review tour, and concert recordings were eventually released as the 'Hard Rain' album, from which I've included the rocking 'Maggie's Farm'. Roger Daltrey employed Ronson's guitar on his 1977 solo release 'One Of The Boys', for which Paul McCartney wrote a new song 'Giddy', and Ronson was joined by Hank Marvin, Eric Clapton and Alvin Lee on a great fun recording. Also that year Ronson and Ian Hunter produced and played on Ellen Foley's debut album 'Nightout', with Ronson suggesting that she record two songs by Phil Rambow, one of which is included here. The most surprising track on this album, though, is a 1970 recording for Elton John's 'Tumbleweed Connection' album, where Ronson played guitar on the track 'Madman Across the Water'. This version of the song was not included in the original release of the album of the same name two years later, although it was eventually included on deluxe re-issues, and you wonder how this outstanding near-nine minute take could ever have been dropped from the record. Ronson collaborated with many more artists throughout the rest of his career, but I think this collection of his work from the 70's shows him at his best, and also the variety of artists who held him in high enough esteem to want him added to their records.   

Track listing

01 Vicious (from 'Transformer' by Lou Reed 1972)
02 Madman Across The Water (original version with Elton John 1970)
03 Angel No. 9 (from 'Bustin' Out' by The Pure Prairie League 1972)
04 The Saturday Gigs (single by Mott The Hoople 1974)
05 Once Bitten, Twice Shy (from 'Ian Hunter' by Ian Hunter 1975)
06 Gettin' It In The Streets (from 'Gettin' It In The Streets' by David Cassidy 1976)
07 Maggie's Farm (from 'Hard Rain' by Bob Dylan 1976)
08 Giddy (from 'One Of The Boys' by Roger Daltrey 1977)
09 Night Out (from 'Nightout' by Ellen Foley 1979)

Mick Ronson - Just Like This (1976)

By late 1976 Mick Ronson had finally split with his long-time manager Tony DeFries, and as he wanted to record again he put a band together, and in November 1976 they entered Bearsville Studios to record a new album. Problems with the record company meant that the raw tapes were never mixed, and were subsequently consigned to the vaults, but they were exhumed and mixed in 1993 when the album finally received a limited release, although that issue is now impossible to find. The recent Mick Ronson box set 'Only After Dark' included all the songs from the album, so I've extracted them and slightly updated the artwork so that you can hear it without having to shell out for the whole box if, like me, you already own his other two records. I've always thought 'Slaughter On 10th Avenue' and 'Play Don't Worry' were very under-rated albums, as they both have some great material on them, but this one sounds even better, and it's a mystery why the record company couldn't hear that, as it has some crunching rock guitar, beautiful soaring solos, and just great songs.

Track listing

01 Just Like This (T-Bone Walker)
02 I'd Give Anything To See You
03 Takin' A Train (Jay Davis)
04 Hard Life
05 (I'm Just A) Junkie For Your Love (Ricky Fataar)
06 Crazy Love (Blondie Chaplin)
07 Hey Grandma (Skip Spence)
08 Is That Any Way
09 I've Got No Secrets
10 Hard Headed Woman
11 Roll Like The River (Ronson, Mick Barakan, Bobby Chen, Burt Carey)

All tracks composed by Mick Ronson, except where stated.