Drive On (album)

Last updated

Drive On
Drive On Mott.jpg
Studio album by
Released12 September 1975 [1]
Recorded1975
Studio Clearwell Castle, Gloucestershire, England
Genre Glam rock, rock and roll, hard rock
Length42:22
Label CBS
Columbia
Producer Dale "Buffin" Griffin and Pete "Overend" Watts
Mott chronology
Live
(1974)
Drive On
(1975)
Shouting and Pointing
(1976)
Singles from Drive On
  1. "Monte Carlo"
    Released: 22 August 1975
  2. "By Tonight"
    Released: 31 October 1975
  3. "It Takes One To Know One"
    Released: 27 February 1976 [2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Drive On is the debut album by British band Mott (formerly Mott the Hoople). It was released on the CBS label in the UK and the Columbia label in the United States. A remastered version was released in CD format in 2006 by Wounded Bird Records in US. It's the first album without former lead singer Ian Hunter, and includes two new members: Ray Major and Nigel Benjamin.

Contents

The album features the singles "Monte Carlo / Shout It All Out" and "By Tonight / I Can Show You How It Is".

Background

In the afterglow of The Hoople (1974), a live album Live was quickly released, after which the guitarist Ariel Bender was replaced by Mick Ronson. Mott The Hoople ended when vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Hunter left the group to form a solo band, with accompaniment from Ronson.

In January 1975, Ray Major and lead singer Nigel Benjamin were added to continue the group, which abbreviated its name to Mott. The new line-up consisted of Pete Watts, Dale Griffin and Morgan Fisher, along with guitarists Major (formerly of Opal Butterfly, Hackensack, and a brief stint with Andy Fraser and Frankie Miller) and the relatively unknown Benjamin.

Watts did the lion's share of songwriting, supplemented by Griffin and Major. Mott "arranged, produced and directed" Drive On, and it was co-engineered by Geoff Emerick.

This line-up released only one more album, Shouting and Pointing (1976), which also sold poorly. Drive On was the last studio album in British charts for the band.

Track listing

All tracks written by Pete Overend Watts, except where noted.

LP version

Side one

  1. "By Tonight" – 3:46
  2. "Monte Carlo" – 4:35
  3. "She Does It" – 3:26
  4. "I'll Tell You Something" – 4:30
  5. "Stiff Upper Lip" 4:30

Side two

  1. "Love Now" – 2:45
  2. "Apologies" (Ray Major) – 0:50
  3. "The Great White Wail" – 5:06
  4. "Here We Are" – 5:25
  5. "It Takes One To Know One" (Dale Griffin) – 4:30
  6. "I Can Show You How It Is" (Watts, Griffin) – 2:30

Personnel

Mott
Additional personnel

Technical

Charts

YearAlbumPeak chart positions
UK
Official Charts

[4]
US
Billboard 200
1975Drive On
  • Released: September 1975
  • Label: Columbia
  • Format: LP
35 [5] 160 [6]

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References

  1. Hung, Steffen. "Mott - Drive On". Hitparade.ch.
  2. Hung, Steffen. "Mott - It Takes One To Know One". Hitparade.ch.
  3. Dave Thompson. "Drive On". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 381. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  5. "Official Charts - Mott (the Hoople)". Official Charts . Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  6. "Billboard 200 - Mott". Billboard . Retrieved 21 January 2018.