what Frank is listening to #40 – MICK RONSON – Slaughter on 10th Avenue – (RCA) – 1974
Well of course I knew who Mick Ronson was … Bowie's guitarist and collaborator. I also have his 1975 album " Play Don't Worry" which was a little patchy but had some magnificent tracks on it. I also knew that he was enamoured with 50s rock and American culture (like Bowie).
So, when I found this album there no way I was going to pass it up.
Ronson was a legend and certainly influential – one could ask, how much of Bowie is Ronson? Apart for playing with Bowie he played with Bob Dylan, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed (he co-produced Lou's best solo album "Transformer"), Slaughter and the Dogs, The Rick Kids, Mellencamp, Morrissey, Roger McGuinn, (the underrated) Iron City Houserockers … hello … that's enough to qualify as legend here.
A thorough bio can be found here:
This is his first solo album, and he only put out three during his life (a proud English northerner he died at 46 from cancer). He was named the 64th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine (for what that's worth, which is very little) ... they said this:
This working-class lad from northern England lent musical substance to David Bowie's theatrical conceits in the Seventies. Ronson, who died in 1993, was the archetypal flash Brit guitarist, known for wrenched, physical solos that favour his hero, Jeff Beck. A sharp, sensitive accompanist, he worked with everyone from Bob Dylan to Morrissey.
The music here still has the glam rock excesses which are sometimes funny but he also has rock and verve. In a lot of ways he was to the English music scene what the "New York Dolls" were to the US. Maybe not as all out rocky as the Dolls but like them he did straddle the divide between 70s rock guitar and punk. For that alone he is interesting, but even more so, what I like is that he takes chances, many chances …. I said his other album "Play Don't Worry" is patchy, which it is, but it is patchy 'cause he is right out there taking chances and doing whatever he wants, or whatever he likes. And this album is much the same (though it holds together better) – there are crazy guitar breaks and riffs, melodramatic operatic vocals, big band horns, hard rock, and crazed covers ("Love Me Tender" – yes the Elvis song, and "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" – the Richard Rodgers opus from the 1957 film)
Backing him is Aynsley Dunbar (Frank Zappa, John Mayall), Trevor Bolder (Bowie's bassist), Mike Garson (piano for Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins) etc.
Best Tracks :
- "Love Me Tender" – of course – a interesting, LOUD, interpretation but it suits the mood of the album.
- "Growing Up and I'm Fine" – I thought it had very Bowie vocals until I looked at the credits and i saw it was co-written by Bowie. This would easily fit on "Hunky Dory" if the electric guitar was turned down a tad.
- "Only after Dark" – another "Bowie could have sung this track" song.
- "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" – just plain weird on a rock album – it covers all the rock bases but also.
- actually all of the songs (there are 7) are varying shades of good.
The LP went #156 in the US and #9 in England
A keeper and I might have to dust off "Play Don't Worry" and give it another listen … almost as good as anything Bowie was doing around the same time (sometimes better) … and Bowie was pretty much perfect 1970 – 76
Sound:
"Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"
the promo clip for "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" … a hoot:
"Gowing Up"
"Only after Dark" promo clip
+ attached Elvis cover
Some other useful bits:
Website:
(originally posted: 04/06/2009)
