Ariel Bender | With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Play It Again Mayhem – “Saturday Gigs” – Mott The Hoople September 15, 2024

Filed under: Play It Again Mayhem — justwilliam1959 @ 9:51 pm
Tags: Ariel Bender, Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, Mott, Mott The Hoople, Saturday Gigs

Here comes the 28th song in the Play It Again Mayhem series. It is “Saturday Gigs” by Mott The Hoople, from 1974. This is the nineteenth 70’s single in the playlist so far. It was the last studio recording that Mott The Hoople ever made as Ian Hunter left shortly afterwards. This song also became the final Mott The Hoople single and the only one to feature Mick Ronson after he replaced Ariel Bender. Sadly it only made number 41 in the UK charts, which I believe was a chart tragedy. The band continued for a brief period without Hunter and Ronson, but they never reached the heights that Mott The Hoople achieved in the early 70s. The song was played live during the 1974 European tour as the set’s ending but also at the Mott the Hoople Reunion shows in 2009 with it being the closing song of the final gig. I often wonder what might have happened if Ronson and Hunter stayed with Mott The Hoople, based on “Saturday Gigs” I think the future might have been very bright indeed!

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“Gotta get my candy free” October 2, 2014

Filed under: News,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 11:04 am
Tags: Ariel Bender, Barry Blue, Central Park Arrest, Dancing On A Saturday Night, Eurovision Song Contest, Getting A Drag, Ivor Novello Awards, Luther Grosvenor, Lynsey De Paul, Mick Ralphs, Mike Moran, Mott The Hoople, no Honestly, Ooh I Do, Rock Bottom, Roll Away The Stone, Storm In A Teacup, Sugar Me, Thunderthighs, Won't Somebody Dance With Me

I have just read the news that British singer songwriter Lynsey De Paul has died aged just 64. Whilst I am very open about my eclectic tastes now back in the 70s it wasn’t seen as cool among my circle of friends to like Lynsey’s music. However I must confess that I actually did like quite a few of her songs. Perhaps these are some of my true guilty pleasures. She had quite a few hits in her own right; “Sugar Me”, “Getting A Drag”, “No Honestly”, “Ooh I Do” and “Won’t Somebody Dance With Me”. The latter won her an Ivor Novello award. In 1977 she represented the UK at the Eurovision Song contest with a song that perhaps predicted future UK performances in the contest. It was called “Rock Bottom” which she sang with Mike Moran and it performed really well finishing in second place.

as a co writer perhaps one of her most memorable hits was “Dancing (On A saturday Night)” which she wrote with singer Barry Blue. He took that to number two in the UK charts in 1973. One of my favourite De Paul songs was “Central Park Arrest”. It was written for Thunderthighs who had been backing vocalists to Mott The Hoople. Lynsey’s own version of the song was on the B-Side to “No Honestly”. She has a further link to Thunderthighs and Mott the Hoople. Lynsey De Paul recorded the female vocal part on the album version of Mott The Hoople’s “Roll Away The Stone”. However when the song was released as a single her contribution had been replaced by that of Thunderthighs. In yet another Mott link Lynsey was also responsible for a name change of one of the band. In 1973 when Mick Ralphs left he was replaced by Luther Grosvenor. Mister Grosvenor was for some reason contractually obliged to change his name, so Lynsey suggested Ariel Bender, which stuck.

Lynsey had five UK top twenty hits. “Sugar Me” was her highest UK chart success as a singer reaching number five in 1972. She also had number one singles in Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. My thoughts go to her family, friends and fans. Lynsey De Paul RIP.