Ian Hunter and the Rant Band: Just Another Night

Former frontman for 1970s glam rock band Mott the Hoople turned solo artist Ian Hunter performs a generous 21-song set before an appreciative audience in this May 2004 concert filmed at the Astoria in London. Backed by a solid band (including Badfinger co-founder Mick Ralphs and youngblood Andy York on guitars), Hunter serves up such classic Hoople fare as “Roll Away the Stone,” “Rock ‘n' Roll Queen,” “I Wish I Was Your Mother,” “ All the Way From Memphis” (joined by Queen's Brian May on guitar), and the band's signature hit, “All the Young Dudes” (with Def Leppard's Joe Elliott on guest vocals), as well as a generous sampling of Hunter solo gems, including “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” “The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nuthin' But the Truth,” and “Irene Wilde.” Although the voice has gone a bit south, Hunter proves here that he can still deliver the goods four decades on—playing guitar, harmonica, and piano—with newer songs such as “Knees of My Heart” (“If you're a songwriter, you have to write one for the wife now and again.”) off 2001's Rant. The wall of guitar sound comes across well on this DVD, which features Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo sound, as well as a 38-minute interview with Hunter, a Brit transplant who talks about living in Connecticut post-9/11 and late Hoople bandmate Mick Ronson. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)