Cherry Red [Release date : 14.02.25]

There can be no doubt that Mud grabbed tight hold of the glam pop template, and tongue firmly in cheek, reshaped it in their own likeness.

After several years of unsuccessful releases, the band, Les Gray, Rob Davis, Dave Mount and Ray Stiles were helped, considerably, by producer and RAK label owner, Mickie Most.

A musician himself, Most knew what made a hit song (he’d scored 11 number one singles in South Africa while living there in the early sixties).

But first: This a 2 CD set:

CD1 : The band’s first two albums Mud Rock and Mud Rock II (original release dates 1974 and 75).
CD2 : The singles, 17, none of them album tracks.

On Mud Rock I and II, they excavate a rich seam of tried and tested pop and rock songs.

Most’s South African experience – covering songs made famous by proven hitmakers, like Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent – provided the blueprint.

They, producer and band, had the collective wisdom to cover a carefully curated collection of pop classics. ‘Blue Moon’ (The Marcels); ‘The End Of the World’ (Skeeter Davis); ‘One Night’ (Elvis) and ‘Diana’ (Paul Anka) are arguably the picks. There’s another 26 songs across the 2 CDs, each demonstrating the professionalism and artisty for which the band got little credit.

As usual, Most had made the right move. Both sold well, staying in the UK charts for months on end.

The band’s breakthrough hits ‘Rocket’ and ‘The Secrets That You Keep’ are also included, tasters of what was to come.

Having teamed up with writing partners, Chinn and Chapman, from 1973-75, Most guided the band through an endless stream of hits. They are all here on Disc 2.

For Most and Mud, the single was king.

Slick, singalong pop songs, almost all of them affectionate exercises in genre pastiche, beautifully written by Chinn & Chapman. Their no.1 seasonal hit (1974), ‘Lonely This Christmas’ must surely still be haunted by the ghost of Elvis.

The fabulous, pop stomping ‘Tiger Feet’ (No.1 in UK 1975) and ‘Dyna-mite’ (No.1 in 1973), rejected by The Sweet, lead the way.

Others, ‘Crazy’, ‘Cat Crept In’and ‘Oh Boy’ are among Chinn & Chapman’s finest.

Most makes his production and arrangements, both remarkably lean and confident, seem routine. To the extent that the singles are all small scale studio triumphs, unshowy and never overdone. Every one hitting its mark with precision.

RIP Mickie Most. And indeed RIP Les Gray. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 10 March 2025

THE SOUL REVIVAL Outlaw (indie)
WHEN RIVERS MEET Addicted To Love (indie)
ISABELLA STORM Satan’s Valentine (indie)
KEYSTONE Slow Down Honey (indie)
THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE Sleep Tonight (Metropolis Records)
SAWMOON Madness (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 10 March 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

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