All the Young Dudes

In 1973, the members of Mott the Hoople were tired. Island Records had dropped the band after three albums, as sales were low and audience interest was almost non-existent. But the band had a famous fan in David Bowie, who offered to write them one single to give them a leg up. That single was the chart-topping "All the Young Dudes," a glitter-era wink-wink celebration of male bonding that name-checked chart-toppers T. Rex and repositioned the once-laddish band as glammy, androgynous scenesters. Obviously, an album was called for.
Produced by Bowie and opening with a smoking cover of "Sweet Jane" that played a major role in raising public awareness of the Velvet Underground, ALL THE YOUNG DUDES is a brassy, loud, obnoxious--in the best possible sense--rock & roll album. "Sucker" and "One of the Boys" recall the hit, while "Jerkin' Crocus" and "Sea Diver" are as odd as the band's earlier material. An amazing mid-career transformation.