The Down ‘N’ Outz were formed thanks to Mott the Hoople. Mott the Hoople was doing a reunion show, well a week’s worth of reunion shows. They asked Joe to be a part of it. One thing led to another and with the help of drummer Phil Martini, Ronnie Garrity from Raw Glory, and Paul Guerin, Guy Griffin, and Keith Weir from The Quireboys, the Down ‘N’ Outz were born. They performed as the opening act. The twist was they would be playing songs by bands or artists associated with Mott the Hoople, but not actually Mott the Hoople songs. And that was what the first album, ‘My Regeneration’ covered was songs associated with Mott the Hoople, but not Mott the Hoople songs.

This time around on ‘The Further Adventures of…’ they focus entirely on Mott the Hoople songs and what a joy it is. On April 21, 2014, they released their second album with the same line-up, a little more playing together under their belt and a fresh set of old songs. They set out on a tour and years later would release a live album & DVD of a show from the tour called ‘The Further Live Adventures of…’, but I don’t have that one yet so not sure we will get to that during this series. For now, we will focus on this album so we might as well get to it.

My copy is a standard release, no deluxe edition. But what is really cool is when you open the enclosed booklet and fold it out you get a whole comic book story as you will see below. They even turned themselves in to comic book characters. A fun, different approach and a great packing job. Joe and company are doing these releases right!

The album kicks off with the classic 1969 Mott the Hoople hit “Rock And Roll Queen” which was off their self-titled album. The band is slamming and Joe sounds great. The punchy piano breathes so much life in to the song and the song completely rocks. A great opening track to set the tone.

Then we get “Stiff Upper Lip” and no, not the AC/DC version, still Mott. This one is from the band’s 1975 album ‘Drive On’. This is another piano boogie that keeps the energy going and the boys grooving. They even include the dialogue and it is funny hearing Joe using such a heavy accent as they discuss taxes and such. I love how faithful they are to the originals while still sounding like their own band.

More great piano work on the whimsical and full on blast that is “Marionette”. This song is from the band’s 7th album ‘The Hoople’ in 1974. Joe handles Ian’s vocals with gusto and they keep all the fun that is in those vocals including that evil little laugh. Musically, it is a blast as well and the keyboards are the highlight so far of the album thanks to Kaptain Keyboard, Keith Weir.

“One of the Boys” is up next and this one is from the 1972 album ‘All The Young Dudes’ which is a stellar album. This one slows things down a little with some nice guitar picking. It is more laid back then those opening three tracks, a more serious tone. The boys handle that change with ease and give us a solid performance. Don’t worry, the keyboards are there as well and dancing throughout. They even have a fade out and in at the end of the song. They keep it real with these songs.

Jumping back to 1974 and this time on the album ‘Mott’, we get the song “Whizz Kid”. Actually, on a side note, I only recently picked up this album from Mott the Hoople because of this album we are discussing. I like the driving riff that opens the song and shows up throughout, but overall the song meanders a little and doesn’t hold my attention the whole time. A good song, but not as good as the others so far.

But that falter doesn’t last long as we get one of my favorites on the album with “Violence”. This one is also from the 1974 ‘Mott’ album. It opens with a similar driving riff as “Whizz Kid”, but where that one got a little boring, this one is far from it. I love how “Violence” sort of sounds like violins and they throw the violins in the music during that chorus. A nice touch. This one is a little darker at times, but musically and stylistically way more interesting then the previous track. Joe’s vocal deliver is different and the chorus is not this huge event, but as impactful.

“The Journey” is just that…a journey of over 9 minutes. The song is from the 1971 album ‘Brain Capers”. It opens as a slow, piano driven song and you can hear a hammond in the background. Joe’s vocals are toned down and pleasantly match the tone of the music. But the song is long, I mean long. We do wind up with some great guitar work, but by the time it arrives your interest has waned. This one is way too long and disrupts the flow of the album…sorry.

The tempo picks right back up with “Drivin’ Sister” from the ‘Mott’ album. This one is a straight up rocker from the opening start up of the engine, to the rapid pounding of the drums and the electric riffs from the guitars. The gang vocals on the chorus are sensational and the song adds a spark to the album.

“The Original Mixed-Up Kid” opens with some country twang guitars. A slower paced song and Joe matches, but he doesn’t sound very country compared to that twang of the guitar. A definite change of pace. It is a pretty decent song, but a little slow for me overall. I’m really digging their upbeat tracks a little more though. This one is from their 1971 album ‘Wildlife’.

I said I like the more upbeat songs and the “Crash Street Kidds” fits that bill perfectly. It has that whimsical vibe that Mott would do. It is more hard-driving and rocking which is what I want from Down ‘N’ Outz and they deliver in spades here. I like how the song starts to fade out at under 2 minutes and then at the 2 minute mark it slams back to the rock. This song is from ‘The Hoople’.

The final Mott the Hoople cover is “Broadside Outcasts” and it has more awesome keys by Keith and this is another fun, off-center track. This one is from the Mott album ‘Shouting And Pointing’ from 1976. I have to say I love the weirdness of this one a lot and a great way to end the album.

The final track, like the last album, is a Down ‘N’ Outz original. It is called “The Revenge of the Shipwrecked Hedgehog”. It is pretty short track, it fades in weird and doesn’t make any sense. Just some fancy guitar playing with some chanting my ears can’t understand. It isn’t really a song though. Just an outro I guess and unnecessary…wait it doesn’t end, there is a soft organ that plays us out and I don’t know why. Strange, useless track.

Track Listing:

1. Rock And Roll Queen – Keeper
2. Stiff Upper Lip – Keeper
3. Marionette – Keeper
4. One of the Boys – Keeper
5. Whizz Kid – Keeper (1/2 Point)
6. Violence – Keeper
7. The Journey – Delete
8. Drivin’ Sister – Keeper
9. The Original Mixed-Up Kid – Keeper (1/2 Point)
10. Crash Street Kids – Keeper
11. Broadside Outcasts – Keeper
12. The Revenge of the Shipwrecked Hedgehog – Delete

The Track Score is 9 out of 12 Tracks or 75%.  This is another great tribute/cover album of Mott the Hoople by Joe Elliott’s Down ‘N’ Outz.  I love the focus this time is strictly Mott the Hoople (and a little Mott) as it gives a fresh set of tunes and they aren’t digging too deep in to Ian’s catalog.  It has a lot of the classic Mott songs and the band is faithful to their interpretation and with this set of musicians and Joe on vocals, it is done with so much talent and utter respect.  They aren’t phoning it in.  Not all the songs are great, but definitely some real winners here.  My Overall Score is a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars. I have enjoyed these Down ‘N’ Outz so much that I have added about 5 Mott and Ian Hunter albums to the collection over the last few weeks and am loving them.  That is what the band wanted is to expose us to these classics so there work is done…well for now it is, they will return later in the series.

NEXT UP: DEF LEPPARD – ‘DEF LEPPARD’ (2015)

THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES

1. Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
2. First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
3. Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
4. On Through the Night (1980)
5. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
6. High & Dry (1981)
7. Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
8. Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
9. Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
10. Pyromania (1983)
11. “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
12. “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
13. Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
14. Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
15. Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
16. Hysteria (1987)
17. “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
18. “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
19. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
20. “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
21. “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
22. “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
23. “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
24. Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
25. Rarities – Volume One (2018)
26. Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
27. Historia – DVD (1988)
28. Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
29. Adrenalize (1992)
30. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
31. “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
32. Live Sheffield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
33. Retro Active (1993)
34. Visualize DVD (1993)
35. Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
36. Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
37. “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
38. Video Archive (1995)
39. Slang (1996)
40. Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
41. Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
42. Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
43. Euphoria (1999)
44. Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
45. Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
46. Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
47. Cybernauts – Live (2000)
48. Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (2001)
49. X (2002)
50. Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
51. Best of Def Leppard (2004)
52. Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
53. Yeah! (2006)
54. Yeah! Bonus CD with Backstage Interviews (2006)
55. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
56. Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
57. B-Sides (2021)
58. Yeah! II (2021)
59. Yeah! Live (2021)
60. CMT Crossroads – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
61. Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
62. Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
63. Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
64. Def Leppard (2015)
65. The Lost Session (2018)
66. Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
67. Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
68. Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
69. Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
70. Def Leppard Acoustic Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
71. Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
72. Diamond Star Halos (2022)
73. High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
74. Drastic Symphonies (2023)
75. Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
76. Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)
77. Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at The Leadmill’ (RSD) (2024)
78. “Just Like ’73” – 7″ Single (2024)

PREVIOUSLY POSTED:

1. The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
2. Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
3. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
4. Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
5. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” –  5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
6. Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
7. “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
8. “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
9. Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
10. X: World Tour (2003)
11. Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
12. Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
13. Viva! Hysteria (2013)
14. And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
15. Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
16. The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
17. The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
18. Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
19. Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
20. Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
21. The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
22. The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
23. London to Vegas (2020)
24. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
25. The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
26. The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
27. Def Leppard Funko Pop!