A music-obsessed, retired San Francisco lawyer, and author of the rock & roll memoir Jittery White Guy Music (available on Amazon)... picking a random album or song in his collection every day or so and sharing a few thoughts.
On their 1969 self-titled debut, Mott The Hoople were still trying to figure out what kind of sound they wanted, a few years off from settling into the eclectic glam-tinged rock they're best remembered for. On "Backsliding Fearlessly," Ian Hunter capitalized on his gravelly growl and went all-in on the Bob Dylan emulation. It's a slow, folk-flavored track, a bit of a dirge, but the chorus elevates the song into something else, a soulful anthem over a descending chord sequence that's been living rent-free in my head ever since I first heard it. Maybe it's blasphemy, but for a "Like A Rolling Stone" sequel, you could do a lot worse.
Even if the number overall doesn't have the same immediacy as their later hits, there's a hint of mystery that's always pulled me in, and that refrain--online sources go with "If the world saluted you..."," but I've always (mis?)-heard it as "If the world salute to you"--is kinda spellbinding. The fact that "Backsliding" remains pretty obscure (per YouTube, it doesn't look like Mott or Hunter played it live, nor is there even a random cover version to be found) heightens that air of mystery.
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