Formed in the U.K. in the late 1960s, Mott the Hoople gained a reputation as a brilliant live band, but one that could never quite capture its magic in the studio. They had worked with famed U.K. studio whiz Guy Stevens, but it was not until they discussed splitting up that two of their biggest fans decided to step up and save the day. Those fans would be David Bowie and his guitarist/ sidekick, Mick Ronson.
It was 1971 and Bowie had become a superstar in the U.K. and Europe, although his star in the U.S. was still rising. He first offered Mott "Suffragette City," which the band turned down (it would later become the cornerstone track of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and launch Bowie into superstardom in the U.S.). The song they did settle on was "All The Young Dudes," which Bowie had written as a gay pride anthem. Although no one in Mott was gay, Hunter recognized it as a hit single and adapted it for Mott.
Produced by Bowie and Mick Ronson, the album, which was also titled All The Young Dudes, would give Mott their first worldwide hits, a deal with Columbia Records (which got deeply behind the promotion of the band), and renewed life as a sold-out act. The band was thrown into the glam-rock genre (they did, after all, wear their share of glitter and six-inch platform shoes), but they were just a terrific rock 'n' roll band, and history has proven it.