Mott The Hoople co-founder and keyboardist, Verden Allen, talks about playing with Jimmy Cliff, Mott and solo music including new album No One Knows.
Further information
Verden Allen – No One Knows on Singsong Music.
Verden Allen podcast track list
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This is fascinating because it gives a different take on Ian Hunter’s off-told stories, although, in truth, not much.
Ian Hunter tried to get rid of Buffin as a drummer – actually, a really great drummer in the John Bonham and Keith Moon mould, a true powerhouse – and Guy Stevens, their manager and Ian Hunter stalwart, wanted to get rid of Verden Allen, a truly talented keyboardist. So you can understand why the original Hoople band got suspicious and started to whisper in corners, as Ian described it.
Verden Allen had two great songs – ‘Second Love’ and ‘Soft Ground’ – but nothing really else (I have listened to a lot of his music and it is mostly ‘meh’), and both tracks got onto mainstream Mott the Hoople records (so we are not talking George Harrison bring closed down by John and Paul here), and then Verden went off in a huff, joining a band that became The Pretenders, but he was too smart to commit to them too.
So the story is pretty much as Ian tells it, a bunch of guys muttering in the corner and missing out on the big opportunities because they are too busy complaining and holding grudges.