Ian Hunter – Defiance Part 2: Fiction – album review

“You can’t argue with Fiction!”

by Madeline Bocaro

© Madeline Bocaro, 2024. No part of this site may be reproduced or re-blogged in whole or in part, in any manner without permission of the copyright owner.

“The People’s Album!” was the tag line for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s controversial 1972 album Some Time in New York City, which encapsulated the intense political world news of the time in ten astounding songs. Ian Hunter is “carrying the news” of the 2020’s –articulating our thoughts exactly – no matter which side we are on. Fiction is the new normal. Solidarity is fractured, safety is compromised and everything seems unreal – because it IS!

“I’m neither left nor particularly right.

I’m just straight down the middle.

And so I tried to write from that point of view.

An eagle has two wings and if one falls off it perishes.

That’s what I’m trying to get at.

A bit of common sense, you know, Thomas Paine stuff.”

– Ian Hunter, 2024

Hunter poetically (and ironically) describes and defines the huge mess that we are all currently in, now that every day is April Fool’s Day. His voice is our voice. Defiance Part 2: Fiction is Hunter’s quick follow-up to Defiance (2023), on which he was joined by his legendary colleagues including Ringo Starr, Queen’s Brian May, Todd Rundgren and Slash. Besides all the guest superstars who have participated on both albums on the legendary SUN RECORDS label in Memphis (and the incredible musicianship) this is about Ian being “great again” (as he always has been!)

Beneath a fine water-color painting of Hunter by Johnny Depp, the incredible opening track, ‘People’ establishes and kickstarts the theme. Get up off your couch and away from the “breaking news” and endless medical advertisements and put on your headphones! This is your new anthem! (With Joe Elliott, members of Cheap Trick and the great Steve Holley on drums.)

It’s the gospel according to

Whichever channel you’re listening to

It’s the battle for the hearts and minds

Selling grown-ups nursery rhymes…

Division is a bad idea

You must believe everything that you hear

Remember when we used to laugh

Before they sawed us in half…

On ‘Fiction’ Ian personifies the “fiction man” – the manufactured voices that we relentlessly hear every day. My favorite line is, “I can drive non-fiction wild.” The words “You are not alone” are now a warning, not the warm, comforting embrace when Ian poignantly sang the same words on ‘Hymn for the Dudes’ in 1972. The string arrangements on this are stellar. There’s even a “woah oh woah oh…” echoing his anti-disco song, ‘We Gotta Get Out of Here’ (recorded live in 1979). Morgan Fisher joins in on keyboards.

There’s a reason why people out there packing heat
There’s a reason why bullets fly down the street
There’s a reason why kids hide under the sheets
There’s a reason why reason is obsolete

On ‘Precious’ (a bit of a break from the theme) Ian once again faces the dreaded looking glass.

There’s a whole other mirror out there

and it’s laughing at me

Featuring Joe Elliott, this has an ending reminiscent of ‘Marionnette’ (Joe’s favorite song!) Other players on this are Brian May and Taylor Hawkins.

‘Weed’ finds the all American alien boy addressing his countrymen as the new Marie Antoinette, keeping them all doped on weed instead of cake, distracted from the real issues. Ian once wrote ‘Letter to Brittania from the Union Jack.’ This is his memo to Old Glory. He paraphrases Emma Lazarus’ poem New Colossus (1883) which is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty (as did Lou Reed on his song ‘Dirty Boulevard’ in 1989). Your tired, poor, and huddled masses are displaced by billionaires, fake diplomats, gangsters and aristocrats.

This track in ¾ time conjures Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ – and they most certainly are! The severity of how low we can go is in Hunter’s brilliant line,

“There ain’t a belt that we can’t hit below.”

A nod to Woody Woodmansey’s “5 Years” drum beat on Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars closes this masterpiece. The players include Eric Kretz, Dean & Robert De Leo.

Here comes a new language you don’t understand

Chaos promoted, common sense banned

The killer cut ‘Kettle of Fish’ is bottom heavy, with a great groove, a (Clash) ‘Guns of Brixton’ bassline and a ‘Helter Skelter’ guitar reference. At times it reminds me of the phrasing of PJ Harvey’s ‘Down by the Water’ (1995), a very dark song also involving fish and water. Another fine social commentary from Hunter;

This is a fine kettle of fish / I can’t drink the water.

One of the lyric lines is a sly reference to the 1989 Hunter/RonsonYUI ORTA album title!

‘The 3rd Rail’ has is the most disturbing lyrics of all. Veering from theme of what is happening in society collectively, this one is about violence perpetrated on an innocent individual. You can guess what happens. The horror is much more devastating and personal, as we see how the loss affects her loved ones. This track features Jeff Beck’s final performance, and Johnny Depp.

‘This Ain’t Rock and Roll’ (with Phil Collen) IS pure rock and roll! Ian loves the genre so much that he sings about it quite often! This a companion to his ode to ‘American Music’ on YUI ORTA (1989) and the beautifully sad ‘Old Records Never Die’ from 1981, just after the murder of John Lennon. It also follows on the heels of ‘Bed of Roses’ about the old days of the Star Club in Hamburg (joined by Ringo and shouting out to Roy Young the lyrics) on Part 1 of Defiance.

Ian acknowledges all those (from the plantations, chain gangs, churches and from the factory floor) who made the great classic old records and anthems which touched our hearts and still resonate through the decades. This features Phil Collen.

‘What Would I Do’ is one of many love songs to his wife Trudi, after many decades together. It features Lucinda Williams & Benmont Tench.

‘Everybody’s Crazy But Me’ Has a Rolling Stones feel, a throwback “Hello Hello Hello Hello” intro, a mention of Mott the Hoople – and it rocks – with Taylor Hawkins, Benmont Tench and Waddy Wachtel.

On the final song ‘Hope’ (with Billy Bob Thornton, and Lucinda Williams) Ian leaves us on a high note, after this rebellious poetic rant of an album. He manages to produce another beautiful couplet…

I’ve seen smiles in poverty

And tears in the finest wine

It’s a shame that we are now living in this unfortunate state of affairs, but it was all grist for the mill churning in Ian’s incredible mind! This, and Defiance Part 1 are the only good things that have come out of it all.

Three bonus tracks have been added for a Record Store Day release.

ALSO SEE:

MY STORY about Ian’s song for Bowie

‘Dandy’

https://madelinex.com/2016/10/07/the-dude-and-the-dandy/

MY STORY about the song ‘All the Young Dudes’:

https://madelinex.com/2017/08/03/all-the-young-dudes-at-45-2/

MY STORIES ABOUT MOTT THE HOOPLE:

https://madelinex.com/category/mott-the-hoople/

IAN ROCKS!

© Madeline Bocaro 2024. No part of this text may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or re-blogged in whole or in part. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. All text by Madeline Bocaro is protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without prior written permission.

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