Mick Ronson - Play Don't Worry (LP)

Released one full year after Slaughter on 10th Avenue, Mick Ronson's second solo album, Play Don't Worry, was partially recorded during his brief tenure with Mott the Hoople, and it is no coincidence that the finished item reflected only half of what was really intended. Pair it with bandmate Ian Hunter's own eponymous solo debut, however, and it is not only that duo's own entwined future which spreads out before you, it is also an indication of just how powerful Mott could have been if that combination of players had worked out. Ronson's epic recounting of the Pure Prairie League's "Angel #9" was already part of Mott's live set when they split; so was Hunter's "Lounge Lizard" (from his solo set), and live recordings from the first Hunter-Ronson tour, promoting both Play Don't Worry and Ian Hunter. Those two albums blend with one another seamlessly, to the point that only occasionally, today, do either of them actually live up to either of their makers' reputations. Play Don't Worry ce