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Book Review: The Third Attempt
by Lang Reid
 After
the third attempt at finding something about the author Nathan Mills, I gave
up. This recently published novel The Third Attempt (ISBN 974-92669-8-6, PMN
Marketing Chiang Mai) remains very coy about revealing anything about the
writer, other than the fact he has a list of people he thanked, including
his wife, so he must be a considerate sort of chap. Since the book was
published in Chiang Mai, perhaps the Writer’s Club up there knows a little
more?
However, back to the book, and by page 11 you have witnessed a botched
assassination, or abduction, resulting in all but two of the attackers being
killed. By chapter six the daughter of an American diplomat is raped by the
son of a Sultan, but the response of the father to the rape I found rather
unbelievable. Unless, of course, this was an opportunity to show me the true
nature of the man.
Later in the unfolding story of hired killers, one such person takes his
payout in a cheque, another item that left me a little incredulous. Always
follow the money trail is the adage, and a cheque just doesn’t make any
sense in the real world, pointing anyone straight to the person behind the
killing. The money man.
The book plot follows a well trodden path with the main character (the
American diplomat Bill Carmichael) showing all the qualities that would make
you despise him plus a certain lack of perception, whilst the assassin (the
anti-hero “Zone”) possesses all the noble features you would not expect, as
well as being very smart and intuitive. As a person to have dinner with,
“Zone” would be much more interesting than Billy boy. Very much more
interesting.
Unfortunately, the book reads like the script for a B grade action movie. In
a cinematic plot as it unfurls, there is not enough time for the audience to
critically examine the realities or likelihood or even probabilities of
action and reaction, let alone logical processes, but in a book, the reader
has the time to be more perspicacious and quite frankly, this book has
several holes making for a large credibility gap. For example, senior
American diplomats would not be allowed to waltz off for jaunts to meet
Malaysian Sultans on their own, American CIA personnel do not just blithely
accept verbal agreements to hand over international hit-men, and the sphere
of influence of the sons of Sultans does not extend to the top men in the
WTO. Some of the escapes by “Zone” from the clutches of other evil doers are
also such that they defy belief, and his ability to photograph a vagrant,
print his photograph and insert it into a passport and stick it in the man’s
pocket, and give him an assault rifle to hold, all in a crowded auditorium
is again not believable.
The book has an RRP of B. 350, so it is not an expensive read, so for
something to read on an otherwise boring plane trip, it may be quite
suitable. It is fast paced, never letting up all the way through. Up to you!
Mott’s CD review: Hard Stuff
Bulletproof
Mott The Dog
 2
Stars **
After two successful albums ‘Death Walks Behind You’ (1970), and ‘In The
Hearing Of’ (1971), Vincent Crane, keyboard player and leader of heavy
metal front runners ‘Atomic Rooster’ decided to take the band off in a
different vein, bringing in a more funky edge to the Rooster sound. This
did not lay well with the other three members of the band, particularly
as they were still writing songs in a heavy metal sound because that was
where their roots lay.
Vocalist Pete French removed his voice and put it in ‘Cactus’. the band
formed out of the ashes of ‘Vanilla Fudge’, and carried on in his hard
rock style.
Guitarist John Du Cann and Paul Hammond decided to stay together and
form a new band of their own. For some reason to do this John decided to
drop the Du bit of his name and for the next decade was known simply as
John Cann. They formed a band making contact with vocalist Al Shaw and
bassist John Gustafson, and went under the banner of ‘Daemon’.
Al Shaw had very little previous experience in the hectic world of rock
’n’ roll, and when the band rushed into the studios to knock out a quick
album, ‘Entrance To Hell’ (1971), it showed up Shaw’s limited abilities,
a nervous and shy front man is definitely not ideal.
John Gustafson on the other hand was a seasoned professional, starting
out on his rock ‘n’ roll path more than a decade before in Liverpool
with ‘Cassa and The Casanovas’ in 1959, before they lost lead vocalist
Brian Casser and became ‘The Big Three’ in 1961, who at the time were
the biggest band in Liverpool, England. Yes, including the Beatles. When
the Beatles broke out in 1962, ‘The Big Three’ were taken on by Beatles
manager Brian Epstein, but he was never able to mould these rough
diamonds as he did with the Fab Four.
‘The Big Three’ did the usual circuit, cutting singles, residencies in
Hamburg, appearing on TV, and by all accounts had a whale of a time.
Perhaps they should have paid a little more attention to the business
side of things.
John Gustafson then sold his rock ‘n’ roll soul and joined ‘The Mersey
Beats’, who’s rather watered down sound never really suited Gustafson …
but when money is flashed before your eyes, what is a poor bassist
supposed to do? But by 1965 the Mersey beat boom was on the wane and it
was time for John Gustafson to jump ship again. This time he followed
his musical instincts, firstly joining ‘The Quotations’ and then
‘Quartermass’, as well as being a bass for hire for touring bands or
studio work. When John Cann and Paul Hammond called to form a new
super-group. John Gustafson was ready.
Trying to run before they could walk, though, proved their first
downfall, and after listening to the results of ‘Entrance To Hell’ Shaw
was jettisoned and the others decided to carry on as a trio. To distance
themselves from ‘Daemon’ they changed there name to ‘Bullet’. This was
fine until a law suit arrived on their doorstep from another band
already called ‘Bullet’. Back to the drawing board again, and ‘Hard
Stuff’ was decided upon.
In 1972 Deep Purple was at the height of their popularity, and had
decided to form their own record company as any self respecting band
with millions of dollars to spare was duty bound to do in this era. ‘The
Beatles’ started it all with Apple, and a few years later you were not
really considered to be amongst the rock elite unless you had your own
label. Anyway, seeing the pedigree within ‘Hard Stuff’ the Purple boys
made the band their first signing, rushing them back into the studio to
make a new debut album, before taking them on the road as support for a
huge European tour.
John Cann had already written songs for the last two Atomic Rooster
albums, and then Cann and Gustafson shared writing duties for the Daemon
album, all in the last eighteen months, and it was a wonder they had
anything left in the cupboard at all. They managed to get the album
ready for the tour with the moniker ‘Bulletproof’ (1972). It was a
typical of the time heavy rock power trio effort, with some highlights,
but way to many low points.
The actual musicianship is never anything but superb, for that alone the
album cannot be faulted. But neither Cann nor Gustafson would lay claim
to being genuine class vocalists, and whilst all the vocals are
delivered with passion, and may have been excusable in the excitement of
a live setting, on the recording they definitely let the side down.
Perhaps hanging onto their old mate Pete French from the Rooster days
would have been a plan with some merit.
One of the album’s best moments comes on a song co-written by John
Gustafson with Roger Glover and Ian Gillan of Deep Purple. There is no
doubt of the quality of this track, but to execute it properly would not
only have taken Ian Gillan’s penmanship but his throat as well. All of
the songs are left sounding rather thin due to there only being three
instruments, and although John Cann’s playing is never less than
commendable, in fact some of the guitar solos are riveting, all the
songs need something more. Keyboards would have given the band a much
fuller sound. Another instrument in the band would have graced any of
the tracks, played by somebody who could have also helped out with the
writing and arranging of the songs, allowing each band member to
concentrate on what they were doing individually as well as in the
context of the band. Verden Allen had just left ‘Mott The Hoople’ at the
time would have filled that role wonderfully.
What must be one of the greatest blunders in rock ‘n’ roll, though, must
be the choice of ‘Jay Time’ as the opening song, and unbelievably the
band’s first all important single. Only one year previously John Cann
had come up with ‘Devils Answer’ for ‘Atomic Rooster’, which had been a
worldwide hit breaking the Rooster internationally. Now for his new band
he had penned ‘Jay Time’. It is probably one of the worst rock tracks
ever played or written. Each musician seems to be playing a different
song, the guitar riff is scratchy, the vocals jar on the nerves, and the
hook in the chorus would not hold up air. What were they thinking? ‘Jay
Time’ should never have been released let alone as the flagship for a
new band.
The band immediately redeems themselves with the next track, which is
probably the best and heaviest thing on the album - the John Gustafson
written ‘Sinister Minister’ with its crunchy guitar licks and bass heavy
driven rhythm. Even the vocals are savage enough to get away with it,
and when John Cann completely wigs out on his axe to bring the song to a
rousing conclusion you think they maybe onto something here. But to be
honest the remaining tracks plod along in ever decreasing circles with
just the odd ripple to draw your attention.
The album fumbles its way to a conclusion with a totally pointless
instrumental ballad that is going nowhere; it’s called ‘The Provider
Part One’. Thankfully there never was a part two.
Once the album is finished the thought of putting it back on again is
just too much knowing you would have to skip the first track to avoid
musical insanity.
The following year ‘Hard Stuff’ released a follow up album ‘Bolex
Dementia’ (1973) which was a much better album, but ill luck struck
again when John Cann and Paul Hammond were involved in a serious car
accident in Belgium, and it was two years before Paul Hammond could play
again. That was the end of ‘Hard Stuff’.
John Gustafson went onto play with Shawn Philips, Roxy Music, and for
several years in the Ian Gillan Band, finding time for plenty of well
paid session work, a fine progressive rock solo album ‘Goose Grease’ and
writing ‘Dear John’, a hit single for ‘Status Quo’. John Cann dabbled
with Thin Lizzy amongst others, before putting the Du back in his name
and reforming ‘Atomic Rooster’ with Vincent Crane and Paul Hammond for
another bash at stardom in the Eighties.
Hard Stuff
John Cann: Guitar, Vocals
John Gustafson: Bass, Vocals
Paul Hammond: Drums
Songs
Jay Time
Sinister Minister
No itch At All
Taken Alive
Time Gambler (Rodney)
Millionaire
Monster In Paradise
Hobo
Mr Longevity-RIP
The Provider Part One
To contact Mott the
Dog email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mott-the-dog.com
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