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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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