Heaven and Hull
By Mick Ronson
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Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 Don't Look Down 5:52
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vocals, guitar, songwriter, producer
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producer
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vocals, mix engineer
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bass
-
drums
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songwriter
-
mix engineer
-
mix engineer
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Kevin Kerriganengineer
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- 2 Like a Rolling Stone 4:21
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guitar
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producer
-
songwriter
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vocals
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guitar
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Rene Wurstbass
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drums
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keyboards
-
mix engineer
-
engineer
-
- 3 When the World Falls Down 4:23
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vocals, guitar, songwriter, producer
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songwriter, producer, acoustic guitar, keyboards, vocals
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bass
-
drums
-
mix engineer
-
mix engineer
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Kevin Kerriganengineer
-
- 4 Trouble With Me 4:43
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vocals, guitar, songwriter, producer
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songwriter, producer, mix engineer, keyboards, bass, drum machine
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vocals
-
mix engineer
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Kevin Kerriganengineer
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- 5 Life's a River 5:21
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vocals, guitar, songwriter, producer, bass
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songwriter, producer, mix engineer, acoustic guitar, vocals, engineer
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backing vocals, mix engineer
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drums
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vocals
-
mix engineer
-
mix engineer
-
engineer
-
engineer
-
- 6 You and Me 3:10
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producer, all instruments
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Suzanne Ronsonsongwriter
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Kevin Kerriganmix engineer, engineer
-
- 7 Colour Me 4:58
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vocals, guitar, songwriter, producer, bass
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songwriter, producer, mix engineer, keyboards
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backing vocals, mix engineer
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backing vocals
-
drums
-
mix engineer
-
mix engineer
-
Kevin Kerriganengineer
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- 8 Take a Long Line 3:05
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vocals, guitar, producer
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producer
-
vocals, mix engineer
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drums
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bass
-
vocals
-
songwriter
-
songwriter
-
songwriter
-
mix engineer
-
mix engineer
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Kevin Kerriganengineer
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- 9 Midnight Love 3:22
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producer, mix engineer, all instruments
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songwriter
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mix engineer, engineer
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- 10 All the Young Dudes 3:47
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lead guitar
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vocals
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vocals, songwriter, saxophone
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lead vocals
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guitar
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bass
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drums
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vocals
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mix engineer
-
mix engineer
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- Total length: 43:02
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
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5 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Heaven and Hull [p]
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Heaven and Hull Picture Disc
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Heaven and Hull Bonus Tracks
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4 Reviews
Heaven and Hull is a bittersweet album to say the least.
For me Mick Ronson never really had the career his immense talent deserved. Binned by David Bowie at the point his career was about to go international and only working with him again for a single track on Black Tie White Noise, Bowie's "comeback" album that was released mere weeks before Ronno passed away.
After being dismissed by Bowie, Ronno recorded his debut solo album, Slaughter on 10th Avenue, and when that didn't take off commercially, going on to play guitar for Mott the Hoople, albeit temporarily, before he and Mott frontman Ian Hunter departed that band. Hunter would collaborate with Ronno and his first solo album, however management shenanigans meant that it was released under Hunter's name only, as there were still plans for Ronno to have his own solo career. The Hunter Ronson band would be an on and off thing from there until Ronno's death, though they would only release one full studio album, 1989's Y U I Orta. Regardless of that, there was a loyal and between Hunter and Ronson, so much more so than there ever was between Bowie and Ronson (it's notable that Hunter gets a specific shout out in the liner notes for this posthumous collection, while Bowie gets lumped in with everyone else).
From the mid-70s onwards Ronno would punctuate his work with Hunter with stints alongside various rock and pop acts like Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Midge Ure, however his own solo career would be sidelined, seemingly until he received his cancer diagnosis.
It seems to be Def Leppard's Joe Elliott credited with guiding the Heaven and Hull project, with Mellencamp and Hunter putting their backs into it alongside Ronno as well. With a variety of vocalists represented, a little gender variety is thrown in when Chrissie Hynde makes an appearance, but on the whole Elliott, Hunter, an Mellencamp rotate on vocal duties, with Bowie making a appearance on a cover of Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and the version of "All the Young Dudes" performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, where Ronno made his last concert appearance, flanking the two names he would always be associated with, David Bowie and Ian Hunter.
Given how many vocalists appear on Heaven and Hull, it's inevitable that it sounds a little piecemeal and fragmented. Evidently different studios were used as and when necessary to get the various names involved, and Ronno's health would have been waning as well. It's not the most cohesive listening experience, but than again Ronno didn't have the most cohesive career either, so it's almost fitting that the last track on here is from a tribute concert to a much bigger household name.
As fitting a posthumous album as Heaven and Hull is, Ronno's reputation has only grown since his passing, as subsequent generations have realised that he played a much bigger part in launching Bowie to superstardom than he was given credit for. In a just world, Mick Ronson's name would be uttered alongside those of Brian Eno, Mike Garson and Tony Visconti as David Bowie's serial collaborator. As it was, Ronno was crucial at getting him launched into the stratosphere, only to get his marching orders just as he went into orbit, and only got called back when Bowie was trying to resuscitate his career post-Tin Machine.
He deserved better than that.
For me Mick Ronson never really had the career his immense talent deserved. Binned by David Bowie at the point his career was about to go international and only working with him again for a single track on Black Tie White Noise, Bowie's "comeback" album that was released mere weeks before Ronno passed away.
After being dismissed by Bowie, Ronno recorded his debut solo album, Slaughter on 10th Avenue, and when that didn't take off commercially, going on to play guitar for Mott the Hoople, albeit temporarily, before he and Mott frontman Ian Hunter departed that band. Hunter would collaborate with Ronno and his first solo album, however management shenanigans meant that it was released under Hunter's name only, as there were still plans for Ronno to have his own solo career. The Hunter Ronson band would be an on and off thing from there until Ronno's death, though they would only release one full studio album, 1989's Y U I Orta. Regardless of that, there was a loyal and between Hunter and Ronson, so much more so than there ever was between Bowie and Ronson (it's notable that Hunter gets a specific shout out in the liner notes for this posthumous collection, while Bowie gets lumped in with everyone else).
From the mid-70s onwards Ronno would punctuate his work with Hunter with stints alongside various rock and pop acts like Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Midge Ure, however his own solo career would be sidelined, seemingly until he received his cancer diagnosis.
It seems to be Def Leppard's Joe Elliott credited with guiding the Heaven and Hull project, with Mellencamp and Hunter putting their backs into it alongside Ronno as well. With a variety of vocalists represented, a little gender variety is thrown in when Chrissie Hynde makes an appearance, but on the whole Elliott, Hunter, an Mellencamp rotate on vocal duties, with Bowie making a appearance on a cover of Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and the version of "All the Young Dudes" performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, where Ronno made his last concert appearance, flanking the two names he would always be associated with, David Bowie and Ian Hunter.
Given how many vocalists appear on Heaven and Hull, it's inevitable that it sounds a little piecemeal and fragmented. Evidently different studios were used as and when necessary to get the various names involved, and Ronno's health would have been waning as well. It's not the most cohesive listening experience, but than again Ronno didn't have the most cohesive career either, so it's almost fitting that the last track on here is from a tribute concert to a much bigger household name.
As fitting a posthumous album as Heaven and Hull is, Ronno's reputation has only grown since his passing, as subsequent generations have realised that he played a much bigger part in launching Bowie to superstardom than he was given credit for. In a just world, Mick Ronson's name would be uttered alongside those of Brian Eno, Mike Garson and Tony Visconti as David Bowie's serial collaborator. As it was, Ronno was crucial at getting him launched into the stratosphere, only to get his marching orders just as he went into orbit, and only got called back when Bowie was trying to resuscitate his career post-Tin Machine.
He deserved better than that.
Published
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Good guitar based Brit rock which is quite well done with some stylish guitar licks, but to be fair there is much more to this production as the songs are quite good. "Midnight Love" is a very good melodic instrumental track played for sensitivity. "Colour Me" is also a good track with Ronson's soaring guitar licks and distortion.
Published
Ronno's swansong.
Due to the fact that the album wasn't completed when he sadly died from cancer in 1993, there are at least a couple of tracks included which wouldn't have made it onto a finished version. The most obvious is the totally inappropriate (IMO) version of "All the Young Dudes" recorded at the Freddie Mercury tribute gig featuring Mick on lead guitar backing up Ian Hunter and David Bowie - as this final track on the album fades out you hear Bowie thanking Ian Hunter!!! But never mind, if you delete that track and "Trouble With Me" (which features Chrissie Hynde but doesn't really go anywhere) you are left with 8 tracks that fit rather neatly onto one side of a C60 and makes an excellent album, the highlight for me being "Life's a River" featuring John Mellencamp on vocals and some of Mick's finest blistering lead guitar.
Due to the fact that the album wasn't completed when he sadly died from cancer in 1993, there are at least a couple of tracks included which wouldn't have made it onto a finished version. The most obvious is the totally inappropriate (IMO) version of "All the Young Dudes" recorded at the Freddie Mercury tribute gig featuring Mick on lead guitar backing up Ian Hunter and David Bowie - as this final track on the album fades out you hear Bowie thanking Ian Hunter!!! But never mind, if you delete that track and "Trouble With Me" (which features Chrissie Hynde but doesn't really go anywhere) you are left with 8 tracks that fit rather neatly onto one side of a C60 and makes an excellent album, the highlight for me being "Life's a River" featuring John Mellencamp on vocals and some of Mick's finest blistering lead guitar.
Published
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Catalog
22 Mar 2024
7 Jan 2024
27 Dec 2023
29 Nov 2023
26 Nov 2023
-
1
Don't Look Down
-
2
Like a Rolling Stone
-
3
When the World Falls Down
-
4
Trouble With Me
-
5
Life's a River
-
6
You and Me
-
7
Colour Me
-
8
Take a Long Line
-
9
Midnight Love
-
10
All the Young Dudes
17 Nov 2023
20 Sep 2023
19 Jul 2023
12 Jul 2023
-
1
Don't Look Down
-
2
Like a Rolling Stone
-
3
When the World Falls Down
-
4
Trouble With Me
-
5
Life's a River
-
6
You and Me
-
7
Colour Me
-
8
Take a Long Line
-
9
Midnight Love
-
10
All the Young Dudes
26 Jun 2023
22 May 2023
11 Mar 2023
6 Jan 2023
22 Nov 2022
30 Aug 2022
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