Defiance Part 1

"Defiance Part 1" is the title of a new studio album from rock'n'roll icon Ian Hunter, scheduled for release on April 14th, 2023.. This record features the longtime Mott the Hoople figurehead joined by a number of his musical colleagues, friends and even some he influenced along the course of his celebrated career.

Per a news release, the list of participants includes Jeff Beck, Johnny Depp, Joe Elliott, Billy F Gibbons, Taylor Hawkins, Duff McKagan, Todd Rundgren, Slash, Jeff Tweedy, Robert Trujillo, Waddy Wachtel, Brad Whitford, Dane Clark, Billy Bob Thornton, JD Andrew, Dean DeLeo, Robert De Leo and Eric Kretz

“It was a fluke”, Ian Hunter says candidly in a statement regarding how this album came about. “This was not planned. Really, I’m serious. I really couldn’t believe some of them. I mean, it’s amazing what’s happened. It’s been such a buzz”.

He went into a bit more detail.

“Everybody’s sitting around. It’s covid. Nobody’s going anywhere. We started sending them out. Slash started doing something. Robert Trujillo from Metallica. Ringo Starr, Mike Campbell. Joe Elliott is on a few tracks. Johnny Depp said ‘Jeff Beck’s with me and we’d like to do a couple of songs’. I know Todd Rundgren, I toured with Todd way back, he’s done an amazing job. Billy Gibbons. Billy Bob Thornton and JD Andrew from The Boxmasters. It’s never ending. I mean, every day we’d get a phone call, this guy wants to do it, that guy wants to do it. It was like, I can’t believe this”.

The end result sounds like a pretty special record, especially considering the involvement of 2 rock icons who’ve passed away since the album’s recording, in Taylor Hawkins and Jeff Beck.

As its title suggests, "Defiance Part 1" will be followed by a follow up, promising “an equally stunning range of special guests while projecting an entirely different thematic approach and songwriting aesthetic”.

“There are a lot of reasons for calling this album 'Defiance'", says Hunter. “It’s like, people my age shouldn’t be making records, blah, blah, blah. But we’ve still got a bit left”.