Mud Discography
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| Compilations| Singles
 MudUse Your Imagination Release Date 1975 Label Private Stock Rating:  In 1975 Mud decided they didn't need to be puppets of the highly successful songwriters/producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman any longer. While the duo had written all the band's hits like &"Tiger Feet" and &"Dynamite," the group had been penning their own B-sides and felt they could strike out on their own without striking out. Their first self-penned single &"L'L'Lucy" was a hit reaching number ten and the album Use Your Imagination reached number 33. Not exactly smashes, but enough to keep the band in the spotlight. The album was a bit of a departure from their previous records which were loaded with covers of rock classics and seemed nothing more than placeholders between Chinn/Chapman singles. There are only two covers here, a silly reggae take of the Everly Brothers' &"Bird Dog" and a rollicking take of Curtis Lee's &"Under the Moon of Love" (which later became a hit for Showaddywaddy with a very similar arrangement). The rest are composed by the band or contemporary songwriters and are a mixed bag of glammy rockers and '50s-styled ballads. The rockers fare better with &"R.U. Man Enough," &"Don't Knock It," &"Hair of the Dog" and &"L'L'Lucy" generating loads of energy and excitement. Rockabilly stomper &"43792 (I'm Bustin' You)" and the proto-disco &"Use Your Imagination" are also fine songs that are welcome diversions from the glam sound. The ballads fall flat however as &"Show Me You're a Woman" is a treacly, soft rock love song with some truly cringe-inducing lyrics, &"Maybe Tomorrow" is stiff and far too Sha Na Na-sounding. Luckily they stick to the rockers for the most part. One could question the wisdom of leaving Chinn and Chapman behind but apart from a stumble or two, Mud came up with a pretty strong album here. Maybe even their best. You wouldn't want to start your collection here though; a singles compilation from their early years is definitely the place to begin. Tim Sendra, Rovi |
Tracks:
| Title | Composer | Time | |
| 1 | R. U. Man Enough? | Dunning, Stiles, Davis | 3:36 |
| 2 | She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes | Goodison, Wainman | 2:37 |
| 3 | Don't Knock It | Stiles, Davis | 3:03 |
| 4 | Maybe Tomorrow | Stiles, Davis | 3:23 |
| 5 | 43792 (I'm Bustin' You) | Goodison, Wainman | 2:54 |
| 6 | Hair of the Dog | Mindel, Mount | 3:13 |
| 7 | Lucy | Stiles, Davis | 3:01 |
| 8 | Show Me You're a Woman | Goodison, Wainman | 4:01 |
| 9 | Bird Dog | Bryant | 3:55 |
| 10 | Use Your Imagination | Stiles, Davis | 4:57 |
| 11 | Under the Moon of Love | Lee, Boyce | 4:00 |
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