The Rats- The Fall And Rise-A Rat'sTale (1964-69)

Members:

Benny Marshall, Geoff Appleby, Jim Simpson (2), John Bentley, John Cambridge, Keith Cheesman, Mick Ronson, Mick Woodmansey

MICK RONSON joined THE RATS at the end of 1966 which were then Hull’s premier band. BENNY MARSHALL remembers the influence Ronson had over The Rat’s sound at this stage. “Mick came back from London playing soul music. He’d talk about Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton and was experimenting with sounds on the Telecaster he’s bought” 

The Rats- The Fall And Rise-A Rat'sTale

Mick Ronson's the one down front and center on this album by The Rats.

And this is his earliest recordings when he was barely 17 years old! 

15 tracks compiled /recorded between 1964-1969.

And the rest tracks 13-15 (bonus tracks) were later additions from 1998. 

Guitarist, arranger, songwriter, producer and perennial sideman, 

Mick Ronson made his mark during glam-rock's early '70s heyday 

but worked consistently with frequent collaborators David Bowie and 

Ian Hunter till his death in 1993. From 1967-68 he played with a hometown 

garage rock group, The Rats, in Hull. In 1969, he was discovered by 

fledgling folksinger and producer, Mike Chapman, who asked him to 

join his recording band. From there he was on to a collaboration with 

Bowie beginning with "Space Oddity" in 1969 and lasting through 

1973's Pin-Ups. He arranged "Changes" among others on Hunky Dory (1972)

and was Bowie's flamboyant guitarist in the Spiders from Mars 

during the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972) album and tours. 

It has remained a mystery as to how much of Bowie's material Ronson 

wrote in exchange for "arrangement" credits, but his stamp is on some

important records of the era: He co-produced Lou Reed's Transformer 

(RCA, 1972) with Bowie and briefly joined Mott the Hoople after 

working as an arranger on All the Young Dudes (1972). 

As glam rock faded, Ronson continued to work with Hunter in the 

Hunter/Ronson band and as a songwriter, guitarist and producer 

on Hunter's solo work. He recorded two solo albums for MainMan, 

Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1974) and Play Don't Worry (1975). 

His identifiable wah-wah sound straddled genres outside his beloved 

glam and hard rock: From Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue to 

Morrissey's Your Arsenal(1992). In 1990, Ronson was diagnosed 

with cancer. He was reunited with Bowie for Black Tie White Noise(1993) 

and that same year appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert 

with Hunter and Bowie. He made one final record with some help from 

his friends Hunter, Bowie, Chrissie Hynde and Mellencamp, 

Heaven 'n Hull, (Epic) which was released posthumously in 1994. 

~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide

TRACK LISTING 

1. Spoonful 2. I’ve Got My Eyes On You Baby 3. I’ve Gotta See My Baby 4. New Orleans 5. The Rise And Fall Of Bernie Gripplestone 6. Stop Get A Hold Of Yourself 7. Guitar Boogie 8. Morning Dew 9. Early In Spring

10. Telephone Blues 11. It Ain’t Easy 12. I Feel Free 

BONUS TRACKS 

13. The Hunter 14. Colour Me 15. Life’s A River

This album contains the original versions of the two songs played by The Rats at the Mick Ronson Memorial Concert on 29th April 1994. All songs were recorded between 1964 and 1969 except the three bonus tracks recorded during 1998. 

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