Mention the name Mud to most Americans - even those neck-deep in the ’70s revival - and the likely result will be a blank stare.

In England, however, between 1974 and 1976, Mud was one of the hottest rock & roll acts there was, charting a series of monster hit singles and recording a pair of delightful oldies-oriented albums.

They were never a profoundly philosophical band, and never pretended to be. The group played music to have a good time, and merely asked that others join in, which millions of Brits did for a few years.

Formed in February 1966, their earlier success came in a pop and then glam rock style, while later hits were influenced by 1950s rock and roll, and they are best remembered for their hit singles Dyna-mite, Tiger Feet, which was the UK’s best-selling single of 1974, and Lonely This Christmas which reached Christmas number 1 in December 1974.

After signing to RAK Records and teaming up with songwriters/producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, the band had fourteen UK Top 20 hits between 1973 and 1976, including three number ones.

Mud: The Singles 1973-80 (releaded May 10th, 2023 via Cherry Red Records UK) presents, in a chronological A/B release order, a complete overview of their singles; which also now includes ten tracks making their debut on CD - including the ultra rare 45 issued as Ring plus the three Les Gray singles.

The booklet also contains detailed liner notes plus loads of picture sleeves and memorabilia from the era.

CD 1
1. Crazy
2. Do You Love Me
3. Hypnosis
4. Last Tango In London
5. Dyna-mite
6. Do It All Over Again
7. Tiger Feet
8. Mr. Bagatelle
9. The Cat Crept In
10. Morning
11. Rocket
12. The Ladies
13. In The Mood (as Dum)
14. Watching The Clock (as Dum)
15. Lonely This Christmas
16. I Can’t Stand It
17. The Secrets That You Keep
18. Still Watching The Clock
19. Oh Boy
20. Moonshine Sally
21. Bye Bye Johnny

This wondrous mixed bag of glammy rockers and ’50s-styled ballads opens its first disc on the deeply funky Crazy, the fun R&R of Do You Love Me and both the slow, funky grooves of Hypnosis and the harder-edged Last Tango In London, and then come the high energy of Dyna-mite, the guitar-led Do It All Over Again, my all-time favorite of theirs growing up, the rambunctious Tiger Feet, before we are brought the soulful Mr. Bagatelle, the pure glam, Elvis-hued rock of The Cat Crept In and the vibrant Morning.

Along next is the catchy, Elvis-imbibed Rocket, the foot-tapper The Ladies and then a duo of songs recorded as Dum - the harmonized instrumentals In The Mood and Watching The Clock - before we get to become all festive for three minutes with their stand out classic Lonely This Christmas, which is itself backed by the disco beats of I Can’t Stand It, the gorgeous ballad The Secrets That You Keep, the Steve Miller Band-esque instrumental Still Watching The Clock, their absolute belter Oh Boy, the disc rounding out on the exotic, almost psychedelic sound of Moonshine Sally and the low slung RNR of Bye Bye Johnny.

CD 2
1. One Night
2. Shake Rattle And Roll / See You Later Alligator
3. L’ L’ Lucy
4. My Love Is Your Love
5. Show Me You’re A Woman
6. Don’t You Know
7. Shake It Down
8. Laugh, Live, Love
9. Nite On The Tiles
10. Time And Again
11. Lean On Me
12. Greacian Lament
13. A Groovy Kind Of Love (Les Gray)
14. U.S. Style (Les Gray)
15. Slow Talking Boy
16. Let Me Out
17. Just Try (A Little Tenderness)
18. Gives You The Good Times Now
19. What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For (Les Gray)
20. Stand Still Stella (Les Gray)

The second disc opens on the Elvis-hued, mid-tempo ballad One Night and the rocking medley Shake Rattle And Roll / See You Later Alligator, and then comes their first self-penned single L’L’Lucy, the dutiful My Love Is Your Love, the pillow ballad melody Show Me You’re A Woman, the rocking Don’t You Know, and then we get the funky, keyboard disco of Shake It Down, the feelgood Laugh, Live, Love, and both the frenetic synth rocker Nite On The Tiles and the languishing ballad Time And Again.

Next up is their mid-tempo rendition of Bill Withers’s Lean On Me and the ambitious Greacian Lament, before a solo duo from Les Gray himself - the amazing A Groovy Kind Of Love (which was originally sung by American duo Diane & Annita) and a lovely U.S. Style, before Mud are back with the laid back, Mediterranean-hued glam rock of Slow Talking Boy, the fun Let Me Out, a dutifully harmonized rendition of Just Try (A Little Tenderness), the disc rounding out on the sung-whilst-smiling Gives You The Good Times Now, and another Gray solo duo in What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For and the pure, unadulterated RNR of Stand Still Stella.

CD 3
1. Beating Round The Bush
2. Under The Moon Of Love
3. Don’t Ever Change (as Roly)
4. Yes I Do (as Roly)
5. Cut Across Shorty
6. We’ve Got To Know
7. Drift Away
8. Let Me Get (Close To You)
9. Car Friends (as Roly)
10. Roly Pin (as Roly)
11. Why Do Fools Fall In Love / Book Of Love
12. Run, Don’t Walk
13. I Think Of You (Les Gray)
14. I Think I’ll Go That Way (Les Gray)
15. You’ll Like It
16. Can’t Stop
17. Drop Everything And Run
18. Taking The Easy Way Out
19. Rico (as Ring)
20. Make A Buck (as Ring)

The third disc opens on the bass-led beauty Beating Round The Bush and then comes their rollicking fine take of Curtis Lee’s Under the Moon of Love (which later became a hit for Showaddywaddy with a very similar arrangement), and they are backed by a couple from the band Roly - Don’t Ever Change and the free-flowing Yes I Do - and then we get brought the Showaddywaddy-esque Cut Across Shorty, the funky rock of We’ve Got To Know, a melodic Drift Away and a smooth Let Me Get (Close To You), before two more from Roly - the joyously pleaded Car Friends and the tongue-in-cheek Roly Pin.

The third disc then completes the wondrous package with the lovely Motown medley in Why Do Fools Fall In Love / Book Of Love, the go-ahead Run, Don’t Walk, before two more solo cuts from Gray - the beautiful I Think Of You and the forthright I Think I’ll Go That Way - and then come the upbeat You’ll Like It, the pointed RNR of Can’t Stop, both the harder rock of Drop Everything And Run (where the original band continued for a short while with female lead vocalist Margo Buchanan in Gray’s place, releasing this sadly unsuccessful, but rock-worthy single for Carrere in 1979) and much the same can be said for Taking The Easy Way Out, the collection coming to a close on two from the band Ring - the disco-fueled duo of Rico and Make A Buck in 1980.

Official 3CD Purchase Link