“We had a huge live following but no one bought our bloody records. We broke up in Switzerland. In a fucking gas tank. A gas tank is not a good place to play and a truly horrible place to break up. I always remember how fucked off we were, and what a big relief it was to split. Bowie heard about the split and enquired about a bass player, ’cos he needed one. I then said we needed a song, and Bowie offered us “Suffragette City”, which I didn’t feel was good enough. I always felt we needed to record a song as good as “You Really Got Me”. Bowie sat down on the floor and played us “All the Young Dudes”, and it was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. After years of being this cult band we had a hit, but then ironically you lose your core. They think you’ve sold out. You’re damned if you make a few bob and damned if you don’t. No one ever joined a rock ‘n’ roll band to get rich.”

Ian Hunter, Uncut #157, June 2010