All the Young Dudes is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Mott the Hoople, released in 1972. It marked their debut album for CBS Records (Columbia Records in the United States and Canada), following three years with Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada.
All the Young Dudes was a turning point for the then-struggling British band. Mott the Hoople were on the verge of breaking up when David Bowie stepped in and gave them the song "All the Young Dudes." Bowie and Mick Ronson also produced the album with tracks arranged by Ronson, which helped elevate Mott from potential has-beens to key figures in the glam rock movement. A remastered and expanded version was released by Sony BMG on the Columbia Legacy label on 21 February 2006.
The title track, "All the Young Dudes," was released as a single prior to the album and charted worldwide, becoming a defining anthem of the '70s glitter rock scene. "Sweet Jane," a cover of the Velvet Underground song from their 1970 album Loaded, was issued as a single in Canada, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States, but not in the UK. "One of the Boys," originally the B-side of "All the Young Dudes," was also released in North America and Continental Europe.
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album No. 491 on their list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In the 2012 revised list, it was ranked No. 484, with the magazine noting, "Mott would sound more soulful but never more sexy or glittery."
"Ready for Love" was later reworked by Mick Ralphs's subsequent band Bad Company on their self-titled debut. "Soft Ground," written by organist Verden Allen, marked the only occasion other than the 2013 reunion album when he recorded lead vocals with Mott the Hoople.
