This is no mere tribute album. It is exuberant classic-rock scholarship. Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott and members of the English band the Quireboys cover, with bang and bite, rare tracks associated with British hard-glam legends Mott the Hoople — including solo obscurities by singer Ian Hunter and spangled punch from spinoff bands. Elliott keeps the eccentric drive of songs like Hunter's "Overnight Angels," adding modern sheen and the true fan's swagger in his voice — just the right ­touches to send you hunting for the originals.

“The A Team”

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.