Dr Hook - Hits & History

From dishevelled raucousness to dapper respectability

With former Hook frontman Dennis�Locorriere a long-established fixture on the supper club and smart theatre circuit, latecomers to the party could be forgiven for being less aware of the group’s longhair stoner past. Before the smooth AOR of Sexy Eyes or When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman, the good doctor enjoyed a string of evocative and articulate hippy country hits.

Praise be, therefore, that this compilation includes early 70s chestnuts from the pen of Shel Silverstein, both mournful (Sylvia’s Mother, The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan) and mirthful (The Cover Of The Rolling Stone). This was a time when they traded as Dr Hook & The Medicine Show, all torn denims and untidy whiskers, as if they were Glen Campbell’s hungover hillbilly cousins.

The rough-edged older material sits surprisingly comfortably alongside the slickness of Better Love Next Time or Sharing The Night Together. Occasionally the two collide, like on Silverstein’s achingly beautiful ode to lost love, More Like The Movies. The constant throughout is Locorriere’s tremulous vocal, which, judging by the newer clips on the accompanying DVD, has lost none of its ability to bring grown men to their knees.

Capitol | 094638650225 (CD+DVD)

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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