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I almost missed this one. Being not quite the internet nerd and having a life away from this website and everything, I had no idea that Steve Hooker had released a new CD. I got to know this the old fashioned way, by reading DYNAMITE! MAGAZINE, THE WORLD OF ROCK'N'ROLL # 50 with my feet on the table and a drink within reach. Nothing beats time away from a computer. The review went by
nearly unnoticed before my brain clicked in and realised, yes, there was
something wrong here. Did I recognise something or someone? Naturally enough,
I was in the midst of a critical appraisal of Steve Hooker's latest release
"Stagger Lee Is Back". The review is a bit strange though, what with the
statement of this being Steve Hooker's most diverse release, at least not
within the last ten years or the fact, that this isn't meant for the 50's
sound purist (who'd have thought so!).
Anyway, having read the review a couple of times, it finally sunk in, that it wasn't so bad after all. In any case, I don't need a review to make up my opinion wether or not to buy a Steve Hooker release. This is a very welcome piece of Rock, really a mixture of Rock, Rockabilly and Blues. What you get is eight songs, six of them Steve Hooker originals. Some of the songs remind me of Dr. Feelgood tracks (sometimes just short sequences) and others make a connection ... wait for it ... to Doctor's Order. I swear, if I listen to "Stagger Lee Is Back", it could be Grande Archie Hämäläinen on guitar. First I was thinking of Dr. Feelgood but couldn't make out the link and then it hit me like an express train. The song itself has also the roughness you'd expect from a Doctor's Order track. There are some other traces as well, the cover of "Girl That Radiates That Charm" does have a certain Rolling Stones sound. The guitar again, it does sound a bit like Keith Richards. In that way, the reviewer of DYNAMITE! has hit the nail square on the head. Songs like "Red Blue Jeans & A Pony Tail" make me want to see another Steve Hooker gig. Unfortunately I've only had the opportunity to see him once in concert. There are some things I have to work upon! You're record dealer probably won't have these releases (unless he's top notch), so you might want to check out the website http://www.stevehooker.co.uk or go to Ebay where you can buy this release directly from Steve Hooker. You should do yourself a favour and buy this release. Life is too short to be wasted on bad music. As Steve Hooker says "All Killer No Filler". |
