Customer Reviews

Dr. Hook/Sloppy Seconds/Belly Up!

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was only familiar with the later Dr. Hook output for the longest while and never considered myself a fan. I started watching this hilarious public access show here in New York called Ms. Divine's Tee Hee Heure. During the opening credits I kept hearing these insane tunes that caught my ear. Each time I waited to find out who the artist was, it turned out to be Dr. Hook. I soon started tracking down as much of their early stuff that I could find. I was thrilled to learn that 3 albums from the old days were being compiled together in one release. Outstanding, naughty fun that has aged suprisiingly well.

Finally the first three albums of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show are available on CD! I can fully recommend them to anyone interested in great music, perfect showmanship and witty, satirical lyrics. On these albums from Dr. Hook's pre-disco period most songs were written by songwriter extraordinaire Shel Silverstein. Dr. Hook were the perfect artists to perform his songs. The spectrum ranges from melancholic ballads (Mama I'll sing one song for you, The Last Morning), hilarious drug songs (Makin it natural, Get my rocks off) to pure parody (Sylvia's Mother, The Cover of Rolling Stone, Roland the Roadie and Gertrude the Groupie). Anyone who is not familiar with those songs should take the chance. The songs were rendered with feeling, emotion and a lot of fun. Dr. Hook still had some success later on with their lightweight disco songs, but if you are looking for authentic entertainment, go for this package. In my opinion, they never got any better! An absolute must for all fans and highly recommended for everyone who loves great music and entertainment.

I'm not sure how it is that this band fell into such relative obscurity, as there is a vibe here like no other. Radio stations rarely play anything beyond "Cover of the Rolling Stone", which is such a disservice to the band and the radio audience. There has never been a band quite like Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. This particular CD set is an incredible deal, packaging their first three albums into a two-CD set with some interesting writings in the insert about the band and some of the songs. If there were anything at all disappointing about it, it would be that the order of the songs on both the packaging and the CDs themselves is not the same order as what is actually played on the CDs. A minor flaw, to be sure. If you have ever had an interest in the early work of the good doctor, then this is THE purchase to make. You will not be disappointed.

Yeah, there's some cheese on these, but enough lost gems from the Dr. to warrant this purchase. Thank you.