Doctor Hook

by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, Dr. Hook

Overview

An important thing to remember about Dr. Hook is that they never began as a real band, not in the sense of digging deep into their hearts and letting the feelings flow on the page. They were a bar band who carved out a respectable but undistinguished following in the northeast, recording a demo that eventually got the attention of a talent scout who paired them with Shel Silverstein, a poet turned songwriter who needed an outlet for his tunes. It was an unexpected pairing, but one that proved to be perfect, as Dr. Hook had an earthy sleaze that brought out the grime within Silverstein, a songwriter often seen as clean and cutesy, partially due to his famed children's books. Silverstein penned everything on the 1971 debut outside of "Four Years Older Than Me," a really ugly piece of blooze-stomp, and there's still a sense that he was testing the border, not quite sure of how far he could push the band. So, there's a sentimental streak that surfaces almost immediately -- "Sylvia's Mother" is an operatic weeper -- but soon they get mired in the voodoo funk of "Marie Laveaux," wink at Lady Godiva, and plead with a lover to kiss the pain away. There's more than a touch of sincerity here but the record really cooks whenever they're singing about grass ("Makin' It or Natural") or sex, an inclination they'd run with on the next album, but here there is an appeal to their teetering between sentimentality and sleaze, plus the songs are always good -- funny, solid, cleverly constructed tunes that stand as testament to Silverstein's craft and show how Dr. Hook could deliver upon command. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/1992
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0074643089821

Tracks

1. Sylvia's Mother
2. Marie Laveau
3. Sing Me a Rainbow
4. Hey, Lady Godiva
5. Four Years Older Than Me
6. Kiss It Away
7. Makin' It Natural
8. I Call That True Love
9. When She Cries
10. Judy
11. Mama, I'll Sing One Song for You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show   Primary Artist
Dr. Hook   Primary Artist
Dennis Locorriere   Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar,Bass
Jay David   Drums,Vocals
George Cummings   Guitar,Guitar (Steel)
Billy Francis   Keyboards
Bill Francis   Vocals,Keyboards
Ron Haffkin   Director
Ron Haffkine   Musical Director
Ray Sawyer   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Dennis Locorriere   Composer
George Engfer   Engineer
George Horn   Engineer
Jeffrey Comanor   Composer
Mike Fusar   Engineer
Baxter Taylor   Composer
Mike Larner   Engineer
Steven Friedman   Engineer
Anne Garner   Design
Herbert Greene   Photography
Medicine Show   Arranger
Ron Haffkin   Arranger,Producer
Stanley Tonkel   Engineer
Shel Silverstein   Composer
Steve Friedman   Engineer
Don Oriolo   String Arrangements
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show   Arranger
Ron Haffkine   Composer,Producer
Ray Sawyer   Composer
Mike Fusaro   Engineer
J. David   Composer
Glen Kolotkin   Engineer
Dr. Hook   Arranger,Performer