D.R Hooker -The Truth (1970/74)

The Truth" is one of the big private press classics, reissued enough times that most people should know it by now. Covers all the bases in an impressive manner, the songwriting, his awesome voice, the elaborate psych-rock soundscape, even the lyrics are excellent.

The thematic range is truly mind-boggling, going from ambivalent drug songs into pastoral hymns and ending up in fullblown Jesus praise.

The noisy, fuzzy elements are particularly effective, and surprisingly intricate in their arrangement and recording. 'Forge Your Own Chains' takes this to an extreme, expertly deploying advanced loungey jazz figures with an onslaught of brass.

A good LP to play for your non-collector friends, although it's not without detractors among mainstream psych heads, who probably can't handle the ego-mania and lounge moves that are part of what makes these 70s albums so great.

This all sounds far more ambitious and accomplished than the vast majority of private press releases that tend to emerge, and there's certainly a strong case to be made for this record being one of those precious few curiosities from the private press movement to feel like more than a kitsch comic aside.

With a voice that almost sounds like a cross between Lou Reed & Rod Argent (maybe even a hint of Iggy attitude), excellent psychedelic arrangements & soundscapes, far out lyrics, and still, the most striking thing about "The Truth" is the undeniably solid songwriting.

Recorded in 1974 but not released until '79, "Armageddon" retains much of the greatness with some minor UK progrock moves added, but not enough so to damage the trip. There was also a cassette-only release ("Rain On The Moon") from the 1980s which again contains some good tracks (review by Patrick Lundborg from The Acid Archives).

The Truth:
01. The Sea
02. Fall In Love
03. A Stranger's Smile
04. Weather Girl
05. This Thing
06. Forge Your Own Chains
07. I'm Leaving You
08. The Truth
09. The Bible
10. Falling Asleep

Bonus: (From the album "Armageddon" 1979):
11.Hello
12.This Moment
13.Free
14.Winter
15.A Tornamented Heart
16.Kamala

"The Truth" Personnel
*D.R. Hooker - Vocals, Guitar
*Vincent de Paul Linus Pasternack - Guitar
*George Sheck - Bass
*Nick Oliva - Keyboards
*Rick Sanders - Syntheziser
*Art Ryerson - Drums, Electric Piano, Background Vocals
*Haywood Sheck - Drums
*Ken Lovelett - Percussion, Vibes
*Dave Mason, Buddy Santori - Background Vocals

"Armageddon" personnel:
*D.R. Hooker - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
*Carroll Yanni - Lead Guitar
*Bert McDevitt - Drums
*Bob Reardon - Keyboards
*Steve Malkan - Bass

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