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Dr. Hooker - The Truth “Armageddon“(us 1972 Privatepressed Psychedelia) Widely cited as one of the most important private press releases in all 1970s psychedelia, D.R. Hooker's The Truth might actually be one of those obscure lost gems that's worth the customarily inordinate amount of interest such period pieces are afforded. D.R. Hooker was a man slightly askew with his time: from the robes he wears on the cover to the quasi mystical lyrics, he's very much connected to the hippy era, and given that this album was recorded in 1972, in a time post-Charles Manson, he was brave to associate so strongly with all the imagery pertaining to cults. Musically, Hooker looks beyond the parameters of the hippy movement, dipping into a more ambitiously studio-oriented sound than Hooker's half-troubadour, half-prophet image on the sleeve might suggest. 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. 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. Well worth your investigation. ~ by ChrisGoesRock ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One of the rarest US psych LPs, The Truth, recorded in Connecticut in 1972, might very well be the ultimate North American acid rock album ever. Everything is absolute perfection, the wailing fuzz guitar, the psychy arrangements, his awesome voice, layers of instruments and well-crafted songs. One of those LPs that keeps revealing new depths even when you've played it a hundred times. True psychedelia. ~ by dj fanis Tracklist: 01. The Sea 0:00 02. Fall In Love 4:27 03. A Stranger's Smile 7:02 04. Weather Girl 9:24 05. This Thing 13:35 06. Forge Your Own Chains 18:53 07. I'm Leaving You 23:36 08. The Truth 27:41 09. The Bible 31:20 10. Falling Asleep 36:06 Bonus: (From the album “Armageddon“ 1979) 41:08 Moment 43:50 49:16 52:34 15.A Tornamented Heart 57:03 1:03:05 Formed: New Haven, CT, United States Members: D.R. Hooker (vocals, guitar), Vincent de Paul Linus Pasternack (guitar), George Sheck (bass), Nick Oliva (keyboards), Tom Kobela (dobro), Rick Sanders (syntheziser), Art Ryerson (electric piano, background vocals), Haywood Sheck (drums), Ken Lovelett (percussion, vibes), Carroll Yanni (lead guitar), Bert McDevitt (drums), Bob Reardon (keyboards), Steve Malkan (bass)
