>>PREVIEW
DR HOOK WITH RAY SAWYER
Wednesday, February 15
The Whiskey
Whether he’s performing as Dr. Hook, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show or his real life alter ego, Ray Sawyer, the cowboy hat-wearing folk-pop troubadour known as Dr. Hook is famous around the globe for his hilariously earnest lyrics and poignant parodies.
Joining forces with singer-songwriter Dennis Locorriere in Union City, New Jersey in 1968, Alabama-born Sawyer, who sported an eye patch following a serious car crash a year earlier, adopted the name Dr. Hook in tribute to the legendary Captain Hook. The two immediately began performing and recording, and by 1972 "Sylvia’s Mother," the single from their self-titled debut, had sold more than one million copies. Dr. Hook and company would go on to release a dozen LPs between 1972 and 1984, not including Ray Sawyer’s solo 1978 effort, which later saw its material reabsorbed into the Medicine Show’s canon.
Oddly enough, after enjoying years of radio play and popularity, the band’s last two albums The Rest of Dr. Hook and Let Me Drink From Your Well were never released in the United States. Needless to say, this oversight has inspired a Grail-like quest amongst fans who seek to add these two seminal volumes to their collections. Upon further investigation, it would seem that these would-be treasure seekers could be in store for a surprise when it comes to acquiring the complete Dr. Hook discography.
Over the years, the travelling Medicine Show moved freely between three different record labels, each of which dutifully produced their own "greatest hits" titles. Add to this the countless renamed variations, live recordings, bootlegs, foreign and domestic versions and compilations, and you’re looking at more than 100 CDs around the world and twice as many 45s and cassettes. And even amid these endless bins of merchandise boasting an impressive array of cover art from more than 40 countries, there are still several albums that remain unavailable on CD.
If you know one thing about Dr. Hook, it should be this: all, and I mean all, of his quality material was written by the amazing Playboy cartoonist and children’s author Shel Silverstein. Yes, the mind behind A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree (not to mention "A Boy Named Sue" made famous by Johnny Cash) penned the lyrics to darn near every worthwhile word that passed Hook’s mustachioed lips – "Sylvia’s Mother," "Cover of the Rolling Stone," "Hey, Lady Godiva," "Sing Me a Rainbow," "Judy," "Kiss it Away," "Momma, I’ll Sing One Song for You," "Freakin’ at the Freakers Ball," "Carry Me, Carrie," "Lookin’ For Pussy," "Ballad of Lucy Jordan," "Roland the Roadie and Gertrude the Groupie," "Monterey Jack," "Acapulco Goldie," "I Got Stoned and I Missed It," you get the picture. At long last, in 2003, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show released I Got Stoned and I Missed It: The Best of Shel Silverstein in tribute to their muse, who had passed away of a heart attack in Key West in 1999.
Dr. Hook’s appreciation for the craft of songwriting led him to reproduce the works of other performers, including the tune "Walk Right In," originally by The Rooftop Singers from their album Your Hit Parade: Into the ‘60s, and the song "Only Sixteen," first performed by Sam Cooke on his album The Man Who Invented Soul – both covers appear on Dr. Hook’s album Greatest Hits And More). Of course, when it comes to cover tunes, the songs of Silverstein and Hook provide a smorgasbord of material that has long been feasted upon by other poets and musicians. Here is a brief list of some of the artists who have added their own hooks to the Medicine Show’s best:
· Marilyn Manson’s Last Tour on Earth album includes a bonus-track cover of "Get My Rocks Off" from Hook’s Sloppy Seconds.
· "When You’re In Love With a Beautiful Woman" from the good Doctor’s Sharing the Night Together appears on the album Come Again by Cecil, and has also been covered by the likes of Conway Twitty and Steel Pulse.
· "A Little Bit More" from Hook’s Greatest Hits (and More) is diminished by 911 on their There It Is.
· Silverstein’s "Ballad of Lucy Jordan" from Our Swedish Collection is elevated by Marianne Faithful on her Blazing Away.
· And, the incomparable "Sylvia’s Mother," featured on several Hook albums including Sharing the Night Together, is dramatically rendered by none other than Bon Jovi on the This Left Feels Right Live DVD.
Now, if that karaoke lineup from hell isn’t scary enough for you, consider the wonderful world of musical parodies. A simple Internet search yields plenty of creative (if not musically viable) takes on the band’s already bizarre lyrics:
· "When You’re In Love With a Beautiful Woman" is transformed into the reflective number "When You’re Real Drunk (on a Sunday Morning)" by PK Bites.
· "Sylvia’s Mother" becomes the defamatory and inflammatory ditty "Saddamy’s Mother" by Guy DiRito. Or better yet, get a load of "Stacy’s Hot Mother" by Michael Pacholek.
· "Sexy Eyes" hits the fridge and becomes known as "Chunky Thighs" by Malcolm Higgins.
And so forth.
Misheard lyrics? Maybe you’ve pondered the phonetic implications of "When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Wilma"? How many arguments have been sparked between friends over the chorus of "Sylvia’s Mother"? Is he saying: "Please, Mrs. Abreeham!", "Please, Mrs. Abee!", "Please, Mrs. Ape me!", or is it actually "Please, Mrs. Avery!"? Only time, a two-six of Maker’s Mark, and an all-night road trip will tell. |
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