Truth

D.R. Hooker was a musician from the Connecticut scene of the early '70s who gathered a bunch of willing hired guns to back him up instrumentally for his debut hard psych/prog album, The Truth, which was originally released in an edition of 99 copies in 1972. There may be more obscure records (like Stonewall's sole album (KIS 4004 CD/LP)) with print runs of even smaller sizes, but D.R. Hooker's The Truth is definitely one of the most iconic records in the field of US hard rock. Despite a somewhat rough and unpolished sound, the music is definitely intriguingly composed, well executed and backed with feelings of peace or passion, depending on the song. The fervid opener The Sea is one of the best testaments to the brilliant songwriting ability of hippie singer/songwriter Donald R. Hooker. A pulsating rhythm of regular drums and obsessively beaten percussions, held together by an ever-pumping bass guitar, is the background for an epic, picturesque vocal melody riding on a guitar stampede with excessive leads. The following tracks include a gentle pop tune, a steaming funky rocker with an easy and relaxed vocal line, and another quite progressively structured composition of crushing heaviness. Each note here is captivating and will inspire you down to the bare bones. Hard to compare this music but it ranges from pop psych of the highest order in the vein of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, to powerful late '60s rock with a funky attitude as played by so many rock bands those days, to thought-provoking singer/songwriter tunes in the vein of Neil Young, Nick Drake, or even Donovan, with alternately lush and sparse arrangements. And there's way more than that. Haunting synthesizer lines on powerful guitars build an epic beginning for a fuzzed-out yet relaxed garage rocker that could be a lost outtake of a Jefferson Airplane session with The Seeds. The whole album bears a homemade feeling and creates a very imaginative atmosphere. Next to the ten original tracks of The Truth, this reissue also includes six of eight songs that were recorded in 1974 and released in 1979 as Armageddon, coming on with the same power as The Truth. '60s psychedelia, dramatic pop, progressive power rock, and great folky bits and pieces flow into each other. The result is music in full blossom, colorful and thrilling.