So similar in name to Dr Hook but don’t be alarmed this is something completely different. It has been voted one of the rarest records of all time and was released in an edition of less than a hundred back in 1972. Instead what we have is another one of those 1970s private press LPs unearthed by Numero Group.
D.R. Hooker was a robe-clad hippy going through a midlife crisis and made this wonderful spiritual album which showcases a rare songwriting talent mixing acid-rock, folk and on ‘Falling Asleep’ something that sounds like Syd Barrett meeting Love. Hints of Rodriguez too, certainly on the opening ‘Forge Your Own Chains’ which leads off an album that is way more sophisticated than it has any right to be and rightly deserves a larger audience.
“The Truth” is somehow out of time and very of its time—it’s very, very 1972. Washy, psychedelic grooves drift along, occasionally dipping into electronic processing and heavy guitars, while Hooker make attempts to come to terms with the psychedelic movement. The songs are fuelled by this tension between psychedelia and religion. After the carefree 1960s, and the prevalence of free love, be-ins, and LSD, the 70s took a decidedly darker, more paranoid turn. For some, drugs clearly were not the answer, and “The Truth” is clearly rooted in Hooker’s desire to find something more concrete and less fleeting. In the title track, he asks “Does it seem to pass you by / Or do you try to change your mind”, as if giving voice to the inner turmoil highlighted in songs such as ‘Forge Your Chains’, a discussion about hedonism, and whether “the hard stuff ain’t so bad”.
“The Truth” is a tantalising prospect. Much like its namesake, the album is elusive and amorphous. For a start, it was a private press—a very private press. Only ninety-nine copies were ever made, which made it something of a Holy Grail for collectors.
The Fat Angel Sings 