Hookers & Blow - Hookers & Blow
Release: 23 July 2021
Review by; The Dark Cookie
Hookers & Blow, have been THE good-time party band for nearly 20 frikkin years! That is one hell of a party. Formed in 2003 by Guns N’ Roses keys man Dizzy Reed and Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossi as an “excuse to drink for free”, they and many a revolving cast of stellar musicians have played sold out back-to-back shows at the infamous Whisky, opened for The Dead Daises, and now have finally got around to releasing their debut covers album.
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Now for some bands the covers album is a stop-gap or “contractual” obligation, filling time while the bands songwriter gets over their mental block, and are often, well not very good. Occasionally you will find a gem, but normally they don’t do much to cement a bands rep. So, when you are a rather polished covers band this IS your reputation. And generally, this album doesn’t disappoint. OK I can’t say all were the best versions of the songs I’d ever heard, and perhaps some of the choices of bands/songs were very safe, although not all, Body Count was a curve-ball for sure.
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Opening with “Rocks Off” by the Stones, starts us off with a honky-tonk piano driven sleezy rendition, a great high-energy opener and the better of the two covers of Mick and Keef’s little band (OK two and a half as “Under My Thumb” Segway’s into “Let’s Spend The Night Together”). This is followed by a cover of “Shakin” by Eddie Money. A song I’m not so familiar with, which is cool as it gives me a chance to review it with fresh ears. I cannot say if it is a true rendition or not, but it is a great song, some fantastic guitar work and vocals, and the little spoken piece works.
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Then we get the first of two Zep covers. “Trampled Underfoot” is one of my favorite Led Zep numbers and Dizzy nails the keyboard strut, as you expect, as does Alex on the guitars, this one I really like. The second one, again no surprise is keyboard heavy. “No Quarter” though is an outstanding song, and these guys do it some real justice. It’s definitely worth noting Frankie Banali features on both these numbers, and it goes without saying the drumming is excellent. Dizzy give his own stamp on the keys, which are just stunning.
Which brings us on to the first of the songs, which for me just don’t quite hit the same high levels. Covering Bowie’s “Spiders From Mars” is a brave move, and you have to either nail it, or do something new with it. Unfortunately, it just slightly misses for me, BUT this is a personal thing, others will love it, just for me it’s a miss-step. The other one that I could do without is “Fight For Your Right To Party”. Fun song, always is, but do we really need another cover of this? I would have rather have had something a little less safe.
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Which brings us to the surprise package of “The Winner Loses”. This is the least Body Count song by Body Count, and H & B take it and don’t deviate too far from the original, but somehow make it their own. This is the surprise package of the collection.
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The next 3 are simply great versions of some good stuff. “Time Of The Season” gives us a slightly revved up, less hippy version of the Zombie’s tune, although Dizzy was channeling the 60’s vibe on the keys maaan. “American Girl” looses none of the energy of the original, although the vocals are a little less edgy than Tom Petty’s, but that is to be expected, no one is Tom. “Godzilla” retains all the quirkiness of the original, and that iconic riff, but builds on the original, and very nearly produces the holy grail of a cover better than the original! The ONLY reason I say nearly is because I love BOC’s original!
Leaving us with “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”. Again a much covered song, and hard not to just play straight. But, it just suits the band, the attitude; the piano thumping and riffage are simply so much fun.
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This is one of those albums, chuck it on in the car, wind the windows down and sing very loudly, or on a hot summer’s night open the cooler, turn the stereo to 11 and invite the neighbors round, and get your party on!
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4.5 out of 5
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Musicians;
Dizzy Reed– Keyboards
Alex Grossi– Guitars
Johnny Kelly – Drums
Mike Duda – Bass
Nadja
Social Media Links;
Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/HNBMerch
You Tube; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdqDQNWJE4R255f4wg98dvw
Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/hnb_official/
Spotify; https://open.spotify.com/artist/4VRhUJ2evXmcIsiVsMLhdC?si=ziDIZw2BQ7C3X8eorA_whA&dl_branch=1
Track listing;
Rocks Off – THE ROLLING STONES
Shakin’ – EDDIE MONEY
Trampled Underfoot (Feat. Frankie Banali) – LED ZEPPELIN
Ziggy Stardust – DAVID BOWIE
The Winner Loses – BODY COUNT
Time Of The Season – THE ZOMBIES
American Girl – TOM PETTY
Godzilla (Feat. the Okai Sisters) – BLUE OYSTER CULT
You Gotta Fight For Your Right (To Party) – THE BEASTIE BOYS
Under My Thumb – THE ROLLING STONES
No Quarter (Feat. Frankie Banali) – LED ZEPPELIN
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting – ELTON JOHN