Hookfoot
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969-72) - Ian Duck -- lead vocals, background vocals, guitar, harmonica - David Glover -- bass - Roger Pope (RIP 2013) -- drums, percussion - Caleb Quaye -- vocals, guitar, keyboards
line up 2 (1972-74) - Ian Duck -- lead vocals, background vocals, guitar, harmonica NEW - Fred Gandy -- bass (replaced David Glover) NEW - Bob Kulick (RIP 2020) -- guitar - Roger Pope (RIP 2013) -- drums, percussion - Caleb Quaye -- vocals, guitar, keyboards
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- Argosy (Caleb Quayle) - Balance (Bob Kulick) - Blackthorne (Bob Kulick) - Bluesology (Fred Gandy and Caleb Quayle) - Bread and Beer Band ( Caleb Quayle) - China (Roger Pope) - The Fairies (Fred Gandy) - The Final One (Ian Duck, David Glover, Roger Pope) - Sam Gopal (Fred Gandy) - The Elton John Band ( Caleb Quayle) - Micky Jupp Band (Ian Duck) - The KiKi Dee Band (Roger Pope) - Loot (Ian Duck, David Glover, Roger Pope) - Men Friday (David Glover) - The Dave Morrison Band (Fred Gandy) - Murder's Row (Bob Kulick) - The Neverland Express (Bob Kulick) - The Pretty Things (Fred Gandy) - Caleb Quaye (solo efforts) - SId de Vay Choir (Fred Gandy) - Skull (Bob Kulick) - The Soul Agents (Ian Duck, David Glover, Roger Pope) - White Horse ( Caleb Quayle)
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Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Good Times a' Comin' Company: A&M Catalog: SP-4338 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6014 Price: $25.00
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Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Caleb Quaye was the mastermind fronting the largely forgotten Hookfoot. Quayle started his professional musical career as a member of Long John Baldry's backing band Bluesology. When Baldry decided to disband the group in 1967 under the name "Quaye" he struck out as a solo act releasing an obscure 45 on Philips:
- 1967's 'Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad' b/w 'Woman of Distinction' (Philips catalog number BF 1588)
When the single disappeared without a trace, Quaye turned to sessions and live dates, including supporting former Bluesology keyboardist Elton John. His work with John led to a steady paycheck as a house musician signed to Dick James Music (DJM) which also happened to have signed Elton John to a recording contract. It also introduced him to fellow DJM musicians including singer/guitarist Ian Duck, bassist David Glover and drummer Roger Pope. Duck, Glover and Pope had a lengthy performance history themselves having been members of The Soul Agents, The Loot and The Final One. With all four working together in support of various Elton John projects, in 1969 Quaye convinced them to join him in forming a band - Hookfoot and were promptly signed by DJM (A&M acquiring US distribution rights).
Co-produced
by Quaye and Jeff Titmus, 1972's "Good
Times a' Comin'"
was a major surprise to my ears. Largely penned by Quaye, along with
three group compositions and one Duck contribution, nothing here was particularly
original. Still, the
combination of Quaye's rugged voice, some above average wr
Quaye has an interesting web presence at: http://www.newworldmusic.org/
"Good
Times a' Comin'" track listing: 1.) Sweet Sweet Funky Music (Caleb Quaye) - 3:15 rating: ** stars Even though it was tapped as a UK single, the opening rocker 'Sweet Sweet Music' was actually one of the weaker numbers. Clearly written to maximize radio exposure, this one sounded like it had been cobbled together from a couple of sessions listening to top-40 tracks. Quaye's voice was nice enough and he turned in a nice guitar solo, but the heard-it-before 'life is tough as a rocker' lyric certainly didn't help with originality. Come to think of it, this one was so mindless you had to wonder why it wasn't a major radio hit.
- 'Sweet Sweet Funky Music' b/w 'The Opener' (DJM catalog 17061) 2.) Living In the City (Caleb Quaye) - 3:55 rating: **** stars 'Living In the City' was a beautiful ballad with a nice Duck Rickenbacker bass line and some to-die-for harmony vocals from the rest of the band. The a cappella ending is amazing. It's also interesting to hear the song in view of Quaye's early 1980s Christian rebirth. 3.) If I Had the Words (Caleb Quaye - Ian Duck - Roger Pope - Dave Glover) - 3:29 rating: **** stars Kicked along by some great Quaye jangle rock guitar, another stellar Duck bass line (love the flat sound he gets) and a tasty country-rock melody, 'If I Had the Words' was one of the LP's standout performances. Country-rock for people who didn't like country-rock. I didn't even mind Duck's harmonica solo. Gram Parsons would have approved. 4.) Gunner Ebb's Changes (Ian Duck) - 3:15 rating: **** stars Penned by Duck, 'Gunner Ebb's Changes' was fascinating given it sounded like something off of a Band LP. Duck's voice bore more than a passing resemblance to Levon Helm and the song's Americana aura (complete with country harmonica solo) was easily mistaken for The Band. I've actually played the song for friends who've mistaken it for a Band track. Nice !!! 5.) The Painter (Caleb Quaye) - 6:08 rating: **** stars 'The Painter' found the band taking a stab at a more progressive attack, but it was progressive in a Supertramp fashion, rather than something pretentious and bombastic like ELP. By the way, that was meant as a compliment since the track had a great melody that climbed in your head and wouldn't leave. My pick for standout performance on side one.
(side
2) The side two opener 'Flying In the U.S.A.' was a perfect example of the album's charms. On the surface this one didn't seem to have a great deal going for it - the title certainly wasn't impressive. Similarly the melody was okay, but nothing particularly original, as was the case with the 'touring-is-tough' lyric. That said, their performance made the song quite enjoyable and Quaye turned in a nice solo seemingly running his guitar through a Leslie. I'm thinkin' that's the effect he used to get the cool phased sound, ut someone out there will no for certain ... 2.) Is Anyone There (Caleb Quaye - Ian Duck - Roger Pope - Dave Glover) - 4:13 rating: *** stars One of three group compositions, 'Is Anyone There ' found the band revisiting their Band fixation. Complete with illusions to the American civil war this one really sounded like it had been pulled from The band's songbook. Pope's drum break has become a rapper favorite, sampled dozens of times. 3.) Slick's Blues for Jumbo (instrumental) (Caleb Quaye - Ian Duck) - 1:47 rating: ** stars The first real disappointment, apparently meant to showcase the band's blues roots, the instrumental 'Slick's Blues for Jumbo' was a conventional slice of acoustic blues. The focus was on Duck's harmonica, but the end result was just kind of dull. 4.) Look To Your Churches (Caleb Quaye) - 2:45 rating: **** stars Again, kind of ironic giving Quaye's subsequent religious rebirth, the anthemic 'Look To Your Churches' was an interesting mid-tempo rocker with lyrics that were quite cutting with respect to organized religion. Great melody and one of my favorite tunes. 5.) Good Times a' Comin' (Caleb Quaye - Ian Duck - Roger Pope - Dave Glover) - 6:19 rating: **** stars The album ended with the collection's most conventional rocker 'Good Times a' Comin''. The song sported a nice melody and some great group harmonies, but the highlight on this one came in the form of the extended Duck-Quaye dueling lead guitars.
© Scott R. Blackerby November, 2023
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Communication Company: A&M Catalog: SP-4380 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve; small punch hole top left corner; white label promo copy Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $25.00
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The band's third studio set, 1973's "Communication" found Hookfoot continuing their partnership with producer Jeff Titmus (Caleb Quaye co-producing). During the recording sessions original bassist David Glover left the band. He was quickly replaced by journeyman bassist Fred Gandy. Musically the album didn't sound all that different than their earlier releases. The focus remained on Quaye who handled most of the vocals and was again responsible for the majority of material. If there was a difference, I'd argue that tracks like the Duck-penned 'Crazy Day Running Around', the funky 'Just A Little Communication' and 'Here I Come' actually rocked a little harder than earlier efforts, while 'They´ll Never Find Us Up There' demonstrated they could pull off a decent slice of Southern rock. The album also served to underscore Ian Duck's essential role in the band. His fingerprints were all over the album. He penned the opening track 'Crazy Day Running Around' and 'Here I Come', co-writing three more tunes. Duck also handled lead vocals on four of the songs. His voice was every bit as Quaye's. Song for song the effort wasn't up to the two previous collections, but it was still enjoyable and worth looking for. Elsewhere it was nice to see A&M spending so much money on the clever album packaging. LOL
"Communication" track listing: 1.) Crazy Day Running Around (Ian Duck) - 5:31 rating: **** stars Justifiably Quaye attracted most of the attention, but I've always thought Ian Duck was the band's secret ingredient. He may not have been as prolific as Quaye, but exemplified by the opening rocker 'Crazy Day Running Around ' his material was every but as impressive. With Duck handling lead vocals, this track found the band toughening up their sound with a blazing blues-rock melody and some lead guitar to set guitar nerd hearts aflutter.. 2.) They´ll Never Find Us Up There (Caleb Quaye - Ian Duck) - 4:37 rating: **** stars With Duck again on lead vocals the ballad 'They´ll Never Find Us Up There' has always reminded me of a commercial slice of Southern rock - perhaps something out of The Outlaws catalog. With a strong melody and some tasty twin guitars that scream out Southern rockers (funny for an English band), it's the song on the album I keep coming back to. 3.) To Stay Would Bring Me Down (Caleb Quaye - Ian Duck) - 3:37 rating: **** stars The ballad 'To Stay Would Bring Me Down' showcased Quaye and Duck on lead vocals with an interesting jazzy vibe. The melody and lead guitar actually reminded me of something the late David Crosby might have written for a CSN&Y project. Pretty melody and their blended voices were fantastic. 4.) Forty Winks (Caleb Quaye) - 5:26 rating: ** stars An acoustic folk ballad, 'Forty Winks' just didn't do anything for me. The performance was solid; the melody pretty, but so what? 5.) Oh Joanna (Caleb Quaye) - 2:27 rating: ** stars 'Oh Joanna' was kind of an aural mess, bouncing between singer/songwriter ballad, country, barrelhouse piano powered boogie-woogie, pop and old-timey. Pope's drumming was really they only thing that stood out for me on this one. Interestingly, it wasn't hard to imagine this one being covered by Elton John.
(side
2) Kicked along by Fred Gandy's pounding bass line, 'Here I Come' was an awesome slice of boogie rock Want to hear a band out-Foghat Foghat? Check this one out.
The song was released as a US promotional 45:
- 1973's 'Here I Come' (stereo) b/w 'Here I Come' (mono) (A&M catalog number 1439)
2.) And Nothing Changes (Caleb Quaye) - 4:40 rating: *** stars Starting out as a country-tinged ballad, 'And Nothing Changes' trotted out the band's nice harmony vocals, before shifting into an extended, apprehensive Caleb guitar solo and kind of a CSN&Y vibe, before going back to the country sound. None of it was enough to say the track from also-ran status. 3.) Cruisin´ (Caleb Quaye - Freddy Gandy - Ian Duck - Roger Pope) - 5:31 rating: *** stars With Duck again featured on lead vocals 'Cruisin'' was the album's lone group composition. The track featured a decent bluesy groove with Quaye turning in one of his tastiest solos. Personally I could have done with less of Duck's harmonica, but the track definitely has some spunk.. 4.) The Love That You Saved (Caleb Quaye) - 2:22 rating: *** stars A pretty singer/songwriter ballad with Quaye and Duck both providing acoustic guitar, 'The Love That You Saved' would not have sounded out of place on a Dan Fogelberg album. Pleasant, but not particularly memorable. 5.) Just A Little Communication (Caleb Quaye) - 5:35 rating: **** stars Opening up with a buoyant Quaye solo, 'Just A Little Communication' brought together the band's strengths: strong melody, upbeat lyrics, nice Quaye lead vocal and those shimmering harmony vocals.
© Scott R. Blackerby November, 2024
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BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
iting
and
the band's consistent enthusiasm made for an album that was much better than the sum of
its parts. Musically the ten performances were all over the genre map
which meant they never really established a true group identify. On
the other hand, they showed a distinctive chameleon-like ability which made
it fun to play spot-the-influences which ranged from Levon Helm and the Band
Americana ('Gunner Ebb's
Changes') to Supertramp progressive
moves ('The Painter'). Totally
overlooked, this one's far better than the few lukewarm reviews you'll
stumble across. I'll tell you that it's way better than quite a few
Elton John albums - "Victim of Chance" or "21
at 33" come to mind. Well worth looking for and you can
still find affordable copies.
