Review: Dan Hicks Original Recordings

Dan Hicks is certainly one of the most unique artists to ever hit the American music scene. Coming out of San Francisco in the late sixties, you might think he would fall under the umbrella of "acid rock" His first album released in 1969, "Original Recordings", is anything but however. He and his band the "Hot Licks"sound was an eccentric combination of folk, country, and old-timey parlor music with some of Hick's signature twisted humor thrown in for good measure. I can't think of anyone else who could come up with a song title like "How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away?" Then there is the brilliant solo of violinist "Symphony" Sid Page on "I Scare Myself." To this day it still has a mesmerizing effect on me every time I hear it.
The original album had 11 tracks. It is still available on CD as an import but the sound quality is not the best. A good alternative and readily available is "The Most Of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks" It has 9 of the 11 remastered tracks from "Original" on it missing "Shorty Falls In Love" a great track, and "It's Bad Grammar Baby" which I think is marginal at best. Hicks also recorded a number of songs for a follow up album that was never released. "The Most" also contains 7 tracks that were meant for inclusion on that album. If you're trying to track down the original cuts, I think "The Most" is the way to go. Either way, this is a great album from a uniquely talented artist. Check out Dan's whole catalog with and without the Hot Licks. If you like the sound of this one, it's hard not to want them all.