Hackensack - Up The Hardway CD. Reissue of their 1974 hard rock record.
There are loads of excellent albums from the dawn of rock history waiting to be discovered and this is another one that, in a parallel universe somewhere, is as famous as Free’s “Fire And Water” but in ours is as obscure as “Barbed Wire Sandwich”. An example of its obscurity lies in Rare Record Price Guide valuing the vinyl at £75 in mint condition.
What I’ve got here is a CD issue that comes from Germany circa 1999 and does little justice to the fine, fine music. You get a re-print of the front sleeve and the back sleeve for the booklet and the back sleeve re-printed again for the case inlay. No writing credits, no band info, no sleeve notes, no nothing actually as the booklet is blank inside! Sniffing about a bit it appears there is a later, again German in origin, “Red Fox Records” issue from 2001 but if ever an album deserved a decent reissue with a full booklet of context and story its this one.
Anyway, moans about packaging and lack of info out of the way, it turns out that some of the personnel from Hackensack actually became quite familiar. Vocals are courtesy of Nicky Moore, later of Samson and Mammoth fame whilst guitarist Ray Majors subsequently turned up in “Mott”, the post Ian Hunter version of “Mott The Hoople”. Simon Fox (drums - later of Be-Bop Deluxe) and Stu Mills (b) make up the rhythm section.
Musically this album is something of a corker! “Up The Hard Way” struts forth and introduces itself as an instant blues-rock classic. Simple but hugely effective its a smoking, mid-tempo number that’s very much in the Free mould then explodes for a wild guitar only solo that even has hints of “Eruption” years before Van Halen’s début. The slower, heavier blues of “A Long Way To Go” is introduced by a fantastic, melancholic guitar sound and delivered with a fine vocal that really doesn’t need the female, gospel style backing. “Goodbye World” is a darker, some would say miserable, lyric that combines beautifully with the sad, country-rock guitar and just in case you were getting suicidal the excellent boogie-blues tribute to a “Lazy Cow” lifts things back to a higher tempo and injects an element of humour. Think Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps” on this one and you’re not far off.
As the album drifts towards it’s conclusion the mood gets slower and more restrained. The instrumental guitar showcase “Angels Theme” segues into the dirty hard-rock of “Goodboy Badboy” (or “Goodbye Badboy” if you believe cddb over the cover!) before the gentle yet superb ballad “Blindman” mellows proceedings. “Northern Girl” too is initially a slower song that again gives spotlight to some great and superbly economic blues guitar work whilst a rip-roaring finish borrows a tune that I can’t for the life of me put a name on, but will forever bug me until I do. The final song again reprises that country feel but this time for a bar-room sing-along entitled “Hot Damn Home-Made Wine“.
Overall a superb early rock album done few favours by this cheap looking release.
Highlight: Up The Hard Way
Score: 4/5
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Hackensack - Up the Hardway, title track from their debut (and only official album for Polydor) album, released in 1974. Hackensack existed between 1968 and 1974 and released the abovementioned album and one single. They were formed by vocalist Nicky Moore, one of England's best frontmen. Their stage act was reminiscent of The Who and they built up a good reputation as a hard working and hard rocking blues/rock quartet. Their only album release is quite collectible today, and had a good mix of solid rockers as well as the odd tasteful blues track. Unfortunately its failure to do much led to the demise of the band in 1974. Moore subsequently joined Tiger, Samson and Mammoth, with drummer Simon Fox moving on to Be Bop Deluxe and guitarist Ray Smith (a.k.a. Ray Major ) moving on to The British Lions, an offshoot of Mott the Hoople.
01. Up The Hardway
02. Long Way To Go
03. Goodbye World
04. Lazy Cow
05. Angels Theme-Goodboy Badb
06. Blindman
07. Northern Girl
08. Hot Damn Home-Made Wine
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