Search - Dirk Hamilton :: Yep

Classic mid-career album

L. McCabe | Southern California | 01/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the first Italian label albums from poetic genius, Dirk Hamilton. His extensive music career began in the early 1970s. He quickly caught the attention of influential producer Gary Katz--at the time working with Steely Dan. Katz arranged a deal with ABC Records and produced Dirk's first album, You Can Sing on the Left or Bark on the Right using elite session musicians that included Elliott Randall, Jeff Porcaro, Victor Feldman, and Larry Carlton. Katz wanted to continue producing Dirk and Steely Dan almost exclusively, but after co-producing his second album, Dirk had his own vision about the way he wanted to make his music. He put together his own band, left ABC for Elektra/Asylum, and made 1978's Meet Me at the Crux, which was called hilarious and chilling by Ken Tucker in the Rolling Stone Record Guide. Years later (1990), respected music journalist Steve Pond named it as one of the essential albums of the 1970s in an article also published in Rolling Stone. Dirk toured with Warren Zevon and produced one other album for Elektra, but his adamant stance on making music for those who wanted to hear it--not for the money it would make, ended his affiliation with the company. After leaving the business for a number of years, Dirk realized that his life was one of making music, and he embarked on a career of his own design that continues to this day. Dirk has been called "A true American master" by well-known producer Dusty Wakeman (who produced his 1996 album Sufferupachuckle), and he has been compared over the years to Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. Music reviewers have also been quoted as saying that Dirk's music is one of the few legitimate poets on the scene (Los Angeles Times), and lucid, intelligent, and distinctive (New York Press). Dirk Hamilton is all that and more, and he continues to hold true to his stance that his career be conducted without compromise."