- Label: 'Think Like A Key Music'
- Genre: 'Sixties'
- Release Date: '25.4.25.'- Catalogue No: 'TLAK1199'
Our Rating:
This is the latest re-issue for Ride A Hustlers Dream the 1969 album by Velvet Opera who had parted company with Elmer Gantry and were now Paul Brett, John Ford, Richard Hudson and Johnny Joyce and the album was produced by Barry Kingston. The album has been remastered by Prof. Stoned with bonus tracks made up of singles.
The album opens with the title song Ride A Hustlers Dream a Dylanesque poetic acoustic folk song claiming that he is going to ride that Hustlers Dream.
Statesboro Blues is a fine acid rock take on this classic blues tune, it chugs in all the right places and you'd never guess they weren't sitting by the bayou recording this.
Money By sounds like it could be early Big Star, but with more muscular drumming, the harmonies make clear how hard it is to save a little, when you barely have enough to get by.
Black Jack Davy isn't about some scoundrel who's going to clobber you with his Black Jack, or some card sharp hustling you out of your last few shillings, but you may well lose your home, if Black Jack Davy crosses your path, this ancient folk song transformed into a Psychedelic drama will jangle you into submission in far more interesting ways than Steeleye Span managed.
Raise The Light is proto prog rock semi operetta, for someone drinking tasteless wine and trying to confirm he was only dreaming and not living through this nightmare, this sounds similar to Juniors Eye's Battersea Power Station.
Raga And Lime is the cocktail of choice for these boys, I hope they also had a decent slug of Vodka in it, this is chilled out and laid-back hippy explorative music.
Anna Dance Square is ready for your local line dancing club on the week someone spikes the drinks with acid, everything gets a bit wilder than usual.
Depression here somehow sounds like a New Seekers song, where instead of teaching the world to sing, they want you to listen to all their troubles. So listen and help drive those blues away.
Don't You Realise you were meant to be his till the end of time, this is full of regrets, set against a soaring guitar solo and rather insistent drums, will you give in and go back to him, or will he be left to widdle himself into oblivion.
The original album closed with a cover of Eleanor Rigby the mediaeval folk madrigal, with added acidic twists, drumming that's going all Moon madness, the guitar wails away on this instrumental, that's perfect to be used for some full throated karaoke, complete with a guitar shredding solo that will easily offend Beatles purists who deserve to be offended, Love the hunting horns followed by haunting flutes and Laughing Gnome conclusion. Almost as great as Junior Reid's reggae version.
The first of the bonus tunes is the 7" Mono mix of Anna Square Dance, the mono seems to have more bass than the album version, so get on down and have a real Hoedown while getting that double dose.
The B-side Mono mix of Don't You Realise would appear to have a far more upfront guitar solo compared to the album version and the odd extra yelp or am I hearing things.
She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings is a sweet song of lust and hopes of reciprocated feelings from the band's final recordings with Dave McTavish on vocals. He also sings on There's a Hole In My Pocket a proggy blues for the broke and downtrodden, he's trying not to wash out. This was later reworked by Big Mountain Fudge Cake on King Of The Hill only heavier.
A Warm Day In July is bucolic hazy days of summer psychedelic poetry come madrigal, for sitting cross legged in a field, drinking in the warm July day.
Find Out More at https://www.thinklikeakey.com/release/489520-velvet-opera-ride-a-hustlers-dream-2025-remaster
