Anachronique : Hackamore Brick (Pop)

 

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“Reachin’“, le premier titre, est celui qui fait comprendre toute le génie d’Hackamore Brick, des mots que je pèse pleinement. C’est incontestablement un morceau grandiose qui impose le respect le plus total dès les premières secondes. Il devient impossible de douter de la merveille qu’est cet opus après l’écoute de ce titre. “Oh! Those Sweet Bananas” est quant à lui une pièce maîtresse de Jangle Pop, un morceau qui nécessite plus de temps qu’il n’y paraît, trop grand et trop complet pour que l’on puisse le saisir intégralement. Si Hackamore Brick avait la reconnaissance qu’il mérite, “Radio” eut été le titre le plus connu du groupe, son hymne de ralliement. “Peace Has Come” s’impose comme l’ultime chanson d’amour dont l’innocence fera pâlir les cœurs les plus serrés. Sa mélancolie en fait un autre chef-d’oeuvre. “Got a Gal Named Wilma” est la réplique New Yorkaise aux grands titres de Crosby, Stills & Nash and Young.

Et ce n’est pas tout. “And I Wonder” use de toute la délicatesse du monde pour délivrer quelques minutes à inscrire parmi les plus grandes. Son aspect jazzy donne à cet opus, plus encore, les lettres de noblesse qu’il mérite. Si “Someone You Know” a l’étoffe d’un titre de Paul Simon, il est en réalité une ballade Pop dont l’équivalence ne se trouve que très rarement. “Zip Gun Woman” est la touche punk qui va bien, un nouvel enchantement.
“Searchin’“, titre bonus, fera dire aux fans des Kinks qu’il eut été un de leurs meilleurs titres.

Quels autres albums si peu connus peuvent être comparés à tous ces noms de légende avec le plus grand des sérieux ? Peut-être aucun. Ce groupe aurait pu être l’un des plus connus de l’histoire de la musique, mais le hasard a fait qu’il n’en est rien. Nous saurons désormais qu’il ne fait pas toujours bien les choses. Cet article est assurément l’un des plus indispensables de l’histoire de Still in Rock. 

—– English version

This group could have been one of the best known in the history of music, but due to chance, it came to nothing. That said, One Kiss Leads to Another is a perfect album. Released in 1970, it remains the one and only ever produced by Hackamore Brick. This album alternates masterfully between genres with a rarely seen perfection. Folk, pop, punk, jangle, and rock & roll, Hackamore Brick knows how to do it all masterfully. It’s one of the first post-Velvet Underground albums, giving the world eleven absolutely Dantean titles. The writing is all as excellent as Hackamore Brick’s musical diversity.

“Reachin’“, the first cut, is the one that reveals all of the genius of Hackamore Brick, words I don’t say lightly. It is incontestably a great piece that inspires total respect right from the first seconds. It becomes impossible to doubt the marvel this album is after hearing it. “Oh! Those Sweet Bananas” is, for its part, a masterpiece of jangle pop, a piece that needs more time than it would seem to appreciate; it is too great and too complete to be understood in an instant. If Hackamore Brick had gotten the recognition it deserved, “Radio” would have been the group’s best known song, its anthem. “Peace Has Come” establishes itself as the ultimate love song, the innocence of which would soften even the hardest heart. Its melancholy makes it another masterpiece. “Got a Gal Named Wilma” is the New York reply to the great songs of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

And that’s not all. “And I Wonder” uses all the finesse in the world to deliver a few moments that are amongst the greatest. Its jazzy aspect does even more to give it the nobility it deserves. If “Someone You Know” has a bit of a Paul Simon sound to it, it is in reality a pop ballad we rarely see the equal of. “Zip Gun Woman” is the punk touch that fits well, a new enchantment. “Searchin’“, the bonus track, will make Kinks fans think it was one of their best songs.

What other albums so little-known can be compared to the legendary ones with great seriousness? Perhaps none. This group could have been one of the best known in the history of music, but, because of chance, nothing came of it. We now know that chance doesn’t always do things well. This album is assuredly one of the most indispensable in the history of Still in Rock.