Music Review: Lee Hazlewood – The LHI Years

By Mike Krings
Published on May 1, 2012
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Lee Hazlewood
The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes and Backsides (1968-71)
Available now on Light in the Attic Records (May 1, 2012)

When one is remembered for collaboration, as Lee Hazlewood
often is, it can be easy to overlook the contributions he made all on his own.
Light in the Attic Records is illuminating the work he did in his fertile late ’60s era with The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes & Backsides (1968-71).

Late ’60s glamour queen Nancy Sinatra and guitar virtuoso
Duane Eddy, with whom Hazlewood scored numerous hits, are nowhere to be found.
Instead his booming baritone and sparse, haunting arrangements take center
stage. Collected from his solo output on LHI (Lee Hazlewood Industries) the
anthology includes the previously unreleased “I Just Learned to Run” and yes, a
few duets, featuring the likes of Ann-Margaret, Suzi Jane Hokom and Nina
Lizell.

Echo-laden yet understated, Hazlewood’s baritone fills the
space like a charming, but dangerous party guest. He’ll put you at ease with
stories of cowboys, grand ladies and dreams. In the next note, he’ll send
chills down your spine with edgier tales of heartbroken cowboys, heartbreaking
ladies and whiskey, and pill-induced nightmares.

That duality is evident with “Califia (Stone Rider)” a dark
tune that sees Hazlewood’s sing-spoken drawl trade places with Suzi Jane Hokom
in haunting fashion. “The Bed” has the narrator aching for a lost lover,
telling her his side of the bed is now nothing but a cold-sweat soaked haven
for bad dreams. Yet in the very next track he pairs with Ann-Margaret singing
an eerily happy tune about finding a nice place to “Sleep in the Grass.”

Light in the Attic
has put together a collection that’s part greatest hits collection, part deep
cuts for the devoted fan. While it avoids his famous production and duets with
Sinatra, it does include some of the best cuts from his studio albums. The
result is a nice introduction to an influential late-60s hit maker that also
rewards long time fans, all without taking the easy route to get there.

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