Saturday 31 December 2011

Peter Stampfel Dook of the Beatniks (3.5*, possibly a 4 for those familiar with the Holy Modal Rounders)

Dook of the Beatniks

Since there's no CD case with a digital version there's no space for an advisory sticker along the lines of Caution: Vocal eccentricities within. Then again, anyone familiar with Stampfel's feral yelp from his earlier days with the Holy Modal Rounders know what to expect in the vocal department. Those folks might, however, be unprepared for old style rock & roll, doo wop or Stampfel's off the wall lyrical take on themes from the fifties through to the present.
Dook isn't exactly a new album, having been recorded some ten years ago in New Orleans and while the title might have suggested an excursion into beat generation East Village folkie territory the album rocks a lot more than the average bear might have expected.