Dave Van Ronk was an American folk singer, and was another folk musician that was important in New York City’s Greenwich Village scene, much like Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, David Blue, and Bob Dylan. The Hudson Dusters seems to have been a band put together by Van Ronk to venture into the genre of folk rock, with a description of their sound being “a combination electric jugband, folk orchestra and bubblegum band”. The album itself seems to have been relatively well-received based on reviews, but I haven’t been able to find much information on how well the album sold with a quick search. I am, however, pretty stoked to continue diving into that Greenwich Village scene and listen to this album. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Alley Oop” starts out with some super groovy guitar lines that almost have a jazz-inflection to them, which are soon joined by some super tasty electric organ reminiscent of late-1960s psychedelic rock. Oh wow, this is groovy. The background vocal chorus seems to echo that sort of psychedelic inflection with the call-and-response style vocals in the tune. Oh wow, this guitar solo is super tasty too. The beat of the drums has a super flavorful syncopated style too, and evokes that psychedelic style again as well. Oh wow, this outro is super tasty too, especially with the false fade out. Great track and a great way to start this album.
Oh wow, “Head Inspector” almost has a bit of a classic bluesy sort of feel with a bit of a psychedelic underbelly with the gritty, guttural vocals, the accentuations of the bluesy harmonica, set to the groovy instrumentation consisting of tasty electric organs, syncopated drums that continue driving the tune forward, and some guitar work that seems to nearly blend with the organs at times. Super tasty tune.
Oh wow, “Swing On a Star” takes a bit of a soft-psych sound with a whimsical feel in track, nearly reminding me a little bit of The Electric Prunes meets Frank Zappa, though this comparison feels inept to some degree. Regardless, I’m really digging this tune. There’s almost a bit of child-like feel almost like it’s a soft-psych rendition of a classic children’s folk tune. Great track.
“Mr. Middle” retains some more of that soft-psych rendition of a children’s folk tune in terms of the overall feel of the vocals and instrumentation, though when the background chorus vocals comes on the tune seems to take on a more spiritual gospel sort of sound. Oh wow, this tune really gets a-groovin’ at times though as the bass and organs get a bit more intense for a moment. Oh wow, this is sweet. The guitars nearly add a bit of a sort of raw garage jangling sound to the soundscape. Great tune.
“Chelsea” is a cover Joni Mitchell song, which sounds like the tune nearly verges on a sort of sunshine pop tune from the era with the cheery chorus vocals and the bright accompanying instrumentation. The organs hit some super tasty notes as they nearly seem to be chirping as they swirl in the background of the soundscape. Super sweet track.
“Clouds (From Both Sides Now)” is another cover of the tune originally by Joni Mitchell, and the gentleness of Van Ronk’s vocals is super interesting as he seems to be carefully hitting notes that nearly cause his voice to crack, which brings a certain level of sweetness especially when combined with the gruffer timbre of his voice that really does seem like he does justice to Mitchell’s original tune. The gentleness of the tune is nearly palpable. Great cover version of the tune.
Oh wow, “Keep Off the Grass” switches things up and seems to get to intensify things again in a psychedelic manner, with organs and chorus vocals that nearly seem to be in-your-face, while the drums and bass seem to constantly groove the tune forward, and the guitar nearly seems to be easing you into the tune. Oh wow, the outro of the tune hits some super tasty notes and nearly resolves the tune until things get back in your face again. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Drink’s Song” has a really flavorful classic folksy singer/songwriter feel with the gradual groove of the drums and bass, with the acoustic guitar bringing a bright jangle into the soundscape. Oh wow, this tune reminds me a ton of Randy Newman with the timbre of Van Ronk’s voice, and especially with the sweetness of the orchestral strings that seems to cause me to think of Newman’s album, Good Old Boys (1974). Oh wow, the lyrics remind me a bit of “Brokedown Palace” by the Grateful Dead. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “New Dreams” returns back to a bit more of that psychedelic feel that nearly seems like the band is winding up a bit, which makes sense as the album only has a couple more songs left. Oh wow, this guitar solo is super tasty as the notes melt into the soundscape while the acoustic guitar strumming adds a super flavorful percussive feeling in the tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Cocaine” nearly has a bit of a country-inflected delta blues feel in this tune originally by The Blind Reverend Gary Davis, with bluesy piano that nearly has a bit of ragtime-inflection, some super tasty acoustic guitar that picks up a bit of bluesy grit whenever it slides around, and some super flavorful vocals that go between a guttural blues and a talking blues style, both of which seem to roll off of Van Ronk’s tongue in a bit of a folksy fashion. The drums and bass keep the tune feeling like it’s gradually moving forward. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Romping Through the Swamp” is super interesting with the marching band style of the brass instruments, while a steady beat is held by the rhythm section, and the vocals from Van Ronk nearly take on a proto-punk feel with the grit and cynicism in what seems to be a protest song to finish the album with. Super interesting track and a super sweet way to end the album.
Wow, this album was incredibly diverse in the different genres you could find within it; hitting both psychedelic and folksy palettes, with plenty of sounds between to bridge the two areas of music. This was quite different from many other musicians I’ve listened to from the Greenwich Village scene, and though I suspect this isn’t a typical representation of what genre you might expect from Dave Van Ronk, the songs within seemed to me to be both genuine and original in sound. If you enjoy mixtures of folk, garage pop and rock, and soft-psychedelic rock, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A