The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 438

Number 438

Dr Hook

"Cover Of The Rolling Stone"

(1972)

Genre: Rock

are you keen to be on the cover?

What people would give to be on the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine? Take this, ah, interesting character here on the right, personally i don't think he's [?] gonna make the cover anytime to soon. He might end up on digg.com but other than that he should be sent up on one of those Indian rockets to the moon [Just don't tell him the moon don't need cleaning].

What i like about this particular entry in the Definitive 1000, was Dr Hook's cheeky but clever idea in 1972 to get themselves on to the prestigious cover, all by singing about it. Whatever your view is about Dr Hook, you got to hand it to the clever bastiches. I bet you couldn't do that nowadays, not even loony toon Britney Spears, even if she sang it naked I'd wager, oh wait ... she just did that. Oh, and before you can ever utter one wail Chris Cocker, shut the %$#&# up. Wait a second .... actually, Mr [and i use the term loosely] Chris Cocker, there is a spare seat next to this good looking chap on the right for the very next flight to the moon, courtesy of India! Bon Voyage ~ wo0t [PS ... don't forget to write!]

Sloppy 2nds

Sloppy Seconds began to unveil Dr. Hook's crude brand of humor, with its only saving grace coming from "Cover of the Rolling Stone," the band's second Top Ten hit which followed the insipid "Sylvia's Mother" from a year before. Although a feel for the band and Ray Sawyer's slackened vocal style can be attained throughout the tracks, there isn't much substance filtering through the songs, as cuts like "Looking for Pussy," "If I'd Only Come and Gone," and "Get My Rocks Off" sound more like lewd jottings from a teenager than they do rock & roll tunes. "Carry Me Carrie" and "The Things I Didn't Say" come off as facetious attempts to rekindle some of the charm that came with their first single, but the band's efforts fall way short. "Queen of the Silver Dollar" is the album's only other redeemable track, but it's best heard in amongst a compilation along with "Cover of the Rolling Stone" than it is here, which means, for the most part, Sloppy Seconds can be deemed inessential. After this album, Dr. Hook added the Medicine Show to their name and, throughout the rest of the '70s and the early '70s, they garnered eight more Top 40 hits. Every one of them was of the mawkish, eased-back love song type though, a style the band wisely took advantage of. ~ [Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide]

The Cover of the Rolling Stone

Hey, thats my pipe man

"The Cover of the Rolling Stone" is a song by Shel Silverstein about making a success in the music business. It was originally sung by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, reaching #6 on the US charts. BBC Radio refused to play the song, as it contained the copyright name of a publication, Rolling Stone magazine. The song was re-recorded and rush released in the UK as "The Cover of the Radio Times" (Radio Times being the name given to the weekly TV & Radio Guide published by the BBC), which did find its way onto play lists. There was a parody version done by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos On the Cover of the Music City News on Best of Buck Owens, Vol 6. 1976 and Marianne Faithfull covered "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" ~ [Source: Wikipedia]

For more Dr Hook see Number 575

For Buck Owens see Number 768

For Marianne Faithfull see Number 696

Interestingly, what does Rolling Stone think of Dr Hook?

With smart-aleck hits and stage antics that included dressing up as their own opening acts, Dr. Hook and the Medecine Show gladly assumed the role of the clown princes of Seventies pop. Their off-center, sardonic approach to music making kept Hook and his cronies on the charts for over ten years, netting them thirty-five gold and platinum records.
The Cover of Rolling Stone," put Dr. Hook back in the Top Ten, and by March the band was on the cover of the magazine. "The only thing I regret is that when we got on the cover," says Locorriere, "we were a bunch of assholes and we had nothing to say." ~ [Source: RS 1987] [yes it is the same as #575, but it was to good not to use again]

Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '438th Song of all Time' was "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by The Stooges. The Stooges has appeared in The Definitive 1000 @ #980

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (They made the cover with trickery) and the Album ranked at (.... it pissed us off)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 77.5 out of 108 pts