Switching from Columbia to Capitol,
Dr. Hook also drop the Medicine Show from their name and, along with it, a good deal of their lingering hippie ties. They still pledge allegiance to
Shel Silverstein, who contributes almost half of the songs here, but they'd rather be slick hucksters than accidental hitmakers, favoring disco beats and SoCal slickness to earthy bar band boogie. There is still a bit of funk for the freaks -- "Up on the Mountain," "Jungle to the Zoo," "Bad Eye Bill" -- but these are basically sweet, slick, saccharine tunes that
Dr. Hook pull off remarkably well. They believe their BS, that's why it works: they're happy to sell you a line as long as it satisfies you for the night. And while it might leave you with doubts in the morning, it's hard not to succumb to their charms when the lights go down. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine