Why bother?
Let's not mess about here. Lee Hazlewood is one of the most underrated people in rock 'n' roll. The brains behind Nancy Sinatra and a gift for killer tunes and a wit so dry that it bleaches your bones on impact. Folk, country, psych, good time rock 'n' roll... even funk... Mr Hazlewood had it all.
Essential purchase
Hazleheads will probably argue this one forever as Lee cut many fine LPs. Which one to start with? For my money, the best place to start is Trouble Is A Lonesome Town. Trouble... is a record that features Lee in supreme story-teller mode, backed by acoustic guitar and occasional gob-organ and drum. Hazlewood paints a detailed picture of this fictional town and it's brilliantly odd inhabitants... "but you won't find it on any map". Take one step forward or one step back "and you're in Trouble."
Hidden gem
Again, there's a good deal of Lee's work to choose from, but the main two are The Very Special World of Lee Hazlewood and 13. I'll stick with 13 though as Special World features many tracks cut with Nancy (it's up there with Lee & Nancy I can tell ya). 13, recorded in '72 sees Hazlewood in funky mood, getting down with the horns and, hell, sometimes breaks (check You Look Like A Lady). Again, it's filled with insanely good one-liners and wry glances at the world, but backed by a big funky band and orchestrated by a bloke that made the sound effects on Looney Tunes shows, you're guaranteed a rollicking good time.
One to avoid
To be honest, if you're a fan of Lee's voice, then you can get through just about anything he's made. For Every Solution, There's A Problem has a coupla dodgy numbers on it... but really, it's another cracking LP. Maybe, if I'm being cautious, I'll say it's for fans only. That said though, it's worth buying any album that contains the line "you make me happy like Dolly Parton's guitar".
