Dead Dick Hammer – Welcome Home Babydoll

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© 2010 Dead Dick Records
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Dead Dick Hammer and the TBA Band is a ghoulish undead trio from the hellbilly area of Kentucky’s Temple Hill. Apparently the band died in their rockabilly prime sometime, I gather, around All Hallows Eve, 1957. The opening haunt, 10.30.57 is an eerie tribute to their demise.

Welcome Home Babydoll unearths eight rocking tracks (and a mystery number) all very much focusing on the macabre. Themes center on such pleasantries as stalking, domestic violence, murder and necrophilia; All the things that you love, of course. Presumably tongue-in-cheek, but the disc does have an overwhelming air of misogyny about it. I suspect it is merely thematic, but if it were any other genre of band, it would sit pretty uneasy.

The music is a dark combination of 50s style rock and rockabilly. Think of perhaps: Big Bopper meets Elvis Hitler with a bit more hillbilly swagger in the mix. The sound is a mix of rockabilly and harder more distorted punk ala many psychobilly acts. It is solid, performed and recorded well and certainly blends well to the dark nature of the subject matter.

Overall, a solid debut from Dead Dick Hammer, though I should certainly hope that they’d be able to hone their craft in the over 50 years of practice time they’ve had. At any rate if you like your rockabilly server dark cold and dead, then Dead Dick Hammer has got just what (whether you want it or not)

–Jerry Actually

For fans of: Elvis Hitler, Sour Mash Whiskey, Stabbing

Tracks:
1. 10.30.57
2. Elcumino
3. Welcome Home Babydoll
4. She Likes It Ruff (My Baby)
5. Sweet Connie
6. Creep’r Creep’n
7. Girl I Won’t Hit You
8. Black & Blue

3 thoughts on “Dead Dick Hammer – Welcome Home Babydoll”

  1. This is one of my favorite bands ever,EVER to come from Kentucky. Thank you for reviewing this cd you should as well find the video to the song from thier new cd that they have online because they have a new bassist and from what I have heard from the new cd “she” is such the better more inclined and seasoned ingredient to this undead rock and roll machine. Danny

  2. I love these guys!! Cruised many a night spinning this disc and grinning devilishly from ear to ear. “Girl, I won’t hit you…but I will…cut…you..up.” has to be one of my fave hooks (and cuts) on the album. Placed alongside tracks like “She Likes it Rough (My Baby)” and “Sweet Connie”, I consider Dead Dick Hammer’s Welcome Home Babydoll” one of my party essentials. Saw them live once…they were filled with more energy than any undead band (zombie make-up, white contact lenses) has the right to be. Lots and lots of fun!!

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