Hookfoot -

Hookfoot was an English rustic/hard-rock band that released four albums between 1971 and 1974 on A&M/DJM. Their vaulted 1969 album appeared four decades later courtesy of AMR Archive. The band featured DJM house musicians who backed Elton John on his early albums for the label.

Members: Caleb Quaye (guitar, piano, vocals), Ian Duck (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Roger Pope (drums), David Glover (bass, 1969-72), Fred Gandy (bass, 1972-74)

Background

Hookfoot formed in London in 1969 when guitarist/pianist Caleb Quaye teamed with three DJM Records colleagues: singer/guitarist Ian Duck, bassist David Glover, and drummer Roger Pope.

Quaye was born in London on October 9, 1948, the son of jazz singer-pianist Cab Kaye and the brother of musician Terri Quaye. He played in the school group SoundCasters, then worked in Long John Baldry’s Bluesology with keyboardist Reg Dwight before a 1967 Philips single under the name Caleb. Duck, Glover, and Pope had worked together in The Soul Agents and The Loot before their work at Dick James Music.

Quaye worked inside Dick James Studios by 1967 and helped Dwight record demos for the early Elton John–Bernie Taupin catalogue. Producer Steve Brown used Quaye and Pope on the 1969 single “Lady Samantha” and the 1969 album Empty Sky, recorded at Dick James Studios with bassist Tony Murray and other studio players. John used Hookfoot appearances to test new songs before he formed his Dee Murray–Nigel Olsson trio. Hookfoot recorded the 1969 Page One single “The Way of the Musician” (b/w “Hookfoot”) and an album-length Pye set later issued as A Piece of Pye.

Hookfoot

Hookfoot released their self-titled debut album in 1971 on DJM (UK) and A&M (US).

The album contains seven originals and songs by Stephen Stills (“Bluebird”) and Neil Young (“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”), performed by Quaye, Duck, Glover, and Pope, with blues-harpist Peter Ross. Hookfoot alternates electric guitar pieces, acoustic-framed songs, and the piano-led instrumental “Wim-Wom.”

“Bluebird” charges through hard electric accents and a clipped refrain. “Movies” opens with acoustic lines and electrifies to a climax section. “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” tightens around close lead-and-response placement. “Wim-Wom” drifts through a jazz-leaning instrumental passage. “Coombe Gallows” coils around a darker folk-text cadence. “Crazy Fool” lopes through rough verse turns and brief lead breaks. “Golden Eagle” stretches its closing cadence across broad ensemble sustain.

A1. “Bluebird” (4:00) – Stills; originated in 1967 on Buffalo Springfield Again.
A2. “Mystic Lady” (5:08) – Quaye
A3. “Movies” (4:52) – Duck
A4. “Nature Changes” (5:32) – Quaye / Duck
A5. “Wim-Wom” (3:20) – Quaye

B1. “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” (4:05) – Young
B2. “Coombe Gallows” (3:07) – Quaye
B3. “Crazy Fool” (4:50) – Quaye / Duck
B4. “Golden Eagle” (5:32) – Quaye

Caleb Quaye produced Hookfoot with engineer Jeff Titmus, technician Terry Carty, and coordinator Steve Brown. The sleeve uses low-lit room photography with seated band figures, wall decor, and a framed mirror; Ian Digby-Ovens photographed the cover, with David Larkham credited on sleeve and liner photography.

A&M issued “Coombe Gallows” as a 1971 single (b/w “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”). Hookfoot reached No. 48 on the Kent Music Report album chart in Australia.

Good Times a’ Comin’

Hookfoot released their second album, Good Times a’ Comin’, in 1972 on DJM.

The album contains ten originals by Quaye alone or in combination with Duck, Glover, and Pope. Good Times retains the four-piece lineup, joined by guitarist Bob Kulick on the opener.

“Sweet Sweet Funky Music” presses a compact verse-refrain shape around strident fretboard leads. “Living in the City” rides an urban narrative through firm electric punctuation. “If I Had the Words” darts through quick changes and close harmony. “Slick’s Blues for Jumbo” pares the album back to a short blues miniature. “Good Times a Comin’” extends the title refrain across a broader closing sequence.

A1. “Sweet Sweet Funky Music” (3:14) – Quaye
A2. “Living in the City” (4:56) – Quaye
A3. “If I Had the Words” (3:20) – Duck / Glover / Pope / Quaye
A4. “Gunner Webb’s Changes” (3:12) – Duck
A5. “The Painter” (6:01) – Quaye

B1. “Flying in the U.S.A.” (4:17) – Quaye
B2. “Is Anyone There?” (4:08) – Duck / Glover / Pope / Quaye
B3. “Slick’s Blues for Jumbo” (1:47) – Duck / Quaye
B4. “Look to Your Churches” (2:38) – Duck / Quaye
B5. “Good Times a’ Comin’” (6:27) – Duck / Glover / Pope / Quaye

Sessions occurred in 1972 at Dick James Studio in London with producers Jeff Titmus and Caleb Quaye and engineers Titmus and Terry Carty.

Michael Ross designed the sleeve with photography by Ed Caraeff. The gatefold cover places framed band portraits on a maroon field below the album title.

DJM lifted “Sweet Sweet Funky Music” as a 1972 single (b/w “The Opener”).

Communication

Hookfoot released their third album, Communication, in 1973 on DJM.

The album retains Quaye, Duck, and Pope from the prior lineup and adds bassist Freddy Gandy. Quaye splits Side A credits with Duck but dominates Side B apart from one group-written track.

“Cruisin’” drives through firm electric accents and repeated lead breaks. “Just a Little Communication” works its title phrase across a steadier closing course. “Crazy Day Running Around” extends with divided leads and hard ensemble punctuation. “The Love That You Saved” pares back with a compact cadence.

A1. “Crazy Day Running Around” (5:31) – Duck
A2. “They’ll Never Find Us Up There” (4:34) – Duck
A3. “To Stay Would Bring Me Down” (3:37) – Quaye / Duck
A4. “Forty Winks” (2:27) – Quaye
A5. “Oh Joanna” (5:28) – Quaye

B1. “Here I Come” (4:51) – Quaye
B2. “And Nothing Changes” (4:41) – Quaye
B3. “Cruisin’” (5:27) – Quaye / Gandy / Duck / Pope
B4. “The Love That You Saved” (2:19) – Quaye
B5. “Just a Little Communication” (5:28) – Quaye

Quaye and Jeff Titmus produced Communication with engineers Titmus and Simon Hayworth. Michael Ross designed the gatefold package. First-edition UK sleeves placed a separate “Communication” title sticker over the repeated Hookfoot name pattern.

A&M issued “Here I Come” as a 1973 single (b/w “Just a Little Communication”).

Roaring

Hookfoot released their fourth album, Roaring, in 1973 on DJM in the United Kingdom; A&M issued the album in 1974 in North America.

The album contains ten originals, including five Duck tracks and three Quaye songs. Hookfoot retain Quaye, Duck, Gandy, and Pope from Communication.

“Tradin’ Riffs” and “Rockin’ on the Good” connect as a continuous riff course. “In Many Ways (You’re So Beautiful)” repeats Quaye’s lead-guitar figures before “Three Days Out” extends the same line of motion. “Ridin’ on a Thunderstorm” rides a long repeating rhythm under Ian Duck’s lead line.

A1. “Tradin’ Riffs” (4:50) – Quaye
A2. “Rockin’ on the Good” (5:08) – Duck
A3. “Maybe Tomorrow” (3:15) – Pope / Quaye
A4. “Surely Lost Our Way” (2:45) – Duck
A5. “In Many Ways (You’re So Beautiful)” (4:35) – Duck

B1. “Three Days Out” (4:50) – Quaye
B2. “Ridin’ on a Thunderstorm” (6:05) – Duck
B3. “Take It Where You Want It” (1:15) – Pope / Duck / Quaye / Gandy
B4. “There’s a Chance” (3:42) – Quaye
B5. “Roll of Drums” (5:37) – Duck

Caleb Quaye produced Roaring with John Eden, Phil Dunne, and Will Roper credited as engineers.

David Scutt and Rick Irvine designed the sleeve with illustration by Richard Rockwood. Bob Gruen photographed the package. The UK cover used American Civil War scenes, while the US cover used a number-four image tied to the album ordinal.

Postlude

After Hookfoot ended in 1974, Caleb Quaye and Roger Pope re-entered Elton John’s circle as full band members. John had broken up the Dee Murray–Nigel Olsson rhythm section after Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and reshaped his group with drummer Pope, guitarist Quaye, bassist Kenny Passarelli, keyboardist James Newton Howard, guitarist Davey Johnstone, and percussionist Ray Cooper. Quaye had already worked inside John’s early DJM orbit, but the 1975 lineup placed two Hookfoot players inside John’s touring and recording band.

The new band recorded Rock of the Westies at Caribou Ranch in Colorado. Quaye played electric, acoustic, and rhythm guitar and added backing vocals; Pope played drums across eight of the nine core tracks. The album put “Island Girl” at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and sent “Grow Some Funk of Your Own” b/w “I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)” to No. 14 on the same chart.

John took the lineup onto the 1975 Rock of the Westies tour in September and October. The Dodger Stadium concerts on October 25 and 26 placed Quaye and Pope in the band after John’s solo opening, with “Border Song,” “Take Me to the Pilot,” “Island Girl,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” and Captain Fantastic material in the set.

Quaye and Pope stayed through the 1976 studio and stage cycle. Blue Moves carried Quaye’s instrumental “Your Starter For…” and his co-write “Between Seventeen and Twenty,” and the album used Quaye and Pope on band tracks including “One Horse Town,” “Chameleon,” “Crazy Water,” “The Wide-Eyed and Laughing,” “Theme From a Non-Existent TV Series,” and “Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!).” The pair also played on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” the 1976 Elton John–Kiki Dee duet that spent four weeks at No. 1 in the United States and six weeks at No. 1 in Britain. Blue Moves also yielded “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word,” which reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on Adult Contemporary.

The 1976 Louder Than Concorde tour carried the same core band through Britain, Europe, and North America from April 29 to August 17. Quaye played rhythm guitar and sang backing parts; Pope held the drum chair through the tour’s seven-night close at Madison Square Garden. John then halted touring, and the band dissolved.

Quaye and Pope next followed Passarelli into the Hall & Oates band. Livetime documented the December 8, 1977, Hersheypark Arena lineup with Quaye on lead guitar and Pope on drums. Along the Red Ledge used the same road-band core and produced “It’s a Laugh,” a U.S. Top 20 single. Daryl Hall also recorded Sacred Songs in 1977 with Quaye, Pope, Passarelli, and Robert Fripp; RCA held the album until March 1980.

A Piece of Pye

In 2010, Air Mail Archive in Japan issued A Piece of Pye, the lost 1969 first-recorded Hookfoot album.

Pye contains eight tracks by the original quartet. Quaye juggles guitar, piano, and keyboards beside singer-guitarist Ian Duck, both underpinned by bassist Dave Glover and percussionist Roger Pope.

Quaye wrote five pieces and co-wrote the balance, framed by prelude/postlude miniatures around three extended epics and three compact numbers.

“You Better Get On” stretches a blues-marked rhythm into a long showcase. “S.B.W.” pares the same strain to a shorter, looser miniature. “Shoe Shine Boy” expands into a long guitar-led jam, with Quaye’s lead figures carrying the main action across the piece.

A1. “A Peace One” (1:46) – Quaye
A2. “You Better Get On” (7:16) – Duck / Glover / Pope / Quaye
A3. “Death Song” (6:36) – Duck / Quaye
A4. “First Things First” (3:05) – Quaye
A5. “Wide Open Funky Spaces” (4:13) – Quaye

B1. “S.B.W.” (2:37) – Duck / Quaye
B2. “Shoe Shine Boy” (12:13) – Quaye
B3. “A Peace Two” (0:55) – Quaye

Air Mail Archive released A Piece of Pye as AIRAC-1584 in the British Legends series. The paper-sleeve issue includes liner notes by Quaye.

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