HACKENSACK

HACKENSACK WERE AN EARLY 1970'S HARD ROCK BAND THAT BOASTED ONE NICKY MOORE ON VOCALS AND ONE RAY MAJORS ON GUITAR. MOORE WOULD LATER FRONT SAMSON, TO SAY NOTHING OF MAMOUTH, TIGER AND ELECTRIC SUN, AND MAJORS LATER JOINED MOTT, TILL-ADVISED SHELLOF A BAND THAT STRAGGLED ALONG AFTER HOOPLE LEFT FOR SOLO CAREER.

WHICH IS VERY EXCITING, BUT WHAT OF HACKENSACK?

WELL, THEY RELEASED ONE SMOKING SINGEL "MOVIN' ON" IN 1972, AND TOURED WITH MOTT THE HOOPLE, SPIT OUT THEIR MONSTROUS "UP THE HARD WAY" IN1974, AND THEN PROMPTLY BROKE UP. IN THE LATE 90'S, A COUPLE ODD'S 'N' SODS AND LIVE COLLECTIONS WERE RELEASED ON AUDIO ARCHIVES RECORDS, BUT IT IS THE STRIDENT DESPERADO BLOOZE OF "UP THE HARD WAY THAT DEFINES THE HACKENSACK SOUND. AS THE ALBUM ROLLS ON, IT GETS PROGRESSIVELY MORE MELLOW, DEVOLVING INTO COUNTRY-ROCK BY THE SUICIDAL "GOODBYE WORLD" BUT IT IS TITLE TRACK REMAINS A TOUGH, SLINKY PROTOL-METAL CLASSIC.

FORMED BY NICK MOORE IN 1969 HACKENSACK WERE CONSIDERED ONE OF HEAVIEST LIVE BANDS OF THEIR DAY. THEY ONLY RELEASED ONE ALBUM ON (POLYDOR) DURING THEIR LIFETIME. OVER MORE THAN 270 GIGS THEY BUILT UP A SMALL BUT LOYAL FOLLOWING BUT WERE'NT ABLE TO GENERATE SUFFICIENT REVENUE TO CONTINUE AS A VABLE PROJECT. THEIR SOUND WAS A HEAVY BLUES/ROCK MIX AND "UP THE HARDWAY IS HIGHLY REGARDED AMONGST COLLECTORS AND VERY COLLECTABLE.

PYE RECORDS RECORDED A LIVE ALBUM AT THE CAVERN CLUB, LIVERPOOL IN 1973 BUT IT REMAINS UNRELEASED TO THIS DAY.

WHEN THE BAND SPLIT MAJORS JOINED BRITISH LIONS AND MOORE FORMED A BAND CALLED TIGER BEFORE FINDING SOME SUCCESS WITH FIRST SAMSON AND THEN MAMMOTH. SIMON FOX DRUMMED WITH BE BOP DELUXE.

AN ALBUM OF UNRELEASED MATERIAL FROM 1969 - 1971 "GIVE IT SOME" WAS RELEASED IN 1996 AS WAS "LIVE THE HARDWAY" WHICH FEATURED LIVE MATERIAL FOR SWISS RADIO IN 1973 AND PART OF A LIVE SHOW IN NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND IN THE SAME YEAR.