Nicky Hopkins - Disc of the day

Nicky Hopkins
The Tin Man Was A Dreamer

(Columbia, 1973)

Session player extraordinaire delivers solo album with help from a few special friends.

By 1973, piano-whiz Nicky Hopkins had played on some of British rock’s greatest recordings. You can hear his wickedly instinctive playing on such towering classics as The Beatles’ Revolution, The Kinks’ Sunny Afternoon and The Who’s Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, not to mention umpteen tracks by Jeff Beck, Donovan and, most notably, The Rolling Stones – he’s all over Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street. By all accounts a very insular, meditative character – he could often be found reading a comic in between takes – Hopkins’ ice cool personality colours The Tin Man...’s most potent moments. The Todd Rundgren-esque Waiting For The Band and the whimsical The Dreamer perfectly suit his humble, measured vocals, both songs purposefully led by his nimble-fingered piano work. As the most sought-after session player of the previous decade, it’s unsurprising that, with the tables turned, Hopkins managed to enlist the help of some of his most talented employers. So witness key contributions from Mick Taylor, Bobby Keys, Klaus Voorman, Chris Spedding, Jerry Williams and the little-known George O’Hara (aka George Harrison). Some of the best bands in the world wanted Nicky Hopkins to play on their records. Look no further than today’s Disc Of The Day for another in a long line of reasons why.

Ross Bennett

Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 6:00 AM GMT 26/04/2008

Further Listening

Various – Jamming With Edward (Virgin, 1972)

John Lennon – Imagine (Apple/EMI, 1971)

The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street (Decca, 1972)

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