Originally rand Other Crimes merges countrified balladry and loungeåÊstyling with light psychedelic pop touches. Perhaps relaxingåÊafter his mid-decade semi-stardom as Nancy Sinatra‰۪s foil, theåÊdevout Europhile decamped to Paris and assembled an ace backingåÊband of fabled ‰ÛÏWrecking Crew‰ sessions players to recordåÊLove and Other Crimes. His stream-of-consciousness notes onåÊthe LP‰۪s back cover suggest Parisian days and nights of endless
revelry and debauched excess in a land of unfamiliar languagesåÊand customs, but the music is high-class and impeccablyåÊperformed‰ÛÓanother contradictory Hazlewoodism to mark theåÊman‰۪s unique career.
The lounge atmospherics of ‰ÛÏShe‰۪s Funny That Way‰ findåÊHazlewood‰۪s voice deep and resonant, piano runs skitteringåÊbetween each of his lines. At the last minute, the entire bandåÊascends to a booming, ecstatic release, while Hazlewood vowsåÊto drown in his own tears. ‰ÛÏRosacoke Street‰ is a sleazy bluesåÊballad about a host of restless characters, and ‰ÛÏShe Comes Running‰åÊpairs Hazlewood‰۪s voice with gusts of harpsichord. OnåʉÛÏPour Man,‰ his voice descends to seemingly impossible depth,åÊwhile ‰ÛÏMorning Dew‰ treats the standard to a rollicking uptempo
arrangement of swells and bursts. Hazlewood reinforcedåÊhis own enigmatic mythology even more after Love and OtheråÊCrimes, treating all of Europe as his stomping grounds.åÊLove and Other Crimes places Hazlewood at the helm of anåÊincredible ensemble, and synthesizes a bit of everything he lentåÊto others as a producer. The result: one of the most diverse andåÊconsummate albums of his singularly eclectic and often confoundingåÊcareer.
‰ۢ First-ever vinyl reissue of his classic 1968
album for Reprise Records
‰ۢ Recorded in Paris with Hal Blaine, James
Burton, Donnie Owens, Don Randi and
Chuck Berghofer