Nicky Hopkins
The Tin Man Was A Dreamer
Columbia 1973
front cover
gate fold open
rear cover
Review
This is a terrific disc for those who like the more expansive
styled piano pioneered by Keith Emerson and the Nice in the late 1960's.
Hopkins is a classy studio pro and thankfully the record does not
go under gasping and gurgling in a sea of mushy strings. In fact
the material is quite nice in an eccentric sort of way, a kind of
Donovan meets the Kinks.
The big weakness is simple; Hopkins just can't sing. He lacks the low key charm of Donovan or even the wistful and detached persona of Nick Drake. When he tries to emote he is just plain annoying.
Still the record is worth more than one listen for it's explicit piano stylings and generally tasteful production.