3.5 out of 5 Stars

Dirty Tricks was a promising band from the U.K. that released only a trio of albums in the mid-’70s before disappearing (although the group resurfaced with a comeback album in 2009).

Regardless, and whether fairly or not, Dirty Tricks always reminded me of Yesterday & Today (Y&T), not only in its overall raw and hard-driving style, but simply because both groups popped onto the scene about a year apart and I learned about them on the very same day (at the long-defunct Rainbow Records in Park Ridge, Illinois…oddly enough, I remember that moment as if it happened only yesterday. Funny how one’s mind works, right?). Anyway, I purchased both debut albums together, and therefore, despite any differences between the bands—not too much, truthfully—they will forever be linked in my head.

Be that as it may, Hit & Run, the band’s third and final album from the ’70s, showed growth in its development—with Dirty Tricks adding more intricate arrangements and instrumentation on various tracks such as “Gambler,” “Lost in the Past,” “Road to Deriabah,” “I’ve Had These Dreams Before,” and “Get Out On The Street”—and proved just as enjoyable as the previous two releases, with searing guitars, pounding rhythms, and Kenny Stewart’s instantly recognizable vocals.

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