by Quint KikMy friends have seen you 'round old Stockholm town\u002Fthey say you're wearin' it well -- any country performer who dares to come up with a lyric as awkward as this, must either be slightly mental or desperately looking for a new fan base. Some truth probably lies in both, since back in 1970 Lee Hazlewood decided to start a new life in Sweden. There, he became friends with director Torbjörn Axelman, who was responsible for a series of music videos accompanying 1970s Cowboy in Sweden. From that moment on Hazlewood appeared in several more Swedish cult movies. A television special, The N.S.V.I.P.s, even earned him a Golden Rose at 1973's Montreux Festival. Parallel to his acting career, Hazlewood remained active in the record industry, way until 1977. He managed to release nearly a dozen more solo-albums in less than eight years. Sadly though, apart from 1971's Did You Ever aka Nancy and Lee Again not one of these gained even the slightest commercial impact. A stronger argument for his retreat into obscurity after Back on the Street Again is hard to imagine. As was the case with most of the albums from Hazlewood's Swedish period, Back on the Street Again was released sparsely. Only Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa were lucky enough to be bothered with yet another Hazlewood record. Compared to the relatively weak 20th Century Lee and Movin' On, Hazlewood's final album consisted of more original material, as a mere seven out of 11 compositions were from his own hand. They were put together with the help of several German session musicians and Dutch steel guitarist Frans Doolaard. It turned out to be pretty much country flavored, but thanks to Hazlewood's songwriting it seldom becomes average. His black humor is ever present in a tale like Dolly and Hawkeye, as is his over estimation in the epic monster Rider on a White Horse, which confronts the listener with some of the most outrageous productions ever. Worthwhile additions to the Hazlewood canon are Your Thunder and Your Lighting (strangely similar of Leonard Cohen's First We Take Manhattan) and finally an up-tempo love song with trademark Hazlewood lyrics: You bragged about me to other folks when you knew I wouldn't go far\u002Fyou, you made me happier\u002Fthan Dolly Parton's guitar. Add to this five different drawings of the artists on the album cover and you're left with an altogether mystifying goodbye note.