Dick Cole – Biker Stories 4 (Album Review)

In early January, I reviewed ‘Knees in the Breeze’, a single by Dick Cole. Now it’s time for the energy-filled album, Biker Stories 4. That single confirmed that Dick Cole’s music – composed specifically for the biker community – is rooted in realism rather than fantasy.

Biker Stories 4 screams ‘biker community’ right from its artwork: on the front cover, you see the bespectacled Dick Cole seated on his black Harley-Davidson trike in front of the sun-bleached facade of The Broken Spoke, a roadside tavern.

The album starts with ‘Back of the Dragon’ – one of the tracks with ‘dragon’ in the title, a song with a high-energy fusion of crunchy guitar, driving bass, and assertive drumming. This intensity carries over into the vocals, marking it as a song where Dick Cole seems focused on the pure act of singing. Yet, there is a stylistic pivot here: the vocalization feels distant and cold, adding a layer of detachment to the track’s otherwise heated arrangement.

Lyrically, the track is an anthem of biker’s pride – a sentiment born from the mechanical roar of revving engines and the visceral experience of hitting the road with the wind in one’s hair. Dick Cole leans into a more fanciful lyricism here, invoking ‘Thirty-two miles of magic’.  ‘Breathe in that freedom’, we later hear – ‘freedom’ being one of Dick Cole’s common motif as his personas equate bike riding with freedom.

Rhyming is one of Dick Cole’s technique, and it permeates the whole album. In this song, we hear the lyrical persona say, ‘feel the asphalt dance’, and ‘give throttle the chance’ after the corners have been shredded tight. 

Then we move to ‘California Queen’, a track whose sonic landscape is defined by a thick layer of crunch, driving percussion, and rapid-fire drumming. Both the instrumentation and the vocals are relentless. As I noted in my previous review of Dick Cole’s work, this is quintessential biker talk – a brand of music that effectively takes the listener ‘inside’ the biking community

‘Don’t Leave Me Here Alone’ is the third track, the song’s title functioning more as a vulnerable plea for extended companionship.

A crunchy guitar anchors the song’s arrangement, though it carries a distinctively metallic, almost tinny, edge. The sound is purposefully understated; paired with a minimal production and a recurring three-step drum pattern, it signals a brand of rock and roll not to lose your head to, but to sit with.

This minimalist arrangement creates a clearing for Dick Cole’s steady, commanding presence to shine. Because the backdrop remains sparse, his vocals become the ‘more adventurous’ element; they shift from a grounded steadiness to moments where he truly soars or settles into a croon.

There is a deep-seated conviction in the voice. It allows you to picture the addressee receiving the message in a matter-of-fact tone; here, they aren’t merely being asked to stay, but are effectively being commanded.

The narrative stakes become clear when we realize why the addressee is being commanded to stay: the lyrical persona is in agony. The source of this friction is the addressee’s choice of a short dress as they prepare to head out, prompting the persona’s pointed question: ‘How can I keep you as mine when you go out like that?

There’s no doubt about it; this is an enjoyable song, and one you’d certainly want to see performed live. Yet, while it isn’t rock and roll designed for losing your head, the subject matter demands a more apprehensive nod. The tension stems from this ‘strange relationship’ – for how can one’s lady head out alone, even to the biker’s club mentioned in the lyrics, leaving her partner behind?

The fourth track is the subdued ‘Midnight Highway Heat’, primarily a guitar-driven track, opening with delicate acoustic strings before a bluesy lead interjects. The initial vocalization is meditative, setting a reflective tone. Before the bass, drums, and percussion coalesce into a full arrangement, the instrumentation utilizes a stop-start motif; notably, this rhythmic tension persists even after the arrangement has been established.

Lyrically, the song paints a romantic picture: cool air on the persona’s face and their partner’s cheek resting on their shoulder. This scene portrays a partnership in sync. The realism shifts from agony to intimacy; we even see the lyrical persona grinning as his partner whispers an urge not to go slow.

The fifth track is ‘Ride the Myth’, an energetic number that opens with a signature layer of crunchy guitar before a throbbing, bassy kick takes command of the arrangement. The track’s essence can be distilled by a single line from the chorus: ‘Ride the myth, feel the rush, feel alive’.

Then we get ‘You Are My Addiction’, a track which opens with a wash of calm ambience and equally serene vocals. In my experience reviewing such albums, this style of vocalization suggests a singer choosing pure singing over direct message – a choice I deeply respect. However, the track eventually pivots, shedding that tranquility to settle into Dick Cole’s trademark craft. This return to his signature craft is a drawback, as it interrupts the most compelling part of the performance.

Lyrically, we see a persona in agony. The source of friction is a woman with red lips – a former addiction who now has her hands on another man’s shoulders. As the persona seethes with pain, the song’s central inquiry shifts from a simple plea to a devastating question: ‘When did you decide I’m not enough?’

‘We Ride Together’ – the album’s number seven – pairs a buzzing, crunchy guitar with thick, steady drumming to create a more accessible, easy-listening experience. It’s a reflective number; for those seeking a reprieve from the album’s more relentless moments, the ‘steely’ percussion and melodic vocals provide a welcome balance.

Lyrically, the motif of freedom returns. Assuming an autobiographical lens, Dick Cole invites us into a nostalgic space, tracing the origins of his passion back to a dream he held at sixteen.

The dream he held was two-fold: ‘two wheels and a heart that’s free’ – a vision of liberation physically manifested by the sensation of the wind against his face

We are treated to a bit of backstory that explains the persona’s drive.  Back in high school, the

persona’s friend had ‘a bike so loud, it roared’; and this made them jealous, their heart racing, as they dreamed ‘of the open road’. Here, you have to note the rhyming.

The tension of the past dissolves in a moment of communal grace: the friend tosses over the key, allowing the persona to ride at last. With the history established, the track settles into a definition of what biking truly means to this community. It is a force of unity that transcends the seasons; they share the road as one, a collective that spans generations – from the young and the persona’s peers to the elders of the road.

Then we close the album with ‘The Tail of the Dragon’, a song that kicks off with a blend of vocals and rhythmic claps, punctuated by a syncopated gallop of crunchy guitar. This organic build-up is abruptly traded for a starkly different soundscape, now dominated by a relentless, EDM-like kick that drives the arrangement forward.

Dick Cole adopts a more subdued vocal tone for this track. Even without a direct reference to a bike, the imagery of screaming engines permeates the lyrics. It’s a high-stakes ride where the persona’s heart is on fire, driving them toward the thrill of ‘Chasing the Dragon’. This is a song of exhortation and incitement.

SCORE/Excellent: Dick Cole doesn’t just give us rock; he provides a cultural document. I appreciate his music for that rare, unfiltered glimpse into the biking community, even when the songs themselves vary in quality.

There is a recurring ‘agony’ in his romantic tracks that makes the persona’s rare moments of joy stand out in sharp relief.

Biker Stories 4 excels when it looks backward, using tracks like ‘We Ride Together’ to illustrate what biking means to its community. Yet, as the record give us more of the same ‘biker anthem’ tracks, the ‘realism’ is hampered by a repetitive lyrical formula. In the end, discovering the pattern behind the myth dampens the experience.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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