Hidden Treasures - Foghat, The Lost Decade

[Scott]

80's edition - A Lost Decade?...

This week Hidden Treasures takes a look at Foghat, the great blues band that came out of the ashes of Savoy Brown. We all know about their rise to fame (if you don't then you came to the right place - check this out) and most of us have albums from their 70's output. Maybe you own "Fool For The City", "Rock and Roll Outlaws" or the must-have "Foghat Live". But chances are that you lost track of the band after their chart success faded away. Did they go away or did we just move onto New Wave and the other new sounds ...
 
 
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	Tight Shoes 1980 1 - Be My Woman Although Foghat had released a string of very successful recordings, the group's final two releases of the '70s, Stone Blue and Boogie Motel, both suffered from declining (although still substantial) sales. Peverett's response to the suddenly suspect viability of his group's arena rock sound was to take his songwriting in a more modern (if not quite fitting) direction on Tight Shoes. New wave and punk had emerged out of the U.K. in the late '70s, largely in response to the somewhat formulaic and self-aggrandizing hard rock that had somehow overtaken the entire non-disco musical landscape. Although listeners might cringe while trying to imagine a musical amalgam somewhere between "Slow Ride" and "Watching the Detectives," assessing Foghat's attempt at eclecticism isn't quite as simple as it may appear. The group's musicianship and studio finesse keep tracks like the single "Stranger in My Home Town" and "Baby Can I Change Your Mind" from becoming awkward attempts at timeliness. Instead, Foghat successfully incorporates stripped-down sonics and simpler, almost pop arrangements into Tight Shoes, making it more than a hopeless grasp at musical relevance, making it worthwhile.
	Girls To Chat and Boys to Bounce 1981 2 - Wide Boy By the time Girls to Chat & Boys to Bounce hit record stores in 1981, it had been ten years since Foghat had released their first American single "I Just Want to Make Love to You," and even though the veteran London blues/boogie rock outfit had a rather long list of commercial accomplishments, the wavering quality and focus of their music in the late '70s had shaken the band's core fan base and slight critical appeal. The stomp and the swagger were replaced by glitter and global tours, rust turned to chrome, howlin' blues to raunch and roll. So bandleader Lonesome Dave Peverett continued an experiment he had tentatively begun a year earlier on Tight Shoes: drawing on new musical influences from the burgeoning punk and new wave scene in and around London. While not exactly a new wave recording, certain tracks on the Bearsville release, especially the ode to London pub thuggery "Wide Boys," are decidedly minimal, modern, and just plain un-bluesy. In general, the arrangements on the record are sparse, the songs and solos are short, and the sound is tighter throughout.
	In the Mood for Something Rude 1982 3 - Back For a Taste of Your Love In the five recordings released after Foghat's 1977 double platinum live record, the band was now attempting to create a third identity for itself, and although Lonesome Dave Peverett (lead vocals/guitars,) Erick Cartwright (guitars/vocals), Nick Jameson (bass, keys, percussion), and Roger Earl (drums) proved themselves capable arena rockers, new wavers, and now R&B/blues revivalists, the multiple personality disorder cost the group many fans and might have made them appear desperate. Although the abovementioned condition is significant, it should not overshadow the quality and musicality demonstrated on In the Mood for Something Rude. While the list of listeners anxious to hear dinosaur-rock treatments of songs like James Brown's "And I Do Just What I Want" was perhaps rather short, those interested might enjoy the fluid, thick guitars and (relatively) soulful vocals.
	Zig-Zag Walk 1983 4 - That's What Love Can Do The 13th release, and the final to appear on Bearsville records, Zig-Zag Walk is an extension of Foghat's backslide into blues- and R&B-based guitar rock. With the glory years well behind them in 1983, the band was content to churn out this rather unremarkable yet competent recording of stripped-down boogie rock. Original members Lonesome Dave Peverett (lead guitars/vocals) and Roger Earl (drums) are joined on this 1983 release by longtime contributors Erick Cartwright (guitars) and Nick Jameson (bass, keyboards). Standout tracks include "That's What Love Can Do" and "Down the Road a Piece." Equal parts good-time rock & roll and effusive musical mating calls, Zig-Zag Walk is far from the finest Foghat foray on vinyl, but not a bad piece of plastic if you're inclined to enjoy the sound of Brits toying with American boogie.

After Dave Peverett left in 1984 and went back to England, the group disbanded briefly. But Earl, along with MacGregor and Cartwright, reformed with a new singer/guitarist Eric (E. J.) Burgeson and continued touring as Foghat into the early 1990s. Lonesome Dave had returned to the US by 1990 and formed his own Lonesome Dave's Foghat. In 1993, at the urging of producer Rick Rubin, the original line-up reunited. Although Rubin ultimately proved to be unavailable to produce their comeback project, the group went ahead anyway and released a studio album entitled Return of the Boogie Men in 1994 and a live album entitled Road Cases in 1998. After being back together six years, the original line-up once again ended after Price decided to retire from touring for good. The 2000s saw the deaths of founding members Dave Peverett and Rod Price. Peverett died on 7 February 2000 from complications from kidney cancer at the age of 56, and Rod Price died on 22 March 2005 at the age of 57 of a fall resulting from a heart attack. Foghat has never stopped touring and recording. They have been together in one form or another, with Roger Earl remaining as drummer. They released a single on 9 July 2013 called "The Word of Rock n' Roll", a Christmas song (an instrumental version of "Winter Wonderland") on 5 November 2013, and released a new DVD (Live in St. Pete) in December 2013.

[Jon]

http://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/forum/topics/lost-forgotten-alb...

[Scott]

I remember this!  Great post...

[Jon]

Funny thing, I have all these albums. I have the GTC...BTB/Tight Shoes CD and also the GTC...BTB/ITMFSR/ZZW/Rarities disc. When GTC...BTB came out, I had that on vinyl because I really like the song "Live Now, Pay Later" which was played a lot on the radio. Then I bought "Tight Shoes", which was in a cutout bin and, if I remember correctly, it had a bunch of stickers included. Didn't like the album that much then, kinda like it now. I also got ZZW from a cutout bin, and I felt the same about that one as well. THe only one I never picked up on vinyl was ITMFSR, but finally got it on that four-fer pack.

Funnier thing, I have only owned one 70's Foghat album on vinyl or CD, and that's "Fool For The City". Just never felt the urge to own any other 70's Foghat.

Even more funnier thing, I own more 70's Savoy Brown albums (3) than 70's Foghat albums (1).

Nice post.  

[Scott]

Between my brother and sister I had access to Foghats 70's output almost in its entirety.  I remember most of the albums with the exception of the debut and Stone Blue.  My brother played the snot out of Rock and Roll Outlaws.  Especially Chateau Lafitte '59 Boogie.  For some reason he really loved that tune.  Still does actually.

Third Time Lucky was on the radio in junior high and my brother also had Boogie Motel.  So when Tight Shoes came out it was a no brainer!  And then GTCBTB and ITMFSR...  Then ZZW never caught my attention until you mentioned, I think in your original GTCBTB post some years back.  I like these 4 albums more today than I did back then.  Thanks for chiming in!

[Meow]

[Scott]

Total SMASH!!!

[RJhog (Admin)]

Never been a "big" Foghat fan.  I've always liked Slow Ride, Fool For The City and Third Time Lucky or whatever then name of it is.  But I've just never been into boogie rock.

Having said that, that first track is just okay.  Nothin' special to me

The second song is pretty good.  Vocally it reminds me of Talking Heads.

Next up is another just okay song for me.  The guitar was cool.

Closing out the set, That's What Love Can Do is probably the best song here for me.  It has a serious new wave feel to it.

So for me, just an okay listening experience.  I actually own five Foghat albums.  It's the Classic Album Series.  For me, probably my most favorite thing about the band is just their name.  Foghat is a seriously cool band name.

[RJhog (Admin)]

[Scott]

cool commercial...

[RichS]

 Foghat did have some good albums in the 80's. but for me the 70's was the decade for them. Was also a Savoy Brown fan.