Review
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The more things change, the more they remain the same.
In some cases, like the revolving door of today s manufactured
artists that s a bad thing. In the case of Foghat s Live II, the
follow up to Foghat s phenomenally successful 1977 release,
Foghat Live it s not only a good thing. It s a great thing.
Formed from the remnants of the British group Savoy Brown, Foghat
took America by storm in the seventies dominating the airwaves
with classics such as Food For The City, Slow Ride, I Just Want
To Make Love To You, Night Shift, Drivin Wheel and a handful of
other top ten hits. Foghat Live became one of the most successful
live albums ever released when it realistically captured the
energy and drive of a Foghat show. Now some twenty nine years
later Foghat Live II arrives just as the prices have dropped
and is poised to be your next great driving record. From the
opening riff of Night Shift the clarity and precision of the
musicians as well as the is evident and the listener
can imagine themselves in the front row with their fist
a-pumping. This record cannot be played loud enough. Just as with
his predecessor the late Lonesome Dave Peverett, Charlie Huhn is
just a powerhouse vocalist blessed with a strong bluesy voice and
ringmaster s stage presence. Bryan Bassett s remarkable slide
guitar work showcases not only his own fantastic abilities but at
the same time pays tribute to Rod Price s original blistering
guitar work. Roger Earl s mammoth drumming and Craig MacGregor s
legendary bass work make up a rhythm section that was the heart
of these songs years ago and still remain just as ear shattering
and body shaking today. Without being clichéd, when you look up
thundering in the dictionary the pictures you ll see, are of
Roger and Craig. Being careful not to duplicate the past live
offerings but still being respectful towards the fan s requests
Foghat rips through some of their classic songs like Night Shift,
Take Me To The River, Stone Blue, Drivin Wheel, and I Just Want
To Make Love To You. The good Lord must have answered a prayer
that I sent years ago because also included here are two of my
favorite Foghat songs. Chateau Lafitte 59 Boogie and a hidden gem
from their classic Fool For The City album, the powerfully
swirling and raucous, Terrane Blues. What makes this record
work over other live s is the immaculate, yet thoroughly
nasty attention paid to the production. Foghat Live II stands on
it s own as a terrific of a travelin rock and roll band
and is guaranteed to make your accelerator pedal drop lower than
the prices at the pump. --Upstage Magazine - Matt Parrish
Thirty years after their two-million selling Foghat Live lit up
the rock radio airwaves, you can't really say Foghat has
returned, because they never really went away. Foghat is still
keepin' on touring and into their 37th year and after
the passing of founding members Dave Peverett and Rod Price. Old
Foghat alumni and friends Charlie Huhn and Bryan Bassett now fill
in for Peverett and Price, with former member Craig MacGregor
once again returning to play bass. Led by drummer Roger Earl, the
2007 version of Foghat still has that classic blues-rock slide
guitar sound. Their latest release is both a throwback to their
1970s heyday and a glimpse into the future of one of the most
enduring bands in rock history. Recorded live in El Cajon,
California, Foghat Live II is their 17th album in 37 years. The
two-disc's 20 tracks include bonus rehearsal versions of Slow
Ride and new studio s like Trouble, Trouble. With the
simple announcement, Ladies and gentleman... would you please
welcome... Foghat! the band kicks into a riff-heavy Night Shift
from 1976 and segues into fan favorites Take Me To The River and
Stone Blue. Earl's choice of former Ted Nugent vocalist Charlie
Huhn is a fitting choice for the new F --MusicTap - Matt Rowe
Thirty years after their two-million selling Foghat Live lit up
the rock radio airwaves, you can't really say Foghat has
returned, because they never really went away. Foghat is still
keepin' on touring and into their 37th year and after
the passing of founding members Dave Peverett and Rod Price. Old
Foghat alumni and friends Charlie Huhn and Bryan Bassett now fill
in for Peverett and Price, with former member Craig MacGregor
once again returning to play bass. Led by drummer Roger Earl, the
2007 version of Foghat still has that classic blues-rock slide
guitar sound. Their latest release is both a throwback to their
1970s heyday and a glimpse into the future of one of the most
enduring bands in rock history. Recorded live in El Cajon,
California, Foghat Live II is their 17th album in 37 years. The
two-disc's 20 tracks include bonus rehearsal versions of Slow
Ride and new studio s like Trouble, Trouble. With the
simple announcement, Ladies and gentleman... would you please
welcome... Foghat! the band kicks into a riff-heavy Night Shift
from 1976 and segues into fan favorites Take Me To The River and
Stone Blue. Earl's choice of former Ted Nugent vocalist Charlie
Huhn is a fitting choice for the new Foghat Huhn croons and
preens like it is still the 70s, and works a crowd like Nugent
himself. At only 1:05 in length, the slide guitar solo Slippin' &
Slidin' shows Bassett can still work a guitar neck with the best
of the classic rock guitar greats. Perhaps the highlight of the
first disc is the blues standard Terrane Blues, written by
legendary blues man Robert Johnson. Bassett's soulful slide work
blends perfectly with Huhn's white-boy-bluesy wail with Earl and
MacGregor carrying the rock backbeat rhythm. Bang, Bang is Earl's
Sir Noisy Sod alter ego's chance to pound out a two-minute drum
solo just the right length compared to Led Zeppelin's John Bonham
drum solos, some of which could ramble on mercilessly for a
half-hour or more. Bang, Bang flows right into the 1975 FM radio
classic Fool For The City to close out the disc. The line, I
ain't no country boy, just a home man sounds as timely in
2007 as it did all those years ago as Earl and the band still
make their living as a touring band. California Blues stands tall
as a slow, arena rock blues teaser as it tumbles into one of
Foghat's signature songs, I Just Want to Make Love to You. The
Willie Dixon-penned track lumbers in with that sexy, slinking
bass line and is met by the back-and-forth guitar-talk it's
famous for. Slow Ride plows in as a reminder of what made and
still makes Foghat one of the great blues-rock bands of all time.
New songs including I'm A Rock n' Roller and Self-Medicated hold
their own alongside the best of Foghat then and now. Road Fever,
from their 1973 self-titled album, is a fine salute to fallen
Foghat members, and a tantalizing look ahead for the band: Well
I'm back on the road and I ain't gonna stop/Gonna roll 'til I'm
old, gonna rock 'til I drop... --vintagerock.com ~ Carl
Cunningham
Foghat Live was released at the height of the band s soaring
popularity back in 1977. With 6 songs spread out over two sides,
Foghat Live was the jammin essential live soundtrack of that era
of arena rock. Released after the immense success of their Fool
for the City (1975) album and their underrated Night Shift
(1976), Foghat Live packed the fans in even tighter at their
concerts. Over the subsequent years, Foghat became a victim of
the changing tides of music, a change that they tried to keep up
with but inevitably failed at. It s tough being a rock star at
the turn of any decade. Today s Foghat continues the show not as
one trying to find a home with today s music but as one who is
comfortable in their skin. The first thought in any fan s mind
is, simply, how does one carry on without the signature sounds of
Lonesome Dave Peverett, who succumbed to cancer in 2000 and Rod
Price, the unique guitar sound of the band, who died in 2005. In
addition, original bassist, Tony Stevens is no longer in the mix.
Ironically, Craig MacGregor, who was bassist at the time of Night
Shift and the original Foghat Live, is not only slotted in his
familiar photo spot as the I in Live, but he is also in this
reunited version of the band. This leaves original member,
drummer Roger Earl as the sole mainstay of the band. Longtime
guitarist, Bryan Bassett and relative newcomer, Charlie Huhn,
whose vocals and guitar take up the tough to resume void left by
Peverett, make up the rest of Foghat. Live II has two discs with
20 songs between them. Most of the songs are familiar to Foghat
fans and include Night Shift, Take Me To The River, Drivin Wheel,
Fool for the City, I Just Want To Make Love To You, Chateau
Lafitte 59 Boogie, Slow Ride, and Terrane Blues, amongst
others. There are also the non-live bonus track inclusions of
rehearsals that include Road Fever, Chevrolet, and I Feel Fine,
along with 4 others, most recorded in 2007. I must admit to
having had extreme reservations as to whether this version of
Foghat could produce enough energy to power a show even with a
somewhat intact and familiar rhythm section. And I must say that
I m quite impressed by the results found on Live II. Live II was
recorded from a July 05 show in El Cajon, CA at the Sycuan
Theatre. It contains two discs of songs; quite a spread of music
given the original sported only 6. If it has a flaw, it is in the
fact that Huhn works a little too hard to channel Peverett s
introductions and vocals nuances in an attempt to replicate the
feel of a Foghat show, as if Peverett were still shouting out
those intros himself. It s not entirely necessary and perhaps a
little eerie when you hear Peverett s intro to Slow Ride coming
from Huhn exactly as you have heard Lonesome Dave intro it
before. However, as so, it does create an air of genuineness,
effective if that what was sought by the band. The album prints
on the back a commendable and heartfelt memorial to the Rock and
Roll spirit of both Peverett and Price, refusing to let the soul
of Foghat slip away. Foghat II succeeds better than I expected,
and I m a Foghat purist. I tip my hat to the current band as the
Foghat name is carried on well with this release. While the album
lacks some of the songs that I would have included given a 2CD
set, it will remind you that Foghat is a great band. Dedicated to
the unending memories of Lonesome Dave Peverett and Rod The
Bottle Price. --MusicTap - Matt Rowe