Following
on from the recent review of Foghat’s newest studio
album ‘Family Joules’ the band are set to release the highly
anticipated ‘Live II’, a follow up to one of the 1970’s
classic live albums. Foghat were arguably more at home
on the live stage were the bands blues influence saw classic
after classic delivered with new intensity and often spreading
out into jams. ‘Live II’ celebrates the bands history so you
are guaranteed that all the classics are here (more or less)
and was recorded by the bands current incarnation of original
drummer Roger Earl, vocalist/rhythm guitarist
Charlie Huhn, lead guitarist Bryan Bassett and
bassist Craig MacGregor and in many ways sees the band
starting a new chapter of career that stems back to over 35
years. The sound of this double live disc is superb - raw,
loud, guitars in yer face and a rhythm section so rock solid
you could use it to plug the San Andreas fault line.
Opening disc 1 with the
pulsating ‘Nightshift’, one of Foghat’s finest rockers,
the early signs are very promising indeed. Huhn’s vocals have
their own distinctive edge but will be easy for fans of
original vocalist ‘Lonesome’ Dave Peverett to get into and
Bryan Bassett’s guitar work is prime to rip your face off.
Anyone that isn’t drawn in by thIS opener should seek medical
advice right away! ‘Take Me To The River’ delivers
its good time feel with aplomb, and the driving delivery is
again completely infectious. ‘Stone Blue’ is up next
and its 12 bar blitzkrieg knee jerk boogie is nothing but
superb with Huhn and Bassett locking in before Bassett
delivers Rod ‘The Bottle’ Price’s slide work to perfection
with his own take in a few places. Bryan Bassett then takes
centre stage for a 1 minute slide solo before the band launch
into ‘Drivin Wheel’ which sounds as good now as it did
on the 1976 ‘Nightshift’ album with the rhythm section driving
the band with new found intensity. ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ is
the only track to make the live album from the bands 2003
album ‘Family Joules’ which is a shame as this simple riff and
intoxicating chorus fits in superbly with classics from the
bands past. ‘Terraplane Blues’ sees the band head down
low and dirty and allows Bassett to once again show off his
slide guitar prowess, before Roger Earl’s 2 minute drum solo
will leave your internal organs rattling. The band then
powers back in with arguably the definitive version of
‘Fool For The City’ - an absolute barnstorming rendition.
To kick off the 2nd
disc the band treat us to an extended blues jam shuffle
which allows the groove to take control and is home to some
beautiful lead work from Bassett and also some tasty lead work
from Huhn. Earl and Macgregor epitomise how a rhythm section
should lock in and groove. The track evolves and eventually
morphs into another blistering rendition of a true Foghat
classic cover ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’ which
sees Huhn and Bassett trading those classic intro licks in the
finest tradition laid down by Peverell and Price before.
Clocking in at close to 10 minutes this version will leave you
totally drained yet satisfied come the end. Just when you
thought the band might step down a gear more blistering boogie
will knock you into next week in the form of ‘Chateau
Lafitte '59 Boogie’ (always loved that title) and again
clocking in at close to 10 minutes this is another prime
example of experiencing the full live Foghat experience. So
to follow up the band give us another 10 minute workout in the
guise of the bands best known track ‘Slowride’, again
the new found energy makes an old classic once again seem
revitalised and totally relevant in the 21st
century. The simply truth is there are only a handful of
bands left that can deliver classic rock in this sort of class
nowadays and this is probably the best live version I have
heard of this tracks, and the whole track including breakdowns
is still totally addictive and ends the live set. However the
band have seen fit to include to 2 bonus rehearsal live takes
of ‘Trouble Trouble’ which is classic sounding Foghat
through and through. ‘Hurry Up & Wait Rehearsal Jam’
follows and sees the band go through various tones with a nice
blues jazz edge holding the instrumentals pulse. A nice tag
at the end.
SUMMARY
To put it simply ‘Live II’ is
an essential purchase for anyone that has a passing interest
in the classic rock genre. If you are aficionado of the genre
and still reading then head on over to
www.foghat.net now and order it. These live versions show
the bands new incarnation have nothing to fear and are as hot
as ever in the live arena. All the classics are here, the
production is superb, the performances top notch what more
could be asked for? I just hope that this (and ‘Family
Joules’) will help introduce the band to a new generation of
fans as this band still has it and delivers it flawlessly.
Essential.
RATING
: 98%
HOT SPOTS : Pretty much all of it.
Musicians
Roger Earl - Drums
Tony Stevens - Bass
Charlie Huhn - Vocals / Guitar
Bryan Bassett - Lead Guitar
Tracks
01 Nightshift
02 Take Me To The River
03 Stone Blue
04 Bryan Bassett slide solo
05 Drivin' Whell
06 Mumbo Jumbo
07 Terraplane Blues
08 Roger Earl Drum solo
09 Fool For The City
10 Extended Blues Jam
11 I Just Want To Make Love To Yo
12 Chateau Lafitte '59 Boogie
13 Slowride
14 Trouble Trouble
15 Hurry Up & Wait
Official Website
http://www.foghat.net
Buy Online
http://www.foghat.net
