Customer Reviews

Foghat

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, Foghat fans never cared for what the critics did or did not say about Foghat. Secondly, Foghat fans never cared that the band did not get radio attention until "Fool For The City". Finally, if you were tuned in to this band from the very start, which was this album, you knew you were on to something very different indeed. Most of us back then were expecting some kind of continuation of Savoy Brown boogie rock, since 2 core members migrated to this band. We were somewhat surprised at what we encountered when we dropped the needle on the vinyl for the first time back in '72. I personally was blown away and pretty much wore out my first copy. By the way, this one begs to be listened to on vinyl. It was mastered on good old magnetic tape and etched to acetate, and it deserves a good listen on a well-tuned turntable if you can find a pristine vinyl copy. The obvious attention getter "I Just Want To Make Love To You" has suffered Classic Radio meltdown, however, listen to some real gems like "Sarah Lee", or "Highway (Killing Me)" if you want to be pleasantly caressed by Foghat's early flexing of their boogie muscles. Their unique guitar styles and Dave's vocal proficiency is evident on their debut. If you buy this album and you are disappointed, you probably aren't really a true Foghat fan.

Foghat did its level best to defy genre-typing. While this was not my favorite Foghat album, it was certainly a pleasure to listen to nonetheless. The recording wasn't quite as clean-sounding as later albums, so if you're new to the group, I might recommend starting with "Fool For The City" and working back from there. This was Foghat's first album, and while they were still finding their footing here, they did an admirable job and got it right. A fine debut.

Foghat was one of the great blues/boogie bands of the early 1970s. Not really a southern rock band from England as an earlier reviewer referred to them, they WERE wildly popular in my native Birmingham, Alabama (a fact to which the band paid tribute in it's later song "Road Fever").

Anyway, this debut album is well worth buying by anyone who enjoys energetic, blues-influenced rock. Not quite as polished as some of their later works, I still think it was their best, capturing well the guitar/bass-driven sound that came across so well both in concert and on the car stereo.

The three covers are all better than the originals:
"I Just Want to Make Love to You" is much punchier than the Muddy Waters version (The guitar intro is terrific), "Mabelline" is even better than the great Chuck Berry version, and "Leavin' Again (Again)" tops the Savoy Brown original by a long shot.

Of the original material, the best is "Sara Lee", an under-appreciated classic, "A Hole to Hide In", and "Trouble, Trouble." The only really weak song is "Fool's Hall of Fame".

All-in-all I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys listening to uptempo classic rock with a blues influence.

As a devout Savoy Brown fan I had high expectations for Foghat's debut.
I still remember putting the record on my turntable and cranking up my air guitar when I heard the crunching chords of the Muddy Waters remake, I Just Want to Make Love to You. Rod Price (RIP) never rally got his due in the pantheon of British guitarist, but he was, indeed, a fine slide player.
And the late Lonesome Dave's blues howl, was unlike any other.
This LP was worth the purchase price for the classic, Sarah Lee alone.
Although it probably made many a blues purist cringe, for my money, Foghat's debut was their shining moment.

Wow! As a young teenager(back in '72) that was my reaction upon hearing "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" for the first time. I begged my Mom for the money to buy this album, and fortunately this time she gave in. She probably regretted it later(after hearing it blasting from my room at top volume day after day) but I became a lifelong fan. I found other tracks on it I liked even better--"Sarah Lee"(still one of my favorite Foghat songs of all time), "Highway Killin' Me" and "Gotta Get to Know You". In fact I don't think there's a bad track on this album. I'm a guitar player and Rod Price became one of my heroes(RIP Rod--and Lonesome Dave too). Any true Foghat fan and any lover of high energy rock should check this one out.

Foghat's first and best. I wore this one out as a kid. Every song is a winner. 'Hole To Hide In' is my personal favorite.

"I Just Want To Make Love To You" almost makes this worth having by itself. Never really cared for "Leavin' Again(Again), which has a definite Dave Edmonds feel to it, but the rest are pretty good. Overall this album seems a little disjointed compared to the next three albums they would do, but figured that they had not yet hit their stride after leaving Savoy Brown. Rod Price is definitely not as strong as he would be on the future albums, but you care hear him developing his nitch within the group. Wish these were remastered as most of the early CD's are missing the "boom" that takes you on that Free Ride that makes you want to crank it up.

Foghat's first album showed that a southern-rock band doesn't have to come from the southern U.S. This is a completely solid debut album that pretty much rocks out the whole way through, from originals like "Trouble, Trouble" and "Sarah Lee" to covers of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "Maybelline." Gets a bit tedious towards the end, but overall, a fine rock'n'roll record.

I've had it on vinyl for years and years, got it from a friend's dad back in high school and didn't think much of it then. Over time, as I learned to appreciate music and have fun with it (in all kinds of ways), this album just soars. It's rough, yeah it's a British band playing American type songs, but it's the familiarity of the songs that makes it work. It has that thick emotional rock-soul that gets too overlooked these days. I've listened to it many times, on the original vinyl, and it always satifies any late night gathering I happen to have. Seriously, check it out, this is not just the "Slow Ride" band. Top drawer!! Yeah!!!

I bought this to enjoy since all I had previously were my original LP and best of cassettes I dubbed. It's one of the greatest Rock albums ever without one filler track on it.