Bands such as Foghat do not just grow on trees.  They are that rare commodity, that rare combination of great talent and pure genius that so many strive to reach and so very few do. With 7 gold records and one platinum and one double platinum under their belts, they have definitely secured and cemented their proverbial place in Rock-N-Roll history.  I can only guess as to why the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame hasn’t inducted them yet, and that is way past due.  Foghat Live which was released in 1977 was their double platinum effort, and it was just a taste of greatness to come.

2007 saw the release of Foghat Live II.  It surpassed their first live album in all ways, and exceeded all expectations for what a live album should be and lived up to the reputation of this great band.  February 2009 saw the release of Foghat’s newest release ‘Live At The Blues Warehouse’.  When I first received the CD I had only one thought, “How could they possibly go above and beyond the greatness they have already achieved???”  The answer is not only did they go above and beyond, BUT IN SPADES!!!  This album is different in that it was recorded in the studio at the radio show ‘The Long Island Blues Warehouse’ in New York, and it was all done live, no retakes, no overdubs, fixes or anything, just raw, pure unadulterated Foghat at their finest!!!  The album has 8 live tracks and a little bonus section, of the interviews from the radio show, which feature the entire band.  You get to know who each is. 

Roger Earl, the drummer extraordinaire who founded Foghat with “Lonesome” Dave Peverett, and who also played in the Savoy Brown Blues Band.  Craig Macgregor, top notch bass player who has played with Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop, Johnny Winter, Leslie West, Rick Derringer and The Memphis Stax Musicians, and toured with  Aerosmith, Beach Boys, Blue Oyster Cult, BTO, Heart, J. Geils Band, Journey, Kansas, Lynard Skynard, Molly Hatchet, Ted Nugent, Outlaws, Joe Perry Project, Queen, REO Speedwagon, Rush, Bob Seger, Styx, Sweet, Van Halen, Johnny Winter, Whitford St. Holmes, ZZ Top, among others. Bryan Bassett, slide guitarist extraordinaire who has played with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Average White Band, The Commodores, Earth, Wind and Fire, The Isley Brothers, George Benson, Chuck Mangione, Herbie Mann, Santana, Journey, Brother's Johnson, Chaka Kahn and Rufus, Natalie Cole, Lou Rawls, Graham Central Station, The Ohio Players, Tower of Power, The New York Dolls, ABBA, George Clinton and the Funkadelics, Bootsy Collins, The O'Jay's, Peter Tosh, KC and the Sunshine Band, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Thackery, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, James Cotton, Bo Diddley, Rufus Thomas, JJ Cale, Koko Taylor, Delbert McClinton, Taj Mahal, Kansas, REO Speedwagon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, Blackfoot, The Outlaws, The Band, Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, Humble Pie, Steve Morse Band, Ten Years After, Ritchie Blackmore, Electric Light Orchestra, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Steppenwolf, Saxon, Mick Taylor, Marshall Tucker Band, Survivor, Loverboy, Triumph, Vixen, Firehouse, Paul Rodgers, Night Ranger, April Wine, Foreigner, Pat Travers, Atlanta Rhythym Section, America, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, The Georgia Satellites, Hank Williams Jr., Leon Russell, Mountain, Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar, Savoy Brown, Peter Frampton, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Little River Band, Benjamin Orr, Starship, Three Dog Night, Greg Allman, Head East, UFO, Iron Butterfly, The Toler Brothers, Jimmy Hall, Black Oak Arkansas, David Allen Coe, Donnie Iris, Great White, Gary Hooey, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Derek St. Holmes, Root Boy Slim, Kenny Neal, Lucky Peterson, Warrant, Slaughter, Grand Funk Railroad, Huey Lewis and the News, The Charlie Daniels Band, and more. Finally, there is Charlie Huhn, the lead vocalist and guitarist who has played with Ted Nugent, Deadringer ( featuring Neal Smith and Dennis Dunaway from the Alice Cooper Group ), Humble Pie, Victory, and Gary Moore.  With talent of this level, one would only expect great things, but still they surpass all expectations, and with total ease.

The song list includes “Fool For The City”, “Home In My Hand”, “Drivin’ Wheel”, “Mumbo Jumbo”, “My Babe”, “Chateau Lafitte ’59 Boogie”, “I Just Want To Make Love To You”, and ”Slow Ride”.  Would you expect anything less, and could you ask for anything more?  The answer is a proverbial “No”.  This album is so good in sound and quality, that you feel like you are right there, with them, in New York, or they are right there with you, in your home, car, etc.  They have fun thru out each and every performance, and you can tell it isn’t obligatory for them to be there.  The album has none of that “I don’t want to be here” uncomfortable, rushed feeling.  It is just the opposite, in fact they seem to be having so much fun that it just all comes naturally to them.  The songs are not the standard “let’s make them 30 to 60 seconds longer than the studio track”.  They start each song, and just keep playing until they are done.  Maybe this is the freedom you have in a setting like this? Maybe it was just magic that night ( which it definitely, and very audibly, was )? Or perhaps it is not just both of those things, but also evidence that these guys are true professionals, pure geniuses, and so very deserving of such great success.  

Foghat is one of those rare bands that sounds even better live.  It is even better when they are having fun, whether it is a sold out arena, or in a small radio studio.  Not only is this one of the greatest live albums to come out in the last decade ( also include Foghat Live II with this one ), this one is so great that if you can only get one album this year, by far, this is the one to buy.  This is my Editor’s pick for the year.  All I have left to say is, “Thank you guys for keeping up the great work and for bringing us music that never disappoints, but only exceeds what we could only hope and wish for, every single time!!!”

Foghat's Website

Foghat's Myspace

Foghat's Facebook Page