The first thing I thought when “Born For The Road” launched out of the DVD player I’m using to spin this CD was “Savoy Brown look out.” And as Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band references “bluezheimer’s” for those of us forgetful in our old age, it took reading the liner notes in the gorgeous eight panel fold-out that holds Last Train Home to remind me that Roger Earl and Lonesome Dave Peverett were in Savoy Brown.
Now I don’t want to go out on a limb and call this the great lost album that Kim Simmonds never made but…boy, is it a great addition to the Savoy Brown/Foghat legacy, all tracks going down smooth and with an energy that many younger artists would have a tough time a musterin’.
The title “Needle & Spoon” might seem a bit in-your-face a la Neil Young’s “Needle and The Damage Done”, but when you hear the Cream-influenced lick of blues-gone-rock back to blues again, it sets the table nicely. “So Many Roads, So Many Trains” would’ve been perfect for the Bob Tench/Max Middleton version of the Jeff Beck Group while the title track is a mixture of traditional Foghat that we know and love with everything that makes Jack Bruce so special. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AMG/Rovi wrote of this disc “Foghat don’t reinvent these songs, but they do play with a considerable amount of energy and a precision that only a veteran touring band could have.”
I agree, but will take it a step further, I think Foghat has gone totally back to its roots and have come up with something that is stylish and inviting. Performing this album in its entirety, in concert on tour with Savoy Brown would be the frosting on the cake for the many people who appreciate both outfits.
Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He was a film critic for Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com and produces and hosts Visual Radio. Visual Radio is a fifteen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie, Margaret Cho, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere, Marty Balin, Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.
