Wearing 'the hat' again: Fool for the City 50th Anniversary Edition

Introduced to ‘the hat’ as I was back in junior high school, via my friend Don, I was pretty much a fan of Foghat, drummer Roger Earl, vocalist and guitarist Lonesome Dave Peverett, bassist Tony Stevens and guitarist Rod Price, from the jump. Their UK boogie-blues rockin’ so infectious, by the time the band hit it’ commercial stride with their fifth album, 1975’s Fool for the City, they were lock, set and bound for world-wide boogying and my adoration.

(Which is, let’s face it, what they were most hoping for).

Fool for the City spawned its title track FM-staple, plus the mega hit “Slow Ride.” At this point the band had lost bass player Stevens who producer of the record Nick Jameson steps in for here, and on this Fool for the City 50^th Anniversary Edition he’s also remastered the original album.

Yes, we have heard ‘Slow Ride” a million times, but one is still amazed at Peverett’s lead vocal on the tune, Jameson’s popping bass, Roger Earl’s tight drumming and slide work that only Rod “The Bottle” could deliver. Further on across the eight here, the band offers up their cover of “Terraplane Blues,” Price possibly at his all-time best slide work on Fool, and the album’s ending song, the ballad “Take It Or Leave It,” features Jameson on the keys, Price single high-flying sustained notes, and Peverett’s wailing at the end lifting the tune from just a MOR tread.

Another great album cut!

Jameson also played bass on, recorded and then mixed and mastered songs from two shows the band played in November 1975 at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom, featured as the second piece of this collection…and the real treat.

“Slow Ride,” and “I Just Want To Make Love To You,” come as a one-two punch midway of the set, the crowd pretty much going crazy, and the band cover’s “Maybellene,” to end the proceedings. The last ‘track’ of this section features Roger Earl and Nick Jameson discussing the making of “Slow Ride” and the Fool for the City sessions.

Foghat, led presently by Roger Earl, the only surviving OG member, released Sonic Mojo two years ago and enjoyed it hitting #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, and additionally seeing it stay in the Top 10 for 34 weeks. This Fool for the City 50th Anniversary set reminds us of what the band once was, while you can still enjoy them for what they are.

So, ‘the hat’wears on.