I’ve been asked by Wavey Dave Howarth to participate in a 20 day music challenge about LPs that influenced my musical tastes enduringly.
One album per day for 20 days – and I’m behind already, of course, so let’s catch up…
Day 5 – George Thorogood & the Destroyers – Maverick
Following on from Day 4’s country-tinged rock n’ roll a la Jason & the Scorchers, around the same time this great album dropped and it’s a doozy. Of course, George Thorogood’s blues-based boogie-woogie rock n’ roll is to the fore, of course, and there’s a little country influence as on all his albums.
Gear Jammer is the in-yer-fkn-face opener – but I Drink Alone was the big hit. “Yeah, the other night I laid sleeping, and I woke from a terrible dream – so I caught up my pal Jack Daniel’s and his partner Jimmy Beam, and we drank alone, yeah”
Willie & the Hand Jive is great fun, Long Gone and Dixie Fried keep the party crankin’, and Crawlin’ King Snake turns the blues up. Thorogood’s take on Memphis Tennessee does true justice to Chuck Berry’s original. Then there’s the ballad Woman With The Blues, Go Go Go and closer The Ballad of Maverick – a fantastic pure country take on the James Garner TV show theme.
