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1979 The Next 100 Songs #1. The Wait - The Pretenders (1 Viewer)

Pip's Invitation said:
A lot of rock critics hated 15-minute guitar solos too. I think it was more of them being perceived as a laid-back California band. 
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That's just it, though. The critics - back then -  loved most of those CA artists, They slobbered all over Joni's rambling noodle-songs way past the point where they made any sense. Jann Wenner and his merry band of idiots (who were the only game in town and, unfortunately, wrote way too much of what is still considered orthodox rock history) wanted Woodstock to never end, but on their own terms. Artists who could churn out hit singles were anathema to that bunch.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
That's just it, though. The critics - back then -  loved most of those CA artists, They slobbered all over Joni's rambling noodle-songs way past the point where they made any sense. Jann Wenner and his merry band of idiots (who were the only game in town and, unfortunately, wrote way too much of what is still considered orthodox rock history) wanted Woodstock to never end, but on their own terms. Artists who could churn out hit singles were anathema to that bunch.
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preach it brother ...

 
 Van explained that it is actually about the Voice of America that he listened to when he was a kid. "It's actually about Europe, because that's where the station was. It came out of Frankfurt, and the first time I ever heard Ray Charles was on the Voice of America. We tried to get a tape recording of the Voice of America to put on the front of that track, but it didn't work out. I didn't get it by the time the album was due to be mixed. But I think it would have made it a lot clearer if the signature thing was on the front of it. It doesn't click for a lot of people."

In the song Morrison refers to his first solo hit single "Brown Eyed Girl", using the lyrics "Won't you play that song again for me, about my lover, my lover in the grass".

Love this song, used to play it a lot.

Released October 1978

 
Binky The Doormat your favorite group is up. 

Not just one talk box but two guitars trading floors with the talk box in this song gives it an interesting sound.  The work of Don Felder and by Joe Walsh who has got a nice story crediting the country star who created the sound, Joe Walsh:   

"There's a Country singer from Nashville named Dottie West who's a longtime friend of mine, and her husband is a pedal steel guitar player named Bill West, who actually came up with the concept of the talkbox, but never really got the credit for it. There was a record which I think was called 'Forever' by Pete Drake in the late '50s, and they used it on that and various people used it. I met Bill and Dottie in Nashville, and Bill showed me this talkbox and gave me a prototype that he had, which I used for 'Rocky Mountain Way', and Don Felder and I pursued that in the Eagles and worked out some double guitar parts, and it turned into a song, which was 'Those Shoes,' and that's actually both of us playing through talkboxes, which hadn't really been done. It's an old idea, but that was a new innovation."

The song is about men who prey on lonely females.  I used to play this one a lot.

Released September 24, 1979

 
Bracie Smathers said:
Binky The Doormat your favorite group is up. 

Not just one talk box but two guitars trading floors with the talk box in this song gives it an interesting sound.  The work of Don Felder and by Joe Walsh who has got a nice story crediting the country star who created the sound, Joe Walsh:   

"There's a Country singer from Nashville named Dottie West who's a longtime friend of mine, and her husband is a pedal steel guitar player named Bill West, who actually came up with the concept of the talkbox, but never really got the credit for it. There was a record which I think was called 'Forever' by Pete Drake in the late '50s, and they used it on that and various people used it. I met Bill and Dottie in Nashville, and Bill showed me this talkbox and gave me a prototype that he had, which I used for 'Rocky Mountain Way', and Don Felder and I pursued that in the Eagles and worked out some double guitar parts, and it turned into a song, which was 'Those Shoes,' and that's actually both of us playing through talkboxes, which hadn't really been done. It's an old idea, but that was a new innovation."

The song is about men who prey on lonely females.  I used to play this one a lot.

Released September 24, 1979
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Great story. Probably better than the song though imo.

 
Leroy Hoard said:
Great story. Probably better than the song though imo.
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You and Binky need to get a room.  I LOVE this tune and in the most erudite way I say to you good sir, neaner-neaner-neaner.  Consider yourself thoroughly chastised.  

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One of many great quotes from the Movie - The Sweet Smell of Success

Lt. Harry Kello: Come back, Sidney... I wanna chastise you...

 
Bracie Smathers said:
You and Binky need to get a room.  I LOVE this tune and in the most erudite way I say to you good sir, neaner-neaner-neaner.  Consider yourself thoroughly chastised.  

-----------------------------------------------

One of many great quotes from the Movie - The Sweet Smell of Success

Lt. Harry Kello: Come back, Sidney... I wanna chastise you...
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It’s a good song but not the best work by the Eagles.   I like the sound.   It’s a little darker than most of their tunes.   It doesn’t really go anywhere though.   

 
DocHolliday said:
It’s a good song but not the best work by the Eagles.   I like the sound.   It’s a little darker than most of their tunes.   It doesn’t really go anywhere though.   
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It is really a Walsh guitar tune where he is using a jazz concept of trading floors with the unique use of the talk-box.  

It is nothing like other Eagle tunes, its a stand-alone.  A one-off.  

It goes into territories no other tune had gone before IMHO.  

 
Bracie Smathers said:
Binky The Doormat your favorite group is up. 

Not just one talk box but two guitars trading floors with the talk box in this song gives it an interesting sound.  The work of Don Felder and by Joe Walsh who has got a nice story crediting the country star who created the sound, Joe Walsh:   

"There's a Country singer from Nashville named Dottie West who's a longtime friend of mine, and her husband is a pedal steel guitar player named Bill West, who actually came up with the concept of the talkbox, but never really got the credit for it. There was a record which I think was called 'Forever' by Pete Drake in the late '50s, and they used it on that and various people used it. I met Bill and Dottie in Nashville, and Bill showed me this talkbox and gave me a prototype that he had, which I used for 'Rocky Mountain Way', and Don Felder and I pursued that in the Eagles and worked out some double guitar parts, and it turned into a song, which was 'Those Shoes,' and that's actually both of us playing through talkboxes, which hadn't really been done. It's an old idea, but that was a new innovation."

The song is about men who prey on lonely females.  I used to play this one a lot.

Released September 24, 1979
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I like three songs on The Long Run: This, the title track and In the City.

The rest of it is hot f-----g garbage. 

 
As mentioned this was a different iteration of the Dobbies, the first album made without Tom Johnston as a full-fledged member of the band, and would be the last to include members Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and John Hartman.  

I always liked this funky tune with Patrick Simmons singing the lead.

Released on December 1, 1978

And when I get too high
You are there to cool me down
So fine, someone to turn to
Keepin' my feet on the ground

 
Wow!  Just learned what this song is about a minute ago while researching.  Its about Kenny's dad who had a serious heart condition.

Michael McDonald and Loggins got together to write tunes together and McDonald sings backup on this one.  They combined to write this after Kenny's father had a serious heart problem and didn't' know what to do about it. So they came up with this song about a man who is suffering terrible pain, looks to find his miracle and needs to "stand up and fight."

Kenny's dad survived four more years and Kenny got the Grammy for this the following year.  

I've always loved this tune, I like even more now.

Released October 1979

Kenny Loggins:

I'd categorize under 'must-read' >>>  "The best musical statements are usually the ones that aren't calculated and the ones that come out in the largest chunks. Michael McDonald and I must have written 'This Is It' four times. The first three times it was a love song, 'Baby I this, baby I that…,' and we both said, 'Eh! This is boring. This song is not working as a love song.'
Then I had a fight with my dad when he was going into the hospital because he gave me the feeling that he was ready to check out. He'd given up, he wasn't thinking in terms of the future, and I was so pissed at him. It was real emotional. That afternoon, I was meeting with Michael to work on new tunes and I walked in and said, 'Man, I got it. It's "This Is It".' And Michael said, 'This is it?' I said, 'Trust me. This is it.' But that one took a while.
And then one review said it was your average boy-girl song and the writer didn't understand why people were making such a big deal out of it. The fact of the matter was, he didn't understand the song and it didn't move him because he wasn't in a situation to be moved. But immediately after that, I got a letter from a girl who had just recently gotten out of the hospital from a life-and-death situation and that was her anthem. She was holding onto it. That means so much more to me. She hadn't read the press about my father or anything. All she knew was that the song was on the nose for her, exactly what Michael and I intended. That makes you feel like you're doing something important."

 
Kenny gets a lot sheet ...maybe some it earned.  I always liked his stuff ...it's the kind of music I wanted to listen to when I relaxing or studying. 

Had a girlfriend that got instantly friendly at hearing him (think Kramer and Mary Hart) and actually bought me the "Celebrate Me Home" cassette.  Was a pretty clear signal.  She would be by the pool at the country club I worked at and when it Kenny would come on over the loud speakers more than once she took me in the very back of the golf club storage area to get dirty.  

So yeah, I like Kenny.

 
Binky The Doormat said:
Kenny gets a lot sheet ...maybe some it earned.  I always liked his stuff ...it's the kind of music I wanted to listen to when I relaxing or studying. 

Had a girlfriend that got instantly friendly at hearing him (think Kramer and Mary Hart) and actually bought me the "Celebrate Me Home" cassette.  Was a pretty clear signal.  She would be by the pool at the country club I worked at and when it Kenny would come on over the loud speakers more than once she took me in the very back of the golf club storage area to get dirty.  

So yeah, I like Kenny.
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I like the first four Loggins and Messina albums (minus a few schlockier things from Kenny). From what I've heard, I like '70s Kenny solo better than '80s Kenny solo, but I don't know much aside from the hits. 

 
DocHolliday said:
It’s a good song but not the best work by the Eagles.   I like the sound.   It’s a little darker than most of their tunes.   It doesn’t really go anywhere though.   
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Agree, it is good, and I don't mind hearing it. But top 200 for late 78/79? Not to me. Heck, IMO there are 4 better songs on the Long Run album that haven't been named yet by Tim or Bracie.

 
Originally written by The Knack's lead singer Doug Fieger back in 1972 when he made the first of four demos attempting to land a recording contract.  By the time Fieger had gotten his record deal and was working with producer Mike Chapman (who produced Ballroom Blitz and Mickey among others) Doug was reluctant to do this track but Mike convinced him and this time it clicked.  

Fieger: "All we were doing in songs like the naughty 'Good Girls Don't' was reflecting the way 14-year-old boys feel. And there's a little 14-year-old boy in all of us. I think that's why the record did so well."

The adolescent dream song from the album that Kurt Cobain put in his top 50.

Released August 1979

She's your adolescent dream,
Schoolboy stuff, a sticky sweet romance.

EDIT:  The above 'official' version is the 'clean' version.  

Here is a link to the 'dirty' version 😈 >>> Good Girls Don't - The Knack (non-sanitized version)

 
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Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, and Elvis Costello hung out in London together.  This was written by Costello and given to Edmunds who tweaked some lines and Nick helped a bit as well.  Edmunds explains:  "Elvis came to the studio one day, and he said, 'I've got a song for you.' And he gave me a cassette. Now, it wasn't very good - it was just him on a guitar, and he was rushing through it at a furious pace. At first I couldn't see it.

And also there was some lines needed, because the verses weren't symmetrical. He had a verse with four lines in and then a verse with three lines in, so Nick and I made up some lyrics and popped them in. Then I threw the whole thing right down, got a groove going on it, and put the record together with some acoustic guitar punctuation like Don Everly used to do on the Everly Brothers early records. The record came together and I was quite proud of that."

You might think Elvis wouldn't mind Dave changing things around, think again. "I'm not sure Elvis liked it," Edmunds told us regarding his version. "He's quite an intense person and he's quick to point out things that he doesn't like. [Laughs] I remember playing it to him on the tour bus in America, and he didn't say much. It sounded great to me, and it got him a Top 5 record, so I'm sure he's not that upset about it, but I would have been delighted if someone had done a turnaround on a song I'd quickly jotted out and came up with a hit single." 

Costello would later release his >> version << which didn't do as well as Edmunds version heard here.

Released 25 May 1979

 
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Bracie Smathers said:
Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, and Elvis Costello hung out in London together.  This was written by Costello and given to Edmunds who tweaked some lines and Nick helped a bit as well.  Edmunds explains:  "Elvis came to the studio one day, and he said, 'I've got a song for you.' And he gave me a cassette. Now, it wasn't very good - it was just him on a guitar, and he was rushing through it at a furious pace. At first I couldn't see it.

And also there was some lines needed, because the verses weren't symmetrical. He had a verse with four lines in and then a verse with three lines in, so Nick and I made up some lyrics and popped them in. Then I threw the whole thing right down, got a groove going on it, and put the record together with some acoustic guitar punctuation like Don Everly used to do on the Everly Brothers early records. The record came together and I was quite proud of that."

You might think Elvis wouldn't mind Dave changing things around, think again. "I'm not sure Elvis liked it," Edmunds told us regarding his version. "He's quite an intense person and he's quick to point out things that he doesn't like. [Laughs] I remember playing it to him on the tour bus in America, and he didn't say much. It sounded great to me, and it got him a Top 5 record, so I'm sure he's not that upset about it, but I would have been delighted if someone had done a turnaround on a song I'd quickly jotted out and came up with a hit single." 

Costello would later release his >> version << which didn't do as well as Edmunds version heard here.

Released 25 May 1979
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Awesome song , I like  Edmunds version a lot better than ECs .Cool seeing Rockpile in the video

 
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Their's crime in the big city and some of it is done by the Cops.  Sting shamelessly stole and was pleased with his efforts.  

Sting wrote the lyrics while he was in his previous band, Last Exit, then "grafted them shamelessly onto the chords from Bob Marley's 'No Woman No Cry,'" Sting. "This kind of musical juxtaposition - the lilting rhythm of the verses separated by monolithic slabs of straight rock and roll - pleased the hell out of me. That we could achieve it effortlessly just added to the irony of a song about misery being sung so joyously."

If that weren't bad enough he 'accidentally' took advantage of a BBC news presenter as some listeners didn't hear the words "So Lonely," and thought Sting was singing "Sue Lawley," the name of a popular BBC TV presenter. "It was played on national television as an homage to Sue, but we didn't complain. Blessings are often unexpected," Sting recalled.

Released 3 November 1978

Now no one's knocked upon my door
For a thousand years or more
All made up and nowhere to go
Welcome to this one man show

 
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Chrissie wrote this song about a prostitute who tells her son what she does for a living.   James Honeyman-Scott's lead guitar playing had been praised by critics as sounding like the Byrds at times and Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine also praised how Honeyman-Scott's "unconventional" playing adds additional dimensions'.   

Hynde first met bassist Pete Farndon who he knew from the farming community of Hereford.  Drummer Martin Chambers was the last to join.  Hynde would begin sleeping with Farndon but end it and start a relationship with Ray Davies of the Kinks which began a deadly downfall of the two 'farmboys' from Hereford that Hynde derisively called them.  Honeyman-Scott really did sell vegetables from his farm on the side of the road.  Farndon had to instruct James how to play even after the band had formed so some of the sounds that he created and that critics praised him for we 'serendipitous mistakes' that he got 'credit' for.

A good tune with the cheesiest video that only timschochet would love.

Released June 1979

 
👆That was a tired-sloppy write-up.☝️

The point was to 'attempt' to explain the formation of the Pretenders and that begins with Chrissie Hynde.

 “It’s not easy to be in her position,” he says, earnestly affectionate. “You know— locked up with four or five guys who are talkin’ about #### and ### all the time. On the road, you’ve got nothing that most women would want. Chris isn’t like most women.” 

--- Pete Farndon from their first American tour in 1980 ---

Hynde learned classic guitar as a teen.  When she attended Kent State (art major) she was in a band with members who would go on to form Devo.  At Kent State she'd hang with a guy who would go onto fame, Joe Walsh.  She dropped out after the Kent State shootings.

Surviving her teen years (see previous post about her gang-rape by a group of Hells Angels) by getting away but seemed to drift after Kent State.  She moved about, Canada, Mexico, before settling in to London in 1973 where she got a job in an architectural firm before landing a gig as a writer for the British rock tabloid New Musical Express (NME) where she wrote a scathing review of a Neil Diamond album. “I just took the piss out of it,” Chrissie says, lapsing into British slang. “I was very sarcastic. I said, ‘This song sounds like an ad for an American small car.’ I just completely demolished this guy, you know?  They got letters, lots and lots of outrage letters.  Her editor loved it and gave her more assignments.  "....they’d print all this, you know? For some reason they went for it. And here I was, a zero hillbilly from Ohio.” 

...after a year Chrissie lost interest in her budding journalistic career. She worked for a few weeks in a strange little clothing store in the King’s Road run by Malcolm McLaren, the soon-to-be Svengali of punk. Then, after a disastrous period trying to start a rock band in France, she returned in 1975 to Cleveland.

(Chrissie hints as her kidnapping and repeated 2nd rape)

“I had a terrible time,” she says. “I was hitchhiking around, and I’d forgotten how dangerous it was. I had a few bad experiences, but the way I look at it now is, for every sort of act of sodomy I was forced to perform, I’m gettin’ paid 10,000 pounds now.” She laughs bitterly. “That’s how I try to look at it, anyway.”

She somehow kept going and returned to London where she had another failed attempt at a band in France before getting back to London where she bounced around a few more bands before finally she met Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, who tossed her a life preserver In 1978, when he suggested she link up with the man who would become the Pretenders’ first drummer, not Chambers, a guy named Gas Wild who would introduce her to Farndon who would bring in Honeyman-Scott.  

She found herself and the sound she had been searching for.  It was primarily Farndon and her forceful rhythms that drove the sound.  Honeyman-Scott got real-good real-fast. 

Hynde survived and wasn't the fresh-faced ingenue from a few years earlier.   "I didn’t have his sort of fresh innocence. I wasn’t like the young punk who had just gotten out of school.”

The Pretenders had arrived.

 
"The name was meant to be a joke. We took the name simply because the record companies wouldn't listen to any bands they thought were rock & roll. I mean, they wanted sure-fire teen bands, pre-teen bands. We couldn't get anybody down to hear us to get a record deal, so we called ourselves The Babys. We thought we'd keep the name just for two weeks. Then, the word got around in London that there was a band playing rock & roll called The Babys and it seemed so off the wall, so completely crazy, that it was worth taking a shot with. It really appealed to everyone's sense of humour." --- John Waite 

When Hynde first was kicking around London she may have seen the original Babys who formed in 1974 and played a lot of small London clubs.  The name may put some off but it doesn't matter, they had a couple of top hits and this may be their best.

Released January 1979

 
The Title Track that was nominated for song of the year but it lost to another Doobie tune 'What A Fool Believes'.  A different sound as it incorporates a lot of keyboard work, the light keyboard work at the start is awesome.  Both McDonald's 'soulful' vocals and keyboard have been widely praised by the critics on this one.  

Released December 1, 1978

 
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Bracie Smathers said:
The Title Track that was nominated for song of the year but it lost to another Doobie tune 'What A Fool Believes'.  A different sound as it incorporates a lot of keyboard work, the light keyboard work at the start is awesome.  Both McDonald's 'soulful' vocals and keyboard have been widely praised by the critics on this one.  

Released December 1, 1978
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Meek Mill and Drake agree. They lifted that keyboard for a smash hit in 2012.

Preach.

 
Bracie Smathers said:
"The name was meant to be a joke. We took the name simply because the record companies wouldn't listen to any bands they thought were rock & roll. I mean, they wanted sure-fire teen bands, pre-teen bands. We couldn't get anybody down to hear us to get a record deal, so we called ourselves The Babys. We thought we'd keep the name just for two weeks. Then, the word got around in London that there was a band playing rock & roll called The Babys and it seemed so off the wall, so completely crazy, that it was worth taking a shot with. It really appealed to everyone's sense of humour." --- John Waite 

When Hynde first was kicking around London she may have seen the original Babys who formed in 1974 and played a lot of small London clubs.  The name may put some off but it doesn't matter, they had a couple of top hits and this may be their best.

Released January 1979
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Love this song. Might be a top 10 roller skating rink tune.

 
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 A Bo Diddley cover tune.  'Who do you' is a play on the word "Hoodoo," which is a folk religion similar to Voodoo and also popular in the American South. Many blues musicians mentioned Hoodoo in their songs and like Diddley, conjured up images of the skulls, snakes and graveyards.

Diddley was know for the distinctive guitar riff he used in this song, which became known as "The Bo Diddley Beat" which George put into his version of the tune.  In a gesture to Diddley Thorogood had Bo appear in the video to his hit 'Bad To The Bone'.  

I've heard many renditions of this tune and it far surpasses them all even the original with its driving pounding beat along with some nasty slide guitar and George's razor gargling hound dog vocals.  Luv it.

Released November 1978

Snakeskin shoes baby put 'em on your feet

Got the good time music with a Bo Diddley beat

 
Uruk-Hai said:
Rock critics in the 70s HATED the Doobies, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. They were diverse stylistically (even within single versions of the band), their records sounded great, and they were talented. Maybe because they didn't have 15 minute guitar solos?
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I really like the Doobies, and their music all through the many stylistic changes (with a predilection for pre-'76 stuff). But a part of the reason that the band wasn't the critics' favorite perhaps was their fluidity -- from Hell's Angels-attracting harder rock to more MoTown R&B rock and soul to even some avant-garde rock.

They had a rotating membership (in studio and out) supplemented by studio musicians, members from other bands like Steely Dan, Little Feat, Moby Grape, etc. A band's style can and should evolve, but the Doobie brothers to me were always a mix of about 3 different bands. All of the music was great, it was just hard to pin down the band's identity at times (listen to Without You then What A Fool Believes back to back -- you'll know what I'm talking about).

 
Bracie Smathers said:
"The name was meant to be a joke. We took the name simply because the record companies wouldn't listen to any bands they thought were rock & roll. I mean, they wanted sure-fire teen bands, pre-teen bands. We couldn't get anybody down to hear us to get a record deal, so we called ourselves The Babys. We thought we'd keep the name just for two weeks. Then, the word got around in London that there was a band playing rock & roll called The Babys and it seemed so off the wall, so completely crazy, that it was worth taking a shot with. It really appealed to everyone's sense of humour." --- John Waite 

When Hynde first was kicking around London she may have seen the original Babys who formed in 1974 and played a lot of small London clubs.  The name may put some off but it doesn't matter, they had a couple of top hits and this may be their best.

Released January 1979
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Doobie Brothers' name was supposed to be a joke as well and it just stuck.

Wonder how many times that's happened - a band uses a joke name for a set of gigs, some demos, for what they believe is an early look at the band they intend to become, etc. and the songs they record and release start to gain a following to the point that it's too late to change and the joke stuck.

 
I appreciate what Thorogood was doing, particularly at the time where blues wasn't as direct an influence on most pop/rock artists as it had been. But I could never get into him. Hearing him just made me want to go back and hear the original blues guys do it instead. Like, well, this - (ironically this version was recorded in '77 I think, but still).

 
Stompin' Tom Connors said:
Uruk-Hai said:
Rock critics in the 70s HATED the Doobies, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. They were diverse stylistically (even within single versions of the band), their records sounded great, and they were talented. Maybe because they didn't have 15 minute guitar solos?
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I really like the Doobies, and their music all through the many stylistic changes (with a predilection for pre-'76 stuff). But a part of the reason that the band wasn't the critics' favorite perhaps was their fluidity -- from Hell's Angels-attracting harder rock to more MoTown R&B rock and soul to even some avant-garde rock.

They had a rotating membership (in studio and out) supplemented by studio musicians, members from other bands like Steely Dan, Little Feat, Moby Grape, etc. A band's style can and should evolve, but the Doobie brothers to me were always a mix of about 3 different bands. All of the music was great, it was just hard to pin down the band's identity at times (listen to Without You then What A Fool Believes back to back -- you'll know what I'm talking about).
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I had a room mate who hated the late 70s version of the Doobies and it was because he liked the original so he took it out on Michael McDonald.  I think McDonald got a lot of crap that he didn't deserve but his vocals are even more amazing now that I am re-listening to a lot of his stuff.  The songs that he and Kenny Loggins came up with two different versions, his were the best.  

 
Gr00vus said:
I appreciate what Thorogood was doing, particularly at the time where blues wasn't as direct an influence on most pop/rock artists as it had been. But I could never get into him. Hearing him just made me want to go back and hear the original blues guys do it instead. Like, well, this - (ironically this version was recorded in '77 I think, but still).
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What is up with all of this George Thorogood bashing?  >>>  Reaction

 
Bracie Smathers said:
THAT is the thing.  He only did covers up until he did 'Bad To The Bone' which I hated so I love his covers.
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Bad to the Bone is basically a cover also (of the song I linked in my previous post). I mean, the Blues does sort of have a strong template to begin with, so there's not a whole lot of room to be definitive about who's covering who already, but George was not super original in terms of his borrowing. He provided his own solos, and a thin veneer of late 70's/early 80's production quality/sound.

 
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Gr00vus said:
Sorry, not intending to bash. I don't think he's terrible or anything like that. He's a really good derivative work.
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By those standards you can extend that same logic to the Rolling Stones.

No question that Thorogood is very steeply invested in the Muddy Waters/Ellmore James/Robert Johnson/Bo Diddley Chicago Blues sound. And yes, he does plenty of covers -- from all styles of blues (Who Do You Love) to country (Move it On Over). 

Thorogood also didn't exactly age well by commercial music standards -- he is a great musician but stays in one lane, which was great in the 80s as his high energy crunchy boogie blues tracked well with the style of music then. But George is more of a purist and has really stuck to the music and style that he does so well so I think he gets stale in sound and today's taste (unfortunately). 

What I think Thorogood did was create a signature slide style that is unique and quite different from both the blues legends that came before him and what bands like The Darknesss and Tom Morello did after. He isn't Ry Cooder or Blind Willie Johnson. He is far from the pinnacle of slide masters (I put Duane Allman at the top with guys like Haynes and Trucks right there with him).

But George has his own expressions and sounds uniquely his own, even for his covers, that make him more than just a derivative cover musician. He tells a story in his song as well as a Springsteen or Dylan, and probably a little more accessible too, and far more bad-@$$ery thrown in there as well.

TL;DR -- I get where you are coming from by saying Thorogood is derivative. He isn't ever going to be on the same level as the Beatles, but he is so much more than just a simple "cover guy."

 
Gr00vus said:
Bad to the Bone is basically a cover also (of the song I linked in my previous post). I mean, the Blues does sort of have a strong template to begin with, so there's not a whole lot of room to be definitive about who's covering who to begin with, but George was not super original in terms of his borrowing. He provided his own solos, and a thin veneer of late 70's/early 80's production quality.
Click to expand...
Howlin Wolf claimed he stole it and others say he stole riffs from 'Mannish Boy' and others said it was Diddley's 'I Am A Man'.  I don't think we're talking about super sophisticated cord structuring with the blues and George would go out of his way to credit someone so if he stole it wasn't intentional.

I do vividly recall how he got bashed for 'only doing covers' he only does covers, blah blah blah.  Then he put out 'Bad To The Bone' and the ones who were critical faded but I don't think the ones who liked his earlier covers were thrilled.

 
Gr00vus said:
Bad to the Bone is basically a cover also (of the song I linked in my previous post). I mean, the Blues does sort of have a strong template to begin with, so there's not a whole lot of room to be definitive about who's covering who already, but George was not super original in terms of his borrowing. He provided his own solos, and a thin veneer of late 70's/early 80's production quality/sound.
Click to expand...
I don't have issue with anything you said, nor is any of it particularly wrong.

That said, aside from the overall production quality of his albums, I don't think it's just a whitewashed veneer over the existing songs, but him adding a sound and phrasing truly his own.

I can immediately pick up Thorogood's distinctive sound and tone on that classic hollow-body Gibson ES-125 (with the P-90 Soapbar pickups) played through a Fuzz-Face. He is a fantastic finger picker with a distinctive stripped down sound that is truly unique.

 
Stompin' Tom Connors said:
I don't have issue with anything you said, nor is any of it particularly wrong.

That said, aside from the overall production quality of his albums, I don't think it's just a whitewashed veneer over the existing songs, but him adding a sound and phrasing truly his own.

I can immediately pick up Thorogood's distinctive sound and tone on that classic hollow-body Gibson ES-125 (with the P-90 Soapbar pickups) played through a Fuzz-Face. He is a fantastic finger picker with a distinctive stripped down sound that is truly unique.
Click to expand...
That's what I was getting at when I wrote he provided his own solos and an updated sound. His sound is distinctive for sure.

 
Was never a big Thorogood fan - that said, always got a kick out of the fact that in his early days, he wouldn’t tour during baseball season. Guy is a huge baseball guy - played some semi-pro ball.

 
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