Foghat Live at MountainFest

Morgantown, WV

July 27, 2013

After leaving the underappreciated Savoy Brown in 1970, Roger Earl and “Lonesome” Dave Peverett formed Foghat. Becoming a household name throughout the seventies, the band has ridden out the waves and through it all (including the era where each man was leading his own version of Foghat, a reunion, and the sad passing of Peverett and Rod Price) they are still here rockin’ four decades later. The 2013 lineup consists of founder Roger Earl, bassist Craig MacGregor (who joined in the band’s seventies heyday), guitarist Bryan Bassett (Wild Cherry, Molly Hatchet), and vocalist/guitarist Charlie Huhn (Ted Nugent, Victory, Gary Moore, etc.).

I have seen many classic rock bands play over the last few years and, honestly, most of them are shadows of their former selves musically, no matter how enjoyable the show might be. So, after waiting in a literal downpour for an hour, Foghat appreciatively took the stage at the MountainFest biker rally. Sure I was excited to see any semblance of this classic band, but I honestly didn’t expect much.

From the opening notes, Foghat tore the place down! They came out sounding HUGE, with thick guitars, stadium drum tones, and bass that rattles your chest. This is the first “classic” band that I have seen that sounded so massive. While the band delivered blistering versions of “Fool For the City,” “Drivin’ Wheel,” and “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” among others, it was the in-between time that fascinated me the most. Huhn and Bassett are monster guitarists to say the least and between songs (and just as often within) they traded solos or licks. Bassett may just be the world’s premiere slide guitarist delivering faithful renditions of Foghat favorites while taking them to a whole new level musically. The band even took a moment to pay homage to Pittsburgh’s own Bassett’s former life by playing a piece of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funk Music!” The band played for about an hour and a half before leaving the stage briefly and then returning for the obviously omitted “Slow Ride,” the hit which made them a household name in Rock and Roll.

They band ripped through a set that included all their hits in the pouring rain, thanking the  fans over and over again (and there were about 1,500 of us) for standing in such crappy weather to get our Foghat on. While many will scoff at this idea, I absolutely believe that Foghat’s 2013 lineup is a hundred times more musically proficient and dynamic than their heyday counterpart and the folks in attendance seemed to back up my idea with sporadic chants of “That was better than ’79!” from throughout the crowd.

The point is, if Foghat comes to your town do not miss it! The band also have a new single out called “The Word of Rock and Roll” that features all the boogie-woogie and blues you can pack into a hit song. It is available at Itunes now!

Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition

RCA/Legacy Recordings

Legacy Recordings continues their celebration of the granddaddy of Rock and Roll with Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition. Releasing just before the anniversary of his death, this three CD set features the Memphis studio sessions from forty years ago. The recordings took place in July and December of 1973 and were largely released on the albums Raised on Rock/For Ol’ Time Sake (1973), Good Times (1974), and Promised Land (1975). Many of these takes have been released on reissues and special editions before but never in a cohesive collection such as this. In addition to the three CD deluxe set, a single disc highlight CD and a 180 gram vinyl edition will be released simultaneously.

Disc one of this set features both the R&B and Country sessions from July of 1973. It’s kind of odd to hear both styles back to back but it’s really striking to hear how much fun these guys seem to be having on these outtakes. I mean, it’s the little things, bits of laughter, heckling, etc. that really makes this feel special to me. It’s a reminder that these were real people, despite the fact that they changed the world with their music. Highlights for me on this disc include the old school, southern rhythm and blues of “Find Out What’s Happening (Takes 8-7)” and the authentic country “There’s a Honky Tonk Angel” that remind you that people like Red Sovine, George Jones, and Mel Tillis were certainly influenced by Presley’s take on the genre, and perhaps vice versa.

Disc two features the Pop recordings, which by today’s standards is hardly Pop, and the masters from July of 1973. While I enjoy disc one a lot, this one strikes me a bit more. Presley just sounds really amazing on this collection of songs and one can only speculate that it’s due to his involvement primarily in movies during the preceding decade. The highlights here for me are the South of the Border suave of “Spanish Eyes” and the even-keeled, vocal driven “Girl of Mine” (whose guitar licks have a bit of an island flare if you listen closely. I would have loved to have heard this done with a ukulele!) from the Pop sessions. From the masters versions it’s hard to beat “For Ol’ Time Sake”  which comes closer to contemplative introspection than almost any song from the seventies. The bluesy “Three Corn Patches” is another highlight and finds Presley singing just different enough from his usual croon that it commands your attention immediately.

Disc three rounds this edition out with the masters from December of 1973. While I really dig the outtakes of “Promised Land” it’s on this disc that it really jumps to life as Elvis snarls the blues with that ever famous kinked lip. The band jump, jive, and wail behind him the whole time, never letting up for a moment. The comically titled “Love Song of the Year” is a little goofy but it makes me smile every time I hear it. In my opinion, this song is totally out of character for Presley and that endears me to it. It’s certainly another side of himself and the background orchestration is wonderful. The master of the all too short “Mr. Songman” is another favorite moment from this disc. Although it’s not as interesting as the more barebones outtakes, the finished version has a rich texture to it that gives it a certain oomph it lacked beforehand.

The obvious here is that any completist will want this in their collection….and there are a lot of Elvis Presley completists out there. These outtakes give a lot of insight into an Elvis Presley that was making a strong comeback in the midst of the rise of both pomp/arena rock and disco. While the songs may be familiar, having them altogether and playing consecutively make you feel like you are there in the midst of the Rock and Roll’s greatest making what would become his last stand. Strangely enough, this would be his beloved Memphis’ last major stand as well.

This set isn’t just for the diehard Elvis Presley fan, if you love this era of music in general or would like to learn some important and oft overlooked musical history, Elvis at Stax will take you to school in any of its formations. 

Magica (Deluxe Edition)

Niji Entertainment Group

The nineties were a rough time for Dio’s less open-minded fans. The decade opened with 1990’s Lock Up the Wolves which was followed by 1993’s Strange Highways and 1996’s Angry Machines. The latter two in particular drew ire for departing from the Dungeons & Dragons format that had put Dio on the map in the decade prior. Both Strange Highways and Angry Machines featured the angrier, and good bit stranger, guitar work of Tracy G. and are two of the heaviest albums the band ever made, yet many of the traditional elements of metal fell to the wayside during this time and many fans either moved on or lost heart.

As Ronnie James Dio did so many times throughout his career, he seemingly stepped back and re-evaluated Dio as it stood then. Re-enlisting Simon Wright, Jimmy Bain, and, most importantly, guitarist Craig Goldy, RJD set himself back on track by writing and recording the Magica album. Becoming Dio’s only concept album, it was released in 2000 and became a sleeper hit, having sold over 100,000 copies to date. Dio fans returned rapidly and Magica’s word of mouth promotion helped its successor, Killing the Dragon, become a landmark album in the Dio catalog as well.

Magica is unquestionably one of Dio’s greatest moments. While the album keeps some of the alien/future theme elements (takes place on another planet, etc.) Dio grew fond of the nineties, it primarily focuses on the fantasy elements of classics like Sacred Heart and Dream Evil lyrically. They even work in bits and pieces of the religious condemnation that came with Holy Diver.

Lyrically, the story of Eriel and his son Challis’ battle against the evil Shadowcast is told throughout the album, revealing a truly fantastical story that echoes many real-life circumstances when the metaphors are stripped away.

Dio slows it down a bit on Magica musically by turning the controlled chaos of Angry Machines on its head and reviving the thundering drums, plodding bass, and virtuosic guitar work of the band’s classic albums. I assume that Magica was done on a much smaller budget than the classic albums, and it’s that lack of slick production that makes this one so endearing. The band sound more aggressive on the faster songs and the slower songs, particularly, “As Long As It’s Not About Love,” feel more heartfelt since they couldn’t get so overblown.

“Challis” is a certain highlight here with its powerful guitars that throwback to the traditional metal sound the band helped shape. “Fever Dreams,” although a bit plodding for my tastes, has an extremely catchy chorus and a bouncy guitar that is accentuated by a rhythmic march. “Otherworld” is excellent here as well, managing to sound a bit futuristic while utilizing the bass as the driving force and freeing the guitars to create a slightly different atmosphere from the other tunes.

The big issue here is certainly all “the filler.” The short musical pieces that accompany the actual songs aid the story musically but really break your concentration when trying to absorb the story. I would venture to guess that, while this album is loved by diehard fans, it was the more straightforwardness of Killing the Dragon that brought the mighty Dio a hearty new audience of younger fans.

For this deluxe edition of this out of print fan favorite, a second disc is included. The disc kicks off with  Ronnie James Dio himself reading the story of Magica. It’s nice to hear the story as it was intended (and it’s written in the liner notes as well). It gives you a real sense of how passionate RJD was about this story and what would have (hopefully) accompanied it someday. As we know, Magica 2 and 3, were a great part of that hope. “Annica” (released originally on the Japanese edition of the album only) is a big, guitar piece that sounds great but was thankfully left off the original as it was already “mood setter” heavy. Live bootlegs of “Feed My Head,” “Fever Dreams,” “Lord of the Last Day,” “As Long As It’s Not About Love,” and “Losing My Insanity” are included on this disc as well. As with most things Dio did, the band sound solid, but also like a band trying to find their place in a new music world. This was extremely out of place in the early new millennium and the band sound more reserved than they did in their heyday.

The demo for “Electra” is this edition’s defining moment though. The only recording for a further exploration of Magica, it truly fills you with sadness. The band sound great here, but it’s Dio’s emotional performance that takes it over the top. He does it all here, it’s intimate and searching and it soars like an anthem and it commands your attention as it sets the stage for such an important coming moment that will never come.

As Mick Wall says in the liner notes “….we are reminded just how much Dio really meant…” and it’s true. Magica came during Dio’s most unpopular years and it’s the sound of him being himself after a decade of exploration. It’s the sound of Dio reconnecting with his fanbase on a level that only  he and his fans could understand. Magica was not an album for outsiders or newcomers, it was, and is, an album for the true believers.