George Thorogood & the Destroyers

by George Thorogood, George Thorogood & the Destroyers

Overview

It's easy enough to trace the lineage of every one of the ten cuts on George Thorogood & the Destroyers' self-titled 1977 debut. Even the originals, of which there are only two, wear their influences on their sleeve, so there's not a minute of this album where the presence of Hound Dog Taylor, Elmore James, Bo Diddley, and John Lee Hooker loom large. Not one of those bluesmen ever played with much finesse, and Thorogood picked up that thread and ran with it, playing so hard the group seemed like a gang of primitives. No wonder they chose the name "the Destroyers": they ruined everything in their path. This brutal attack is one reason George Thorogood & the Destroyers feels distinctive, even when the lifted Elmore riffs, Bo Diddley beats, and wild, careening Houserocker rhythms are blatantly obvious: as he hammers away at his guitar, Thorogood plays with personality, his enthusiasm for making noise readily apparent. No matter how hard the Destroyers ride "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," this album isn't about groove and it's certainly not about virtuosity -- it's about bashing out the blues at a punishing volume, and their lack of subtlety is why this 1977 debut still sounds powerful years after its release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2013
Label:	Rounder / Rounder Records
UPC:	0011661917620
Rank:	39808

Tracks

1. You Got to Lose
2. Madison Blues
3. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
4. Kind Hearted Woman
5. Can't Stop Lovin'
6. Ride On Josephine
7. Homesick Boy
8. John Hardy
9. I'll Change My Style
10. Delaware Slide

Album Credits

Performance Credits

George Thorogood & the Destroyers   Primary Artist
George Thorogood   Primary Artist,Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Harmonica,Vocals,Guitar
Ronald Smith   Guitar
Ron Smith   Guitar
Jeff Simon   Drums
Billy Blough   Bass

Technical Credits

John Nagy   Engineer
A.P. Carter   Composer
Susan Marsh   Design
Henry Horenstein   Photography
Robert Johnson   Composer
John Lee Hooker   Composer
Manuel Villa   Composer
George Thorogood   Composer,Arranger
Muddy Waters   Composer
Junior Parker   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Terry Manning   Remastering
Bo Diddley   Composer
Earl Hooker   Composer
Elmore James   Composer
Ellas McDaniel   Composer
E. James   Composer
W. Parker   Composer
Huddie Ledbetter   Composer
Rudy Toombs   Composer