George Thorogood
The Baddest of George Thorogood and the Destroyers

George Thorogood, paraphrasing his last name, is a little bull of rock blues. Animalistic with his inseparable Gibson, he is a force of nature live. In the second half of the seventies, he came out into the open refreshing the songs of the great fathers of black blues, covering them with sweat and enriching them with new strength. Even the Rolling Stones wanted him by their side during the "Tattoo You" tour in 1981. An honest worker of rock, he hasn't achieved the great spotlight except for the track Bad to the Bone, an amphetamine rock with a classic blues riff, which here in Italy was used as the theme for the show "blob" at the dawn of its birth.

This collection I'm reviewing is a compilation released in 1992 that combines famous covers with original songs. Ever accompanied by his faithful group The Destroyers, composed of Jeff Simon on drums, Bill Blough on bass, with the addition of Hank Carter’s sax.

After the debut in 1977, from which "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" by John Lee Hooker cover was taken, in 1978 he released "Move It On Over," from which two other covers were picked, the title track, a classic country by Hank Williams made electric, and the biting "Who Do You Love" by Bo Diddley.

With the advent of the eighties, compositions in his name increased, thus we have the already mentioned "Bad To The Bone", "Gear Jammer" hard-blues where he displays his skill with the slide and where the sax appears, which will characterize the songs of the new decade, "I Drink Alone", the rock'n'roll of "If You Don't Start Drinkin'" and "Long Gone". There's still room for "Louie to Frisco" by Chuck Berry with the fifth stone Ian Stuart on piano. Stuart will also be his producer.

His torrential style leaves little to mere technique, preferring impact and power. His albums, which in the eighties and nineties will continue to be released, all resemble each other a bit and never present major style upheavals. For more than thirty years, he has remained faithful to his amphetamine hard-boogie-blues, which can be compared to early ZZ Top or AC/DC. Records made to be performed live, where Thorogood tirelessly gives his best. Just last month, his new work was released, which, not to disappoint anyone, is equally divided between covers and original compositions. If he happened to be in Italy, it would be nice to attend one of his concerts before time (born in 1950) steals the energy he still seems to possess.