George Thorogood- 30 Years of Rock

This Best Of was release in 2004... you guessed it, thirty years after the band formed.

As daggy as it may be, I really dig their tongue-in-cheek style of swaggery, bluesy rock. Sometimes the cheesiness is laid on a bit too thick for me (eg Gear Jammer, Rockin' My Life Away, Willie And The Hand Jive), but in general I find the combination of infectious grooves and whimsical lyrics hits the spot.

Madison Blues is basically an instrumental, which proves to me that there's great appeal in the music alone.

On the other hand, One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer relies heavily on the fantastic narrative. I actually prefer this more upbeat version to John Lee Hooker's, since the vocals are dripping with attitude. Petulant attitude, that is! The backing music certainly holds its own though, especially the insistent tension at the start, which finally and wonderfully breaks free at the chorus. And although I don't know what is meant by "scratch my back, baby" during the guitar solo, I think it's a great line.

Move It On Over walks the fine line of cheesiness. And totally succeeds, resulting in a fantastic combination of musical groove and lyrical attitude. Their most famous song, Bad To The Bone, is a song I am somehow reluctant to enjoy. But resistance is futile! The music mightn't be up to the usual standards, but the lyrics are solid gold. For example, the opening is brilliantly arrogant:
On the day I was born,
The nurses all gathered 'round.
And they gazed in wide wonder
At the joy they had found.
The head nurse spoke up,
Said "leave this one alone".
She could tell right away
That I was bad to the bone.

I Drink Alone is similarly tongue-in-cheek, and I actually find the more traditional blues style more engaging than Bad To The Bone. Even more traditional is The Sky Is Crying, perhaps to the point of being totally cliched blues. But it's perfect, so originality be damned...

Finally, my favourite George Thorogood song, Get A Haircut. It has a fantastic singalong chorus and is totally immature. Brilliant. The groove is rock solid and infectious, and the subtle hammond organ is a nice touch.

Favourite songs

Madison Blues, One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer, Move It On Over, Bad To The Bone, I Drink Alone, The Sky Is Crying, Get A Haircut

Worthwhile?

Yep. This album was bought on the back of One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer alone. So it was wonderful to discover an album chock full of great songs.