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George Thorogood and the Destroyers (album)

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George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Studio album by
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
ReleasedAugust 16, 1977
Recorded1977
StudioDimension Sound Studios, Boston, Massachusetts
Genre
Length45:10
LabelRounder
ProducerKen Irwin
George Thorogood and the Destroyers chronology
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
(1977) 		Move It On Over
(1978)
Singles from George Thorogood and the Destroyers
  1. "Can't Stop Lovin'"
    Released: 1977
  2. "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"
    Released: 1978
  3. "Ride On Josephine"
    Released: 1978

George Thorogood and the Destroyers is the self-titled debut studio album by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers. It was released in 1977 by the label Rounder Records.[1] Consisting mostly of covers of blues hits, it includes a medley of John Lee Hooker's "House Rent Boogie" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer",[2] the latter a song written by Rudy Toombs for Amos Milburn, and later covered by Hooker.

In 2015 Rounder Records released a new remix of the original album was released under the name George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers.[3]

Release

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Rounder Records released George Thorogood and the Destroyers on August 16, 1977.[1][4] The album eventually sold more than 600,000 copies.[5] Three tracks from the album were released as singles.

2015 remix

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In 2015 Rounder released George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers,[6] a new remix of the album featuring the three-piece band as originally recorded and mixed. It omits the bass overdubs by Billy Blough, which were added after the original recording sessions. It also adds the previously unreleased Elmore James track "Goodbye Baby".[3]

Critical reception

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George Thorogood and the Destroyers received positive reviews from critics.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Christgau's Record GuideB[8]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[9]
Daily VaultB[10]
PopMatters6/10[11]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues[12]

A Cashbox reviewer wrote "Thorogood deals strongly in early '50s style rock and timeless blues and this album captures him at his slidin', pickin', wailin' best."[13] Billboard magazine wrote "Rocking rhythm and blues, accented by the slide guitar, gives the album a nostalgic '60s sound. Rhythm section backup is tight while the vocals, though somewhat strained, are distinctive enough to stand out."[14]

AllMusic`s Stephen Thomas Erlewine says "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."[15] David Bowling of Daily Vault wrote "George Thorogood And The Destroyers did not change the course of American blues or rock ‘n’ roll but it made them a bit more enjoyable. It is an album for the beer hall or smoky night club."[16]

Track listing

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Original release

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Got to Lose"Earl Hooker3:15
2."Madison Blues"Elmore James4:24
3."One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" (*)John Lee Hooker8:20
4."Kind Hearted Woman"Robert Johnson4:21
5."Can't Stop Lovin'"Elmore James3:04

(*) The song is titled "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", but is a medley of that song preceded by "House Rent Boogie", also called "John L's House Rent Boogie". The songwriter is credited as John Lee Hooker, who was indeed the author of "House Rent Boogie". John Lee Hooker's version of the "One Bourbon" half of the medley was used by Thorogood and Rudy Toombs, the writer of the original "One Bourbon" was not credited on the album.

Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ride On Josephine"Ellas McDaniel4:17
2."Homesick Boy"George Thorogood3:02
3."John Hardy"Traditional3:18
4."I'll Change My Style"William Parker, Manuel Villa3:57
5."Delaware Slide"George Thorogood7:45
Total length:45:10

George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers (2015)

[edit]
George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Got to Lose"Earl Hooker3:25
2."Madison Blues"Elmore James4:28
3."One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"John Lee Hooker8:30
4."Kind Hearted Woman" (*)Robert Johnson4:23
5."Ride On Josephine"Ellas McDaniel4:24
6."Can't Stop Lovin'"Elmore James3:36
7."Homesick Boy"George Thorogood3:16
8."John Hardy" (*)Traditional3:33
9."I'll Change My Style"William Parker, Manuel Villa4:09
10."Delaware Slide"George Thorogood8:05
11."Goodbye Baby"Elmore James3:27
Total length:51:16

(*) Tracks omitted from the vinyl release[17]

Personnel

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Musicians

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  • George Thorogood – lead guitar, slide guitar, vocals; harmonica on "John Hardy"
  • Ron "Roadblock" Smith – rhythm guitar
  • Billy Blough – bass guitar
  • Jeff Simon – drums

Technical

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Charts

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Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 52

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Platinum 80,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b uDiscover Team (March 8, 2020). "George Thorogood - Prodigiously-Talented Boogie Blues Guitarist". uDiscover Music.
  2. ^ Poling, Dean (March 19, 2010). "Bad to the Funny Bone: A Strange Conversation with George Thorogood". Valdosta Daily Times. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "George Thorogood And The Delaware Destroyers". Georgethorogood.com.
  4. ^ BurnSilver, Glenn (February 25, 2014). "George Thorogood: "Sometimes the Fear of Failure Is Greater Than the Thrill of Success"". Phoenix New Times.
  5. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA".
  6. ^ "George Thorogood Releasing Stripped-Down Version of Debut Album". George Thorogood Official website.
  7. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "George Thorogood & the Destroyers – George Thorogood & the Destroyers,George Thorogood | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 652. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  10. ^ Daily Vault Review
  11. ^ PopMatters Review
  12. ^ The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Virgin. 1998. p. 346.
  13. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 17, 1977. p. 22 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ "Billboard's Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 10, 1977. p. 100 – via World Radio History.
  15. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "George Thorogood & the Destroyers Review". AllMusic.
  16. ^ Bowling, David (August 21, 2013). "George Thorogood And The Destroyers: | Daily Vault". Daily Vault.
  17. ^ "Rounder Records to Release Limited Edition of Original Mix of George Thorogood & The Destroyers Debut Album". George Thorogood official website.
  18. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 309. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications – George Thorogood – George Thorogood and the Destroyers". Music Canada.
  20. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA.
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