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George Thorogood and the Destroyers (album)

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. 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", the latter a song written by Rudy Toombs for Amos Milburn, and later covered by Hooker.

Background
George Thorogood formed the Delaware Destroyers in 1973, together with high school friend and drummer Jeff Simon. The band went through several lineup changes, before eventually settling on Thorogood and Ron "Roadblock" Smith on guitars, Simon on drums, and Billy Blough on bass. In July 1975, the band was discovered by John Forward, and he helped them secure a recording contract with Rounder Records. Recording of the album began shortly after. Recording of the album took place at the Dimension Sound Studios in Boston. The cost for recording the album was just $5,000. == Songs ==
Songs
The album mostly consists of covers of old blues hits, but also contains two originals, written by Thorogood. Side one "You Got To Lose" was written by Earl Hooker, while "Madison Blues" and "Can't Stop Lovin'", were written by Elmore James. 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. "Kind Hearted Woman", written by Robert Johnson, is a country-blues ballad with acoustic guitar and mournful vocals. Side two Side two opens with "Ride On Josephine", written by Ellas McDaniel, better known as Bo Diddley. "Homesick Boy" is one of the two originals, written by Thorogood. "John Hardy" is a traditional song, based on the real-life killing of a man named Thomas Drews, after he got into an argument with a man named John Hardy. "I'll Change My Style" is a ballad written by William Parker and Manuel Villa. The album's closer is "Delaware Slide," the second original by Thorogood. == Release ==
Release
Rounder Records released George Thorogood and the Destroyers on August 16, 1977. The album had been shelved for either six, with "Homesick Boy" as its B-Side. Rounder Records expected the album to sell just 5,000 copies, with an initial order of just 750 copies, but the album ended up selling between 40,000 and 60,000 2015 remix In 2015 Rounder released George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers, 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". == Critical reception ==
Critical reception
George Thorogood and the Destroyers received positive reviews from critics. 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." 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." 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." 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." ==Track listing==
Track listing
Original release George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers (2015) (*) Tracks omitted from the vinyl release ==Personnel==
Personnel
MusiciansGeorge Thorogood – lead guitar, slide guitar, vocals; harmonica on "John Hardy" • Ron "Roadblock" Smith – rhythm guitar • Billy Blough – bass guitar • Jeff Simon – drums Technical • Ken Irwin – producer • John Nagy – engineer • Susan Marsh – design • Henry Horenstein – photography (front cover) • Sam Clover – photography (back cover) ==Charts==
Certifications and sales
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ==References==
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