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Family Joules

Foghat - Family Joules Audio CD

A fair review of the Foghat "Family Joules" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Foghat reviews here, or go back to the Foghat tabs.

Band: Foghat
Title: Family Joules
Rating:

Release Date: 2003-03-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Mumbo Jumbo 2: Hero To Zero 3: Thames Delta Blues 4: Flat Busted (And Out Of Gas) 5: I Feel Fine 6: I'm A Rock 'n Roller 7: Hit the Ground Running 8: Looking For You 9: Long Time Coming 10: Self Medicated 11: Sex With the Ex 12: Mean Voodoo Woman 13: Voodoo Woman Blues

Rock on Foghat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The greatest rock & roll bands ever came from the later 60's & all of the 70's. Growing up in the 70's was the greatest experience of my life. Foghat was no exception, their music was boogie with a capital B. I owned all their albums & am now buyin all their music again on cd. After Lonesome Dave passed from us, I thought it was over, but I was wrong. This kind of boogie just cant go away. With Lonesome Dave askin the remaining members to rock on, he is lookin down on us with a smile. This is a really GREAT boogie cd that keeps the Foghat tradition of Rock-N-Roll alive. . On June 6th of 09 I saw the New Foghat in concert in Longview Tx. , not knowing what to expect I was blown away, simply put What A Show. I came home and found this cd, not really knowing it existed. It does, it rocks, & so does Foghat. Buy this cd, go buy the Millenniuum Tour dvd, it is the last concert with Lonesome Dave, then go buy the Foghat Bootleg dvd with Charlie Huhn, it is a really good introduction to what is to come. Then go to Foghat. net & find a concert & go rockin n rollin--All night long.

Flat Busted (and out of gas) ... not quite!!!
Both assessments are completely valid. The reviews for this release state that "Family Joules" is either really good or really bad. It all depends on your ability to accept the fact that Foghat circa 1972 did evolve and, despite the unfortunate losses of Lonesome Dave and Rod Price, continues to soldier on with the same determination and spirit that established Foghat as the hardest working band in the business. I love classic Foghat and was totally blown away when I caught the current line-up in concert in upstate S. C. last month. It was an outdoor gig that was delayed by thunderstorms for so long that the band actually went on stage about the time they had expected to be finishing up. They also had a long, overnight ride to make into the Midwest for a show the next day but, in true Foghat style, they pulled out all of the stops with a blistering show that inspired me to check out their latest release, "Family Joules".

The only cut from "Family Joules" that was played during their August 4th concert was "Mumbo Jumbo". It fit nicely into the set alongside the classic Foghat standards and is certainly one of the highlights of this release. "Mumbo Jumbo" is the opening track on "Family Joules" and is followed by "Hero To Zero", "Thames Delta Blues", and "Flat Busted (And Out Of Gas). I refer to this opening group of songs as the 'fantastic four' as all are superb and firmly establish that classic rock feel. "Flat Busted" is actually a reformed Humble Pie tune from their 2002 release "Back On Track" that Charlie Huhn co-wrote with HP drummer Jerry Shirley. The Stones and HP influences are obvious. "I Feel Fine" is the fifth cut and changes the pace to a slow yet bouncing blues number that Charlie Huhn really belts out with feeling. Bryan lays down some tasty slide work on this one as well. "I'm A Rock `N Roller" picks the pace back up and stands out by virtue of the fact that it sounds more like Bon Scott-era AC/DC than Foghat. Bryan Bassett's guitar work on the next song "Hit The Ground Running" may remind you of Jeff Healey. The addition of the Hammond organ in the background is a nice touch. Track 8 "Looking For You" would have fit nicely on an early Savoy Brown album and track 9 "Long Time Coming" has a funky and heavy ZZ Top-meets-Ram Jam intro that develops into a fine piece of classic rock. "Sex With The Ex" and "Self Medicated" (tracks 10 & 11) are favorites of mine with the former having a Tejas/Fandango-era ZZ Top feel and the latter borrowing again from the Bon Scott-era AC/DC sound. The final two numbers, "Mean Voodoo Woman" and "Voodoo Woman Blues" close it out by going back to basics - the blues. MVW is a heavy blues rock number and VWB is a short, bare-bones bluesy number that could have come straight off of the Rolling Stones' "Exile On Main Street".

The spirit of Foghat and classic rock live on in "Family Joules". While I can testify to the fact that this line-up does faithfully deliver the vintage Foghat songs in concert, their studio sound is completely their own. On "Family Joules", the new Foghat takes a variety of familiar classic rock signature styles and creates a really solid offering that I certainly enjoy. Perhaps you may, too.

Foghat-astic!
Ok, so not the original band, obviously, and I don't think in any way is Charlie Huhn trying to replace Lonesome Dave, but come on, look at the 'Family tress' of most rock band throughout rock history. . . very few have had the exact same lineup throughout. . . . it's not just one person who makes the band. This is pure foghat, just evloved abit! A brilliant CD, good tunes, a nice blues-rock sound, deffinately worth listening to!.

This ain't no Foghat thats for sure-just a copy
Charlie Huhn is an average singer with no soul and little range and Bryan Bassett is an ok guitar player-I have heard better. I bought this album with thoughts of a new direction with a new singer and guitar player--believe me if you are looking for that Foghat sound-forget it--this is just a copy band with new songs that are boring--the same old rock and roll lyrics-they are not up to par of Lonesome Dave or Rod Price-after one of two playings they sound boring and forgettable--Roger Earl and Tony Stevens provide great rhythm to very boring songs--not very original at all. I guess I have to see this group live now because from other reviews I have read say that they sound great live--Just forget this CD--listen to it once and it will probably end up on the shelf with the other Foghat releases for collectors only.

Not the original, but still pretty good
Best song - Hero to Zero. OK, so this isn't all of Foghat or classic Foghat but it is still pretty darn good.

You can see a complete list of all Foghat discography, or go back to the Foghat tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.