Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:I have this theory that any band, no matter how reprehensible, is capable of that One Great Song. I'm not saying every band has one--of course, The Eagles, Billy Joel, and, it so happens, Styx are totally unredeemable. But most of the above bands have one song that I love hearing from time to time:
REO: "Keep Pushin'"
Foreigner: "Long Long Way from Home"
Boston: [I actually enjoy a number of Boston songs]
As far as Foghat goes, their one shining moment is "Drivin' Wheel," though I also dig the riff with which they souped up "I Just Want to Make Love to You."
I agree that Foghat is CRAP, but "Drivin' Wheel"--check it out.
brett, you are right on the 'moment of greatness' theory. yes. i think that it comes to fruition, among these lesser bands, when the weight of their various ripped-off musical tropes compresses into a kind of sludge 'black hole,' a compendium of assumed moves with such supreme density that it cannot help but be appealing.
in the case of eagles and b.joel, the assumed moves were of insufficient weight and such targeted appeal (country-cocaine 'rock' w/ballad dabbling on one hand, piano-based 'rock' w/ballad dabbling on the other) that the emphasis of the manufacturers was inevitably on slickness of execution, rather than riffs or (sometimes fake) enthusiasm--these latter two quals are what redeem (insofar as they do) reo, foreigner, foghat, et al.
boston, despite a tragic emphasis on perfection, achieved a sheer density of assumed hard-rock moves that is almost untouched among their contemporaries (only b.t.o. did this kind of thing better, among sludge practitioners).
styx, well, they had many elements that may have yielded sludge dividends, but in the end having 'musical theater' among them scuttled their chances of doing anything worthwhile.
i have in my possession a long, somewhat academic exploration of this subject, which i will forward at request.
tm
