George Thorogood reveals full details of his debut solo album
‘Bad To The Bone’ hitmaker George Thorogood has unveiled details of his first record without his band The Destroyers.
The aptly titled ‘Party of One’ is released in the UK on Friday 4th August on CD and LP formats via Rounder Records in conjunction with Spinefarm Records.
The album boasts 15 covers of traditional blues, classics and modern blues songs including The Rolling Stones’ ‘No Expectations’, Bob Dylan’s ‘Down The Highway’ and Hank Williams’ ‘Pictures From Life’s Other Side’.
Also included is a live version of the Amos Milburn 1953 blues classic ‘One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer’ later recorded by John Lee Hooker in 1966 and popularised again, of course, by George in 1977 on George Thorogood and the Destroyers’ self-titled debut album.
“I think this is a project that’s long overdue,” says George Thorogood. “Maybe it should have been the very first album I ever made.
“After playing with the band for all these years, I had to kind of reverse my hands and my head in order to do this thing justice. But I think Destroyers fans – and hardcore blues fans, too – are ready for the unexpected.
“My whole career, I’ve always said, ‘Just give them what you are, and they’re either going to dig it or not’. This record is what I was, what I am, and what I always will be."
‘Party of One’ was recorded by the Grammy Award winning Jim Gaines who produced several of George Thorogood and the Destroyers’ recent albums including 2009’s ‘The Dirty Dozen’, 2006’s ‘The Hard Stuff’ and 2003’s ‘Ride ‘Til I Die’.
Executive producer and Rounder Music Group Vice President of A&R, Scott Billington, commented: “This wasn’t an easy record for George to make. He had to viscerally reconnect with a time in his life when he was discovering who he was.
“But as you listen to these songs, you realise that he is, and always has been, an authentic blues player. This album is George Thorogood claiming his legacy.”
The full track-list is as follows:
I’m A Steady Rollin’ Man (Robert Johnson)
Soft Spot (Gary Nicholson and Allen Shamblin)
Tallahassee Women (John Hammond Jr.)
Wang Dang Doodle (Willie Dixon)
Boogie Chillen (John Lee Hooker)
No Expectations (The Rolling Stones)
Bad News (Johnny Cash)
Down The Highway (Bob Dylan)
Got To Move (Elmore James)
Born With The Blues (Brownie McGhee)
The Sky Is Crying (Elmore James)
The Hookers (If You Miss ‘Im…I got ‘Im) (John Lee Hooker)
Pictures From Life’s Other Side (Hank Williams)
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (John Lee Hooker)*
CD bonus track:
Dynaflow Blues (Robert Johnson)
*Recorded in 1999 on “Rockline” and dedicated to the memory of host Bob Coburn.