Foghat’s foray into new wave left in the ’80s

By the time 1980 rolled around, the British-based boogie blues-rock act Foghat had reached the creative end of a slow ride that had started in London in 1971. The prospect of long-haired white musicians from England playing a mutated form of African-American blues had long since transformed from being revolutionary to a staid novelty. Their lifespan had seen the birth of AOR (album-oriented rock) FM radio programming, which they dominated with their signature songs “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and “Fool For The City” and their multi-platinum album “Foghat Live.” The reaction to AOR came to pass in the late ’70s with the rapid rise and fall of punk music. Major labels sought to capture the changing tastes of the public brought on by punk music by rebranding it as “New Wave” and focusing their promotional efforts on the new genre.

Foghat band leader Dave Peverett read the writing on the wall and, in a move to stay relevant, decided to follow the new wave trend by introducing synthesizers to Foghat’s sound and writing songs that felt less bluesy and took on a bit of irony and nihilism. The album that resulted from this creative pivot was “Tight Shoes,” arguably the most overlooked and/or derided album in their discography depending on whom in their fan base you talk to.