Fool For The City (Live 1977)

The Zoo Crew is spinning Foghat's high-energy track "Fool For The City (Live 1977)" from the iconic Foghat Live album, a double-platinum record that captures the band’s raw, boogie-rock essence. Recorded in May 1977, this live version of "Fool For The City" kicks off the album with relentless momentum, showcasing the band’s ability to amplify their studio work with electrifying stage presence. According to a 2016 reflection on Medialoper, the live rendition strips away the studio version’s overarrangement, delivering pure, gritty energy that resonates with the song’s tale of a city-bound wanderer craving urban chaos. The track’s roaring guitar solos, driven by Lonesome Dave Peverett and Rod Price, make it a standout, with fans on Reddit praising its “killer” live delivery as a testament to Foghat’s reputation as one of the greatest live bands of the 1970s.

One juicy piece of trivia comes from drummer Roger Earl, who shared in a 2014 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock that the album cover for the studio version of Fool For The City—featuring him fishing in a New York City manhole—was a spontaneous idea from producer Nick Jameson. This quirky image, snapped on a sleepless Sunday morning near the band’s East Village office, almost got them in trouble when police rolled by, jokingly asking if Earl had a fishing license. The live album’s success, celebrated by Foghat’s official X account for going platinum 47 years ago, cemented the song’s place in rock history, with fans on Facebook reminiscing about owning the vinyl and cranking it up for epic listening sessions.

Foghat was born in 1971 when Lonesome Dave Peverett, Roger Earl, and Tony Stevens, all former members of the British blues band Savoy Brown, decided to break out and form their own group. Joined by guitarist Rod Price, who’d been with Black Cat Bones, they crafted a nonsense name—“Foghat”—from a word Peverett coined during a Scrabble-like game with his brother. Their debut album in 1972, produced by Dave Edmunds, featured a raucous cover of Willie Dixon’s "I Just Want to Make Love to You," which caught the ear of American FM radio. While their boogie-blues sound didn’t fully click in the UK, it found a massive audience in the US, where relentless touring and albums like Energized (1974) and Fool For The City (1975) built their reputation. By the time Foghat Live dropped in 1977, the band had honed their craft through thousands of miles on the road, earning eight gold records and a loyal fanbase.

Today, Foghat keeps the boogie alive with a 2025 lineup featuring Roger Earl, Bryan Bassett, Rodney O’Quinn, and Scott Holt, whose vocals and guitar work add fresh fire to their legacy. Their latest album, Sonic Mojo, hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts in 2023, proving their staying power. Fans can connect with the band on Facebook, Instagram, and X, where they share tour updates and celebrate milestones like the 54th anniversary of their formation. Devoted Zoo Freaks can also join fan communities like the Foghat Fans Facebook group or check out fan sites like Classic Rock Forums to swap stories and relive the glory days of tracks like "Fool For The City."