Sometime in the early 90's Peverett returned to the U.S. after a long hiatus, and reformed the original lineup of Foghat. The eventual result was Return of the Boogie Men, which sounds, and is structured like the rote, fan-friendly comeback album we all would expect from these guys. On the one hand, I guess it's a good thing they are not messing with the formula which made them famous in the first place, but on the other hand, a lot of the aura and excitement which surrounded the band is sorely missing. The new cuts collected here have that whiff of ZZ Top-inspired hokeyness to them ("Motel Shaker"), while they elect to recycle a bunch of their old tunes acoustic-style, just to reinforce the elder statesmen vibe. There was always something unique in the mood department about a Foghat album, up to this one, but here, they finally fall in line with all the generic blues clichés, and the album suffers as a whole. So, they should have stayed hidden, I'm afraid.

Arguably out of gas a few albums ago, the Foghat camp soldiered on with this, essentially a covers record which is notable for its lack of presence just as much as Tight Shoes was. The 80's faux-modern production really works against the group now in a number of ways - the worst one being, the majority of the covers are in an old R&B vein, so the re-makes feel cheaper here. Also, I can't get over the feeling Peverett and crew were simply grinding this out to get it done. At least Tight Shoes had a certain feel of tense anguish going for it, and the previous album brought back a bit of the good times - this In The Mood hogwash does nothing in particular for anyone, sad to say.

Same feel carries over from the previous album, but it's a bit more fun and engaging. An actual bonafide American stepped in to replace Price in the lead/slide guitar role, Erik Cartwright, but I don't think he livens up the band to any extent. This is more like the albums which preceded Tight Shoes, where New Wave is an element that factors into the overall sound, but certainly, the material is not as strong as it once was. "Wide Boy" and "Live Now - Pay Later" are the definite picks, while album cuts like "Weekend Driver" and "Delayed Reaction" (which dabbles in reggae) tend to meander a bit. Another interesting development - longtime associate Nick Jameson rejoins on keyboards, contributing two tracks - including the raucous live cut "Sing About Love". This is a competent, fan-focused collection which might find interest from casual interlopers.

This is back in Rock and Roll Outlaws territory, with the majority of these seven tracks hitting at a mix of introspection and off-beat humor, but sound-wise it is kept at piledriver-force levels, carrying over from the previous album. Night Shift is known for an upbeat version of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" - which of course, would be rendered obsolete by David Byrne and the Talking Heads version, but them's the breaks - and the minor hit tune "Drivin' Wheel". But the real substance of the album lies in heavy, yet forlorn compositions like "Don't Run Me Down", and "Burnin' the Midnight Oil", where it is patently obvious Dave and the band has done a 180 turn from the party vibe of the previous record. Even more indicative of this is the closing piece "I'll Be Standing By", which is one of the better slow songs the band ever did.

The first of 2 albums the group recorded in '74, and I have to say, the title is appropriate. No ballads or artsy excursions, just one loud rocker piled on top of another, and so on. The calling cards are fast, boogie butt-kickers like "Honey Hush" (which lifts liberally from the standard "Train Kept A Rollin") and "Wild Cherry", but there are some subtle variations here and there. Bassist Tony Stevens wrote and performed the lead vocal on "Fly By Night", which was a bit of a surprise in that it veered toward the power pop side of the spectrum. The sing-along "Step Outside" was the single, which the band drags on a bit too much for my taste. They also cover Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day", which is not very memorable. Indeed, that last statement is the key...but it would be remedied soon enough.