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.

This album is prime Foghat, and one of the unknown great rock albums of the mid-1970's. Something clicked with these guys - they got rid of dumb things they never needed, like backing vocals and horn arrangements, and went with their bread and butter - loud boogie rockers, slide guitar, and butt-loads of quirky personality in every nook and cranny of the material. The end result, in my mind, is a masterpiece of brains and guile disguised as brawn. Most people like to pooh-pooh it as any other Foghat record, but that is a big mistake. You can tell Lonesome Dave, Price, and the rest of the crew slung their heart, soul, and everything else into this one. Yes, the opening cover of "Eight Days on the Road" is yet another song about life on the road, but this time the band oozes hunger and desperation like never before. And it's the perfect setup for "Hate to See You Go", Dave's upbeat yet eternally forlorn goodbye to a lover he knows he can never truly be with, because of his lifestyle. "Dreamer" follows suit and ups the ante further, becoming possibly the band's most heart-wrenching tune, being played and sung from the perspective of a person whose dreams have all but shattered for one reason or another. Not even the gentle, sunny-feeling, acoustic ballad "Trouble My Way" shines much actual positive light on the situation, and one begins to think that what we have here is a full LP of Lonesome Dave and Price getting shit off their chest. But then, here comes the second half of the album, which is a reversal from the somber mood of the first half. The title track kicks things off here in more of a party mode, albeit with a slightly mystical vibe, as Dave hilariously presents himself as sort of a gypsy, guitar-playing character out to make love to as many women as possible. Apparently, the track was actually written by Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals. This leads directly into "Shirley Jean", an even more hilarious 50's-style tribute to a 17-year-old drugged-out groupie met in a bar. But wait, there's more - "Blue Spruce Woman" is a laugh-out-loud banger about a Neanderthal-style woman who comes out of the woods, into the city, to live with Dave and make love to him. What, and who writes this outrageous stuff? Foghat, that's who. But whereas other blooze-rock and arena-rock acts would have no qualms in victimizing such conquests, Lonesome Dave acts more like an aloof, observant bystander. In the case of "Shirley Jean", he's more interested in his wine from the bar, and in "Blue Spruce Woman", it's as if she comes and goes when she pleases and it is out of his control. "Chateau Lafitte '59 Boogie" finishes off the album appropriately by blasting away on a boogie-style rhythm for six-plus minutes, along with paying tribute to what I assume is Dave, or someone in the band's favorite vintage of wine. As you can imagine, I enjoy this album immensely, because it takes nothing seriously, but at the same time has enough wits about itself to take life as it comes. This is the attitude which attracted me to Foghat in the first place, and which keeps me listening to them after all of these years.

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.

Now the group brings their personable brand of blues rock to the arena, with many of these tracks containing horns and backing female vocals. But the trade-off is they lose a bit of the edge they previously had. "Ride, Ride, Ride", "Road Fever", and "She's Gone" are standouts in this regard. But this is definitely more in the realm of good time rock and not anywhere close to pushing the envelope.

With the West, Bruce & Laing trio quickly circling the drain Felix Pappalardi got the itch to reform Mountain again, although initially Corky Laing was to not be involved. He somehow wrangled a tour of Japan, pulled in session players Bob Mann and Allen Schwartzberg, then enticed West, who came back into the fold, however reluctantly. The live double album that was to be Twin Peaks came from an August 1973 show in Osaka, Japan, and honestly, is not a necessary document for anyone but the serious Mountain fan to listen to. That it did not get released until six months after the actual show is a good indicator of the above point. That said, most of the material isn't bad, with a couple of exceptions. Mostly, the band sticks to tried and true classic material, and plays it by-the-book on the first side. In fact, judging by the first three tracks, one would think Mountain was right back on track. Then comes Track 4, or "Guitar Solo", which is an excess wank-fest that goes nowhere and shows how bad West had gotten in the short time period between Mountain's breakup and this show. The solo is just a bunch of boring noise, really. But then again….That's nothing, compared to the 32 MINUTE VERSION of "Nantucket Sleighride" presented here - the majority of it spent of God-awful solos and passages which make the previous track seem like a pleasant walk in the park. There was no need for this - didn't we already drop two atomic bombs on Japan already? The material after "Sleighride" seems extra-loose almost as a natural response to what the listener just endured, especially "Mississippi Queen", which roars out of your speakers like a truck-driver on speed, with West pouring on the fuzz and effects pedals something fierce. Overall, just based on musicianship alone, Twin Peaks is a passable listen, but I warn you, it will test your patience quite often.