Bad to the Bone
The Destroyers have been called a glorified bar band, yet they deserve credit for introducing '80s mainstreamers to early rockers such as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. They also reintroduced classic blues forms to rock radio, only in a little more electrified form. Hell, they even electrified Hank Williams's "Move It On Over." The aforementioned artists are all represented on this compilation, which in many ways also displays how much Thorogood's songs owe to the originals. The Thorogood-penned title cut, for instance, owes an unmistakable debt to Bo Diddley (who appeared in the video). And when Thorogood sandwiches John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" between his own "I Drink Alone" and "If You Don't Stop Drinkin'," it tough to miss the connection. If you buy only one Thorogood album, this should be it.--Bill Holdship