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In 1976, Foghat was riding high on the popularity of their massive hit single “Slow Ride.” The band’s Fool for the City album helped Foghat capture a whole new audience of young rock and roll fans. Released in 1975, Fool for the City became the band’s first Platinum album. So, how does a band follow up its most successful album to date? The answer is simple: release an even better album to follow up the biggest seller. That’s precisely what Foghat did with the release of Night Shift in November 1976.

I was 16 when Foghat released Night Shift. On Long Island, Foghat was huge. When Night Shift came out, everyone in high school who was into rock and roll music was raving about the album. It was extremely popular. People loved the album; everyone had a copy of it. There was a particular crowd of kids in high school in which music played a very important role in their lives. When an album as good as Foghat’s Night Shift was released, it became a big deal.

“Drivin’ Wheel” packed a powerful punch as the album’s opening track. The song was a scorcher of a rock track. Listen to Rod Price’s opening guitar riff. I have never heard a riff that utilized feedback in time with a guitar figure that was so jaw-dropping. Of course, it all comes together when Roger Earl knocks the door down with his high-spirited rock and roll drumming that kicks the song into Foghat land. Foghat’s new bassist, Craig MacGregor, lays down a melodic and soulful rock bass line that locks in perfectly with Earl’s energetic playing. And then, of course, there is Lonesome Dave. The man had a voice like no one else’s. It was frantic, blues-infused, and simply perfect for the band. The man could also play a mean guitar. If you ever saw Foghat live, it was such a joy to watch Dave and Rod standing together, wailing away. “Drivin’ Wheel” would go on to reach number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It is not easy to follow up such a barn-burning opening album track as “Drivin’ Wheel.” Foghat wasted no time as the second track, “Don’t Run Me Down,” hit you smack in the face like a Long Island Rail Road locomotive. The song was written by Lonesome Dave Peverett. Roger Earl’s snare drum on the song sounds so big and mean, while Craig MacGregor’s eighth-note bass line simulates that driving train feel that echoes throughout the song. When the band slams into the chorus with that double-time feel, it’s as if all chaos breaks loose. This one was a lot of fun.

Closing out Side One of the Night Shift album was another Lonesome Dave Peverett composition called “Burnin’ the Midnight Oil.” This track was really popular at the time. I remember it being one of so many of my friends’ favorite songs on Night Shift. The guitar work on this cut is just stunning. Rod Price delivers a killer solo at about the three-minute mark.

There were only three songs on Side One of the original album. Foghat was releasing records at a rapid pace in the 1970s, and Night Shift still ran more than 37 minutes with only seven songs. On vinyl, giving a side of an album more physical groove space could also help preserve volume and sound quality instead of trying to squeeze too much music onto one side.

Side Two of the album opened with the record’s title track, “Night Shift.” Lonesome Dave Peverett and Rod Price wrote the song. This was a darker minor-key song with a forceful driving beat that looked you straight in the eyes, convincing you to take this one seriously. What a song this was! It’s pure classic rock. It was a great concert staple. Listen to the guitar jamming at the end of the song.

The next song on Side Two, called “Hot Shot Love,” would be the only cut on the album to utilize a fade-in. This was an interesting track. It’s the most soulful tune on the album and placed perfectly in the album’s lineup. At its core, Foghat was a blues band. Foghat had deep Savoy Brown roots: Lonesome Dave Peverett and Roger Earl had both been members of Savoy Brown, and original Foghat bassist Tony Stevens had come from the group as well. Foghat shaped its own sound, however, combining blues-rock with heavy rock and roll boogie grooves and a soulfulness that wrapped it all together. They were, in essence, capturing what the 1970s were all about in music. If you couldn’t recognize all of that in the previous tracks, their cover of “Take Me to the River” solidifies our argument.

The song “Take Me to the River” was written by Al Green and guitarist Mabon “Teenie” Hodges and first recorded by Green in 1974. It’s a song many artists have covered in classic rock history. Foghat recorded its version in 1976, two years before the famous Talking Heads version appeared in 1978. Levon Helm and Bryan Ferry also released versions in 1978; the Grateful Dead would not perform the song until 1995. Foghat’s version is killer. We love the section where Roger and Craig are grooving on bass and drums alone. It’s a special moment.

The album closes it all up with the track “I’ll Be Standing By.” The song was written by Rod “The Bottle” Price and Lonesome Dave Peverett. It’s a slow-moving blues tune highlighted by Dave’s emotional, blues-infused singing that will knock you out of your rock and roll shoes. Rod’s blues playing on the track will leave you breathless. What a way to close up a phenomenal album. The song later reached number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Night Shift was Foghat’s sixth studio album. The album reached number 36 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of more than 500,000 copies.

Night Shift marked the studio-album debut of Craig MacGregor as Foghat’s bassist. MacGregor had joined after Nick Jameson’s first stint with the band, while Jameson himself had followed original bassist Tony Stevens. The album was produced by Dan Hartman, who had crossed paths with artists including Johnny Winter and became best known in this period for his work with the Edgar Winter Group. Hartman brought that experience into an album that sounded incredibly powerful and clean on your turntable. The record was made at Hartman’s Connecticut studio, known as the Schoolhouse.

When I interviewed Roger Earl in 2023, I picked up the CD of Night Shift I had next to me and showed it to him, saying that it was my favorite Foghat album. He just smiled and said, “Yeah, we were pretty good back then.”