Fool for the City is the fifth studio album by English rock band Foghat, released on September 15, 1975. Fool for the City was the band's first album to go platinum and features, along with the title track, the band's signature song "Slow Ride". This was also the first album the band recorded after the departure of founding member, Tony Stevens, and featured producer Nick Jameson on bass and keyboards, who also co-wrote the album's closing track, "Take It or Leave It", with Dave Peverett. Although featured in the photograph on the back cover of the album, Jameson is not known to have toured with Foghat in support of the album. Bassist Craig MacGregor was recruited shortly after the album's release, although Jameson would continue to produce and record intermittently with the band over the next couple decades.
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Fool for the City | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 15, 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Studio | Suntreader Studios, Sharon, Vermont | |||
Genre |
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Length | 35:37 | |||
Label | Bearsville | |||
Producer | Nick Jameson (008) | |||
Foghat chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album cover shows drummer Roger Earl sitting alone on a soap box fishing down a manhole near 229 East 11th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue) in New York City, near the address of Foghat's American office. The back cover features skeptical bystanders observing Earl's unusual activity and the other members of the band either asking him what he is doing or trying to dissuade him from it. In a 2014 interview, Earl explained how the picture was taken:
It was a Sunday morning and I hadn't slept. [...] It was Nick Jameson's idea [...] since I have this penchant for fishing. Anyway, we lift up the manhole cover and I'm sitting on a box. Almost immediately a couple of New York's Finest come by in their patrol car. They're looking at us and they wind the window down. We're like, "Oh shit." They yell out, "Hey! You got a fishing license?" and then start laughing. So they come over and say, "What the fuck are you doing?" They took some pictures with them handcuffing me. I love New York's Finest.[3]
This particular LP was released with two different catalog numbers, The original released in 1975 was released as BR 6959. A reissue in 1978 was issued as BRK 6980. All issues from 1978 -1984 used this catalog number.[citation needed]
Chart (1975-1976) | Peak position |
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Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] | 85 |
US Billboard 200[6] | 23 |
Singles — Billboard (United States)
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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1975 | "Slow Ride" | Pop Singles | 20 |
1976 | "Fool for the City" | Pop Singles | 45 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[7] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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Singles |
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