Better Than The Rest
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Album Summary
George Thorogood & The Destroyers laid down 'Better Than The Rest' at a moment when this hard-charging Delaware outfit was still building their legend one smoky barroom at a time, and the fire they brought to those stages came through hot on every groove of this 1979 MCA Records release. Produced to bottle that raw, live-wire electricity that had been making believers up and down the East Coast club circuit, the album finds Thorogood and his band — tight as a drumhead and twice as loud — delivering their signature stripped-down electric blues attack with the confidence of a unit that had paid its dues and then some. The recording leaned hard into Thorogood's ferocious slide guitar style and the Destroyers' no-frills, back-to-the-bone approach, a sound they had been sharpening since coming up out of Wilmington in the early 1970s, and it showed in every note pressed into that vinyl.
Reception
- The album performed modestly on the charts but did exactly what it needed to do — deepened Thorogood's cult following among blues-rock devotees who valued his uncompromising, back-to-basics aesthetic over the slick, over-produced sound dominating mainstream rock radio in the late 1970s.
- Critics recognized the album as a dependable showcase for Thorogood's scorching slide guitar technique and his rare gift for breathing new life into classic blues material with raw, hard-rock intensity.
- While no major crossover single emerged from the sessions, the record cemented Thorogood's standing as one of the most honest and fearless live-to-record performers working in the American roots music tradition at the time.
Significance
- 'Better Than The Rest' stands as a vital document of the late-1970s American blues revival, planting Thorogood firmly alongside a small, proud brotherhood of artists keeping the electric Chicago and Delta blues traditions burning bright for a new generation of rock-raised ears.
- The album's deep commitment to reinterpreting classic blues repertoire — across tracks like 'I'm Ready,' 'Howlin' For My Darlin',' and 'Nadine' — underscored Thorogood's essential role as a blues evangelist, carrying older material to younger audiences who might never have found it otherwise.
- The record stands as a testament to the Destroyers as a seasoned, road-forged unit whose studio work always put feel, grit, and authenticity first — a deliberate and soulful rejection of the commercial production fashions that were sweeping late-1970s rock into shinier, emptier territory.
Tracklist
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A1 In The Night Time —
3:08
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A2 I'm Ready 192
2:46
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A3 Goodbye Baby 99
3:08
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A4 Howlin' For My Darlin' —
3:24
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A5 My Weakness —
2:26
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B1 Nadine —
4:03
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B2 My Way 145
1:56
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B3 You're Gonna Miss Me —
2:14
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B4 Worried About My Baby —
3:29
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B5 Huckle Up Baby 106
2:24
Artist Details
George Thorogood & The Destroyers burst out of Wilmington, Delaware in 1973, bringing a raw, electrifying blend of Chicago blues and hard-driving rock and roll that hit like a freight train and never let up. This band, led by the impossibly cool slide guitar of George Thorogood himself, carved out a reputation as one of the most ferocious live acts in America, turning barrooms into revival meetings and making classics like "Who Do You Love" and "Bad to the Bone" the soundtrack of blue-collar swagger for generations to come. Their significance lies in keeping the roots of American blues alive and kicking during an era when disco and glam were fighting for the spotlight, proving that sometimes all a soul needs is a slide guitar, a cold drink, and a band that plays like their life depends on it.
