Live! Go for What You Know

Long considered by fans to be Pat Travers' finest hour, Live! Go for What You Know is an exciting live album from his 1979 U.S. tour, featuring a backing band of no small consequence. Guitarist Pat Thrall, bassist Mars Cowling, and drummer Tommy Aldridge (who debuted together with 1979's Heat in the Street) turn this performance into an intelligent, virtuoso hard rock showcase. Right from the onset of "Hooked on Music," the band explores the broad tonal ranges of electric guitar and the beauty of a flexible rhythm section. Travers is based in the blues, but his music takes on significant rock power here. The chemistry is undeniable and quite funky, with "Gettin' Better" capturing a group as influenced by Parliament-Funkadelic as by the usual blues suspects. The Stan Lewis blues classic "Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)" allows audience participation and is the album's clear centerpiece. Fans of tasteful, intricate guitar work shouldn't overlook this grand band.