Song Of The Week: “Train, Train” by Blackfoot

Sometimes you need a heaping helping of good old-fashioned, boot-stomping rock ‘n’ roll. And when that urgent need arises, who ya gonna call?

No, not the Ghostbusters (although it’s well-known that they’re too hot to handle, too cold to hold). No, it’s not your shaven-headed, face-tatted, denim-loving drinking buddy who can shred like Ed (Van Halen, that is).

When you need a little something down and dirty you go to the first person everyone thinks of when they think about rockin’ and rollin’ and whatnot.

Grandpa.

That’s right. Grandparents know how to tear up a joint. And when Blackfoot lead singer Rickey Medlocke needed a hurricane on the harp to open the song “Train, Train,” he called in his granpappy, Shorty Medlocke. It was a canny choice–not only can Shorty perform a mean suck and blow on the old harmonica, he also wrote the song.

At their best, Blackfoot rocked like a harder Lynyrd Skynyrd (no surprise really, since Rickey Medlocke played with an early incarnation of the group and re-joined permanently in the mid-90s). The Florida band peaked with their album Strikes in 1979, which featured one of their biggest hits in “Train, Train.”

And y’all better crank the volume on this one. This here’s some ass-kickin’ Southern rock and if you play it like a Kenny G record at a cocktail party, I’ll know it. Like your dear old mama used to say, I won’t be angry, I’ll just be disappointed.

So grab an ice-cold sixer of Bud and get ready to shotgun one of those bad boys. ‘Cuz it’s about to get sweaty.