Sheffield’s premier boogie master Bobby Lee guides Groovy Times through the low-slung, pleasingly propulsive world of choogle on vinyl
As someone who has been known to choogle, could you let me have your definition?
“Choogle” – both noun and verb – a propulsive, laid back, repetitive groove, brought to public consciousness by late 60s rootsy American Rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival but found across various genres and eras. Guitars help but aren’t mandatory. The lineage of choogle has elements of country, 50s Rock’n’Roll, blues (modal one-chord jams rather than 12-bar plod-a-longs), boogie, psychedelia, raga and minimalism.
Who are the classic choogle’s bands of yore?
The big three would be CCR, Canned Heat and ZZ Top but it’s not strictly blue collar; the Velvets and Captain Beefheart could choogle too. Suicide definitely choogle but equally so could Foghat, Bob Seger and Grand Funk Railroad. It’s not just shorthand for classic rock though. The Stones could occasionally choogle, the Beatles not so much. The James Gang choogled more than Led Zeppelin (too much guitar hero soloing detracts from choogle, as does an unrelentingly showy frontman).
Chooglin’ is primarily associated with American bands, but who are the prime chooglers from this side of the pond?
Marc Bolan, especially around the time of Electric Warrior. A lot of the Brit-blues guys were too interested in guitar gymnastics to really sit back on the groove and choogle. Status Quo have their moments (A-grade Telecaster boogie) but lack the requisite funk to fully qualify. Some of the squat-dwelling underground bands get closer I think. The Groundhogs, Edgar Broughton, Stack Waddy, those sort of bands. Mark Knopfler had potential (he was a total JJ Cale devotee after all) but he was a little neat to qualify.
What would you say is choogle’s most mainstream moment?
It’s got to be Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit In The Sky for sure. Chugging, repetitive groove, simple, saturated fuzz guitar riff, head nodding tempo. Let’s Work Together by Canned Heat coming in a distant second.
The propulsive nature of chooglin’ begs the question, can Krautrock bands choogle?
Absolutely. The way krautrock distilled the component parts of American rock’n’roll, discarding the ego, zoning in on the most rhythmic, elemental parts work in a similar way to the endless boogie of the best classic chooglers. Can, Amon Duul II, Neu, La Dusseldorf, Guru Guru and Harmonia all come to mind as Krautrock bands who qualify.
There’s a new crop of bands who continue to hold the chooglin’ torch aloft, who should we be listening to?
See diagram below.
If pushed, what are your favourite chooglin’ moments on vinyl?
Full albums rarely totally choogle, but my choices below have a high percentage.
Naturally/Really
JJ Cale
A&M (1972)/A&M (1972)
I could have chosen any JJ Cale record here but for me his first two have the deepest, dankest grooves.
Focus Level
Endless Boogie
No Quarter (2008)
21st-century long-form choogle from Paul Major and co. Sounds like drinking a six-pack in your underwear when the A/C has crapped out.
Sing Brother Sing
Edgar Broughton Band
Harvest (1970)
Hairy, hoary, heavy Beefheart-devotees. Give it a go if you dig The Groundhogs or Hawkwind.
You Better Run
Junior Kimbrough
Fat Possum (2002)
One chord, lofi modal blues which really boogies. Such a groove for nothing but a junk shop guitar and cracked vocal.
Harlan County
Jim Ford
Sundown (1969)
Swampy country soul with a generous helping of wah-wah guitar and fuzz bass.
How about a Bobby Lee chooglin’ covers album? We’d buy it!
Not sure about a covers record but I’ve wanted to make a Neanderthal ur-metal/megalithic boogie record for a while which has plenty of choogle potential
Bobby Lee’s latest album Endless Skyways on Tompkin’s Square is available on vinyl from Bandcamp (bobbyleeplaysitslow.bandcamp.com) and all good record shops. And while you’re waiting for it to arrive in the post here’s a 100-track chooglin’ playlist that Bobby prepared earlier (see above).