Boz Scaggs learned to play the guitar at the age of 12, and shortly thereafter began a friendship with Steve Miller that would result in the two of them playing music together for a number of years. Scaggs went to college at the University of Wisconsin (where he continued to play with Miller) before bouncing around London and Sweden on his own for a couple of years before releasing his first album in 1965 (dud). He would then relocate to my city by the Bay, where he became the lead vocalist for the Steve Miller Band's first two LP's. Scaggs went solo again in 1968 and released his second album which contains the seminal (and long, at over twelve minutes) song, "Loan Me a Dime." Scaggs continued to release albums steadily and then in 1976 released Silk Degrees, which would go on to sell over 5 million copies and make Scaggs an international star. Scaggs success would continue through the early eighties before the inevitable tapering off that afflicts so many artists set in. In all, Scaggs has released 19 studio LPs (the latest just this year), had two top ten LPs, a top ten single (the incredible "Lowdown"), won a Grammy Award, and co-owns a club in San Francisco as well as owning a vineyard. His son, Austin, is a music critic for Rolling Stone. Not a bad little career at all.
Fun Fact: A classmate of Scaggs at a prep school in Texas began calling him "Bosley" which over time was shortened to "Boz" and thus created his distinctive moniker.
Fun Fact #2: I was quite the Scaggs fan back in the day and wanted to name my oldest son "Boz" in tribute to Mr. Scaggs. Fortunately, my first wife was the brains in the outfit and nixed that idea forthwith...
"Lido Shuffle" was released in 1977 on the aforementioned Silk Degrees LP. It would eventually reach #11 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 (it would hit #2 in Australia and #5 in Canada--so many cool kids in Australia and Canada, eh...). On a completely unrelated note, I scored a copy of Silk Degrees for a buck a few months back and spent two solid months listening to it on my drives to and from work--had forgotten what a fine piece of work it was.
I think what stands out for me about "Lido Shuffle" is how different it is from most of what Scaggs has released through the years. He's known for smooth pop songs (with elements of jazz and R & B) and lush ballads, but this one is as close to a balls out rocker as he's done. And he manages to do it with little or no guitar (the credits list three guitarists but I'll be damned if I can hear them). It's driven by a rock solid bass line and some pulsating drumming. There's a nice organ solo about midway through that features emaycee fave hand claps...and did I mention it's a song about a small time hood looking for one last big score before he calls it a career? Throughout, Scaggs vocals (as ever) provide the juice to make it electric. All in all, it's a rock tune from the 70's that, like so many others from that decade, stands the test of time.
Lyric Sheet: "He'll be making like a bee line/Headin' for the borderline/Goin' for broke/Sayin' one more hit ought to do it/This joint ain't nothin' to it..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
I disagree that it was a terrible idea. I've always, since learning of that story, wished I had been named Boz. I'd be so much cooler now (even if my childhood would've been hell).
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