Gear Jammer

"Gear Jammer"
Single by George Thorogood & The Destroyers
from the album Maverick
ReleasedJanuary 1985
Genre
Length4:33
LabelEMI America
Songwriter(s)George Thorogood
Producer(s)Terry Manning
George Thorogood & The Destroyers singles chronology
"Rock 'n' Roll Christmas"
(1983) 		"Gear Jammer"
(1985) 		"I Drink Alone"
(1985)
Lyric Video
"Gear Jammer Lyric Video" on YouTube
Audio
"Gear Jammer Audio" on YouTube

"Gear Jammer" is a rock song by American blues rock band George Thorogood and the Destroyers, released on their 1985 album Maverick by EMI America Records.[1][2] It was written by George Thorogood.[3] The song is often considered one of their best, and is often played live.[4]

Writing and recording

Gear Jammer started out as an instrumental jam session, the Destroyers liked the song and Thorogood came up with the lyrics for it.[5] Thorogood later said that "Gear jammer is a slang term for a trucker, and it had a kind of cool vibe about it. I started putting some words together in my head, and I came up with the riff at the start."[1]

Thorogood said the title "Gear Jammer" came from a Johnny Cash song.[5]

Release

Gear Jammer was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album Maverick,[6] as a 12-inch single.[7] The song debuted at No. 46,[8] and peaked at No. 26 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[9][10] The song was included on several live and compilation albums.[11]

Critical reception

Gear Jammer was received positively by critics. Tim Peacock of uDiscover Music described the song as a "tour de force truck drivin’ anthem".[12] Fidel Bessera of Blues Rock Review calls the song a "hard-hitting bluesy rocker".[4]

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1985) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[9] 26

References

  1. ^ a b McStea, Mark (December 16, 2022). "George Thorogood's Top Five Career-Defining Destroyers Tracks". Guitar Player.
  2. ^ Viglione, Joe. "Maverick Review by Joe Viglione". AllMusic.
  3. ^ uDiscover Team (March 8, 2020). "George Thorogood - Prodigiously-Talented Boogie Blues Guitarist". uDiscover Music.
  4. ^ a b Beserra, Fidel (June 24, 2021). "Top 10 George Thorogood Songs". Blues Rock Review.
  5. ^ a b Wardlaw, Matt (April 13, 2022). "The Story Behind George Thorogood's Slow-Developing 'Bad to the Bone'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  6. ^ "Maverick Thorogood LP released by EMI America" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 41. February 23, 1985. p. 7 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ "The Gavin Report - January 11, 1985" (PDF). The Gavin Report. January 11, 1985. p. 27 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ "Billboard Volume 97 No. 3" (PDF). Billboard. January 19, 1985. p. 18 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ a b "Billboard Volume 97 No. 5" (PDF). Billboard. February 2, 1985. p. 24 – via World Radio History.
  10. ^ "George Thorogood Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  11. ^ "Gear Jammer - George Thorogood | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  12. ^ Peacock, Tim (February 25, 2022). "New George Thorogood Collection, 'The Original George Thorogood' Due In April". uDiscover Music.