published: 8 /
3 /
2021
Label:
Grand Records
Format: CD
Electrifying double CD compilation which spans nearly fifty years of music from Canvey Island’s Dr Feelgood
Review
One evening in the late 1960s, Lee Brilleaux travelled from his home in Canvey Island to a pub in Romford, where he saw a performance by American bluesman Howlin’ Wolf. For Lee, this was a life-changing event. From then on he was determined to form his own band in a similar vein, but with a British rocky edge.
A few years later that band, Dr Feelgood, were the darlings of the UK music press. Playing storming R&B, or ‘Thames Delta Blues’ as they called it, Lee, along with main songwriter Wilko Johnson on guitar, John B.‘Sparko’ Sparks on bass and John Martin ‘The Big Figure’ on drums, took the late 1970s post-punk and NWOBHM live music scene by storm.
'Dr Feelgood - Greatest Hits' is a comprehensive double CD collection charting the band from their earliest days to the present, completely new line-up. Disc 1 opens with the rocking boogie of ‘She Does It Right’, notable for deftly worked drums. This and the next four tracks, ‘I Don’t Mind’, ‘All Through the City, ‘Keep It Out of Sight’ and ‘Roxette’ were all penned by Wilko Johnson. ‘Roxette’, with its snappy groove, barked vocals and Lee’s harmonica is a particular favourite of fans. ‘Back In The Night’, complete with slide guitar, and ‘Going Back Home’, two more songs by Wilko and, like ‘Roxette’ taken from the Feelgood’s chart-topping live album 'Stupidity', are glorious reminders of how thrilling they were live. An almost punky ‘She’s a Wind Up’ has a rockier edge, and their most famous track ‘Milk and Alcohol’, with its deadpan vocal delivery (“Night club, I paid in/I got a stamp on my skin”) was written by Nick Lowe and the late John Mayo, the guitarist who replaced Wilko after an acrimonious split at the height of their fame.
Disc 2 opens with ‘Dangerous’, (“I ain’t no chancer/I don’t mess around”) which sets the scene for two John Lee Hooker covers, ‘Mad Man Blues’ and ‘Dimples’, executed with reverence and aplomb. Some kind of alchemy transforms Lee’s Essex accent into a deep Southern Blues growl; it is quite spine-tingling. ‘King for a Day’ is another slice of frenetic rock; ‘Down by the Jetty Blues’ is a breathtaking, almost six-minute cocktail of slide guitar and wailing harmonica. ‘Wolfman Callin’ (“He’s callin’ out my name”) is wonderfully atmospheric. Later members including Kevin Morris, Pete Gage and Robert Kane feature on the remaining tracks. Canvey, it seems, must have a Dr Feelgood; and, to his credit, manager and ‘5th member’ Chris Fenwick has kept the band going, still running the show from an office on the Island. Sadly, Lee Brilleaux died of lymphoma in 1994, at the tragically early age of 41.
A 15-minute clip of Dr Feelgood live in Southend exists online. Wilko jerks around the stage, zigzagging and aiming his guitar at the audience. Sparko gets into a groove and keeps it going, marching back and forth with a swing and a swagger. The Big Figure sets down a tidy beat and keeps it all together. And Lee, in his ubiquitous white suit, is totally in the moment, snarling and commanding. This is the band at the height of their powers.
'Dr Feelgood - Greatest Hits' is an essential addition to any music collection; this is a fabulous compilation from one of the greatest British blues bands.
Track Listing:-
1
She does it right
2
I don't mind
3
All through the city
4
Keep it out of sight
5
Roxette
6
I can tell
7
Sneakin suspicion
8
Back in the night
9
Going back home
10
Riot in cell block no 9
11
She's a wind up
12
That's it, i quit
13
Night time
14
Milk & alcohol
15
Put him out of your mind
16
Shotgun blues
17
No mo do yakamo
18
Jumping from love tolove
19
Violent love
20
Rat race
21
Crazy bout girls
22
Dangerous
23
Mad man blues
24
Dimples
25
Hunting shooting fishing
26
See you later alligator
27
King for a day
28
Baby jane
29
Sugar turns to alcohol
30
Down by the jetty blues
31
Wolfman callin '
32
Road runner
33
Down at the doctors
34
Heart of the city
35
Instinct to survive
36
Going out west
37
You Got Me
38
Who do you love
39
You gotta help me
40
Gimme one more shot
41
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/TheFeelgoods
http://www.drfeelgood.org/
https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Feelgood.O