.
June 29, 2014
7129 - GOV'T MULE Live At Wanee Music Festival - Spirit Of Suwanee Music Park, April 12, 2014 (2014)
7128 - WIDESPREAD PANIC Live At National, Richmond, VA, March 6 2014, Disc Two (2014)
WIDESPREAD PANIC
''LIVE AT THE NATIONAL, RICHMOND, VA, MARCH 6 2014, DISC TWO''
2014
BOOTLEG
151:58
DISC ONE (63:01)
1 - Crowd intro 0:38
2 - Let's Get The Show On The Road 7:34
3 - Wondering 4:40
4 - From The Cradle 4:18
5 - Who Do You Belong To? 6:37
6 - Pickin' Up The Pieces 6:14
7 - Weak Brain Narrow Mind 5:58
8 - Tickle The Truth 6:05
9 - Clinic Cynic 5:25
10 - Expiration Day 5:25
11 - Tall Boy 9:40
DISC TWO (88:57)
1 - Crowd intro 1:31
2 - Holden Oversoul 7:32
3 - Can't Get High 4:16
4 - Mercy 11:48
5 - Jack 7:26
6 - Time Waits For No One 5:47
7 - Fishing 6:44
8 - Driving Song 5:15
9 - Widespread Panic - I'm Not Alone 6:53
10 - Driving Song 2:31
11 - Heaven 6:04
12 - Stop Breaking Down Blues 8:57
13 - Journey Through The Past 3:34
14 - Pilgrims 10:04
''LIVE AT THE NATIONAL, RICHMOND, VA, MARCH 6 2014, DISC TWO''
2014
BOOTLEG
151:58
DISC ONE (63:01)
1 - Crowd intro 0:38
2 - Let's Get The Show On The Road 7:34
3 - Wondering 4:40
4 - From The Cradle 4:18
5 - Who Do You Belong To? 6:37
6 - Pickin' Up The Pieces 6:14
7 - Weak Brain Narrow Mind 5:58
8 - Tickle The Truth 6:05
9 - Clinic Cynic 5:25
10 - Expiration Day 5:25
11 - Tall Boy 9:40
DISC TWO (88:57)
1 - Crowd intro 1:31
2 - Holden Oversoul 7:32
3 - Can't Get High 4:16
4 - Mercy 11:48
5 - Jack 7:26
6 - Time Waits For No One 5:47
7 - Fishing 6:44
8 - Driving Song 5:15
9 - Widespread Panic - I'm Not Alone 6:53
10 - Driving Song 2:31
11 - Heaven 6:04
12 - Stop Breaking Down Blues 8:57
13 - Journey Through The Past 3:34
14 - Pilgrims 10:04
7127 - WIDESPREAD PANIC Live At The National, Richmond, VA, March 6 2014, Disc One (2014)
WIDESPREAD PANIC
''LIVE AT THE NATIONAL, RICHMOND, VA, MARCH 6 2014, DISC ONE''
2014
BOOTLEG
151:58
DISC ONE (63:01)
1 - Crowd intro 0:38
2 - Let's Get The Show On The Road 7:34
3 - Wondering 4:40
4 - From The Cradle 4:18
5 - Who Do You Belong To? 6:37
6 - Pickin' Up The Pieces 6:14
7 - Weak Brain Narrow Mind 5:58
8 - Tickle The Truth 6:05
9 - Clinic Cynic 5:25
10 - Expiration Day 5:25
11 - Tall Boy 9:40
DISC TWO (88:57)
1 - Crowd intro 1:31
2 - Holden Oversoul 7:32
3 - Can't Get High 4:16
4 - Mercy 11:48
5 - Jack 7:26
6 - Time Waits For No One 5:47
7 - Fishing 6:44
8 - Driving Song 5:15
9 - Widespread Panic - I'm Not Alone 6:53
10 - Driving Song 2:31
11 - Heaven 6:04
12 - Stop Breaking Down Blues 8:57
13 - Journey Through The Past 3:34
14 - Pilgrims 10:04
''LIVE AT THE NATIONAL, RICHMOND, VA, MARCH 6 2014, DISC ONE''
2014
BOOTLEG
151:58
DISC ONE (63:01)
1 - Crowd intro 0:38
2 - Let's Get The Show On The Road 7:34
3 - Wondering 4:40
4 - From The Cradle 4:18
5 - Who Do You Belong To? 6:37
6 - Pickin' Up The Pieces 6:14
7 - Weak Brain Narrow Mind 5:58
8 - Tickle The Truth 6:05
9 - Clinic Cynic 5:25
10 - Expiration Day 5:25
11 - Tall Boy 9:40
DISC TWO (88:57)
1 - Crowd intro 1:31
2 - Holden Oversoul 7:32
3 - Can't Get High 4:16
4 - Mercy 11:48
5 - Jack 7:26
6 - Time Waits For No One 5:47
7 - Fishing 6:44
8 - Driving Song 5:15
9 - Widespread Panic - I'm Not Alone 6:53
10 - Driving Song 2:31
11 - Heaven 6:04
12 - Stop Breaking Down Blues 8:57
13 - Journey Through The Past 3:34
14 - Pilgrims 10:04
7126 - UMPHREY'S MCGEE Live At Wanee Music Festival - Spirit Of Suwanee Music Park, April 12, 2014, Disc Two (2014)
UMPHREY'S MCGEE
''LIVE AT WANEE MUSIC FESTIVAL - SPIRIT OF SUWANEE MUSIC PARK, DISC TWO''
RECORDED AT APRIL 12 2014
2014
121:25
BOOTLEG
1/Exodous; Life During Wartime; City of Tiny Lights 8:44
2/The Song Remains the Same 6:39
3/Rock the Casbah > 4:44
4/Rhiannon 3:18
5/Miss You * 10:29
6/Hey Nineteen ** > 4:24
7/When the World is Running You Down, You Make the Best of What’s Around ** 12:58
8/Breathe 9:39
9/A Go Go *** 12:11
10/Immigrant Song **** 7:10
11/Black Water **** 7:59
12/Baba O’Reilly 6:43
13/Power of Soul 5:58
14/Cheap Sunglasses 7:42
15/Running with the Devil 5:03
16/I Want You (She’s So Heavy) ***** 7:12
* w/ John Popper
** w/ Oteil Burbridge
*** w/ Eric Krasno and Adam Deitch
**** w/ Warren Haynes
***** w/ Eric Krasno
''LIVE AT WANEE MUSIC FESTIVAL - SPIRIT OF SUWANEE MUSIC PARK, DISC TWO''
RECORDED AT APRIL 12 2014
2014
121:25
BOOTLEG
1/Exodous; Life During Wartime; City of Tiny Lights 8:44
2/The Song Remains the Same 6:39
3/Rock the Casbah > 4:44
4/Rhiannon 3:18
5/Miss You * 10:29
6/Hey Nineteen ** > 4:24
7/When the World is Running You Down, You Make the Best of What’s Around ** 12:58
8/Breathe 9:39
9/A Go Go *** 12:11
10/Immigrant Song **** 7:10
11/Black Water **** 7:59
12/Baba O’Reilly 6:43
13/Power of Soul 5:58
14/Cheap Sunglasses 7:42
15/Running with the Devil 5:03
16/I Want You (She’s So Heavy) ***** 7:12
* w/ John Popper
** w/ Oteil Burbridge
*** w/ Eric Krasno and Adam Deitch
**** w/ Warren Haynes
***** w/ Eric Krasno
7125 - UMPHREY'S MCGEE Live At Wanee Music Festival - Spirit Of Suwanee Music Park, April 12, 2014, Disc One (2014)
UMPHREY'S MCGEE
''LIVE AT WANEE MUSIC FESTIVAL - SPIRIT OF SUWANEE MUSIC PARK, DISC ONE''
RECORDED AT APRIL 12 2014
2014
121:25
BOOTLEG
1/Exodous; Life During Wartime; City of Tiny Lights 8:44
2/The Song Remains the Same 6:39
3/Rock the Casbah > 4:44
4/Rhiannon 3:18
5/Miss You * 10:29
6/Hey Nineteen ** > 4:24
7/When the World is Running You Down, You Make the Best of What’s Around ** 12:58
8/Breathe 9:39
9/A Go Go *** 12:11
10/Immigrant Song **** 7:10
11/Black Water **** 7:59
12/Baba O’Reilly 6:43
13/Power of Soul 5:58
14/Cheap Sunglasses 7:42
15/Running with the Devil 5:03
16/I Want You (She’s So Heavy) ***** 7:12
* w/ John Popper
** w/ Oteil Burbridge
*** w/ Eric Krasno and Adam Deitch
**** w/ Warren Haynes
***** w/ Eric Krasno
''LIVE AT WANEE MUSIC FESTIVAL - SPIRIT OF SUWANEE MUSIC PARK, DISC ONE''
RECORDED AT APRIL 12 2014
2014
121:25
BOOTLEG
1/Exodous; Life During Wartime; City of Tiny Lights 8:44
2/The Song Remains the Same 6:39
3/Rock the Casbah > 4:44
4/Rhiannon 3:18
5/Miss You * 10:29
6/Hey Nineteen ** > 4:24
7/When the World is Running You Down, You Make the Best of What’s Around ** 12:58
8/Breathe 9:39
9/A Go Go *** 12:11
10/Immigrant Song **** 7:10
11/Black Water **** 7:59
12/Baba O’Reilly 6:43
13/Power of Soul 5:58
14/Cheap Sunglasses 7:42
15/Running with the Devil 5:03
16/I Want You (She’s So Heavy) ***** 7:12
* w/ John Popper
** w/ Oteil Burbridge
*** w/ Eric Krasno and Adam Deitch
**** w/ Warren Haynes
***** w/ Eric Krasno
June 28, 2014
7124 - ERIC JOHNSON - Europe Live (2014)
ERIC JOHNSON
''EUROPE LIVE''
JUNE 24 2014
70:34
1 /Intro 1:54
2 /Zenland
Eric Johnson 4:22
3 /Austin
Eric Johnson 4:07
4 /Forty Mile Town
Eric Johnson 4:58
5 /Mr. P.C.
John Coltrane 9:38
6 /Manhattan
Eric Johnson 4:50
7 /Zap
Eric Johnson 6:12
8 /Song For Life
Eric Johnson 3:01
9 /Fatdaddy
Eric Johnson 2:45
10 /Last House On the Block
Eric Johnson / Bill Maddox 11:32
11 /Interlude
Eric Johnson 2:00
12 /Cliffs of Dover
Eric Johnson 5:39
13 /Evinrude Fever
Eric Johnson 3:47
14 /Sun Reprise
Eric Johnson 5:49
Eric Johnson /Guitar, Vocals
Chris Maresh /Guitar (Bass)
Wayne Salzmann II /Drums, Vocals (Background)
Europe Live was recorded in venues across Johnson's tour of the continent, with the majority of the album capturing his appearance at Amsterdam's Melkweg along with selections from two dates in Germany at Die Kantine in Köln and Bochum Zeche and the Paris show at New Morning. Each appearance featured a unique set list, offering Johnson the opportunity to cull this track listing from a wealth of repertoire captured.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bill Meredith
Very few musical artists achieve a true signature style -- one that makes comparisons to other musicians impossible. But Texas guitarist Eric Johnson arguably comes as close to this echelon as any musician from the past quarter-century. Like fellow Lone Star State guitarists Johnny Winter, Billy Gibbons, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnson blends the rock style of Jimi Hendrix and the blues power of Albert King. Yet Johnson's wide array of additional influences (from the Beatles and Jeff Beck to jazz and Chet Atkins) makes for a guitar sound as unique as his fingerprints.
"When I first heard Eric," Winter recalls, "he was only 16, and I remember wishing that I could have played like that at that age." Former Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter says, "If Jimi Hendrix had gone on to study with Howard Roberts for about eight years, you'd have what this kid strikes me as." The Austin prodigy appeared on the cover of Guitar Player magazine while working with Texas jazz/fusion band the Electromagnets and as a session player (Cat Stevens, Carole King, Christopher Cross), and a 1984 performance on the TV show Austin City Limits set his recording career in motion.
Johnson's 1986 debut album, Tones, certainly proved that the hype was warranted. Playing with the ace rhythm section of bassist Roscoe Beck and drummer Tommy Taylor, Johnson mixed blazing instrumentals ("Zap," "Victory") with Beatles-influenced vocal tunes like "Emerald Eyes" and "Bristol Shore." Johnson used the same half-and-half format on the 1990 follow-up, Ah Via Musicom, but a trio of the album's tunes surprisingly made him the first artist to have three instrumentals from the same album to chart in the Top Ten in any format (with "Cliffs of Dover" earning Johnson a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental).
But, if Johnson had a perceived weakness, it was the perfectionism that caused four years to pass between recordings. Even in concert, he would painstakingly tune his guitar between songs, by ear, for minutes on end. With the success of Ah Via Musicom, the guitarist admitted to feeling pressure to raise the bar again. But Johnson's studio nitpicking delayed Venus Isle until 1996, and the disappointing CD contained fewer instrumentals and sounded forced.
A stint on the 1997 G3 tour with fellow headlining guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and its resulting live release, breathed new life into Johnson and sparked the idea of a live album. Overhauling his band for the 2000 CD Live and Beyond, Johnson brought in bassist Chris Maresh and drummer Bill Maddox, and concentrated on more of a blues feel. The guitarist still blended instrumentals with his vocal tunes ("Shape I'm In," "Last House on the Block"), but perhaps realized that his thin voice was too one-dimensional for guttural blues or R&B. Guest vocalist Malford Milligan ignites "Don't Cha Know" and "Once a Part of Me," helping Johnson's blazing debut on Vai's Favored Nations label and reestablishing the versatile virtuoso's status for the 21st century. As Vai himself testifies, "Eric has more colorful tone in his fingers than Van Gogh had on his palette."
Souvenir, an album available only through Johnson's website, appeared in 2002, followed by CD and DVD versions of New West's Live from Austin, TX and Bloom, the second album for Vai's Favored Nations imprint, in 2005. Johnson returned in 2010 with Up Close, a studio album that slightly emphasized the guitarist's Texas roots.
OFFICIAL SITE
''EUROPE LIVE''
JUNE 24 2014
70:34
1 /Intro 1:54
2 /Zenland
Eric Johnson 4:22
3 /Austin
Eric Johnson 4:07
4 /Forty Mile Town
Eric Johnson 4:58
5 /Mr. P.C.
John Coltrane 9:38
6 /Manhattan
Eric Johnson 4:50
7 /Zap
Eric Johnson 6:12
8 /Song For Life
Eric Johnson 3:01
9 /Fatdaddy
Eric Johnson 2:45
10 /Last House On the Block
Eric Johnson / Bill Maddox 11:32
11 /Interlude
Eric Johnson 2:00
12 /Cliffs of Dover
Eric Johnson 5:39
13 /Evinrude Fever
Eric Johnson 3:47
14 /Sun Reprise
Eric Johnson 5:49
Eric Johnson /Guitar, Vocals
Chris Maresh /Guitar (Bass)
Wayne Salzmann II /Drums, Vocals (Background)
Europe Live was recorded in venues across Johnson's tour of the continent, with the majority of the album capturing his appearance at Amsterdam's Melkweg along with selections from two dates in Germany at Die Kantine in Köln and Bochum Zeche and the Paris show at New Morning. Each appearance featured a unique set list, offering Johnson the opportunity to cull this track listing from a wealth of repertoire captured.
BIOGRAPHY
by Bill Meredith
Very few musical artists achieve a true signature style -- one that makes comparisons to other musicians impossible. But Texas guitarist Eric Johnson arguably comes as close to this echelon as any musician from the past quarter-century. Like fellow Lone Star State guitarists Johnny Winter, Billy Gibbons, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnson blends the rock style of Jimi Hendrix and the blues power of Albert King. Yet Johnson's wide array of additional influences (from the Beatles and Jeff Beck to jazz and Chet Atkins) makes for a guitar sound as unique as his fingerprints.
"When I first heard Eric," Winter recalls, "he was only 16, and I remember wishing that I could have played like that at that age." Former Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter says, "If Jimi Hendrix had gone on to study with Howard Roberts for about eight years, you'd have what this kid strikes me as." The Austin prodigy appeared on the cover of Guitar Player magazine while working with Texas jazz/fusion band the Electromagnets and as a session player (Cat Stevens, Carole King, Christopher Cross), and a 1984 performance on the TV show Austin City Limits set his recording career in motion.
Johnson's 1986 debut album, Tones, certainly proved that the hype was warranted. Playing with the ace rhythm section of bassist Roscoe Beck and drummer Tommy Taylor, Johnson mixed blazing instrumentals ("Zap," "Victory") with Beatles-influenced vocal tunes like "Emerald Eyes" and "Bristol Shore." Johnson used the same half-and-half format on the 1990 follow-up, Ah Via Musicom, but a trio of the album's tunes surprisingly made him the first artist to have three instrumentals from the same album to chart in the Top Ten in any format (with "Cliffs of Dover" earning Johnson a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental).
But, if Johnson had a perceived weakness, it was the perfectionism that caused four years to pass between recordings. Even in concert, he would painstakingly tune his guitar between songs, by ear, for minutes on end. With the success of Ah Via Musicom, the guitarist admitted to feeling pressure to raise the bar again. But Johnson's studio nitpicking delayed Venus Isle until 1996, and the disappointing CD contained fewer instrumentals and sounded forced.
A stint on the 1997 G3 tour with fellow headlining guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and its resulting live release, breathed new life into Johnson and sparked the idea of a live album. Overhauling his band for the 2000 CD Live and Beyond, Johnson brought in bassist Chris Maresh and drummer Bill Maddox, and concentrated on more of a blues feel. The guitarist still blended instrumentals with his vocal tunes ("Shape I'm In," "Last House on the Block"), but perhaps realized that his thin voice was too one-dimensional for guttural blues or R&B. Guest vocalist Malford Milligan ignites "Don't Cha Know" and "Once a Part of Me," helping Johnson's blazing debut on Vai's Favored Nations label and reestablishing the versatile virtuoso's status for the 21st century. As Vai himself testifies, "Eric has more colorful tone in his fingers than Van Gogh had on his palette."
Souvenir, an album available only through Johnson's website, appeared in 2002, followed by CD and DVD versions of New West's Live from Austin, TX and Bloom, the second album for Vai's Favored Nations imprint, in 2005. Johnson returned in 2010 with Up Close, a studio album that slightly emphasized the guitarist's Texas roots.
OFFICIAL SITE
7123 - OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW - Remedy (2014)
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW
''REMEDY''
JULY 1 2014
42:57
1 /Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer
Ketch Secor 3:50
2 /8 Dogs 8 Banjos
Ketch Secor 2:52
3 /Sweet Amarillo
Bob Dylan / Critter Fuqua / Ketch Secor 3:23
4 /Mean Enough World
Ketch Secor 3:19
5 /Dearly Departed Friend
Ketch Secor 4:26
6 /Firewater
Critter Fuqua / Chance McCoy / Ketch Secor 3:14
7 /Brave Boys
Kevin Hayes / Morgan Jahnig / Ketch Secor 2:40
8 /Doc's Day
Critter Fuqua / Ketch Secor 3:20
9 /O Cumberland River
Critter Fuqua / Chance McCoy / Ketch Secor 3:21
10 /Tennessee Bound
Ketch Secor 2:50
11/Shit Creek
Critter Fuqua / Kevin Hayes / Morgan Jahnig / Chance McCoy / Ketch Secor 3:25
12 /Sweet Home
Kevin Hayes / Ketch Secor 2:49
13 /The Warden
Felix Hatfield / Gill Landry 3:28
BIOGRAPHY
by James Christopher Monger
Mountain music revivalists Old Crow Medicine Show spin traditional folk and bluegrass yarns with a rock & roll attitude. Critter Fuqua (vocals/banjo/resonator guitar), Kevin Hayes (guitjo), Morgan Jahnig (upright bass), Ketch Secor (vocals/fiddle/harmonica/banjo), and Willie Watson (vocals/guitar/banjo) may specialize in rags, hollers, and pre-World War II blues, but they were weaned on Nirvana and Public Enemy. The quintet's members -- who are all from different states -- met in New York, hit the road, played before an impressed Doc Watson in front of a North Carolina pharmacy, and were promptly scheduled to play the folk icon's Merlefest. Old Crow Medicine Show then relocated to Nashville, where they found themselves gracing the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, opening for the likes of Dolly Parton and the Del McCoury Band, touring with Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart, and appearing on NPR's Prairie Home Companion.
They signed to Nettwerk America in 2003, began crafting their own compositions among the jug band standards and reels that had become the backbone of the group, and went into the studio to make a record with Gillian Welch's other half, guitarist David Rawlings, at the helm. Their self-titled debut, which was recorded in RCA's legendary Studio B (Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings) as well as Woodland Sound Studios (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), arrived the following year. The group's second album, Big Iron World, was produced by Rawlings and appeared in August of 2006. The band then switched producers, going with Don Was for 2008's Tennessee Pusher. Carry Me Back, produced by Ted Hutt, was released four years later in 2012. In the summer of 2013, the band (now an octet) released the three-song EP Carry Me Back to Old Virginia, which consisted of the title track, a newly recorded version of "Ain't It Enough," and a cover of Alabama's "Dixieland Delight." Hutt returned to produce the group's 2014 effort Remedy, an album heavily influenced by folk music.
OFFICIAL SITE
''REMEDY''
JULY 1 2014
42:57
1 /Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer
Ketch Secor 3:50
2 /8 Dogs 8 Banjos
Ketch Secor 2:52
3 /Sweet Amarillo
Bob Dylan / Critter Fuqua / Ketch Secor 3:23
4 /Mean Enough World
Ketch Secor 3:19
5 /Dearly Departed Friend
Ketch Secor 4:26
6 /Firewater
Critter Fuqua / Chance McCoy / Ketch Secor 3:14
7 /Brave Boys
Kevin Hayes / Morgan Jahnig / Ketch Secor 2:40
8 /Doc's Day
Critter Fuqua / Ketch Secor 3:20
9 /O Cumberland River
Critter Fuqua / Chance McCoy / Ketch Secor 3:21
10 /Tennessee Bound
Ketch Secor 2:50
11/Shit Creek
Critter Fuqua / Kevin Hayes / Morgan Jahnig / Chance McCoy / Ketch Secor 3:25
12 /Sweet Home
Kevin Hayes / Ketch Secor 2:49
13 /The Warden
Felix Hatfield / Gill Landry 3:28
BIOGRAPHY
by James Christopher Monger
Mountain music revivalists Old Crow Medicine Show spin traditional folk and bluegrass yarns with a rock & roll attitude. Critter Fuqua (vocals/banjo/resonator guitar), Kevin Hayes (guitjo), Morgan Jahnig (upright bass), Ketch Secor (vocals/fiddle/harmonica/banjo), and Willie Watson (vocals/guitar/banjo) may specialize in rags, hollers, and pre-World War II blues, but they were weaned on Nirvana and Public Enemy. The quintet's members -- who are all from different states -- met in New York, hit the road, played before an impressed Doc Watson in front of a North Carolina pharmacy, and were promptly scheduled to play the folk icon's Merlefest. Old Crow Medicine Show then relocated to Nashville, where they found themselves gracing the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, opening for the likes of Dolly Parton and the Del McCoury Band, touring with Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart, and appearing on NPR's Prairie Home Companion.
They signed to Nettwerk America in 2003, began crafting their own compositions among the jug band standards and reels that had become the backbone of the group, and went into the studio to make a record with Gillian Welch's other half, guitarist David Rawlings, at the helm. Their self-titled debut, which was recorded in RCA's legendary Studio B (Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings) as well as Woodland Sound Studios (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), arrived the following year. The group's second album, Big Iron World, was produced by Rawlings and appeared in August of 2006. The band then switched producers, going with Don Was for 2008's Tennessee Pusher. Carry Me Back, produced by Ted Hutt, was released four years later in 2012. In the summer of 2013, the band (now an octet) released the three-song EP Carry Me Back to Old Virginia, which consisted of the title track, a newly recorded version of "Ain't It Enough," and a cover of Alabama's "Dixieland Delight." Hutt returned to produce the group's 2014 effort Remedy, an album heavily influenced by folk music.
OFFICIAL SITE
7122 - KEB' MO' - BLUESAmericana (2014)
KEB' MO'
''BLUESAmericana''
APRIL 22 2014
38:05
1 /The Worst Is Yet to Come
Heather Donovan / Kevin Moore / Pete Sallis 3:57
2 /Somebody Hurt You
Kevin Moore / John Lewis Parker 3:37
3 /Do It Right
Kevin Moore / Jim Weatherly 4:08
4 /I'm Gonna Be Your Man
Kevin Moore / John Lewis Parker 4:34
5 /Move
Tom Hambridge / Kevin Moore 4:32
6 /For Better or Worse
Heather Donovan / Kevin Moore / Victoria Shaw 3:25
7 /That's Alright
Jimmy Rogers 4:15
8 /The Old Me Better feat: The California Feet Warmers
Kevin Moore / John Lewis Parker 2:56
9 /More for Your Money
Kevin Moore / Gary Nicholson 2:48
10 /So Long Goodbye
Rebecca Corriea / Kevin Moore 3:53
Brian Allen /Bass
Brandon Armstrong /Sousaphone
Roland Barber /Trombone
Robbie Brooks-Moore /Vocals (Background)
The California Feet Warmers
Darcy Stewart /Vocals (Background)
Charles Decastro /Trumpet
Paul Franklin /Pedal Steel
Tom Hambridge /Drums
Michael Hanna /Organ, Piano
Michael Hicks /Organ, Vocals (Background)
Steve Jordan /Drums
Joshua Kaufman /Clarinet
Keb' Mo' /Banjo, Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Resonator), Harmonica, Horn Arrangements, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Slide Guitar, Tambourine
Tim Lauer /Organ, Piano
Melvin "Maestro" Lightford /Horn Arrangements
Colin Linden /Handclapping, Mandolin
Kevin Moore /Banjo, Guitar, Piano (Electric)
Jeffrey Moran /Banjo
Patrick Morrison /Banjo
Moiba Mustafa /Vocals (Background)
Rip Patton /Vocals (Background)
Jovan Quallo /Sax (Tenor)
Juan Carlos Reynoso /Washboard
Dominique Rodriguez /Drums
Justin Rubenstein /Trombone
Tom Shinness /Cello, Mandolin
Kevin So /Vocals (Background)
Keio Stroud /Drums
Quentin Ware /Trumpet
Casey Wasner /Bass, Drums, Engineer, Producer, Tracking
Joe Wood /Handclapping
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The title is a tip-off that after the soul excursion of The Reflection, Keb' Mo' is getting back to the blues, but also that he's concerned with not limiting himself to just that genre. It's clear Keb' Mo' has a broad view of the blues, seeing it as the backbone of American music, a generous definition he makes plain on BLUESAmericana. As the record rolls through its ten tracks, it amiably drifts across the country, touching upon the careening New Orleans stomp of "Old Me Better" as well as the soulful thrum of Memphis on "For Better or Worse." Keb' Mo' takes plenty of stops along the way, favoring a bit of Chicago grind and low-key Texas shuffles, but usually he pours it all into a relaxed, friendly groove that leaves plenty of space for his warm, cheerful vocals. Such an emphasis on feel means that beneath its sly anthropology, BLUESAmericana is essentially mood music, a soundtrack for good times on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and if that seems like slight praise, it also means that the album ultimately proves Keb' Mo''s point; blues can be heard in every thread of the musical fabric of America.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
Guitarist/vocalist Keb' Mo' draws heavily on the old-fashioned country blues style of Robert Johnson while keeping his sound contemporary with touches of soul and folksy storytelling. A skilled frontman as well as an accomplished sideman, he writes much of his own material and has applied his acoustic, electric, and slide guitar skills to jazz- and rock-oriented bands. Born Kevin Moore in Los Angeles to parents of Southern descent, he was exposed to gospel music at a young age. At 21, Moore joined an R&B band that was later hired for a tour by Papa John Creach; as a result, Moore played on three of Creach's albums. Opening for jazz and rock artists such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jefferson Starship, and Loggins & Messina helped further broaden Moore's horizons and musical abilities.
Moore cut an R&B-based solo album, Rainmaker, in 1980 for Casablanca, which promptly folded. In 1983, he joined Monk Higgins' band as a guitarist and met a number of blues musicians who collectively increased his understanding of the genre. He subsequently joined a vocal group called the Rose Brothers and gigged around Los Angeles. In 1990 Moore portrayed a Delta bluesman in a local play, Rabbit Foot, and then played Robert Johnson in a docudrama entitled Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? He released his self-titled debut album as Keb' Mo' in 1994, featuring two Robert Johnson covers, 11 songs written or co-written by Moore, and his guitar and banjo work.
His second album, Just Like You, saw Keb' Mo' stretching his legs by working with a full band and tackling several rock-based songs. The gamble paid off, as Just Like You won the artist his first Grammy Award. Slow Down followed in 1998 and netted Mo' another Grammy, and Door was issued two years later. Big Wide Grin followed in 2001, while 2004 saw the release of two albums, Keep It Simple and Peace...Back by Popular Demand. Suitcase was issued in 2006 on Red Ink Records. The self-produced The Reflection appeared five years later in 2011; the first release on his own label, Yolabelle International, the album featured guest spots from India.Arie, Vince Gill, Dave Koz, Marcus Miller, Mindi Abair, and David T. Walker. The Reflection performed well, peaking at two on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Blues Album. Keb' Mo' followed the record with BLUESAmericana, which appeared in the spring of 2014.
OFFICIAL SITE
''BLUESAmericana''
APRIL 22 2014
38:05
1 /The Worst Is Yet to Come
Heather Donovan / Kevin Moore / Pete Sallis 3:57
2 /Somebody Hurt You
Kevin Moore / John Lewis Parker 3:37
3 /Do It Right
Kevin Moore / Jim Weatherly 4:08
4 /I'm Gonna Be Your Man
Kevin Moore / John Lewis Parker 4:34
5 /Move
Tom Hambridge / Kevin Moore 4:32
6 /For Better or Worse
Heather Donovan / Kevin Moore / Victoria Shaw 3:25
7 /That's Alright
Jimmy Rogers 4:15
8 /The Old Me Better feat: The California Feet Warmers
Kevin Moore / John Lewis Parker 2:56
9 /More for Your Money
Kevin Moore / Gary Nicholson 2:48
10 /So Long Goodbye
Rebecca Corriea / Kevin Moore 3:53
Brian Allen /Bass
Brandon Armstrong /Sousaphone
Roland Barber /Trombone
Robbie Brooks-Moore /Vocals (Background)
The California Feet Warmers
Darcy Stewart /Vocals (Background)
Charles Decastro /Trumpet
Paul Franklin /Pedal Steel
Tom Hambridge /Drums
Michael Hanna /Organ, Piano
Michael Hicks /Organ, Vocals (Background)
Steve Jordan /Drums
Joshua Kaufman /Clarinet
Keb' Mo' /Banjo, Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Resonator), Harmonica, Horn Arrangements, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Slide Guitar, Tambourine
Tim Lauer /Organ, Piano
Melvin "Maestro" Lightford /Horn Arrangements
Colin Linden /Handclapping, Mandolin
Kevin Moore /Banjo, Guitar, Piano (Electric)
Jeffrey Moran /Banjo
Patrick Morrison /Banjo
Moiba Mustafa /Vocals (Background)
Rip Patton /Vocals (Background)
Jovan Quallo /Sax (Tenor)
Juan Carlos Reynoso /Washboard
Dominique Rodriguez /Drums
Justin Rubenstein /Trombone
Tom Shinness /Cello, Mandolin
Kevin So /Vocals (Background)
Keio Stroud /Drums
Quentin Ware /Trumpet
Casey Wasner /Bass, Drums, Engineer, Producer, Tracking
Joe Wood /Handclapping
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The title is a tip-off that after the soul excursion of The Reflection, Keb' Mo' is getting back to the blues, but also that he's concerned with not limiting himself to just that genre. It's clear Keb' Mo' has a broad view of the blues, seeing it as the backbone of American music, a generous definition he makes plain on BLUESAmericana. As the record rolls through its ten tracks, it amiably drifts across the country, touching upon the careening New Orleans stomp of "Old Me Better" as well as the soulful thrum of Memphis on "For Better or Worse." Keb' Mo' takes plenty of stops along the way, favoring a bit of Chicago grind and low-key Texas shuffles, but usually he pours it all into a relaxed, friendly groove that leaves plenty of space for his warm, cheerful vocals. Such an emphasis on feel means that beneath its sly anthropology, BLUESAmericana is essentially mood music, a soundtrack for good times on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and if that seems like slight praise, it also means that the album ultimately proves Keb' Mo''s point; blues can be heard in every thread of the musical fabric of America.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
Guitarist/vocalist Keb' Mo' draws heavily on the old-fashioned country blues style of Robert Johnson while keeping his sound contemporary with touches of soul and folksy storytelling. A skilled frontman as well as an accomplished sideman, he writes much of his own material and has applied his acoustic, electric, and slide guitar skills to jazz- and rock-oriented bands. Born Kevin Moore in Los Angeles to parents of Southern descent, he was exposed to gospel music at a young age. At 21, Moore joined an R&B band that was later hired for a tour by Papa John Creach; as a result, Moore played on three of Creach's albums. Opening for jazz and rock artists such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jefferson Starship, and Loggins & Messina helped further broaden Moore's horizons and musical abilities.
Moore cut an R&B-based solo album, Rainmaker, in 1980 for Casablanca, which promptly folded. In 1983, he joined Monk Higgins' band as a guitarist and met a number of blues musicians who collectively increased his understanding of the genre. He subsequently joined a vocal group called the Rose Brothers and gigged around Los Angeles. In 1990 Moore portrayed a Delta bluesman in a local play, Rabbit Foot, and then played Robert Johnson in a docudrama entitled Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? He released his self-titled debut album as Keb' Mo' in 1994, featuring two Robert Johnson covers, 11 songs written or co-written by Moore, and his guitar and banjo work.
His second album, Just Like You, saw Keb' Mo' stretching his legs by working with a full band and tackling several rock-based songs. The gamble paid off, as Just Like You won the artist his first Grammy Award. Slow Down followed in 1998 and netted Mo' another Grammy, and Door was issued two years later. Big Wide Grin followed in 2001, while 2004 saw the release of two albums, Keep It Simple and Peace...Back by Popular Demand. Suitcase was issued in 2006 on Red Ink Records. The self-produced The Reflection appeared five years later in 2011; the first release on his own label, Yolabelle International, the album featured guest spots from India.Arie, Vince Gill, Dave Koz, Marcus Miller, Mindi Abair, and David T. Walker. The Reflection performed well, peaking at two on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Blues Album. Keb' Mo' followed the record with BLUESAmericana, which appeared in the spring of 2014.
OFFICIAL SITE
7121 - BOBBY WOMACK - The Very Best Of Bobby Womack_ Check It Out (2004)
BOBBY WOMACK
''THE VERY BEST OF BOBBY WOMACK: CHECK IT OUT''
JANUARY 11 2005
78:10
1 /Across 110th Street 3:50
2 /I'm a Midnight Mover 2:02
3 /How I Miss You Baby 3:16
4 /That's the Way I Feel About Cha 5:08
5 /Woman's Gotta Have It 3:25
6 /All Along the Watchtower 3:21
7 /California Dreamin' 3:21
8 /Check It Out 3:49
9 /Harry Hippie 3:47
10 /Love Has Finally Come at Last feat. Patti LaBelle 5:29
11 /Tell Me Why 6:09
12 /Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good) 3:07
13 /Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out 2:55
14 /Fly Me to the Moon 2:08
15 /You're Welcome, Stop on By 3:44
16 /More Than I Can Stand 2:50
17 /I Wish I Had Someone to Go Home To 3:40
18 /If You Want My Love, Put Something Down on It 3:41
19 /Lookin' for a Love 2:33
20 /Communication 4:43
21 /It's Gonna Rain 2:22
22 /It's All Over Now feat. Bill Withers 2:50
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
A veteran who paid his dues for over a decade before getting his shot at solo stardom, Bobby Womack persevered through tragedy and addiction to emerge as one of soul music's great survivors. Able to shine in the spotlight as a singer or behind the scenes as an instrumentalist and songwriter, Womack never got his due from pop audiences, but during the late '60s and much of the '70s, he was a consistent hitmaker on the R&B charts, with a high standard of quality control. His records were quintessential soul, with a bag of tricks learned from the likes of Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, and Sly Stone, all of whom Womack worked closely with at one time or another. Yet often, they also bore the stamp of Womack's own idiosyncratic personality, whether through a lengthy spoken philosophical monologue or a radical reinterpretation of a pop standard. An underrated guitarist, Womack helped pioneer a lean, minimalist approach similar to that of Curtis Mayfield, and was an early influence on the young Jimi Hendrix. Additionally, his songs have been recorded by numerous artists in the realms of both R&B and rock, and the best of them rank as all-time classics.
Bobby Dwayne Womack was born in Cleveland on March 4, 1944. His upbringing was strict and religious, but his father Friendly also encouraged his sons to pursue music as he had (he sang and played guitar in a gospel group). In the early '50s, while still a child, Bobby joined his siblings Cecil, Curtis, Harry, and Friendly Jr. to form the gospel quintet the Womack Brothers. They were chosen to open a local show for the Soul Stirrers in 1953, where Bobby befriended lead singer Sam Cooke; following this break, they toured the country as an opening act for numerous gospel groups. When Cooke formed his own SAR label, he recruited the Womack Brothers with an eye toward transforming them into a crossover R&B act. Learning that his sons were moving into secular music, Friendly Womack threw them out of the house, and Cooke wired them the money to buy a car and drive out to his Los Angeles offices. the Womack Brothers made several recordings for SAR over 1960 and 1961, including a few gospel sides, but Cooke soon convinced them to record R&B and renamed them the Valentinos. In 1962, they scored a Top Ten hit on the R&B charts with "Lookin' for a Love," and Cooke sent them on the road behind James Brown to serve a boot-camp-style musical apprenticeship. Bobby eventually joined Cooke's backing band as guitarist. the Valentinos' 1964 single "It's All Over Now," written by Bobby, was quickly covered by the Rolling Stones with Cooke's blessing; when it became the Stones' first U.K. number one, Womack suddenly found himself a rich man.
Cooke's tragic death in December 1964 left Womack greatly shaken and the Valentinos' career in limbo. Just three months later, Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara Campbell, which earned him tremendous ill will in the R&B community; many viewed him as a shady opportunist looking to cash in on Cooke's legacy, especially since Campbell was significantly older than Womack. According to Womack, he was initially motivated to look after Campbell in an unstable time, not to tarnish the memory of a beloved mentor. Regardless, Womack found himself unable to get his solo career rolling in the wake of the scandal; singles for Chess ("I Found a True Love") and Him ("Nothing You Can Do") were avoided like the plague despite their quality. the Valentinos cut a couple of singles for Chess in 1966, "What About Me" and "Sweeter Than the Day Before," which also failed to make much of a splash. To make ends meet, Womack became a backing guitarist, first landing a job with Ray Charles; he went on to make a valuable connection in producer Chips Moman, and appeared often at Moman's American Studio in Memphis, as well as nearby Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In the process, Womack appeared on classic recordings by the likes of Joe Tex, King Curtis, and Aretha Franklin (Lady Soul), among others. He recorded singles for Keymen and Atlantic without success, but became one of Wilson Pickett's favorite songwriters, contributing the R&B Top Ten hits "I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover" (plus 15 other tunes) to the singer's repertoire.
Womack had been slated to record a solo album for Minit, but had given Pickett most of his best material, which actually wound up getting his name back in the public eye in a positive light. In 1968, he scored the first charting single of his solo career with "What Is This?" and soon hit with a string of inventively reimagined pop covers -- "Fly Me to the Moon," "California Dreamin'," and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," the former two of which reached the R&B Top 20. A songwriting partnership with engineer Darryl Carter resulted in the R&B hits "It's Gonna Rain," "How I Miss You Baby," and "More Than I Can Stand" over 1969-1970. A series of label absorptions bumped Womack up to United Artists in 1971, which proved to be the home of his greatest solo success; in the meantime, he contributed the ballad "Trust Me" to Janis Joplin's masterpiece Pearl, and the J. Geils Band revived "Lookin' for a Love" for their first hit. He also teamed up with jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo on the LP High Contrast, which debuted Womack's composition "Breezin'" (which, of course, became a smash for George Benson six years later). Most importantly, however, Womack played guitar on Sly & the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, a masterpiece of darkly psychedelic funk that would have an impact on Womack's own sound and sense of style.
Womack issued his first UA album, Communication, in 1971, which kicked off a string of excellent releases that ran through the first half of the decade. In addition to several of Womack's trademark pop covers, the album also contained the original ballad "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha," which climbed all the way to number two on the R&B chart and became his long-awaited breakout hit. The 1972 follow-up Understanding spawned Womack's first chart-topper, "Woman's Gotta Have It," co-written with Darryl Carter and stepdaughter Linda (Womack divorced Barbara Campbell in 1970). The follow-up "Harry Hippie," a gently ironic tribute to Womack's brother, also hit the R&B Top Ten. Later that year, Womack scored the blaxploitation flick Across 110th Street; the title cut was later revived in the 1998 Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown. Released in 1973, The Facts of Life had an R&B number two hit in a rearrangement of the perennial "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," and the following year's Lookin' for a Love Again found Womack revisiting his Valentinos hit; the re-recorded "Lookin' for a Love" became his second number one R&B single and his only Top Ten hit on the pop charts. Follow-up single "You're Welcome, Stop on By" made the R&B Top Five.
Womack was by this time a seasoned veteran of the rock & roll lifestyle, having befriended the likes of the Rolling Stones, the late Janis Joplin, and Sly Stone. After his brother Harry was murdered by a jealous girlfriend in 1974 (in Bobby's own apartment), the drug usage began to take a more serious turn. Womack scored further R&B Top Ten hits with 1975's "Check It Out" and 1976's "Daylight," the latter of which seemed to indicate a longing for escape from the nonstop partying that often masked serious depression. Despite Womack's new marriage to Regina Banks, the song was a sign that things were coming to a head. Womack pushed UA into letting him do a full album of country music, something he'd always loved but which the label regarded as commercially inadvisable (especially under the title Womack reportedly wanted to use: Step Aside, Charley Pride, Give Another Nigger a Try). They eventually relented, and when BW Goes C&W met with predictably minimal response, UA palmed the increasingly difficult Womack off on Columbia. A pair of albums there failed to recapture his commercial momentum or reinvent him for the disco age, and he moved to Arista for 1979's Roads of Life, which appeared not long after the sudden death of his infant son.
At a low point in his life, Womack took a bit of time off from music to gather himself. He appeared as a guest vocalist on Jazz Crusader Wilton Felder's 1980 solo album, Inherit the Wind, singing the hit title track, and subsequently signed with black entrepreneur Otis Smith's independent Beverly Glen label. His label debut, 1981's The Poet, was a critically acclaimed left-field hit, rejuvenating his career and producing a number three R&B hit with "If You Think You're Lonely Now." Unfortunately, money disputes soured the relationship between Womack and Smith rather quickly. The Poet II was delayed until 1984, and featured several duets with Patti LaBelle, including another number three R&B hit, "Love Has Finally Come at Last." Beverly Glen released a final LP culled from Womack's previous sessions, Someday We'll All Be Free, in 1985, by which time the singer had already broken free and signed with MCA. Another hit with Wilton Felder, "(No Matter How High I Get) I'll Still Be Looking Up to You," appeared that year, and his label debut, So Many Rivers, produced a Top Five R&B hit in "I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much." Released in 1986, Womagic reunited Womack with Chips Moman, and he also backed the Rolling Stones on their remake of "Harlem Shuffle." By the following year he'd christened himself The Last Soul Man, which proved to be his final recording for MCA.
In the years since, Womack has made high-profile returns to the music business only sporadically. Released in 1994, Resurrection was recorded for Ron Wood's Slide label and featured an array of guest stars including Wood, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Wonder. In 1999, he fulfilled a longstanding promise to his father (who passed away in 1981) by delivering his first-ever gospel album, Back to My Roots. While he continued to perform throughout the following decade, his guest appearance on the 2010 Gorillaz album Plastic Beach seemed like a return. A couple years later, after being the subject of TV One's Unsung documentary series, he released The Bravest Man in the Universe, a collaboration with the XL label's Richard Russell and Gorillaz's Damon Albarn.
''THE VERY BEST OF BOBBY WOMACK: CHECK IT OUT''
JANUARY 11 2005
78:10
1 /Across 110th Street 3:50
2 /I'm a Midnight Mover 2:02
3 /How I Miss You Baby 3:16
4 /That's the Way I Feel About Cha 5:08
5 /Woman's Gotta Have It 3:25
6 /All Along the Watchtower 3:21
7 /California Dreamin' 3:21
8 /Check It Out 3:49
9 /Harry Hippie 3:47
10 /Love Has Finally Come at Last feat. Patti LaBelle 5:29
11 /Tell Me Why 6:09
12 /Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good) 3:07
13 /Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out 2:55
14 /Fly Me to the Moon 2:08
15 /You're Welcome, Stop on By 3:44
16 /More Than I Can Stand 2:50
17 /I Wish I Had Someone to Go Home To 3:40
18 /If You Want My Love, Put Something Down on It 3:41
19 /Lookin' for a Love 2:33
20 /Communication 4:43
21 /It's Gonna Rain 2:22
22 /It's All Over Now feat. Bill Withers 2:50
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
A veteran who paid his dues for over a decade before getting his shot at solo stardom, Bobby Womack persevered through tragedy and addiction to emerge as one of soul music's great survivors. Able to shine in the spotlight as a singer or behind the scenes as an instrumentalist and songwriter, Womack never got his due from pop audiences, but during the late '60s and much of the '70s, he was a consistent hitmaker on the R&B charts, with a high standard of quality control. His records were quintessential soul, with a bag of tricks learned from the likes of Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, and Sly Stone, all of whom Womack worked closely with at one time or another. Yet often, they also bore the stamp of Womack's own idiosyncratic personality, whether through a lengthy spoken philosophical monologue or a radical reinterpretation of a pop standard. An underrated guitarist, Womack helped pioneer a lean, minimalist approach similar to that of Curtis Mayfield, and was an early influence on the young Jimi Hendrix. Additionally, his songs have been recorded by numerous artists in the realms of both R&B and rock, and the best of them rank as all-time classics.
Bobby Dwayne Womack was born in Cleveland on March 4, 1944. His upbringing was strict and religious, but his father Friendly also encouraged his sons to pursue music as he had (he sang and played guitar in a gospel group). In the early '50s, while still a child, Bobby joined his siblings Cecil, Curtis, Harry, and Friendly Jr. to form the gospel quintet the Womack Brothers. They were chosen to open a local show for the Soul Stirrers in 1953, where Bobby befriended lead singer Sam Cooke; following this break, they toured the country as an opening act for numerous gospel groups. When Cooke formed his own SAR label, he recruited the Womack Brothers with an eye toward transforming them into a crossover R&B act. Learning that his sons were moving into secular music, Friendly Womack threw them out of the house, and Cooke wired them the money to buy a car and drive out to his Los Angeles offices. the Womack Brothers made several recordings for SAR over 1960 and 1961, including a few gospel sides, but Cooke soon convinced them to record R&B and renamed them the Valentinos. In 1962, they scored a Top Ten hit on the R&B charts with "Lookin' for a Love," and Cooke sent them on the road behind James Brown to serve a boot-camp-style musical apprenticeship. Bobby eventually joined Cooke's backing band as guitarist. the Valentinos' 1964 single "It's All Over Now," written by Bobby, was quickly covered by the Rolling Stones with Cooke's blessing; when it became the Stones' first U.K. number one, Womack suddenly found himself a rich man.
Cooke's tragic death in December 1964 left Womack greatly shaken and the Valentinos' career in limbo. Just three months later, Womack married Cooke's widow, Barbara Campbell, which earned him tremendous ill will in the R&B community; many viewed him as a shady opportunist looking to cash in on Cooke's legacy, especially since Campbell was significantly older than Womack. According to Womack, he was initially motivated to look after Campbell in an unstable time, not to tarnish the memory of a beloved mentor. Regardless, Womack found himself unable to get his solo career rolling in the wake of the scandal; singles for Chess ("I Found a True Love") and Him ("Nothing You Can Do") were avoided like the plague despite their quality. the Valentinos cut a couple of singles for Chess in 1966, "What About Me" and "Sweeter Than the Day Before," which also failed to make much of a splash. To make ends meet, Womack became a backing guitarist, first landing a job with Ray Charles; he went on to make a valuable connection in producer Chips Moman, and appeared often at Moman's American Studio in Memphis, as well as nearby Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In the process, Womack appeared on classic recordings by the likes of Joe Tex, King Curtis, and Aretha Franklin (Lady Soul), among others. He recorded singles for Keymen and Atlantic without success, but became one of Wilson Pickett's favorite songwriters, contributing the R&B Top Ten hits "I'm in Love" and "I'm a Midnight Mover" (plus 15 other tunes) to the singer's repertoire.
Womack had been slated to record a solo album for Minit, but had given Pickett most of his best material, which actually wound up getting his name back in the public eye in a positive light. In 1968, he scored the first charting single of his solo career with "What Is This?" and soon hit with a string of inventively reimagined pop covers -- "Fly Me to the Moon," "California Dreamin'," and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," the former two of which reached the R&B Top 20. A songwriting partnership with engineer Darryl Carter resulted in the R&B hits "It's Gonna Rain," "How I Miss You Baby," and "More Than I Can Stand" over 1969-1970. A series of label absorptions bumped Womack up to United Artists in 1971, which proved to be the home of his greatest solo success; in the meantime, he contributed the ballad "Trust Me" to Janis Joplin's masterpiece Pearl, and the J. Geils Band revived "Lookin' for a Love" for their first hit. He also teamed up with jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo on the LP High Contrast, which debuted Womack's composition "Breezin'" (which, of course, became a smash for George Benson six years later). Most importantly, however, Womack played guitar on Sly & the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, a masterpiece of darkly psychedelic funk that would have an impact on Womack's own sound and sense of style.
Womack issued his first UA album, Communication, in 1971, which kicked off a string of excellent releases that ran through the first half of the decade. In addition to several of Womack's trademark pop covers, the album also contained the original ballad "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha," which climbed all the way to number two on the R&B chart and became his long-awaited breakout hit. The 1972 follow-up Understanding spawned Womack's first chart-topper, "Woman's Gotta Have It," co-written with Darryl Carter and stepdaughter Linda (Womack divorced Barbara Campbell in 1970). The follow-up "Harry Hippie," a gently ironic tribute to Womack's brother, also hit the R&B Top Ten. Later that year, Womack scored the blaxploitation flick Across 110th Street; the title cut was later revived in the 1998 Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown. Released in 1973, The Facts of Life had an R&B number two hit in a rearrangement of the perennial "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," and the following year's Lookin' for a Love Again found Womack revisiting his Valentinos hit; the re-recorded "Lookin' for a Love" became his second number one R&B single and his only Top Ten hit on the pop charts. Follow-up single "You're Welcome, Stop on By" made the R&B Top Five.
Womack was by this time a seasoned veteran of the rock & roll lifestyle, having befriended the likes of the Rolling Stones, the late Janis Joplin, and Sly Stone. After his brother Harry was murdered by a jealous girlfriend in 1974 (in Bobby's own apartment), the drug usage began to take a more serious turn. Womack scored further R&B Top Ten hits with 1975's "Check It Out" and 1976's "Daylight," the latter of which seemed to indicate a longing for escape from the nonstop partying that often masked serious depression. Despite Womack's new marriage to Regina Banks, the song was a sign that things were coming to a head. Womack pushed UA into letting him do a full album of country music, something he'd always loved but which the label regarded as commercially inadvisable (especially under the title Womack reportedly wanted to use: Step Aside, Charley Pride, Give Another Nigger a Try). They eventually relented, and when BW Goes C&W met with predictably minimal response, UA palmed the increasingly difficult Womack off on Columbia. A pair of albums there failed to recapture his commercial momentum or reinvent him for the disco age, and he moved to Arista for 1979's Roads of Life, which appeared not long after the sudden death of his infant son.
At a low point in his life, Womack took a bit of time off from music to gather himself. He appeared as a guest vocalist on Jazz Crusader Wilton Felder's 1980 solo album, Inherit the Wind, singing the hit title track, and subsequently signed with black entrepreneur Otis Smith's independent Beverly Glen label. His label debut, 1981's The Poet, was a critically acclaimed left-field hit, rejuvenating his career and producing a number three R&B hit with "If You Think You're Lonely Now." Unfortunately, money disputes soured the relationship between Womack and Smith rather quickly. The Poet II was delayed until 1984, and featured several duets with Patti LaBelle, including another number three R&B hit, "Love Has Finally Come at Last." Beverly Glen released a final LP culled from Womack's previous sessions, Someday We'll All Be Free, in 1985, by which time the singer had already broken free and signed with MCA. Another hit with Wilton Felder, "(No Matter How High I Get) I'll Still Be Looking Up to You," appeared that year, and his label debut, So Many Rivers, produced a Top Five R&B hit in "I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much." Released in 1986, Womagic reunited Womack with Chips Moman, and he also backed the Rolling Stones on their remake of "Harlem Shuffle." By the following year he'd christened himself The Last Soul Man, which proved to be his final recording for MCA.
In the years since, Womack has made high-profile returns to the music business only sporadically. Released in 1994, Resurrection was recorded for Ron Wood's Slide label and featured an array of guest stars including Wood, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Wonder. In 1999, he fulfilled a longstanding promise to his father (who passed away in 1981) by delivering his first-ever gospel album, Back to My Roots. While he continued to perform throughout the following decade, his guest appearance on the 2010 Gorillaz album Plastic Beach seemed like a return. A couple years later, after being the subject of TV One's Unsung documentary series, he released The Bravest Man in the Universe, a collaboration with the XL label's Richard Russell and Gorillaz's Damon Albarn.
June 27, 2014
7120 - DR. FEELGOOD - All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977), Disc Three (2012)
DR. FEELGOOD
''ALL THROUGH THE CITY (WITH WILKO JOHNSON 1974-1977), DISC THREE''
APRIL 16 2012
225:26
DISC ONE
1 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:25
2 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:45
3 /The More I Give
Wilko Johnson 3:27
4 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:58
5 /One Weekend
Wilko Johnson 2:18
6 /That Ain't the Way to Behave
Wilko Johnson 4:00
7 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:39
8 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
9 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 3:03
10 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:08
11 /Cheque Book 4:08
12 /Oyeh!
Michael Greco / Mike Maxfield / Robin McDonald 2:32
13 /Bonie Moronie/Tequila
Chuck Rio 4:52
14 /I Can Tell
Ellis McDaniels / Samuel Smith 2:45
15 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:01
16 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:18
17 /Another Man
Wilko Johnson 2:55
18 /Rolling and Tumbling 3:12
19 /Don't Let Your Daddy Know
Wilko Johnson 2:57
20 /Watch Your Step 3:23
21 /Don't You Just Know it
Huey "Piano" Smith 3:52
22 /Riot in Cell Block Number Nine
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:40
23 /Because You're Mine
Nick Lowe 4:54
24 /You Shouldn't Call the Doctor (If You Can't Afford the Bills)
Wilko Johnson 2:34
DISC TWO
1 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 1:59
2 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:06
3 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:20
4 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 2:54
5 /I'm a Man 5:10
6 /Walking the Dog
Rufus Thomas 2:57
7 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:04
8 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 3:47
9 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
10 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:09
11 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:17
12 /Checkin' Up on My Baby
Sonny Boy Williamson II 3:17
13 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 3:04
14 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:53
15 /Paradise
Wilko Johnson 4:06
16 /Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)
Cirino Colacrai / Eddie Fontaine / Diane Lambert 3:29
17 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 3:01
18 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:55
19 /Lucky Seven
Lew Lewis 2:48
20 /All My Love
Wilko Johnson 3:49
21 /You'll Be Mine
Willie Dixon 3:20
22 /Walking on the Edge
Wilko Johnson 3:41
23 /Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut 3:57
DISC THREE
1 /Dr. Feelgood 2:23
2 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 2:27
3 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:10
4 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 2:49
5 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:48
6 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 8:30
7 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:43
8 /Malamut feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:34
9 /Casting My Spell on You feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Alvin Johnson / Edwin Johnson 2:30
10 /Comin' Home Baby feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston 2:24
11 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 2:04
12 /My Girl Josephine
Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino 2:09
13 /Small Gains Corner 2:52
14 /(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Bobby Troup 3:23
15 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:06
16 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:04
17 /She Said Alright
Wilko Johnson 3:40
18 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:04
19 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:23
20 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:42
21 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 2:57
22 /Riot in Cell Block No. 9 3:48
23 /Johnny B Goode
Chuck Berry 4:00
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Hard work was hardwired into Dr. Feelgood's DNA. They never left the road, not even after the death of their lead singer Lee Brilleaux in 1994. Nearly two decades after his demise, a lineup of Dr. Feelgood containing no original members continues to grind out gigs across the United Kingdom, a testament to the band's take-no-prisoners aesthetic, even if their presence tends to obscure what made the Feelgoods so special in the mid-'70s. It took Julien Temple's 2009 documentary Oil City Confidential to remind the world at large about Dr. Feelgood's crucial place in history, how they turned pub rock into something tougher, harder, leaner, and meaner, something that paved the way for punk rock just a few years later. Oil City Confidential told the story, but it's All Through the City (With Wilko 1974-1977) that provides the supporting evidence. A four-CD/one-DVD box chronicling everything that the original lineup of Brilleaux, guitarist Wilko Johnson, bassist John B. Sparks, and drummer John "The Big Figure" Martin recorded during their four years together, All Through the City contains all the vital music Dr. Feelgood ever recorded. They'd make other good records -- 1978's Private Practice and its hit single "Milk & Alcohol," for instance -- but this is the music that made the band's legacy, and it still packs a wallop: this is intense, gritty, hard rock & roll, its love of old R&B tying it somewhat to the past but the vicious vigor of the performances still feeling modern. This lacerating energy is best felt on the live performances -- their hit album Stupidity and the television performances collected on the DVD -- but their first two LPs, Down by the Jetty and Malpractice contain much of the same nervy spirit, conveyed by Wilko's slashing cubist guitar and Brilleaux's growl. On the welcome disc of rarities that concludes this set, some of the thought behind the band's evolution is evident -- an early version of "Roxette" betrays some deep doo wop roots that the group defiantly shook off just a year later -- but that only strengthens the case for Dr. Feelgood. They knew precisely how to trim away the fat, they knew what mattered: the hard angular riffs, the throttling rhythms, the sense of malicious malevolence that pervades even the love songs. All of that is showcased on All Through the City, a box set that captures Dr. Feelgood in all of their rage and glory.
REVIEW
By MarkBarry
"…All Your Lovin’…Thrills Me So…”
As you've no doubt already guessed from the avalanche of five-star reviews this Dr. Feelgood retrospective has already received - "All Through The City" is frankly a bit of a box set barnstormer.
Covering the Wilko Johnson/Lee Brilleaux/John Sparks/Big Figure years - it features 4 full album's worth and a large haul of previously unreleased studio outtakes and live cuts from the time.
There's even a lengthy DVD that in itself would make a superb stand-alone release. And it's just dropped in price too. Here are the finite details...
Released 16 April 2012 in the UK - and taking its title from a track on their debut LP - "All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)" is a 3CD + 1DVD box set on EMI 5099955980524 and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (79:11 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their debut album "Down By The Jetty" - released in the UK in January 1975 on United Artists UAS 29717
Tracks 14 to 24 are their 2nd album "Malpractice" - released in the UK in October 1975 on United Artists UAS 29880
Disc 2 (73:27 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their 3rd album - the live set "Stupidity" - released in the UK in September 1976 on United Artists UAS 29990
Tracks 14 to 23 are their 4th album "Sneakin' Suspicion" (and last with original guitarist Wilko Johnson) - released in the UK in May 1977 on United Artists UAS 30075
Disc 3 (72:41 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 and 18 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 14 is "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" and is the non-album B-side of their 1st UK 7" single "Roxette" released November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
Tracks 15, 16 and 17 are "I'm A Hog For You Baby", "Stupidity" and "She Said Alright" and are all album outakes from the "Down By The Jetty" sessions.
They were first issued on the May 2006 2CD 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty"
Track 21 is "Keep It Out Of Sight (Live)" and is a non-album B-side of their 4th UK 7" single "Roxette (Live)" released October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
Original copies of the live set "Stupidity" came with a free collector's 7" single [FEEL 1] - two extra live tracks - "Riot In Cell Block No.9" b/w "Johnny B. Goode".
They are Tracks 22 and 23 on Disc 3.
NOTES - EXCLUSIONS - INCLUSIONS:
Even though the catalogue number for "Down By The Jetty" uses the UA code for Stereo (UAS) - the album was famously recorded and released in MONO - and that MONO remaster is what's included on this box set (the 2006 version).
The 'STEREO' mix is on the 2CD "Down By The Jetty - Collector's Edition" released in June 2006 - both versions remastered (like this box set) by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Track 13 on Disc 1 is a duo of cover versions "Bonie Moronie/Tequila" and was recorded live in London's Dingwalls in July 1974. Six more tracks from that concert are on Disc 2 of the 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty" and are NOT on this box set.
The only officially released track from the period that is NOT on here is "I'm A Man (Live)" - it was the non-album B-side to "Back In The Night" - their 3rd UK 7" single released September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857. Its exclusion here is probably an error. If you want the track (and many other non-album B-sides) - it's on the "Singled Out" 3CD set issued by EMI UK in 2001.
"Malpractice", "Stupidity" and "Sneakin' Suspicion" have all been available before on CD on Grand Records in the Nineties - but this 2012 box set offers properly remastered versions of them for the first time.
PACKAGING:
Wilko Johnson had always adored Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and especially their guitar player Mick Green - and tucked away on the B-side of their 1964 hit "Always & Forever" on HMV Records POP 1269 was an obscure cover version of a Piano Red song from 1962 on Okeh Records called "Doctor Feelgood" (Red's group was actually called Dr. Feelgood & The Interns). Wilko chose this apt name for his new rockin' band from Canvey Island in Essex - and a kick ass British Rhythm 'n' Blues legend was born. I mention all of this because the single is pictured on Page 3 of the superb booklet centred in the hardback pack - along with interviews with Wilko (December 2011), liner notes by HUGO WILLIAMS, discography details that picture the albums, comic book strips, trade adverts, 7" singles on United Artists, NME and Melody Maker reviews and all the usual memorabilia associated with a retrospective like this.
A very, very smart move is the inclusion of a non-region-coded 23-track DVD (22 songs and 1 interview). Recorded in England (20 cuts from 1974) and Finland (2 cuts from 1975) - the Concert/TV appearances show the full-on thrill of a Dr. Feelgood live show in their prime.
They were little short of sensational and regularly annihilated most other bands in their path. Their manic no-nonsense fast and furious songs were also beloved by Rock 'n' Rollers and even pre-dated Punk by two years. I can't stress enough how the DVD adds so much to the 3CDs of rocking mania - remastered to perfection by PETER MEW at Abbey Road.
MUSIC:
I know people rave about the debut with "She Does It Right", "Roxette" and so many more (and quite rightly so) - but for me the follow-up "Malpractice" is the absolute balls too. I wore out the 2nd track "Going Back Home" on my original vinyl copy. Co-written with Wilko's guitar hero and mentor Mick Green - it has the most fantastic Lee Brilleaux harmonica solo. I also love the Bo Diddley cover "I Can Tell" and their menacing version of Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step". Original gems include "Another Man", the sleazy "Don't Let Your Daddy Know" and the chugging "Because You're Mine" (co-written with Big Figure and Nick Lowe). The remastered sound too - what a punch. Love it...
It all came to a frenzied head on the live "Stupidity" set when the British public fell completely for their charms and put it on the Number 1 spot in October 1976. Again - I'd forgotten how good it is - frantic - urgent - "Walking The Dog" and "I'm A Hog For You Baby" sounding so exciting and huge. Following that pinnacle was always going to be difficult and I remember at the time 1977's "Sneakin' Suspicion" was met with disappointment - like the band was threading water - and their sound was now limiting instead of being fresh. But relistening to the cracking title track (the only single off the album), "Walking On The Edge" and especially what should have been the follow up single "Paradise" (all Wilko originals) - they're fantastic (lyrics above). I also so dig their take on the Eddie Fontaine hit "Nothing Shaking (But The Leaves On The Trees)" with Lee's harmonica tearing through your speakers. The Lew Lewis cover "Lucky Seven" and the Willie Dixon/Howlin' Wolf take on "You'll Be Mine" are great fun too.
UNRELEASED:
I had expected the unreleased stuff on Disc 3 to be workmanlike - and some of it is - but there are shockingly good studio outtakes that will get fans animated in the trouser area. It opens with a rough and ready take on Piano Red's "Dr. Feelgood" which is very good - but it ups a whole different notch with "Everybody's Carrying A Gun", "I'm A Hog For You Baby" and "Time And The Devil" studio recordings from January and August 1976. They're brill. Less successful is a weedy demo of "Sneakin' Suspicion" and a limp instrumental called "Malamut" which features Mick Green on guitar. Better by far is a cover of Alvin Johnson's "Casting My Spell On You" which is pure Wilko Feelgoods - it's brilliant. The crudely recorded cover of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" is good too with a great chucking beat and again they hit you with another nugget - a properly rocking version of "My Girl Josephine" by Fats Domino. The live stuff is very much in the vein of "Stupidity". Very tasty indeed...
To sum up - I've loved working my way through this sonic blast – this memory chest - and now at a bargain price of twenty-eight pounds new - it's time to don the sharp suit music lovers and do the leg-splits boogie. In fact mention Dr. Feelgood to those who saw the band in their prime and a manic grin will fill their wrinkled visage that no cigarette-smoking scalpel-wielding surgeon will be able to remove.
On a more personal note - I once glimpsed Lee Brilleaux in 1989 clacking his way down Berwick Street in his steel-heeled leather shoes - looking like a cross between Arthur Daley and a man ready to blow a demonically possessed harmonica no matter what the cost. I wished I'd stopped him, shook his hand and just said thanks. Well this is for you Lee - Wilko - and all the boys in the band.
Bootiful my son...
PS:
This box set will allow fans to sequence their first 5 x 7” singles as follows:
1. Roxette [Disc 1/ Track 4] b/w (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 [Disc 3/Track 14]
November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
2. She Does It Right [Disc 1/Track 1] b/w I Don’t Mind [Disc 1/Track 7]
March 1975 on United Artists UP 35815
3. Back In The Night [Disc 1/Track 16] b/w I’m A Man (Live) [NOT ON BOX]
September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857
4. Roxette (Live) [Disc 2/Track 13] b/w Keep It Out Of Sight (Live) [Disc 3/Track 21]
October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
5. Sneakin’ Suspicion [Disc 2/Track 14] b/w Lights Out [Disc 2/Track 18]
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Dr. Feelgood was the ultimate working band. From their formation in 1971 to lead vocalist Lee Brilleaux's untimely death in 1994, the band never left the road, playing hundreds of gigs every year. Throughout their entire career, Dr. Feelgood never left simple, hard-driving rock & roll behind, and their devotion to the blues and R&B earned them a devoted fan base. That following first emerged in the mid-'70s, when Dr. Feelgood became the leader of the second wave of pub rockers. Unlike Brinsley Schwarz, the laid-back leaders of the pub rock scene, Dr. Feelgood was devoted to edgy, Stonesy rock & roll, and their sweaty live shows -- powered by Brilleaux's intense singing and guitarist Wilko Johnson's muscular leads -- became legendary. While the group's stripped-down, energetic sound paved the way for English punk rock in the late '70s, their back-to-basics style was overshadowed by the dominance of punk and new wave, and the group had retreated to cult status by the early '80s.
Brilleaux (vocals, harmonica), Johnson (guitar), and John B. Sparks (bass) had all played in several blues-based bar bands around Canvey Island, England before forming Dr. Feelgood in 1971. Taking their name from a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates song, the group was dedicated to playing old-fashioned R&B and rock & roll, including both covers and originals by Johnson. John Martin (drums), a former member of Finian's Rainbow, was added to the lineup, and the group began playing the pub rock circuit. By the end of 1973, Dr. Feelgood's dynamic live act had made them the most popular group on the pub rock circuit, and several labels were interested in signing them. They settled for United Artists, and they released their debut album, Down by the Jetty, in 1974.
According to legend, Down by the Jetty was recorded in mono and consisted almost entirely of first takes. While it was in fact recorded in stereo, the rumor added significantly to Dr. Feelgood's purist image, and the album became a cult hit. The following year, the group released Malpractice -- also their first U.S. release -- which climbed into the U.K. Top 20 on the strength of the band's live performances and positive reviews. In 1976, the band released the live album Stupidity, which became a smash hit in Britain, topping the album charts. Despite its thriving British success, Dr. Feelgood was unable to find an audience in the States. One other American album, Sneakin' Suspicion, followed in 1977 before the band gave up on the States; they never released another record in the U.S.
Sneakin' Suspicion didn't replicate the success of Stupidity, partially because of its slick production, but mainly because the flourishing punk rock movement overshadowed Dr. Feelgood's edgy roots rock. Wilko Johnson left the band at the end of 1977 to form the Solid Senders; he later joined Ian Dury's Blockheads. Henry McCullough played on Feelgood's 1977 tour before John "Gypie" Mayo became the group's full-time lead guitarist. Nick Lowe produced 1978's Be Seeing You, Mayo's full-length debut with Dr. Feelgood. The album generated the 1979 Top Ten hit "Milk and Alcohol," as well as the Top 40 hit "As Long as the Price Is Right." Two albums, As It Happens and Let It Roll, followed in 1979, and Mayo left the band in 1980. He was replaced by Johnny Guitar in 1980, who debuted on A Case of the Shakes, which was also produced by Nick Lowe.
During their first decade together, Dr. Feelgood never left the road, which was part of the reason founding members John Martin and John Sparks left the band in 1982. Lee Brilleaux replaced them with Buzz Barwell and Pat McMullen, and continued touring. Throughout the '80s, Brilleaux continued to lead various incarnations of Dr. Feelgood, settling on the rhythm section of bassist Phil Mitchell and drummer Kevin Morris in the mid-'80s. The band occasionally made records -- including Brilleaux, one of the last albums on Stiff Records, in 1976 -- but concentrated primarily on live performances. Dr. Feelgood continued to perform to large audiences into the early '90s, when Brilleaux was struck by cancer. He died in April of 1994, three months after he recorded the band's final album, Down at the Doctor's. The remaining members of Dr. Feelgood hired vocalist Pete Gage and continued to tour under the band's name. Former Feelgoods Gypie Mayo, John Sparks, and John Martin formed the Practice in the mid-'80s, and they occasionally performed under the name Dr. Feelgood's Practice.
''ALL THROUGH THE CITY (WITH WILKO JOHNSON 1974-1977), DISC THREE''
APRIL 16 2012
225:26
DISC ONE
1 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:25
2 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:45
3 /The More I Give
Wilko Johnson 3:27
4 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:58
5 /One Weekend
Wilko Johnson 2:18
6 /That Ain't the Way to Behave
Wilko Johnson 4:00
7 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:39
8 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
9 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 3:03
10 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:08
11 /Cheque Book 4:08
12 /Oyeh!
Michael Greco / Mike Maxfield / Robin McDonald 2:32
13 /Bonie Moronie/Tequila
Chuck Rio 4:52
14 /I Can Tell
Ellis McDaniels / Samuel Smith 2:45
15 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:01
16 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:18
17 /Another Man
Wilko Johnson 2:55
18 /Rolling and Tumbling 3:12
19 /Don't Let Your Daddy Know
Wilko Johnson 2:57
20 /Watch Your Step 3:23
21 /Don't You Just Know it
Huey "Piano" Smith 3:52
22 /Riot in Cell Block Number Nine
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:40
23 /Because You're Mine
Nick Lowe 4:54
24 /You Shouldn't Call the Doctor (If You Can't Afford the Bills)
Wilko Johnson 2:34
DISC TWO
1 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 1:59
2 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:06
3 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:20
4 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 2:54
5 /I'm a Man 5:10
6 /Walking the Dog
Rufus Thomas 2:57
7 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:04
8 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 3:47
9 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
10 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:09
11 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:17
12 /Checkin' Up on My Baby
Sonny Boy Williamson II 3:17
13 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 3:04
14 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:53
15 /Paradise
Wilko Johnson 4:06
16 /Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)
Cirino Colacrai / Eddie Fontaine / Diane Lambert 3:29
17 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 3:01
18 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:55
19 /Lucky Seven
Lew Lewis 2:48
20 /All My Love
Wilko Johnson 3:49
21 /You'll Be Mine
Willie Dixon 3:20
22 /Walking on the Edge
Wilko Johnson 3:41
23 /Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut 3:57
DISC THREE
1 /Dr. Feelgood 2:23
2 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 2:27
3 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:10
4 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 2:49
5 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:48
6 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 8:30
7 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:43
8 /Malamut feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:34
9 /Casting My Spell on You feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Alvin Johnson / Edwin Johnson 2:30
10 /Comin' Home Baby feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston 2:24
11 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 2:04
12 /My Girl Josephine
Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino 2:09
13 /Small Gains Corner 2:52
14 /(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Bobby Troup 3:23
15 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:06
16 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:04
17 /She Said Alright
Wilko Johnson 3:40
18 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:04
19 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:23
20 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:42
21 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 2:57
22 /Riot in Cell Block No. 9 3:48
23 /Johnny B Goode
Chuck Berry 4:00
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Hard work was hardwired into Dr. Feelgood's DNA. They never left the road, not even after the death of their lead singer Lee Brilleaux in 1994. Nearly two decades after his demise, a lineup of Dr. Feelgood containing no original members continues to grind out gigs across the United Kingdom, a testament to the band's take-no-prisoners aesthetic, even if their presence tends to obscure what made the Feelgoods so special in the mid-'70s. It took Julien Temple's 2009 documentary Oil City Confidential to remind the world at large about Dr. Feelgood's crucial place in history, how they turned pub rock into something tougher, harder, leaner, and meaner, something that paved the way for punk rock just a few years later. Oil City Confidential told the story, but it's All Through the City (With Wilko 1974-1977) that provides the supporting evidence. A four-CD/one-DVD box chronicling everything that the original lineup of Brilleaux, guitarist Wilko Johnson, bassist John B. Sparks, and drummer John "The Big Figure" Martin recorded during their four years together, All Through the City contains all the vital music Dr. Feelgood ever recorded. They'd make other good records -- 1978's Private Practice and its hit single "Milk & Alcohol," for instance -- but this is the music that made the band's legacy, and it still packs a wallop: this is intense, gritty, hard rock & roll, its love of old R&B tying it somewhat to the past but the vicious vigor of the performances still feeling modern. This lacerating energy is best felt on the live performances -- their hit album Stupidity and the television performances collected on the DVD -- but their first two LPs, Down by the Jetty and Malpractice contain much of the same nervy spirit, conveyed by Wilko's slashing cubist guitar and Brilleaux's growl. On the welcome disc of rarities that concludes this set, some of the thought behind the band's evolution is evident -- an early version of "Roxette" betrays some deep doo wop roots that the group defiantly shook off just a year later -- but that only strengthens the case for Dr. Feelgood. They knew precisely how to trim away the fat, they knew what mattered: the hard angular riffs, the throttling rhythms, the sense of malicious malevolence that pervades even the love songs. All of that is showcased on All Through the City, a box set that captures Dr. Feelgood in all of their rage and glory.
REVIEW
By MarkBarry
"…All Your Lovin’…Thrills Me So…”
As you've no doubt already guessed from the avalanche of five-star reviews this Dr. Feelgood retrospective has already received - "All Through The City" is frankly a bit of a box set barnstormer.
Covering the Wilko Johnson/Lee Brilleaux/John Sparks/Big Figure years - it features 4 full album's worth and a large haul of previously unreleased studio outtakes and live cuts from the time.
There's even a lengthy DVD that in itself would make a superb stand-alone release. And it's just dropped in price too. Here are the finite details...
Released 16 April 2012 in the UK - and taking its title from a track on their debut LP - "All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)" is a 3CD + 1DVD box set on EMI 5099955980524 and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (79:11 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their debut album "Down By The Jetty" - released in the UK in January 1975 on United Artists UAS 29717
Tracks 14 to 24 are their 2nd album "Malpractice" - released in the UK in October 1975 on United Artists UAS 29880
Disc 2 (73:27 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their 3rd album - the live set "Stupidity" - released in the UK in September 1976 on United Artists UAS 29990
Tracks 14 to 23 are their 4th album "Sneakin' Suspicion" (and last with original guitarist Wilko Johnson) - released in the UK in May 1977 on United Artists UAS 30075
Disc 3 (72:41 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 and 18 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 14 is "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" and is the non-album B-side of their 1st UK 7" single "Roxette" released November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
Tracks 15, 16 and 17 are "I'm A Hog For You Baby", "Stupidity" and "She Said Alright" and are all album outakes from the "Down By The Jetty" sessions.
They were first issued on the May 2006 2CD 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty"
Track 21 is "Keep It Out Of Sight (Live)" and is a non-album B-side of their 4th UK 7" single "Roxette (Live)" released October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
Original copies of the live set "Stupidity" came with a free collector's 7" single [FEEL 1] - two extra live tracks - "Riot In Cell Block No.9" b/w "Johnny B. Goode".
They are Tracks 22 and 23 on Disc 3.
NOTES - EXCLUSIONS - INCLUSIONS:
Even though the catalogue number for "Down By The Jetty" uses the UA code for Stereo (UAS) - the album was famously recorded and released in MONO - and that MONO remaster is what's included on this box set (the 2006 version).
The 'STEREO' mix is on the 2CD "Down By The Jetty - Collector's Edition" released in June 2006 - both versions remastered (like this box set) by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Track 13 on Disc 1 is a duo of cover versions "Bonie Moronie/Tequila" and was recorded live in London's Dingwalls in July 1974. Six more tracks from that concert are on Disc 2 of the 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty" and are NOT on this box set.
The only officially released track from the period that is NOT on here is "I'm A Man (Live)" - it was the non-album B-side to "Back In The Night" - their 3rd UK 7" single released September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857. Its exclusion here is probably an error. If you want the track (and many other non-album B-sides) - it's on the "Singled Out" 3CD set issued by EMI UK in 2001.
"Malpractice", "Stupidity" and "Sneakin' Suspicion" have all been available before on CD on Grand Records in the Nineties - but this 2012 box set offers properly remastered versions of them for the first time.
PACKAGING:
Wilko Johnson had always adored Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and especially their guitar player Mick Green - and tucked away on the B-side of their 1964 hit "Always & Forever" on HMV Records POP 1269 was an obscure cover version of a Piano Red song from 1962 on Okeh Records called "Doctor Feelgood" (Red's group was actually called Dr. Feelgood & The Interns). Wilko chose this apt name for his new rockin' band from Canvey Island in Essex - and a kick ass British Rhythm 'n' Blues legend was born. I mention all of this because the single is pictured on Page 3 of the superb booklet centred in the hardback pack - along with interviews with Wilko (December 2011), liner notes by HUGO WILLIAMS, discography details that picture the albums, comic book strips, trade adverts, 7" singles on United Artists, NME and Melody Maker reviews and all the usual memorabilia associated with a retrospective like this.
A very, very smart move is the inclusion of a non-region-coded 23-track DVD (22 songs and 1 interview). Recorded in England (20 cuts from 1974) and Finland (2 cuts from 1975) - the Concert/TV appearances show the full-on thrill of a Dr. Feelgood live show in their prime.
They were little short of sensational and regularly annihilated most other bands in their path. Their manic no-nonsense fast and furious songs were also beloved by Rock 'n' Rollers and even pre-dated Punk by two years. I can't stress enough how the DVD adds so much to the 3CDs of rocking mania - remastered to perfection by PETER MEW at Abbey Road.
MUSIC:
I know people rave about the debut with "She Does It Right", "Roxette" and so many more (and quite rightly so) - but for me the follow-up "Malpractice" is the absolute balls too. I wore out the 2nd track "Going Back Home" on my original vinyl copy. Co-written with Wilko's guitar hero and mentor Mick Green - it has the most fantastic Lee Brilleaux harmonica solo. I also love the Bo Diddley cover "I Can Tell" and their menacing version of Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step". Original gems include "Another Man", the sleazy "Don't Let Your Daddy Know" and the chugging "Because You're Mine" (co-written with Big Figure and Nick Lowe). The remastered sound too - what a punch. Love it...
It all came to a frenzied head on the live "Stupidity" set when the British public fell completely for their charms and put it on the Number 1 spot in October 1976. Again - I'd forgotten how good it is - frantic - urgent - "Walking The Dog" and "I'm A Hog For You Baby" sounding so exciting and huge. Following that pinnacle was always going to be difficult and I remember at the time 1977's "Sneakin' Suspicion" was met with disappointment - like the band was threading water - and their sound was now limiting instead of being fresh. But relistening to the cracking title track (the only single off the album), "Walking On The Edge" and especially what should have been the follow up single "Paradise" (all Wilko originals) - they're fantastic (lyrics above). I also so dig their take on the Eddie Fontaine hit "Nothing Shaking (But The Leaves On The Trees)" with Lee's harmonica tearing through your speakers. The Lew Lewis cover "Lucky Seven" and the Willie Dixon/Howlin' Wolf take on "You'll Be Mine" are great fun too.
UNRELEASED:
I had expected the unreleased stuff on Disc 3 to be workmanlike - and some of it is - but there are shockingly good studio outtakes that will get fans animated in the trouser area. It opens with a rough and ready take on Piano Red's "Dr. Feelgood" which is very good - but it ups a whole different notch with "Everybody's Carrying A Gun", "I'm A Hog For You Baby" and "Time And The Devil" studio recordings from January and August 1976. They're brill. Less successful is a weedy demo of "Sneakin' Suspicion" and a limp instrumental called "Malamut" which features Mick Green on guitar. Better by far is a cover of Alvin Johnson's "Casting My Spell On You" which is pure Wilko Feelgoods - it's brilliant. The crudely recorded cover of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" is good too with a great chucking beat and again they hit you with another nugget - a properly rocking version of "My Girl Josephine" by Fats Domino. The live stuff is very much in the vein of "Stupidity". Very tasty indeed...
To sum up - I've loved working my way through this sonic blast – this memory chest - and now at a bargain price of twenty-eight pounds new - it's time to don the sharp suit music lovers and do the leg-splits boogie. In fact mention Dr. Feelgood to those who saw the band in their prime and a manic grin will fill their wrinkled visage that no cigarette-smoking scalpel-wielding surgeon will be able to remove.
On a more personal note - I once glimpsed Lee Brilleaux in 1989 clacking his way down Berwick Street in his steel-heeled leather shoes - looking like a cross between Arthur Daley and a man ready to blow a demonically possessed harmonica no matter what the cost. I wished I'd stopped him, shook his hand and just said thanks. Well this is for you Lee - Wilko - and all the boys in the band.
Bootiful my son...
PS:
This box set will allow fans to sequence their first 5 x 7” singles as follows:
1. Roxette [Disc 1/ Track 4] b/w (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 [Disc 3/Track 14]
November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
2. She Does It Right [Disc 1/Track 1] b/w I Don’t Mind [Disc 1/Track 7]
March 1975 on United Artists UP 35815
3. Back In The Night [Disc 1/Track 16] b/w I’m A Man (Live) [NOT ON BOX]
September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857
4. Roxette (Live) [Disc 2/Track 13] b/w Keep It Out Of Sight (Live) [Disc 3/Track 21]
October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
5. Sneakin’ Suspicion [Disc 2/Track 14] b/w Lights Out [Disc 2/Track 18]
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Dr. Feelgood was the ultimate working band. From their formation in 1971 to lead vocalist Lee Brilleaux's untimely death in 1994, the band never left the road, playing hundreds of gigs every year. Throughout their entire career, Dr. Feelgood never left simple, hard-driving rock & roll behind, and their devotion to the blues and R&B earned them a devoted fan base. That following first emerged in the mid-'70s, when Dr. Feelgood became the leader of the second wave of pub rockers. Unlike Brinsley Schwarz, the laid-back leaders of the pub rock scene, Dr. Feelgood was devoted to edgy, Stonesy rock & roll, and their sweaty live shows -- powered by Brilleaux's intense singing and guitarist Wilko Johnson's muscular leads -- became legendary. While the group's stripped-down, energetic sound paved the way for English punk rock in the late '70s, their back-to-basics style was overshadowed by the dominance of punk and new wave, and the group had retreated to cult status by the early '80s.
Brilleaux (vocals, harmonica), Johnson (guitar), and John B. Sparks (bass) had all played in several blues-based bar bands around Canvey Island, England before forming Dr. Feelgood in 1971. Taking their name from a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates song, the group was dedicated to playing old-fashioned R&B and rock & roll, including both covers and originals by Johnson. John Martin (drums), a former member of Finian's Rainbow, was added to the lineup, and the group began playing the pub rock circuit. By the end of 1973, Dr. Feelgood's dynamic live act had made them the most popular group on the pub rock circuit, and several labels were interested in signing them. They settled for United Artists, and they released their debut album, Down by the Jetty, in 1974.
According to legend, Down by the Jetty was recorded in mono and consisted almost entirely of first takes. While it was in fact recorded in stereo, the rumor added significantly to Dr. Feelgood's purist image, and the album became a cult hit. The following year, the group released Malpractice -- also their first U.S. release -- which climbed into the U.K. Top 20 on the strength of the band's live performances and positive reviews. In 1976, the band released the live album Stupidity, which became a smash hit in Britain, topping the album charts. Despite its thriving British success, Dr. Feelgood was unable to find an audience in the States. One other American album, Sneakin' Suspicion, followed in 1977 before the band gave up on the States; they never released another record in the U.S.
Sneakin' Suspicion didn't replicate the success of Stupidity, partially because of its slick production, but mainly because the flourishing punk rock movement overshadowed Dr. Feelgood's edgy roots rock. Wilko Johnson left the band at the end of 1977 to form the Solid Senders; he later joined Ian Dury's Blockheads. Henry McCullough played on Feelgood's 1977 tour before John "Gypie" Mayo became the group's full-time lead guitarist. Nick Lowe produced 1978's Be Seeing You, Mayo's full-length debut with Dr. Feelgood. The album generated the 1979 Top Ten hit "Milk and Alcohol," as well as the Top 40 hit "As Long as the Price Is Right." Two albums, As It Happens and Let It Roll, followed in 1979, and Mayo left the band in 1980. He was replaced by Johnny Guitar in 1980, who debuted on A Case of the Shakes, which was also produced by Nick Lowe.
During their first decade together, Dr. Feelgood never left the road, which was part of the reason founding members John Martin and John Sparks left the band in 1982. Lee Brilleaux replaced them with Buzz Barwell and Pat McMullen, and continued touring. Throughout the '80s, Brilleaux continued to lead various incarnations of Dr. Feelgood, settling on the rhythm section of bassist Phil Mitchell and drummer Kevin Morris in the mid-'80s. The band occasionally made records -- including Brilleaux, one of the last albums on Stiff Records, in 1976 -- but concentrated primarily on live performances. Dr. Feelgood continued to perform to large audiences into the early '90s, when Brilleaux was struck by cancer. He died in April of 1994, three months after he recorded the band's final album, Down at the Doctor's. The remaining members of Dr. Feelgood hired vocalist Pete Gage and continued to tour under the band's name. Former Feelgoods Gypie Mayo, John Sparks, and John Martin formed the Practice in the mid-'80s, and they occasionally performed under the name Dr. Feelgood's Practice.
7119 - DR. FEELGOOD - All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977), Disc Two (2012)
DR. FEELGOOD
''ALL THROUGH THE CITY (WITH WILKO JOHNSON 1974-1977), DISC TWO''
APRIL 16 2012
225:26
DISC ONE
1 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:25
2 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:45
3 /The More I Give
Wilko Johnson 3:27
4 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:58
5 /One Weekend
Wilko Johnson 2:18
6 /That Ain't the Way to Behave
Wilko Johnson 4:00
7 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:39
8 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
9 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 3:03
10 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:08
11 /Cheque Book 4:08
12 /Oyeh!
Michael Greco / Mike Maxfield / Robin McDonald 2:32
13 /Bonie Moronie/Tequila
Chuck Rio 4:52
14 /I Can Tell
Ellis McDaniels / Samuel Smith 2:45
15 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:01
16 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:18
17 /Another Man
Wilko Johnson 2:55
18 /Rolling and Tumbling 3:12
19 /Don't Let Your Daddy Know
Wilko Johnson 2:57
20 /Watch Your Step 3:23
21 /Don't You Just Know it
Huey "Piano" Smith 3:52
22 /Riot in Cell Block Number Nine
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:40
23 /Because You're Mine
Nick Lowe 4:54
24 /You Shouldn't Call the Doctor (If You Can't Afford the Bills)
Wilko Johnson 2:34
DISC TWO
1 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 1:59
2 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:06
3 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:20
4 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 2:54
5 /I'm a Man 5:10
6 /Walking the Dog
Rufus Thomas 2:57
7 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:04
8 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 3:47
9 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
10 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:09
11 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:17
12 /Checkin' Up on My Baby
Sonny Boy Williamson II 3:17
13 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 3:04
14 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:53
15 /Paradise
Wilko Johnson 4:06
16 /Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)
Cirino Colacrai / Eddie Fontaine / Diane Lambert 3:29
17 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 3:01
18 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:55
19 /Lucky Seven
Lew Lewis 2:48
20 /All My Love
Wilko Johnson 3:49
21 /You'll Be Mine
Willie Dixon 3:20
22 /Walking on the Edge
Wilko Johnson 3:41
23 /Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut 3:57
DISC THREE
1 /Dr. Feelgood 2:23
2 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 2:27
3 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:10
4 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 2:49
5 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:48
6 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 8:30
7 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:43
8 /Malamut feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:34
9 /Casting My Spell on You feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Alvin Johnson / Edwin Johnson 2:30
10 /Comin' Home Baby feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston 2:24
11 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 2:04
12 /My Girl Josephine
Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino 2:09
13 /Small Gains Corner 2:52
14 /(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Bobby Troup 3:23
15 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:06
16 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:04
17 /She Said Alright
Wilko Johnson 3:40
18 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:04
19 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:23
20 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:42
21 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 2:57
22 /Riot in Cell Block No. 9 3:48
23 /Johnny B Goode
Chuck Berry 4:00
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Hard work was hardwired into Dr. Feelgood's DNA. They never left the road, not even after the death of their lead singer Lee Brilleaux in 1994. Nearly two decades after his demise, a lineup of Dr. Feelgood containing no original members continues to grind out gigs across the United Kingdom, a testament to the band's take-no-prisoners aesthetic, even if their presence tends to obscure what made the Feelgoods so special in the mid-'70s. It took Julien Temple's 2009 documentary Oil City Confidential to remind the world at large about Dr. Feelgood's crucial place in history, how they turned pub rock into something tougher, harder, leaner, and meaner, something that paved the way for punk rock just a few years later. Oil City Confidential told the story, but it's All Through the City (With Wilko 1974-1977) that provides the supporting evidence. A four-CD/one-DVD box chronicling everything that the original lineup of Brilleaux, guitarist Wilko Johnson, bassist John B. Sparks, and drummer John "The Big Figure" Martin recorded during their four years together, All Through the City contains all the vital music Dr. Feelgood ever recorded. They'd make other good records -- 1978's Private Practice and its hit single "Milk & Alcohol," for instance -- but this is the music that made the band's legacy, and it still packs a wallop: this is intense, gritty, hard rock & roll, its love of old R&B tying it somewhat to the past but the vicious vigor of the performances still feeling modern. This lacerating energy is best felt on the live performances -- their hit album Stupidity and the television performances collected on the DVD -- but their first two LPs, Down by the Jetty and Malpractice contain much of the same nervy spirit, conveyed by Wilko's slashing cubist guitar and Brilleaux's growl. On the welcome disc of rarities that concludes this set, some of the thought behind the band's evolution is evident -- an early version of "Roxette" betrays some deep doo wop roots that the group defiantly shook off just a year later -- but that only strengthens the case for Dr. Feelgood. They knew precisely how to trim away the fat, they knew what mattered: the hard angular riffs, the throttling rhythms, the sense of malicious malevolence that pervades even the love songs. All of that is showcased on All Through the City, a box set that captures Dr. Feelgood in all of their rage and glory.
REVIEW
By MarkBarry
"…All Your Lovin’…Thrills Me So…”
As you've no doubt already guessed from the avalanche of five-star reviews this Dr. Feelgood retrospective has already received - "All Through The City" is frankly a bit of a box set barnstormer.
Covering the Wilko Johnson/Lee Brilleaux/John Sparks/Big Figure years - it features 4 full album's worth and a large haul of previously unreleased studio outtakes and live cuts from the time.
There's even a lengthy DVD that in itself would make a superb stand-alone release. And it's just dropped in price too. Here are the finite details...
Released 16 April 2012 in the UK - and taking its title from a track on their debut LP - "All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)" is a 3CD + 1DVD box set on EMI 5099955980524 and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (79:11 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their debut album "Down By The Jetty" - released in the UK in January 1975 on United Artists UAS 29717
Tracks 14 to 24 are their 2nd album "Malpractice" - released in the UK in October 1975 on United Artists UAS 29880
Disc 2 (73:27 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their 3rd album - the live set "Stupidity" - released in the UK in September 1976 on United Artists UAS 29990
Tracks 14 to 23 are their 4th album "Sneakin' Suspicion" (and last with original guitarist Wilko Johnson) - released in the UK in May 1977 on United Artists UAS 30075
Disc 3 (72:41 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 and 18 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 14 is "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" and is the non-album B-side of their 1st UK 7" single "Roxette" released November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
Tracks 15, 16 and 17 are "I'm A Hog For You Baby", "Stupidity" and "She Said Alright" and are all album outakes from the "Down By The Jetty" sessions.
They were first issued on the May 2006 2CD 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty"
Track 21 is "Keep It Out Of Sight (Live)" and is a non-album B-side of their 4th UK 7" single "Roxette (Live)" released October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
Original copies of the live set "Stupidity" came with a free collector's 7" single [FEEL 1] - two extra live tracks - "Riot In Cell Block No.9" b/w "Johnny B. Goode".
They are Tracks 22 and 23 on Disc 3.
NOTES - EXCLUSIONS - INCLUSIONS:
Even though the catalogue number for "Down By The Jetty" uses the UA code for Stereo (UAS) - the album was famously recorded and released in MONO - and that MONO remaster is what's included on this box set (the 2006 version).
The 'STEREO' mix is on the 2CD "Down By The Jetty - Collector's Edition" released in June 2006 - both versions remastered (like this box set) by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Track 13 on Disc 1 is a duo of cover versions "Bonie Moronie/Tequila" and was recorded live in London's Dingwalls in July 1974. Six more tracks from that concert are on Disc 2 of the 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty" and are NOT on this box set.
The only officially released track from the period that is NOT on here is "I'm A Man (Live)" - it was the non-album B-side to "Back In The Night" - their 3rd UK 7" single released September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857. Its exclusion here is probably an error. If you want the track (and many other non-album B-sides) - it's on the "Singled Out" 3CD set issued by EMI UK in 2001.
"Malpractice", "Stupidity" and "Sneakin' Suspicion" have all been available before on CD on Grand Records in the Nineties - but this 2012 box set offers properly remastered versions of them for the first time.
PACKAGING:
Wilko Johnson had always adored Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and especially their guitar player Mick Green - and tucked away on the B-side of their 1964 hit "Always & Forever" on HMV Records POP 1269 was an obscure cover version of a Piano Red song from 1962 on Okeh Records called "Doctor Feelgood" (Red's group was actually called Dr. Feelgood & The Interns). Wilko chose this apt name for his new rockin' band from Canvey Island in Essex - and a kick ass British Rhythm 'n' Blues legend was born. I mention all of this because the single is pictured on Page 3 of the superb booklet centred in the hardback pack - along with interviews with Wilko (December 2011), liner notes by HUGO WILLIAMS, discography details that picture the albums, comic book strips, trade adverts, 7" singles on United Artists, NME and Melody Maker reviews and all the usual memorabilia associated with a retrospective like this.
A very, very smart move is the inclusion of a non-region-coded 23-track DVD (22 songs and 1 interview). Recorded in England (20 cuts from 1974) and Finland (2 cuts from 1975) - the Concert/TV appearances show the full-on thrill of a Dr. Feelgood live show in their prime.
They were little short of sensational and regularly annihilated most other bands in their path. Their manic no-nonsense fast and furious songs were also beloved by Rock 'n' Rollers and even pre-dated Punk by two years. I can't stress enough how the DVD adds so much to the 3CDs of rocking mania - remastered to perfection by PETER MEW at Abbey Road.
MUSIC:
I know people rave about the debut with "She Does It Right", "Roxette" and so many more (and quite rightly so) - but for me the follow-up "Malpractice" is the absolute balls too. I wore out the 2nd track "Going Back Home" on my original vinyl copy. Co-written with Wilko's guitar hero and mentor Mick Green - it has the most fantastic Lee Brilleaux harmonica solo. I also love the Bo Diddley cover "I Can Tell" and their menacing version of Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step". Original gems include "Another Man", the sleazy "Don't Let Your Daddy Know" and the chugging "Because You're Mine" (co-written with Big Figure and Nick Lowe). The remastered sound too - what a punch. Love it...
It all came to a frenzied head on the live "Stupidity" set when the British public fell completely for their charms and put it on the Number 1 spot in October 1976. Again - I'd forgotten how good it is - frantic - urgent - "Walking The Dog" and "I'm A Hog For You Baby" sounding so exciting and huge. Following that pinnacle was always going to be difficult and I remember at the time 1977's "Sneakin' Suspicion" was met with disappointment - like the band was threading water - and their sound was now limiting instead of being fresh. But relistening to the cracking title track (the only single off the album), "Walking On The Edge" and especially what should have been the follow up single "Paradise" (all Wilko originals) - they're fantastic (lyrics above). I also so dig their take on the Eddie Fontaine hit "Nothing Shaking (But The Leaves On The Trees)" with Lee's harmonica tearing through your speakers. The Lew Lewis cover "Lucky Seven" and the Willie Dixon/Howlin' Wolf take on "You'll Be Mine" are great fun too.
UNRELEASED:
I had expected the unreleased stuff on Disc 3 to be workmanlike - and some of it is - but there are shockingly good studio outtakes that will get fans animated in the trouser area. It opens with a rough and ready take on Piano Red's "Dr. Feelgood" which is very good - but it ups a whole different notch with "Everybody's Carrying A Gun", "I'm A Hog For You Baby" and "Time And The Devil" studio recordings from January and August 1976. They're brill. Less successful is a weedy demo of "Sneakin' Suspicion" and a limp instrumental called "Malamut" which features Mick Green on guitar. Better by far is a cover of Alvin Johnson's "Casting My Spell On You" which is pure Wilko Feelgoods - it's brilliant. The crudely recorded cover of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" is good too with a great chucking beat and again they hit you with another nugget - a properly rocking version of "My Girl Josephine" by Fats Domino. The live stuff is very much in the vein of "Stupidity". Very tasty indeed...
To sum up - I've loved working my way through this sonic blast – this memory chest - and now at a bargain price of twenty-eight pounds new - it's time to don the sharp suit music lovers and do the leg-splits boogie. In fact mention Dr. Feelgood to those who saw the band in their prime and a manic grin will fill their wrinkled visage that no cigarette-smoking scalpel-wielding surgeon will be able to remove.
On a more personal note - I once glimpsed Lee Brilleaux in 1989 clacking his way down Berwick Street in his steel-heeled leather shoes - looking like a cross between Arthur Daley and a man ready to blow a demonically possessed harmonica no matter what the cost. I wished I'd stopped him, shook his hand and just said thanks. Well this is for you Lee - Wilko - and all the boys in the band.
Bootiful my son...
PS:
This box set will allow fans to sequence their first 5 x 7” singles as follows:
1. Roxette [Disc 1/ Track 4] b/w (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 [Disc 3/Track 14]
November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
2. She Does It Right [Disc 1/Track 1] b/w I Don’t Mind [Disc 1/Track 7]
March 1975 on United Artists UP 35815
3. Back In The Night [Disc 1/Track 16] b/w I’m A Man (Live) [NOT ON BOX]
September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857
4. Roxette (Live) [Disc 2/Track 13] b/w Keep It Out Of Sight (Live) [Disc 3/Track 21]
October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
5. Sneakin’ Suspicion [Disc 2/Track 14] b/w Lights Out [Disc 2/Track 18]
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Dr. Feelgood was the ultimate working band. From their formation in 1971 to lead vocalist Lee Brilleaux's untimely death in 1994, the band never left the road, playing hundreds of gigs every year. Throughout their entire career, Dr. Feelgood never left simple, hard-driving rock & roll behind, and their devotion to the blues and R&B earned them a devoted fan base. That following first emerged in the mid-'70s, when Dr. Feelgood became the leader of the second wave of pub rockers. Unlike Brinsley Schwarz, the laid-back leaders of the pub rock scene, Dr. Feelgood was devoted to edgy, Stonesy rock & roll, and their sweaty live shows -- powered by Brilleaux's intense singing and guitarist Wilko Johnson's muscular leads -- became legendary. While the group's stripped-down, energetic sound paved the way for English punk rock in the late '70s, their back-to-basics style was overshadowed by the dominance of punk and new wave, and the group had retreated to cult status by the early '80s.
Brilleaux (vocals, harmonica), Johnson (guitar), and John B. Sparks (bass) had all played in several blues-based bar bands around Canvey Island, England before forming Dr. Feelgood in 1971. Taking their name from a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates song, the group was dedicated to playing old-fashioned R&B and rock & roll, including both covers and originals by Johnson. John Martin (drums), a former member of Finian's Rainbow, was added to the lineup, and the group began playing the pub rock circuit. By the end of 1973, Dr. Feelgood's dynamic live act had made them the most popular group on the pub rock circuit, and several labels were interested in signing them. They settled for United Artists, and they released their debut album, Down by the Jetty, in 1974.
According to legend, Down by the Jetty was recorded in mono and consisted almost entirely of first takes. While it was in fact recorded in stereo, the rumor added significantly to Dr. Feelgood's purist image, and the album became a cult hit. The following year, the group released Malpractice -- also their first U.S. release -- which climbed into the U.K. Top 20 on the strength of the band's live performances and positive reviews. In 1976, the band released the live album Stupidity, which became a smash hit in Britain, topping the album charts. Despite its thriving British success, Dr. Feelgood was unable to find an audience in the States. One other American album, Sneakin' Suspicion, followed in 1977 before the band gave up on the States; they never released another record in the U.S.
Sneakin' Suspicion didn't replicate the success of Stupidity, partially because of its slick production, but mainly because the flourishing punk rock movement overshadowed Dr. Feelgood's edgy roots rock. Wilko Johnson left the band at the end of 1977 to form the Solid Senders; he later joined Ian Dury's Blockheads. Henry McCullough played on Feelgood's 1977 tour before John "Gypie" Mayo became the group's full-time lead guitarist. Nick Lowe produced 1978's Be Seeing You, Mayo's full-length debut with Dr. Feelgood. The album generated the 1979 Top Ten hit "Milk and Alcohol," as well as the Top 40 hit "As Long as the Price Is Right." Two albums, As It Happens and Let It Roll, followed in 1979, and Mayo left the band in 1980. He was replaced by Johnny Guitar in 1980, who debuted on A Case of the Shakes, which was also produced by Nick Lowe.
During their first decade together, Dr. Feelgood never left the road, which was part of the reason founding members John Martin and John Sparks left the band in 1982. Lee Brilleaux replaced them with Buzz Barwell and Pat McMullen, and continued touring. Throughout the '80s, Brilleaux continued to lead various incarnations of Dr. Feelgood, settling on the rhythm section of bassist Phil Mitchell and drummer Kevin Morris in the mid-'80s. The band occasionally made records -- including Brilleaux, one of the last albums on Stiff Records, in 1976 -- but concentrated primarily on live performances. Dr. Feelgood continued to perform to large audiences into the early '90s, when Brilleaux was struck by cancer. He died in April of 1994, three months after he recorded the band's final album, Down at the Doctor's. The remaining members of Dr. Feelgood hired vocalist Pete Gage and continued to tour under the band's name. Former Feelgoods Gypie Mayo, John Sparks, and John Martin formed the Practice in the mid-'80s, and they occasionally performed under the name Dr. Feelgood's Practice.
''ALL THROUGH THE CITY (WITH WILKO JOHNSON 1974-1977), DISC TWO''
APRIL 16 2012
225:26
DISC ONE
1 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:25
2 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:45
3 /The More I Give
Wilko Johnson 3:27
4 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:58
5 /One Weekend
Wilko Johnson 2:18
6 /That Ain't the Way to Behave
Wilko Johnson 4:00
7 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:39
8 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
9 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 3:03
10 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:08
11 /Cheque Book 4:08
12 /Oyeh!
Michael Greco / Mike Maxfield / Robin McDonald 2:32
13 /Bonie Moronie/Tequila
Chuck Rio 4:52
14 /I Can Tell
Ellis McDaniels / Samuel Smith 2:45
15 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:01
16 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:18
17 /Another Man
Wilko Johnson 2:55
18 /Rolling and Tumbling 3:12
19 /Don't Let Your Daddy Know
Wilko Johnson 2:57
20 /Watch Your Step 3:23
21 /Don't You Just Know it
Huey "Piano" Smith 3:52
22 /Riot in Cell Block Number Nine
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:40
23 /Because You're Mine
Nick Lowe 4:54
24 /You Shouldn't Call the Doctor (If You Can't Afford the Bills)
Wilko Johnson 2:34
DISC TWO
1 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 1:59
2 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:06
3 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:20
4 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 2:54
5 /I'm a Man 5:10
6 /Walking the Dog
Rufus Thomas 2:57
7 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:04
8 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 3:47
9 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
10 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:09
11 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:17
12 /Checkin' Up on My Baby
Sonny Boy Williamson II 3:17
13 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 3:04
14 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:53
15 /Paradise
Wilko Johnson 4:06
16 /Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)
Cirino Colacrai / Eddie Fontaine / Diane Lambert 3:29
17 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 3:01
18 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:55
19 /Lucky Seven
Lew Lewis 2:48
20 /All My Love
Wilko Johnson 3:49
21 /You'll Be Mine
Willie Dixon 3:20
22 /Walking on the Edge
Wilko Johnson 3:41
23 /Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut 3:57
DISC THREE
1 /Dr. Feelgood 2:23
2 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 2:27
3 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:10
4 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 2:49
5 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:48
6 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 8:30
7 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:43
8 /Malamut feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:34
9 /Casting My Spell on You feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Alvin Johnson / Edwin Johnson 2:30
10 /Comin' Home Baby feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston 2:24
11 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 2:04
12 /My Girl Josephine
Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino 2:09
13 /Small Gains Corner 2:52
14 /(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Bobby Troup 3:23
15 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:06
16 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:04
17 /She Said Alright
Wilko Johnson 3:40
18 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:04
19 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:23
20 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:42
21 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 2:57
22 /Riot in Cell Block No. 9 3:48
23 /Johnny B Goode
Chuck Berry 4:00
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Hard work was hardwired into Dr. Feelgood's DNA. They never left the road, not even after the death of their lead singer Lee Brilleaux in 1994. Nearly two decades after his demise, a lineup of Dr. Feelgood containing no original members continues to grind out gigs across the United Kingdom, a testament to the band's take-no-prisoners aesthetic, even if their presence tends to obscure what made the Feelgoods so special in the mid-'70s. It took Julien Temple's 2009 documentary Oil City Confidential to remind the world at large about Dr. Feelgood's crucial place in history, how they turned pub rock into something tougher, harder, leaner, and meaner, something that paved the way for punk rock just a few years later. Oil City Confidential told the story, but it's All Through the City (With Wilko 1974-1977) that provides the supporting evidence. A four-CD/one-DVD box chronicling everything that the original lineup of Brilleaux, guitarist Wilko Johnson, bassist John B. Sparks, and drummer John "The Big Figure" Martin recorded during their four years together, All Through the City contains all the vital music Dr. Feelgood ever recorded. They'd make other good records -- 1978's Private Practice and its hit single "Milk & Alcohol," for instance -- but this is the music that made the band's legacy, and it still packs a wallop: this is intense, gritty, hard rock & roll, its love of old R&B tying it somewhat to the past but the vicious vigor of the performances still feeling modern. This lacerating energy is best felt on the live performances -- their hit album Stupidity and the television performances collected on the DVD -- but their first two LPs, Down by the Jetty and Malpractice contain much of the same nervy spirit, conveyed by Wilko's slashing cubist guitar and Brilleaux's growl. On the welcome disc of rarities that concludes this set, some of the thought behind the band's evolution is evident -- an early version of "Roxette" betrays some deep doo wop roots that the group defiantly shook off just a year later -- but that only strengthens the case for Dr. Feelgood. They knew precisely how to trim away the fat, they knew what mattered: the hard angular riffs, the throttling rhythms, the sense of malicious malevolence that pervades even the love songs. All of that is showcased on All Through the City, a box set that captures Dr. Feelgood in all of their rage and glory.
REVIEW
By MarkBarry
"…All Your Lovin’…Thrills Me So…”
As you've no doubt already guessed from the avalanche of five-star reviews this Dr. Feelgood retrospective has already received - "All Through The City" is frankly a bit of a box set barnstormer.
Covering the Wilko Johnson/Lee Brilleaux/John Sparks/Big Figure years - it features 4 full album's worth and a large haul of previously unreleased studio outtakes and live cuts from the time.
There's even a lengthy DVD that in itself would make a superb stand-alone release. And it's just dropped in price too. Here are the finite details...
Released 16 April 2012 in the UK - and taking its title from a track on their debut LP - "All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)" is a 3CD + 1DVD box set on EMI 5099955980524 and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (79:11 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their debut album "Down By The Jetty" - released in the UK in January 1975 on United Artists UAS 29717
Tracks 14 to 24 are their 2nd album "Malpractice" - released in the UK in October 1975 on United Artists UAS 29880
Disc 2 (73:27 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their 3rd album - the live set "Stupidity" - released in the UK in September 1976 on United Artists UAS 29990
Tracks 14 to 23 are their 4th album "Sneakin' Suspicion" (and last with original guitarist Wilko Johnson) - released in the UK in May 1977 on United Artists UAS 30075
Disc 3 (72:41 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 and 18 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 14 is "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" and is the non-album B-side of their 1st UK 7" single "Roxette" released November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
Tracks 15, 16 and 17 are "I'm A Hog For You Baby", "Stupidity" and "She Said Alright" and are all album outakes from the "Down By The Jetty" sessions.
They were first issued on the May 2006 2CD 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty"
Track 21 is "Keep It Out Of Sight (Live)" and is a non-album B-side of their 4th UK 7" single "Roxette (Live)" released October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
Original copies of the live set "Stupidity" came with a free collector's 7" single [FEEL 1] - two extra live tracks - "Riot In Cell Block No.9" b/w "Johnny B. Goode".
They are Tracks 22 and 23 on Disc 3.
NOTES - EXCLUSIONS - INCLUSIONS:
Even though the catalogue number for "Down By The Jetty" uses the UA code for Stereo (UAS) - the album was famously recorded and released in MONO - and that MONO remaster is what's included on this box set (the 2006 version).
The 'STEREO' mix is on the 2CD "Down By The Jetty - Collector's Edition" released in June 2006 - both versions remastered (like this box set) by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Track 13 on Disc 1 is a duo of cover versions "Bonie Moronie/Tequila" and was recorded live in London's Dingwalls in July 1974. Six more tracks from that concert are on Disc 2 of the 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty" and are NOT on this box set.
The only officially released track from the period that is NOT on here is "I'm A Man (Live)" - it was the non-album B-side to "Back In The Night" - their 3rd UK 7" single released September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857. Its exclusion here is probably an error. If you want the track (and many other non-album B-sides) - it's on the "Singled Out" 3CD set issued by EMI UK in 2001.
"Malpractice", "Stupidity" and "Sneakin' Suspicion" have all been available before on CD on Grand Records in the Nineties - but this 2012 box set offers properly remastered versions of them for the first time.
PACKAGING:
Wilko Johnson had always adored Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and especially their guitar player Mick Green - and tucked away on the B-side of their 1964 hit "Always & Forever" on HMV Records POP 1269 was an obscure cover version of a Piano Red song from 1962 on Okeh Records called "Doctor Feelgood" (Red's group was actually called Dr. Feelgood & The Interns). Wilko chose this apt name for his new rockin' band from Canvey Island in Essex - and a kick ass British Rhythm 'n' Blues legend was born. I mention all of this because the single is pictured on Page 3 of the superb booklet centred in the hardback pack - along with interviews with Wilko (December 2011), liner notes by HUGO WILLIAMS, discography details that picture the albums, comic book strips, trade adverts, 7" singles on United Artists, NME and Melody Maker reviews and all the usual memorabilia associated with a retrospective like this.
A very, very smart move is the inclusion of a non-region-coded 23-track DVD (22 songs and 1 interview). Recorded in England (20 cuts from 1974) and Finland (2 cuts from 1975) - the Concert/TV appearances show the full-on thrill of a Dr. Feelgood live show in their prime.
They were little short of sensational and regularly annihilated most other bands in their path. Their manic no-nonsense fast and furious songs were also beloved by Rock 'n' Rollers and even pre-dated Punk by two years. I can't stress enough how the DVD adds so much to the 3CDs of rocking mania - remastered to perfection by PETER MEW at Abbey Road.
MUSIC:
I know people rave about the debut with "She Does It Right", "Roxette" and so many more (and quite rightly so) - but for me the follow-up "Malpractice" is the absolute balls too. I wore out the 2nd track "Going Back Home" on my original vinyl copy. Co-written with Wilko's guitar hero and mentor Mick Green - it has the most fantastic Lee Brilleaux harmonica solo. I also love the Bo Diddley cover "I Can Tell" and their menacing version of Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step". Original gems include "Another Man", the sleazy "Don't Let Your Daddy Know" and the chugging "Because You're Mine" (co-written with Big Figure and Nick Lowe). The remastered sound too - what a punch. Love it...
It all came to a frenzied head on the live "Stupidity" set when the British public fell completely for their charms and put it on the Number 1 spot in October 1976. Again - I'd forgotten how good it is - frantic - urgent - "Walking The Dog" and "I'm A Hog For You Baby" sounding so exciting and huge. Following that pinnacle was always going to be difficult and I remember at the time 1977's "Sneakin' Suspicion" was met with disappointment - like the band was threading water - and their sound was now limiting instead of being fresh. But relistening to the cracking title track (the only single off the album), "Walking On The Edge" and especially what should have been the follow up single "Paradise" (all Wilko originals) - they're fantastic (lyrics above). I also so dig their take on the Eddie Fontaine hit "Nothing Shaking (But The Leaves On The Trees)" with Lee's harmonica tearing through your speakers. The Lew Lewis cover "Lucky Seven" and the Willie Dixon/Howlin' Wolf take on "You'll Be Mine" are great fun too.
UNRELEASED:
I had expected the unreleased stuff on Disc 3 to be workmanlike - and some of it is - but there are shockingly good studio outtakes that will get fans animated in the trouser area. It opens with a rough and ready take on Piano Red's "Dr. Feelgood" which is very good - but it ups a whole different notch with "Everybody's Carrying A Gun", "I'm A Hog For You Baby" and "Time And The Devil" studio recordings from January and August 1976. They're brill. Less successful is a weedy demo of "Sneakin' Suspicion" and a limp instrumental called "Malamut" which features Mick Green on guitar. Better by far is a cover of Alvin Johnson's "Casting My Spell On You" which is pure Wilko Feelgoods - it's brilliant. The crudely recorded cover of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" is good too with a great chucking beat and again they hit you with another nugget - a properly rocking version of "My Girl Josephine" by Fats Domino. The live stuff is very much in the vein of "Stupidity". Very tasty indeed...
To sum up - I've loved working my way through this sonic blast – this memory chest - and now at a bargain price of twenty-eight pounds new - it's time to don the sharp suit music lovers and do the leg-splits boogie. In fact mention Dr. Feelgood to those who saw the band in their prime and a manic grin will fill their wrinkled visage that no cigarette-smoking scalpel-wielding surgeon will be able to remove.
On a more personal note - I once glimpsed Lee Brilleaux in 1989 clacking his way down Berwick Street in his steel-heeled leather shoes - looking like a cross between Arthur Daley and a man ready to blow a demonically possessed harmonica no matter what the cost. I wished I'd stopped him, shook his hand and just said thanks. Well this is for you Lee - Wilko - and all the boys in the band.
Bootiful my son...
PS:
This box set will allow fans to sequence their first 5 x 7” singles as follows:
1. Roxette [Disc 1/ Track 4] b/w (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 [Disc 3/Track 14]
November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
2. She Does It Right [Disc 1/Track 1] b/w I Don’t Mind [Disc 1/Track 7]
March 1975 on United Artists UP 35815
3. Back In The Night [Disc 1/Track 16] b/w I’m A Man (Live) [NOT ON BOX]
September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857
4. Roxette (Live) [Disc 2/Track 13] b/w Keep It Out Of Sight (Live) [Disc 3/Track 21]
October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
5. Sneakin’ Suspicion [Disc 2/Track 14] b/w Lights Out [Disc 2/Track 18]
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Dr. Feelgood was the ultimate working band. From their formation in 1971 to lead vocalist Lee Brilleaux's untimely death in 1994, the band never left the road, playing hundreds of gigs every year. Throughout their entire career, Dr. Feelgood never left simple, hard-driving rock & roll behind, and their devotion to the blues and R&B earned them a devoted fan base. That following first emerged in the mid-'70s, when Dr. Feelgood became the leader of the second wave of pub rockers. Unlike Brinsley Schwarz, the laid-back leaders of the pub rock scene, Dr. Feelgood was devoted to edgy, Stonesy rock & roll, and their sweaty live shows -- powered by Brilleaux's intense singing and guitarist Wilko Johnson's muscular leads -- became legendary. While the group's stripped-down, energetic sound paved the way for English punk rock in the late '70s, their back-to-basics style was overshadowed by the dominance of punk and new wave, and the group had retreated to cult status by the early '80s.
Brilleaux (vocals, harmonica), Johnson (guitar), and John B. Sparks (bass) had all played in several blues-based bar bands around Canvey Island, England before forming Dr. Feelgood in 1971. Taking their name from a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates song, the group was dedicated to playing old-fashioned R&B and rock & roll, including both covers and originals by Johnson. John Martin (drums), a former member of Finian's Rainbow, was added to the lineup, and the group began playing the pub rock circuit. By the end of 1973, Dr. Feelgood's dynamic live act had made them the most popular group on the pub rock circuit, and several labels were interested in signing them. They settled for United Artists, and they released their debut album, Down by the Jetty, in 1974.
According to legend, Down by the Jetty was recorded in mono and consisted almost entirely of first takes. While it was in fact recorded in stereo, the rumor added significantly to Dr. Feelgood's purist image, and the album became a cult hit. The following year, the group released Malpractice -- also their first U.S. release -- which climbed into the U.K. Top 20 on the strength of the band's live performances and positive reviews. In 1976, the band released the live album Stupidity, which became a smash hit in Britain, topping the album charts. Despite its thriving British success, Dr. Feelgood was unable to find an audience in the States. One other American album, Sneakin' Suspicion, followed in 1977 before the band gave up on the States; they never released another record in the U.S.
Sneakin' Suspicion didn't replicate the success of Stupidity, partially because of its slick production, but mainly because the flourishing punk rock movement overshadowed Dr. Feelgood's edgy roots rock. Wilko Johnson left the band at the end of 1977 to form the Solid Senders; he later joined Ian Dury's Blockheads. Henry McCullough played on Feelgood's 1977 tour before John "Gypie" Mayo became the group's full-time lead guitarist. Nick Lowe produced 1978's Be Seeing You, Mayo's full-length debut with Dr. Feelgood. The album generated the 1979 Top Ten hit "Milk and Alcohol," as well as the Top 40 hit "As Long as the Price Is Right." Two albums, As It Happens and Let It Roll, followed in 1979, and Mayo left the band in 1980. He was replaced by Johnny Guitar in 1980, who debuted on A Case of the Shakes, which was also produced by Nick Lowe.
During their first decade together, Dr. Feelgood never left the road, which was part of the reason founding members John Martin and John Sparks left the band in 1982. Lee Brilleaux replaced them with Buzz Barwell and Pat McMullen, and continued touring. Throughout the '80s, Brilleaux continued to lead various incarnations of Dr. Feelgood, settling on the rhythm section of bassist Phil Mitchell and drummer Kevin Morris in the mid-'80s. The band occasionally made records -- including Brilleaux, one of the last albums on Stiff Records, in 1976 -- but concentrated primarily on live performances. Dr. Feelgood continued to perform to large audiences into the early '90s, when Brilleaux was struck by cancer. He died in April of 1994, three months after he recorded the band's final album, Down at the Doctor's. The remaining members of Dr. Feelgood hired vocalist Pete Gage and continued to tour under the band's name. Former Feelgoods Gypie Mayo, John Sparks, and John Martin formed the Practice in the mid-'80s, and they occasionally performed under the name Dr. Feelgood's Practice.
7118 - DR. FEELGOOD - All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977), Disc One (2012)
DR. FEELGOOD
''ALL THROUGH THE CITY (WITH WILKO JOHNSON 1974-1977), DISC ONE''
APRIL 16 2012
225:26
DISC ONE
1 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:25
2 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:45
3 /The More I Give
Wilko Johnson 3:27
4 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:58
5 /One Weekend
Wilko Johnson 2:18
6 /That Ain't the Way to Behave
Wilko Johnson 4:00
7 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:39
8 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
9 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 3:03
10 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:08
11 /Cheque Book 4:08
12 /Oyeh!
Michael Greco / Mike Maxfield / Robin McDonald 2:32
13 /Bonie Moronie/Tequila
Chuck Rio 4:52
14 /I Can Tell
Ellis McDaniels / Samuel Smith 2:45
15 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:01
16 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:18
17 /Another Man
Wilko Johnson 2:55
18 /Rolling and Tumbling 3:12
19 /Don't Let Your Daddy Know
Wilko Johnson 2:57
20 /Watch Your Step 3:23
21 /Don't You Just Know it
Huey "Piano" Smith 3:52
22 /Riot in Cell Block Number Nine
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:40
23 /Because You're Mine
Nick Lowe 4:54
24 /You Shouldn't Call the Doctor (If You Can't Afford the Bills)
Wilko Johnson 2:34
DISC TWO
1 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 1:59
2 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:06
3 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:20
4 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 2:54
5 /I'm a Man 5:10
6 /Walking the Dog
Rufus Thomas 2:57
7 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:04
8 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 3:47
9 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
10 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:09
11 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:17
12 /Checkin' Up on My Baby
Sonny Boy Williamson II 3:17
13 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 3:04
14 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:53
15 /Paradise
Wilko Johnson 4:06
16 /Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)
Cirino Colacrai / Eddie Fontaine / Diane Lambert 3:29
17 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 3:01
18 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:55
19 /Lucky Seven
Lew Lewis 2:48
20 /All My Love
Wilko Johnson 3:49
21 /You'll Be Mine
Willie Dixon 3:20
22 /Walking on the Edge
Wilko Johnson 3:41
23 /Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut 3:57
DISC THREE
1 /Dr. Feelgood 2:23
2 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 2:27
3 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:10
4 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 2:49
5 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:48
6 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 8:30
7 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:43
8 /Malamut feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:34
9 /Casting My Spell on You feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Alvin Johnson / Edwin Johnson 2:30
10 /Comin' Home Baby feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston 2:24
11 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 2:04
12 /My Girl Josephine
Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino 2:09
13 /Small Gains Corner 2:52
14 /(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Bobby Troup 3:23
15 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:06
16 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:04
17 /She Said Alright
Wilko Johnson 3:40
18 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:04
19 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:23
20 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:42
21 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 2:57
22 /Riot in Cell Block No. 9 3:48
23 /Johnny B Goode
Chuck Berry 4:00
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Hard work was hardwired into Dr. Feelgood's DNA. They never left the road, not even after the death of their lead singer Lee Brilleaux in 1994. Nearly two decades after his demise, a lineup of Dr. Feelgood containing no original members continues to grind out gigs across the United Kingdom, a testament to the band's take-no-prisoners aesthetic, even if their presence tends to obscure what made the Feelgoods so special in the mid-'70s. It took Julien Temple's 2009 documentary Oil City Confidential to remind the world at large about Dr. Feelgood's crucial place in history, how they turned pub rock into something tougher, harder, leaner, and meaner, something that paved the way for punk rock just a few years later. Oil City Confidential told the story, but it's All Through the City (With Wilko 1974-1977) that provides the supporting evidence. A four-CD/one-DVD box chronicling everything that the original lineup of Brilleaux, guitarist Wilko Johnson, bassist John B. Sparks, and drummer John "The Big Figure" Martin recorded during their four years together, All Through the City contains all the vital music Dr. Feelgood ever recorded. They'd make other good records -- 1978's Private Practice and its hit single "Milk & Alcohol," for instance -- but this is the music that made the band's legacy, and it still packs a wallop: this is intense, gritty, hard rock & roll, its love of old R&B tying it somewhat to the past but the vicious vigor of the performances still feeling modern. This lacerating energy is best felt on the live performances -- their hit album Stupidity and the television performances collected on the DVD -- but their first two LPs, Down by the Jetty and Malpractice contain much of the same nervy spirit, conveyed by Wilko's slashing cubist guitar and Brilleaux's growl. On the welcome disc of rarities that concludes this set, some of the thought behind the band's evolution is evident -- an early version of "Roxette" betrays some deep doo wop roots that the group defiantly shook off just a year later -- but that only strengthens the case for Dr. Feelgood. They knew precisely how to trim away the fat, they knew what mattered: the hard angular riffs, the throttling rhythms, the sense of malicious malevolence that pervades even the love songs. All of that is showcased on All Through the City, a box set that captures Dr. Feelgood in all of their rage and glory.
REVIEW
By MarkBarry
"…All Your Lovin’…Thrills Me So…”
As you've no doubt already guessed from the avalanche of five-star reviews this Dr. Feelgood retrospective has already received - "All Through The City" is frankly a bit of a box set barnstormer.
Covering the Wilko Johnson/Lee Brilleaux/John Sparks/Big Figure years - it features 4 full album's worth and a large haul of previously unreleased studio outtakes and live cuts from the time.
There's even a lengthy DVD that in itself would make a superb stand-alone release. And it's just dropped in price too. Here are the finite details...
Released 16 April 2012 in the UK - and taking its title from a track on their debut LP - "All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)" is a 3CD + 1DVD box set on EMI 5099955980524 and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (79:11 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their debut album "Down By The Jetty" - released in the UK in January 1975 on United Artists UAS 29717
Tracks 14 to 24 are their 2nd album "Malpractice" - released in the UK in October 1975 on United Artists UAS 29880
Disc 2 (73:27 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their 3rd album - the live set "Stupidity" - released in the UK in September 1976 on United Artists UAS 29990
Tracks 14 to 23 are their 4th album "Sneakin' Suspicion" (and last with original guitarist Wilko Johnson) - released in the UK in May 1977 on United Artists UAS 30075
Disc 3 (72:41 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 and 18 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 14 is "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" and is the non-album B-side of their 1st UK 7" single "Roxette" released November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
Tracks 15, 16 and 17 are "I'm A Hog For You Baby", "Stupidity" and "She Said Alright" and are all album outakes from the "Down By The Jetty" sessions.
They were first issued on the May 2006 2CD 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty"
Track 21 is "Keep It Out Of Sight (Live)" and is a non-album B-side of their 4th UK 7" single "Roxette (Live)" released October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
Original copies of the live set "Stupidity" came with a free collector's 7" single [FEEL 1] - two extra live tracks - "Riot In Cell Block No.9" b/w "Johnny B. Goode".
They are Tracks 22 and 23 on Disc 3.
NOTES - EXCLUSIONS - INCLUSIONS:
Even though the catalogue number for "Down By The Jetty" uses the UA code for Stereo (UAS) - the album was famously recorded and released in MONO - and that MONO remaster is what's included on this box set (the 2006 version).
The 'STEREO' mix is on the 2CD "Down By The Jetty - Collector's Edition" released in June 2006 - both versions remastered (like this box set) by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Track 13 on Disc 1 is a duo of cover versions "Bonie Moronie/Tequila" and was recorded live in London's Dingwalls in July 1974. Six more tracks from that concert are on Disc 2 of the 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty" and are NOT on this box set.
The only officially released track from the period that is NOT on here is "I'm A Man (Live)" - it was the non-album B-side to "Back In The Night" - their 3rd UK 7" single released September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857. Its exclusion here is probably an error. If you want the track (and many other non-album B-sides) - it's on the "Singled Out" 3CD set issued by EMI UK in 2001.
"Malpractice", "Stupidity" and "Sneakin' Suspicion" have all been available before on CD on Grand Records in the Nineties - but this 2012 box set offers properly remastered versions of them for the first time.
PACKAGING:
Wilko Johnson had always adored Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and especially their guitar player Mick Green - and tucked away on the B-side of their 1964 hit "Always & Forever" on HMV Records POP 1269 was an obscure cover version of a Piano Red song from 1962 on Okeh Records called "Doctor Feelgood" (Red's group was actually called Dr. Feelgood & The Interns). Wilko chose this apt name for his new rockin' band from Canvey Island in Essex - and a kick ass British Rhythm 'n' Blues legend was born. I mention all of this because the single is pictured on Page 3 of the superb booklet centred in the hardback pack - along with interviews with Wilko (December 2011), liner notes by HUGO WILLIAMS, discography details that picture the albums, comic book strips, trade adverts, 7" singles on United Artists, NME and Melody Maker reviews and all the usual memorabilia associated with a retrospective like this.
A very, very smart move is the inclusion of a non-region-coded 23-track DVD (22 songs and 1 interview). Recorded in England (20 cuts from 1974) and Finland (2 cuts from 1975) - the Concert/TV appearances show the full-on thrill of a Dr. Feelgood live show in their prime.
They were little short of sensational and regularly annihilated most other bands in their path. Their manic no-nonsense fast and furious songs were also beloved by Rock 'n' Rollers and even pre-dated Punk by two years. I can't stress enough how the DVD adds so much to the 3CDs of rocking mania - remastered to perfection by PETER MEW at Abbey Road.
MUSIC:
I know people rave about the debut with "She Does It Right", "Roxette" and so many more (and quite rightly so) - but for me the follow-up "Malpractice" is the absolute balls too. I wore out the 2nd track "Going Back Home" on my original vinyl copy. Co-written with Wilko's guitar hero and mentor Mick Green - it has the most fantastic Lee Brilleaux harmonica solo. I also love the Bo Diddley cover "I Can Tell" and their menacing version of Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step". Original gems include "Another Man", the sleazy "Don't Let Your Daddy Know" and the chugging "Because You're Mine" (co-written with Big Figure and Nick Lowe). The remastered sound too - what a punch. Love it...
It all came to a frenzied head on the live "Stupidity" set when the British public fell completely for their charms and put it on the Number 1 spot in October 1976. Again - I'd forgotten how good it is - frantic - urgent - "Walking The Dog" and "I'm A Hog For You Baby" sounding so exciting and huge. Following that pinnacle was always going to be difficult and I remember at the time 1977's "Sneakin' Suspicion" was met with disappointment - like the band was threading water - and their sound was now limiting instead of being fresh. But relistening to the cracking title track (the only single off the album), "Walking On The Edge" and especially what should have been the follow up single "Paradise" (all Wilko originals) - they're fantastic (lyrics above). I also so dig their take on the Eddie Fontaine hit "Nothing Shaking (But The Leaves On The Trees)" with Lee's harmonica tearing through your speakers. The Lew Lewis cover "Lucky Seven" and the Willie Dixon/Howlin' Wolf take on "You'll Be Mine" are great fun too.
UNRELEASED:
I had expected the unreleased stuff on Disc 3 to be workmanlike - and some of it is - but there are shockingly good studio outtakes that will get fans animated in the trouser area. It opens with a rough and ready take on Piano Red's "Dr. Feelgood" which is very good - but it ups a whole different notch with "Everybody's Carrying A Gun", "I'm A Hog For You Baby" and "Time And The Devil" studio recordings from January and August 1976. They're brill. Less successful is a weedy demo of "Sneakin' Suspicion" and a limp instrumental called "Malamut" which features Mick Green on guitar. Better by far is a cover of Alvin Johnson's "Casting My Spell On You" which is pure Wilko Feelgoods - it's brilliant. The crudely recorded cover of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" is good too with a great chucking beat and again they hit you with another nugget - a properly rocking version of "My Girl Josephine" by Fats Domino. The live stuff is very much in the vein of "Stupidity". Very tasty indeed...
To sum up - I've loved working my way through this sonic blast – this memory chest - and now at a bargain price of twenty-eight pounds new - it's time to don the sharp suit music lovers and do the leg-splits boogie. In fact mention Dr. Feelgood to those who saw the band in their prime and a manic grin will fill their wrinkled visage that no cigarette-smoking scalpel-wielding surgeon will be able to remove.
On a more personal note - I once glimpsed Lee Brilleaux in 1989 clacking his way down Berwick Street in his steel-heeled leather shoes - looking like a cross between Arthur Daley and a man ready to blow a demonically possessed harmonica no matter what the cost. I wished I'd stopped him, shook his hand and just said thanks. Well this is for you Lee - Wilko - and all the boys in the band.
Bootiful my son...
PS:
This box set will allow fans to sequence their first 5 x 7” singles as follows:
1. Roxette [Disc 1/ Track 4] b/w (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 [Disc 3/Track 14]
November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
2. She Does It Right [Disc 1/Track 1] b/w I Don’t Mind [Disc 1/Track 7]
March 1975 on United Artists UP 35815
3. Back In The Night [Disc 1/Track 16] b/w I’m A Man (Live) [NOT ON BOX]
September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857
4. Roxette (Live) [Disc 2/Track 13] b/w Keep It Out Of Sight (Live) [Disc 3/Track 21]
October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
5. Sneakin’ Suspicion [Disc 2/Track 14] b/w Lights Out [Disc 2/Track 18]
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Dr. Feelgood was the ultimate working band. From their formation in 1971 to lead vocalist Lee Brilleaux's untimely death in 1994, the band never left the road, playing hundreds of gigs every year. Throughout their entire career, Dr. Feelgood never left simple, hard-driving rock & roll behind, and their devotion to the blues and R&B earned them a devoted fan base. That following first emerged in the mid-'70s, when Dr. Feelgood became the leader of the second wave of pub rockers. Unlike Brinsley Schwarz, the laid-back leaders of the pub rock scene, Dr. Feelgood was devoted to edgy, Stonesy rock & roll, and their sweaty live shows -- powered by Brilleaux's intense singing and guitarist Wilko Johnson's muscular leads -- became legendary. While the group's stripped-down, energetic sound paved the way for English punk rock in the late '70s, their back-to-basics style was overshadowed by the dominance of punk and new wave, and the group had retreated to cult status by the early '80s.
Brilleaux (vocals, harmonica), Johnson (guitar), and John B. Sparks (bass) had all played in several blues-based bar bands around Canvey Island, England before forming Dr. Feelgood in 1971. Taking their name from a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates song, the group was dedicated to playing old-fashioned R&B and rock & roll, including both covers and originals by Johnson. John Martin (drums), a former member of Finian's Rainbow, was added to the lineup, and the group began playing the pub rock circuit. By the end of 1973, Dr. Feelgood's dynamic live act had made them the most popular group on the pub rock circuit, and several labels were interested in signing them. They settled for United Artists, and they released their debut album, Down by the Jetty, in 1974.
According to legend, Down by the Jetty was recorded in mono and consisted almost entirely of first takes. While it was in fact recorded in stereo, the rumor added significantly to Dr. Feelgood's purist image, and the album became a cult hit. The following year, the group released Malpractice -- also their first U.S. release -- which climbed into the U.K. Top 20 on the strength of the band's live performances and positive reviews. In 1976, the band released the live album Stupidity, which became a smash hit in Britain, topping the album charts. Despite its thriving British success, Dr. Feelgood was unable to find an audience in the States. One other American album, Sneakin' Suspicion, followed in 1977 before the band gave up on the States; they never released another record in the U.S.
Sneakin' Suspicion didn't replicate the success of Stupidity, partially because of its slick production, but mainly because the flourishing punk rock movement overshadowed Dr. Feelgood's edgy roots rock. Wilko Johnson left the band at the end of 1977 to form the Solid Senders; he later joined Ian Dury's Blockheads. Henry McCullough played on Feelgood's 1977 tour before John "Gypie" Mayo became the group's full-time lead guitarist. Nick Lowe produced 1978's Be Seeing You, Mayo's full-length debut with Dr. Feelgood. The album generated the 1979 Top Ten hit "Milk and Alcohol," as well as the Top 40 hit "As Long as the Price Is Right." Two albums, As It Happens and Let It Roll, followed in 1979, and Mayo left the band in 1980. He was replaced by Johnny Guitar in 1980, who debuted on A Case of the Shakes, which was also produced by Nick Lowe.
During their first decade together, Dr. Feelgood never left the road, which was part of the reason founding members John Martin and John Sparks left the band in 1982. Lee Brilleaux replaced them with Buzz Barwell and Pat McMullen, and continued touring. Throughout the '80s, Brilleaux continued to lead various incarnations of Dr. Feelgood, settling on the rhythm section of bassist Phil Mitchell and drummer Kevin Morris in the mid-'80s. The band occasionally made records -- including Brilleaux, one of the last albums on Stiff Records, in 1976 -- but concentrated primarily on live performances. Dr. Feelgood continued to perform to large audiences into the early '90s, when Brilleaux was struck by cancer. He died in April of 1994, three months after he recorded the band's final album, Down at the Doctor's. The remaining members of Dr. Feelgood hired vocalist Pete Gage and continued to tour under the band's name. Former Feelgoods Gypie Mayo, John Sparks, and John Martin formed the Practice in the mid-'80s, and they occasionally performed under the name Dr. Feelgood's Practice.
''ALL THROUGH THE CITY (WITH WILKO JOHNSON 1974-1977), DISC ONE''
APRIL 16 2012
225:26
DISC ONE
1 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:25
2 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:45
3 /The More I Give
Wilko Johnson 3:27
4 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:58
5 /One Weekend
Wilko Johnson 2:18
6 /That Ain't the Way to Behave
Wilko Johnson 4:00
7 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:39
8 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
9 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 3:03
10 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:08
11 /Cheque Book 4:08
12 /Oyeh!
Michael Greco / Mike Maxfield / Robin McDonald 2:32
13 /Bonie Moronie/Tequila
Chuck Rio 4:52
14 /I Can Tell
Ellis McDaniels / Samuel Smith 2:45
15 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:01
16 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:18
17 /Another Man
Wilko Johnson 2:55
18 /Rolling and Tumbling 3:12
19 /Don't Let Your Daddy Know
Wilko Johnson 2:57
20 /Watch Your Step 3:23
21 /Don't You Just Know it
Huey "Piano" Smith 3:52
22 /Riot in Cell Block Number Nine
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:40
23 /Because You're Mine
Nick Lowe 4:54
24 /You Shouldn't Call the Doctor (If You Can't Afford the Bills)
Wilko Johnson 2:34
DISC TWO
1 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 1:59
2 /Twenty Yards Behind
Wilko Johnson 2:06
3 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:20
4 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 2:54
5 /I'm a Man 5:10
6 /Walking the Dog
Rufus Thomas 2:57
7 /She Does it Right
Wilko Johnson 3:04
8 /Going Back Home
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 3:47
9 /I Don't Mind
Wilko Johnson 2:13
10 /Back in the Night
Wilko Johnson 3:09
11 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:17
12 /Checkin' Up on My Baby
Sonny Boy Williamson II 3:17
13 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 3:04
14 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:53
15 /Paradise
Wilko Johnson 4:06
16 /Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)
Cirino Colacrai / Eddie Fontaine / Diane Lambert 3:29
17 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 3:01
18 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:55
19 /Lucky Seven
Lew Lewis 2:48
20 /All My Love
Wilko Johnson 3:49
21 /You'll Be Mine
Willie Dixon 3:20
22 /Walking on the Edge
Wilko Johnson 3:41
23 /Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut 3:57
DISC THREE
1 /Dr. Feelgood 2:23
2 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 2:27
3 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:10
4 /Time and the Devil
Wilko Johnson 2:49
5 /Lights Out
Seth David / Malcolm Rebennack 1:48
6 /Everybody's Carrying a Gun
Wilko Johnson 8:30
7 /Sneakin' Suspicion
Wilko Johnson 3:43
8 /Malamut feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Mick Green / Wilko Johnson 4:34
9 /Casting My Spell on You feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston
Alvin Johnson / Edwin Johnson 2:30
10 /Comin' Home Baby feat: The Big Figure / Mick Green / Wilko Johnson / Phil Thumpston 2:24
11 /I'm Talking About You
Chuck Berry 2:04
12 /My Girl Josephine
Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino 2:09
13 /Small Gains Corner 2:52
14 /(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Bobby Troup 3:23
15 /I'm a Hog for You Baby
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller 3:06
16 /Stupidity
Solomon Burke 2:04
17 /She Said Alright
Wilko Johnson 3:40
18 /All Through the City
Wilko Johnson 3:04
19 /Roxette
Wilko Johnson 2:23
20 /Boom Boom
John Lee Hooker 2:42
21 /Keep it Out of Sight
Wilko Johnson 2:57
22 /Riot in Cell Block No. 9 3:48
23 /Johnny B Goode
Chuck Berry 4:00
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Hard work was hardwired into Dr. Feelgood's DNA. They never left the road, not even after the death of their lead singer Lee Brilleaux in 1994. Nearly two decades after his demise, a lineup of Dr. Feelgood containing no original members continues to grind out gigs across the United Kingdom, a testament to the band's take-no-prisoners aesthetic, even if their presence tends to obscure what made the Feelgoods so special in the mid-'70s. It took Julien Temple's 2009 documentary Oil City Confidential to remind the world at large about Dr. Feelgood's crucial place in history, how they turned pub rock into something tougher, harder, leaner, and meaner, something that paved the way for punk rock just a few years later. Oil City Confidential told the story, but it's All Through the City (With Wilko 1974-1977) that provides the supporting evidence. A four-CD/one-DVD box chronicling everything that the original lineup of Brilleaux, guitarist Wilko Johnson, bassist John B. Sparks, and drummer John "The Big Figure" Martin recorded during their four years together, All Through the City contains all the vital music Dr. Feelgood ever recorded. They'd make other good records -- 1978's Private Practice and its hit single "Milk & Alcohol," for instance -- but this is the music that made the band's legacy, and it still packs a wallop: this is intense, gritty, hard rock & roll, its love of old R&B tying it somewhat to the past but the vicious vigor of the performances still feeling modern. This lacerating energy is best felt on the live performances -- their hit album Stupidity and the television performances collected on the DVD -- but their first two LPs, Down by the Jetty and Malpractice contain much of the same nervy spirit, conveyed by Wilko's slashing cubist guitar and Brilleaux's growl. On the welcome disc of rarities that concludes this set, some of the thought behind the band's evolution is evident -- an early version of "Roxette" betrays some deep doo wop roots that the group defiantly shook off just a year later -- but that only strengthens the case for Dr. Feelgood. They knew precisely how to trim away the fat, they knew what mattered: the hard angular riffs, the throttling rhythms, the sense of malicious malevolence that pervades even the love songs. All of that is showcased on All Through the City, a box set that captures Dr. Feelgood in all of their rage and glory.
REVIEW
By MarkBarry
"…All Your Lovin’…Thrills Me So…”
As you've no doubt already guessed from the avalanche of five-star reviews this Dr. Feelgood retrospective has already received - "All Through The City" is frankly a bit of a box set barnstormer.
Covering the Wilko Johnson/Lee Brilleaux/John Sparks/Big Figure years - it features 4 full album's worth and a large haul of previously unreleased studio outtakes and live cuts from the time.
There's even a lengthy DVD that in itself would make a superb stand-alone release. And it's just dropped in price too. Here are the finite details...
Released 16 April 2012 in the UK - and taking its title from a track on their debut LP - "All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)" is a 3CD + 1DVD box set on EMI 5099955980524 and breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 (79:11 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their debut album "Down By The Jetty" - released in the UK in January 1975 on United Artists UAS 29717
Tracks 14 to 24 are their 2nd album "Malpractice" - released in the UK in October 1975 on United Artists UAS 29880
Disc 2 (73:27 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 are their 3rd album - the live set "Stupidity" - released in the UK in September 1976 on United Artists UAS 29990
Tracks 14 to 23 are their 4th album "Sneakin' Suspicion" (and last with original guitarist Wilko Johnson) - released in the UK in May 1977 on United Artists UAS 30075
Disc 3 (72:41 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 13 and 18 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 14 is "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" and is the non-album B-side of their 1st UK 7" single "Roxette" released November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
Tracks 15, 16 and 17 are "I'm A Hog For You Baby", "Stupidity" and "She Said Alright" and are all album outakes from the "Down By The Jetty" sessions.
They were first issued on the May 2006 2CD 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty"
Track 21 is "Keep It Out Of Sight (Live)" and is a non-album B-side of their 4th UK 7" single "Roxette (Live)" released October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
Original copies of the live set "Stupidity" came with a free collector's 7" single [FEEL 1] - two extra live tracks - "Riot In Cell Block No.9" b/w "Johnny B. Goode".
They are Tracks 22 and 23 on Disc 3.
NOTES - EXCLUSIONS - INCLUSIONS:
Even though the catalogue number for "Down By The Jetty" uses the UA code for Stereo (UAS) - the album was famously recorded and released in MONO - and that MONO remaster is what's included on this box set (the 2006 version).
The 'STEREO' mix is on the 2CD "Down By The Jetty - Collector's Edition" released in June 2006 - both versions remastered (like this box set) by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Track 13 on Disc 1 is a duo of cover versions "Bonie Moronie/Tequila" and was recorded live in London's Dingwalls in July 1974. Six more tracks from that concert are on Disc 2 of the 'Collector's Edition' of "Down By The Jetty" and are NOT on this box set.
The only officially released track from the period that is NOT on here is "I'm A Man (Live)" - it was the non-album B-side to "Back In The Night" - their 3rd UK 7" single released September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857. Its exclusion here is probably an error. If you want the track (and many other non-album B-sides) - it's on the "Singled Out" 3CD set issued by EMI UK in 2001.
"Malpractice", "Stupidity" and "Sneakin' Suspicion" have all been available before on CD on Grand Records in the Nineties - but this 2012 box set offers properly remastered versions of them for the first time.
PACKAGING:
Wilko Johnson had always adored Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and especially their guitar player Mick Green - and tucked away on the B-side of their 1964 hit "Always & Forever" on HMV Records POP 1269 was an obscure cover version of a Piano Red song from 1962 on Okeh Records called "Doctor Feelgood" (Red's group was actually called Dr. Feelgood & The Interns). Wilko chose this apt name for his new rockin' band from Canvey Island in Essex - and a kick ass British Rhythm 'n' Blues legend was born. I mention all of this because the single is pictured on Page 3 of the superb booklet centred in the hardback pack - along with interviews with Wilko (December 2011), liner notes by HUGO WILLIAMS, discography details that picture the albums, comic book strips, trade adverts, 7" singles on United Artists, NME and Melody Maker reviews and all the usual memorabilia associated with a retrospective like this.
A very, very smart move is the inclusion of a non-region-coded 23-track DVD (22 songs and 1 interview). Recorded in England (20 cuts from 1974) and Finland (2 cuts from 1975) - the Concert/TV appearances show the full-on thrill of a Dr. Feelgood live show in their prime.
They were little short of sensational and regularly annihilated most other bands in their path. Their manic no-nonsense fast and furious songs were also beloved by Rock 'n' Rollers and even pre-dated Punk by two years. I can't stress enough how the DVD adds so much to the 3CDs of rocking mania - remastered to perfection by PETER MEW at Abbey Road.
MUSIC:
I know people rave about the debut with "She Does It Right", "Roxette" and so many more (and quite rightly so) - but for me the follow-up "Malpractice" is the absolute balls too. I wore out the 2nd track "Going Back Home" on my original vinyl copy. Co-written with Wilko's guitar hero and mentor Mick Green - it has the most fantastic Lee Brilleaux harmonica solo. I also love the Bo Diddley cover "I Can Tell" and their menacing version of Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step". Original gems include "Another Man", the sleazy "Don't Let Your Daddy Know" and the chugging "Because You're Mine" (co-written with Big Figure and Nick Lowe). The remastered sound too - what a punch. Love it...
It all came to a frenzied head on the live "Stupidity" set when the British public fell completely for their charms and put it on the Number 1 spot in October 1976. Again - I'd forgotten how good it is - frantic - urgent - "Walking The Dog" and "I'm A Hog For You Baby" sounding so exciting and huge. Following that pinnacle was always going to be difficult and I remember at the time 1977's "Sneakin' Suspicion" was met with disappointment - like the band was threading water - and their sound was now limiting instead of being fresh. But relistening to the cracking title track (the only single off the album), "Walking On The Edge" and especially what should have been the follow up single "Paradise" (all Wilko originals) - they're fantastic (lyrics above). I also so dig their take on the Eddie Fontaine hit "Nothing Shaking (But The Leaves On The Trees)" with Lee's harmonica tearing through your speakers. The Lew Lewis cover "Lucky Seven" and the Willie Dixon/Howlin' Wolf take on "You'll Be Mine" are great fun too.
UNRELEASED:
I had expected the unreleased stuff on Disc 3 to be workmanlike - and some of it is - but there are shockingly good studio outtakes that will get fans animated in the trouser area. It opens with a rough and ready take on Piano Red's "Dr. Feelgood" which is very good - but it ups a whole different notch with "Everybody's Carrying A Gun", "I'm A Hog For You Baby" and "Time And The Devil" studio recordings from January and August 1976. They're brill. Less successful is a weedy demo of "Sneakin' Suspicion" and a limp instrumental called "Malamut" which features Mick Green on guitar. Better by far is a cover of Alvin Johnson's "Casting My Spell On You" which is pure Wilko Feelgoods - it's brilliant. The crudely recorded cover of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" is good too with a great chucking beat and again they hit you with another nugget - a properly rocking version of "My Girl Josephine" by Fats Domino. The live stuff is very much in the vein of "Stupidity". Very tasty indeed...
To sum up - I've loved working my way through this sonic blast – this memory chest - and now at a bargain price of twenty-eight pounds new - it's time to don the sharp suit music lovers and do the leg-splits boogie. In fact mention Dr. Feelgood to those who saw the band in their prime and a manic grin will fill their wrinkled visage that no cigarette-smoking scalpel-wielding surgeon will be able to remove.
On a more personal note - I once glimpsed Lee Brilleaux in 1989 clacking his way down Berwick Street in his steel-heeled leather shoes - looking like a cross between Arthur Daley and a man ready to blow a demonically possessed harmonica no matter what the cost. I wished I'd stopped him, shook his hand and just said thanks. Well this is for you Lee - Wilko - and all the boys in the band.
Bootiful my son...
PS:
This box set will allow fans to sequence their first 5 x 7” singles as follows:
1. Roxette [Disc 1/ Track 4] b/w (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 [Disc 3/Track 14]
November 1974 on United Artists UP 35760
2. She Does It Right [Disc 1/Track 1] b/w I Don’t Mind [Disc 1/Track 7]
March 1975 on United Artists UP 35815
3. Back In The Night [Disc 1/Track 16] b/w I’m A Man (Live) [NOT ON BOX]
September 1975 on United Artists UP 35857
4. Roxette (Live) [Disc 2/Track 13] b/w Keep It Out Of Sight (Live) [Disc 3/Track 21]
October 1976 on United Artists UP 36171
5. Sneakin’ Suspicion [Disc 2/Track 14] b/w Lights Out [Disc 2/Track 18]
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Dr. Feelgood was the ultimate working band. From their formation in 1971 to lead vocalist Lee Brilleaux's untimely death in 1994, the band never left the road, playing hundreds of gigs every year. Throughout their entire career, Dr. Feelgood never left simple, hard-driving rock & roll behind, and their devotion to the blues and R&B earned them a devoted fan base. That following first emerged in the mid-'70s, when Dr. Feelgood became the leader of the second wave of pub rockers. Unlike Brinsley Schwarz, the laid-back leaders of the pub rock scene, Dr. Feelgood was devoted to edgy, Stonesy rock & roll, and their sweaty live shows -- powered by Brilleaux's intense singing and guitarist Wilko Johnson's muscular leads -- became legendary. While the group's stripped-down, energetic sound paved the way for English punk rock in the late '70s, their back-to-basics style was overshadowed by the dominance of punk and new wave, and the group had retreated to cult status by the early '80s.
Brilleaux (vocals, harmonica), Johnson (guitar), and John B. Sparks (bass) had all played in several blues-based bar bands around Canvey Island, England before forming Dr. Feelgood in 1971. Taking their name from a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates song, the group was dedicated to playing old-fashioned R&B and rock & roll, including both covers and originals by Johnson. John Martin (drums), a former member of Finian's Rainbow, was added to the lineup, and the group began playing the pub rock circuit. By the end of 1973, Dr. Feelgood's dynamic live act had made them the most popular group on the pub rock circuit, and several labels were interested in signing them. They settled for United Artists, and they released their debut album, Down by the Jetty, in 1974.
According to legend, Down by the Jetty was recorded in mono and consisted almost entirely of first takes. While it was in fact recorded in stereo, the rumor added significantly to Dr. Feelgood's purist image, and the album became a cult hit. The following year, the group released Malpractice -- also their first U.S. release -- which climbed into the U.K. Top 20 on the strength of the band's live performances and positive reviews. In 1976, the band released the live album Stupidity, which became a smash hit in Britain, topping the album charts. Despite its thriving British success, Dr. Feelgood was unable to find an audience in the States. One other American album, Sneakin' Suspicion, followed in 1977 before the band gave up on the States; they never released another record in the U.S.
Sneakin' Suspicion didn't replicate the success of Stupidity, partially because of its slick production, but mainly because the flourishing punk rock movement overshadowed Dr. Feelgood's edgy roots rock. Wilko Johnson left the band at the end of 1977 to form the Solid Senders; he later joined Ian Dury's Blockheads. Henry McCullough played on Feelgood's 1977 tour before John "Gypie" Mayo became the group's full-time lead guitarist. Nick Lowe produced 1978's Be Seeing You, Mayo's full-length debut with Dr. Feelgood. The album generated the 1979 Top Ten hit "Milk and Alcohol," as well as the Top 40 hit "As Long as the Price Is Right." Two albums, As It Happens and Let It Roll, followed in 1979, and Mayo left the band in 1980. He was replaced by Johnny Guitar in 1980, who debuted on A Case of the Shakes, which was also produced by Nick Lowe.
During their first decade together, Dr. Feelgood never left the road, which was part of the reason founding members John Martin and John Sparks left the band in 1982. Lee Brilleaux replaced them with Buzz Barwell and Pat McMullen, and continued touring. Throughout the '80s, Brilleaux continued to lead various incarnations of Dr. Feelgood, settling on the rhythm section of bassist Phil Mitchell and drummer Kevin Morris in the mid-'80s. The band occasionally made records -- including Brilleaux, one of the last albums on Stiff Records, in 1976 -- but concentrated primarily on live performances. Dr. Feelgood continued to perform to large audiences into the early '90s, when Brilleaux was struck by cancer. He died in April of 1994, three months after he recorded the band's final album, Down at the Doctor's. The remaining members of Dr. Feelgood hired vocalist Pete Gage and continued to tour under the band's name. Former Feelgoods Gypie Mayo, John Sparks, and John Martin formed the Practice in the mid-'80s, and they occasionally performed under the name Dr. Feelgood's Practice.