Dr Feelgood

Dr Feelgood - Finely Tuned - 2002 - Grand

The legendary Dr. Feelgood are a band that sprung from the British "pub rock" era, and thrived right through the punk rock period, largely due to the top quality of their material, whether live or on record. The band have always stuck to their Rock'N'Roll/Blues/R&B formula, and it has never failed them. The late Lee Brilleaux (vocals), Wilko Johnson (guitar), John B. Sparks (bass), and John 'Big Figure' Martin (drums) started out in Canvey Island, Essex, England, in 1971 playing covers of the likes of Chuck Berry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Elmore James. They created a huge fan base using both covers and their own R&B style material. The band signed to United Artists and released their classic debut album "Down By The Jetty" in 1975, an album which was a ray of sunshine during the commercial mediocre pop/glam rock music of the mid seventies period. It sold well, and still stands the test of time. Another great album followed, "Malpractice", and in 1976 the band released the outstanding live album "Stupidity" which reached number one in the UK album chart, just as punk arrived to emulate the Feelgoods' raw energy. Despite a few personnel changes, the band continued to make quality albums and play great live gigs until Lee Brilleaux died in April 1994, after a period of ill-health. Thankfully, Dr Feelgood are still playing today, and the modern "rock music" world needs a band like this to remind people that first class, uncommercial Rock'N'Roll is still out there. "Finely Tuned" is a wonderful tribute to the five guitarists who have been an immeasurable part of this great band's history. The album showcases Wilko Johnson, John "Gypie" Mayo , Johnny Guitar, Gordon Russell and current guitar hero Steve Walwyn. This compilation features five tracks appearing on CD for the first time including a number from the "Fast Women Slow Horses" session previously unreleased in any shape or form. Each guitarist is represented by five songs from their time with the Feelgoods with many of the tracks being chosen by the guitarists themselves. Band classics like "Milk & Alcohol", "Down at the Doctors", "Roxette" ,"Mad Man Blues" and "Down by the Jetty Blues" make this a wonderful overview of a British musical institution. With releases like this, genuine Rock'N'Roll will never die. This album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Check out Dr. Feelgood's "Primo" album @ DRFG/PRIMO

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

[1] She Does It Right - Johnson
[2] The More I Give - Johnson
[3] You Shouldn't Call The Doctor (If You Can't Afford The Bills) - Johnson
[4] Roxette (live version) - Johnson
[5] Going Back Home (live version) - Green, Johnson
[6] I Don't Wanna Know - Brilleaux, Mayo
[7] Down At The Doctors - Jupp
[8] Milk And Alcohol - Lowe, Mayo
[9] Going Some Place Else - Wallis
[10] Best In The World - Lowe
[11] Sweet Sweet Lovin' (Gone Sour On Me) - Staines
[12] Beautiful Delilah - Berry
[13] Murder In The First Degree - Bernadie, Jay
[14] Something Out Of Nothing - Rowbotham, Walwyn
[15] Alimony - Ford, Garonna, Smith
[16] You Don't Love Me - Cobbs
[17] Mad Man Blues - Hooker
[18] Something Good - Russell
[19] Hunting Shooting Fishing - Birch, Russell
[20] Don't Underestimate Your Enemy - Russell
[21] Down By The Jetty Blues - Birch, Dr. Feelgood
[22] Double Crossed - Walwyn
[23] Solitary Blues - Bronze
[24] The Walk - McCracklin
[25] You Gotta Help Me - Bass, Dixon, Williamson

MUSICIANS

Lee Brilleaux (R.I.P) - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Wilko Johnson - Guitar, Vocals
Johnny Guitar, John "Gypie" Mayo - Guitar
Steve Walwyn - Guitar
Phil H. Mitchell - Bass Guitar
Dave Bronze, Roger Cotton - Organ
Bob Andrews - Organ, Piano
Ian Gibbons - Piano
Kevin McAlea - Keyboards
John 'Big Figure' Martin, Kevin Morris - Drums
J. Neil Sidwell, Steve Sidwell, Paul Spong - Horns
Nick Payn - Harmonica
Vicki Brown Vocals, Katie Kissoon, Stevie Lange - Background Vocals

REVIEW

Remember how, back in the early '80s, Chuck Berry's Great Twenty-Eight was the record that every teenage would-be rock & roll guitarist had to own (and play till its grooves were worn out)? Well, Dr. Feelgood's Finely Tuned might not wear out, but it just could be the successor to that Berry collection. Actually, a compilation of guitar-oriented tracks by Dr. Feelgood seems like a no-brainer as well as a bit redundant — really, their guitar-dominated sides, as opposed to those songs they did featuring the oboe or the violin? (They didn't even get a keyboard player until their fourth album.) But it wasn't until 2002 that Finely Tuned, compiled and produced by Stephen Foster, graced record-store shelves. The sleeve notes give a history and justification for each of the 27 songs on this 80-minute collection. That said, the occasional choice, such as "The More I Give," would seem a little shaky as a selection if not for those explanations — actually, that track is there to showcase Wilko Johnson's choppy, soul-influenced playing, which was something new and different for him at the time. More self-evident selections include "You Shouldn't Call the Doctor (If You Can't Afford the Bills)," from Malpractice, and "Roxette" off Stupidity, and by the time listeners get to the live version of the Mick Green homage "Going Back Home," the case is very much made. The sound quality is excellent to a fault — loud, close, and personal, and showcasing every intended crunching riff and slashing lick — and everything else also fares well in this state-of-the-art release, which might be the best way (short of working up album by album) into the band for the neophyte listener. © Bruce Eder, allmusic.com

BIO

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 laidback 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 '77 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. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide