Grand Records [Release date 02.04.21]

This compilation marks the 50^th anniversary of Dr Feelgood, the Canvey Island rhythm and blues maestros originally led by the incendiary guitarist Wilko Johnson and gravel-voiced frontman/harmonica player Lee Brilleaux.

The band was at its commercial peak between 1975 and 1979 with a series of albums and singles that regularly dented the charts. The live album ‘Stupidity’ released in 1976 went to No 1 and indelibly captured the band’s raw, frenetic r’n’b sound. Commentators would later identify the stripped back, uncompromising delivery as one of the ingredients that heralded punk.

50 years on, the band is still in existence and in a Covid-free world it would be out gigging with dependable regularity. However, this is a very different band to that of their heyday. Wilko left in 1977 and Brilleaux died in 1994. He was the last original member.

My view, for what it’s worth, is that the band should have been laid to rest at that point too. Apparently Brilleaux had wanted it to continue. And that’s what happened. With Phil H Mitchell (bass) and Kevin Morris (drums) having joined in 1983 and with manager Chris Fenwick holding the flame since 1971, there was at least some sense of continuity and respect.

Since Brilleaux’s death, the band has released 15 albums. Nearly all of them are repackaged, reworked or live products. Even this collection here is a cut-and-shut based around the ‘Twenty-Five Years of Dr Feelgood’ compilation from 1997 with a few tracks chucked in from the ‘Chessmasters’ tribute recorded by this line-up in 2000. The only nod to new work is a rendition of the Bo Diddley track ‘You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover’. There are some thin liner notes from Kevin Morris and Chris Fenwick, which offer a few half-hearted anecdotes.

This is all such a shame. Because the best of Dr Feelgood’s output easily stands the test of time as vital, wiry, edgy r’n’b. Music with a vibrant swagger and a dirty stomp. I wouldn’t pick many holes in the track selection of CD1 which pulls out pretty much the best of the Wilko Johnson years, coupled with the consistently strong material of his replacement Gypie Mayo.

Johnson-era tracks like ‘Roxette’, ‘I Can Tell’ and ‘Back In The Night’ are more than sharp enough to cut through a tidal wave of 21^st century mediocrity . ‘Milk and Alcohol’ is now overplayed everywhere, but other Mayo-penned tunes like ‘She’s A Wind Up’, ‘That’s It, I Quit’ and ‘Night Time’ ably highlight his talents.

CD2 is much more patchy. We are into the territory of average blues standard covers, Muddy Waters knock-offs and a raft of live material. ‘Hunting Shooting Fishing’ and ‘Instinct To Survive’ are both snappy affairs and carry something of the classic Feelgood fizz. Of the live cuts, ‘Down At The Doctors’ recorded at Brilleaux’s last ever gig with the band is too poignant for words. That aside, there is not much else to get excited about.

If I was looking for my first Dr Feelgood retrospective I wouldn’t start here. Something like ‘All Through The City (With Wilko 1974-1977)’ and ‘Taking No Prisoners (With Gypie 1977–1981)’ would both provide far more rewarding experiences. Or simply get hold of the first four albums. Even completists would struggle to justify this two-CD rehash. The best of their music is a solid fistful of stars in any context, but as a package this struggles to a modest three. ***

Review by Dave Atkinson

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024

ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)

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