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Friday, June 6, 2014

Dr. Feelgood - Down By The Jetty (1974 uk, superb pub rock tough boogie 'n' roll, 2014 Japan SHM edition)



The  reissue of this album is a must-own release, even for those who already have one of the Dr. Feelgood anthologies currently available, neither of which has more like the 24 tracks here. The 1974 album, a magnificent first album, recorded in pure mono, has been transferred to CD in exemplary form, a clean, sharp, crunchy, close sound that recalls the sonic textures of the Rolling Stones' first album, even as they cross swords with the Stones' arch-rivals of the era, the Animals, with a superb version of "Boom Boom." 

Released amid the burgeoning radio presence of acts like Thin Lizzy, Blue Öyster Cult, and Kansas, and the growing self-conscious profundity of Bruce Springsteen, Down by the Jetty was as refreshingly lean as anything the headline-grabbing '70s punks would later loose on the world, and as stripped down as the most basic roots rock. Lee Brilleaux's singing could go up against Eric Burdon's or Cyril Davies, and even take on elements of a thick rasp vaguely reminiscent of Howlin' Wolf (listen closely to "Roxette") and guitarist Wilko Johnson could play Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, or Bo Diddley licks with equally imposing (and seemingly effortless) virtuosity. 

This record was one of the great '70s rock 'n' roll albums, right up there with the Groovies' Shake Some Action and anything CCR left listeners, and ran circles around the Rolling Stones' post-Exile on Main Street output. The final cut, a killer live medley of "Bonie Maronie"/"Tequila" with guests Brinsley Schwarz and Bob Andrews blowing saxes, was a taste of what they did on stage with astonishing regularity, and could have sent the Ramones back to the drawing board if the Queens-based quartet had heard it. 
by Bruce Eder


Tracks
1. She Does It Right - 3:26
2. Boom Boom (Hooker) - 2:45
3. The More I Give - 3:27
4. Roxette - 2:58
5. One Weekend - 2:19
6. That Ain't The Way To Behave - 4:01
7. I Don't Mind - 2:39
8. Twenty Yards Behind - 1:13
9. Keep It Out Of Sight - 3:02
10.All Through The City - 3:09
11.Cheque Book (Jupp) - 4:08
12.Oyeh! (Green) - 2:32
13.Bonie Moronie / Tequila (Williams) / (Flores) - 4:52
14.(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 (Bobby Troup) - 3:24
15.I'm A Hog For You Baby (Leiber, Stoller) - 3:08
16.Stupidity (Burke) - 2:07
17.She Said Alright - 3:40
18.Oyeh! (Earlier Version) - 2:34
19.Tore Down (Live) (Sonny Thompson) - 3:13
20.Don't You Just Know It (Live) (Huey Piano Smith, Johnny Vincent) - 3:17
21.My Babe (Live) (Willie Dixon) - 2:43
22.The More I Give (Live) - 3:05
23.It's My Own Fault Darlin'  (Live)  (B.B. King, Jules Taub) - 5:33
24.Bonie Moronie / Tequila (Live) (Williams) / (Flores) - 4:53
All songs  by Wilko Johnson; except where indicated.

Dr. Feelgood
*Wilko Johnson - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Lee Brilleaux - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*John B. Sparks - Bass Guitar
*The Big Figure - Drums
With
*Bob Andrews - Saxophone
*Brinsley Schwarz - Saxophone

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10 comments:

  1. Wonderful ... many thanks for this brilliant album ..

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  2. Holy crap, this is awesome stuff. Somehow throughout the years I have managed to overlook the entire recorded output of Dr. Feelgood. Many thanks for the introduction!

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  3. @GaragePunk66: yes indeed, awesome. As you've had the intro, you may enjoy catching up. Besides the officially recorded output (brilliant when Wilko or Gypie Mayo were the guitarists, a bit more patchy thereafter), there are fortunately a stack of unofficial live recordings, most of radio broadcasts or audience recordings of great quality, that I have been slowly (re-)upping to the Web. Check this post and above all, as always with Dave Sez posts, read the comments there, as I add in links to other recordings:

    (adult consent required because the blogmaster includes pictures of babes):

    http://floppybootstomp-ii.blogspot.com/2014/03/doctor-feelgood-live-paris-1979.html

    (Not a Wilko gig, but the comments contain Down At The Stupid Beat and Detroit 1976, both highly recommended; regrets, the Geordie Scene video is down, otherwise all links live as of now)

    and

    http://floppybootstomp-ii.blogspot.com/2014/03/wilko-johnson-live-japan-france-and.html.

    If our gracious host would like more live Feelgoods/Wilko, I would be happy to oblige, just leave me a word in these comments ... cheers, Dave Sez.

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  4. Efkaristopoli, Marios, and sorry for the spelling! This 2014 Japanese reissue is a more concentrated version of the UK double CD Collectors Edition from 2006 - the original album and all of the liver and studio bonuses - great introduction to the Feelgoods! Hadn't got this version and lossless too, so ta (thanks) muchly. For your info, this was the 2006 2 CD release:

    Dr. Feelgood - Down By The Jetty (2 CD, Collector's Edition) (2006)

    The first disc presents the original mono album, remastered, with five bonus tracks, all but one previously unreleased studio outtakes — a version of "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" was originally released as the B-side of the "Roxette" 45rpm 7 inch single.

    The second disc is comprised entirely of unreleased material, the centerpiece of which is a never-heard stereo mix of the album along with stereo versions of the four studio bonus tracks, with the remaining six bonus cuts being live performances from 1974.

    TRACKS
    CD 1
    1. She Does It Right
    2. Boom Boom
    3. The More I Give
    4. Roxette
    5. One Weekend
    6. That Ain't The Way To Behave
    7. I Don't Mind
    8. Twenty Yards Behind
    9. Keep It Out Of Sight
    10. All Through The City
    11. Cheque Book
    12. Oyeh!
    13. Bonie Moronie/Tequilla - Live
    14. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 - Bonus Track
    15. I'm A Hog For You Baby - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    16. Stupidity - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    17. Alright - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    18. Oyeh! - Earlier Version - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track

    CD 2
    1. She Does It Right
    2. Boom Boom
    3. The More I Give - Alternate Version
    4. Roxette
    5. One Weekend
    6. That Ain't The Way To Behave
    7. I Don't Mind - Alternate Version
    8. Twenty Yards Behind - Alternate Version
    9. Keep It Out Of Sight
    10. All Through The City
    11. Cheque Book
    12. Oyeh!
    13. I'm A Hog For You Baby
    14. Stupidity
    15. Alright
    16. Oyeh! - Earlier Version
    17. Tore Down - Live - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    18. Don't You Just Know It - Live - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    19. My Babe Your Babe - Live - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    20. The More I Give - Live - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    21. It's My Own Fault Darlin' - Live - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track
    22. Bonie Moronie/Tequilla - Live - Bonus Track
    23. Rock Me Baby - Live - Bonus Track

    *****

    Cheers, Dave Sez.

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  5. Yes a wonderful post this, as always.
    Wilko rates very highly in my book of guitarists. Him and Richard Thompson though very different stylistically, are among my favourite UK guitar-players.Perhaps underrated in some corners? Thompson less so i believe. Thanks Marios!

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  6. Thanks Dave Sez for the further schooling on Dr. Feelgood, I can see this is gonna be like opening Pandoras's Box. Just when you think you've discovered every cool band there ever was, along comes and unknown artist or band that whomps you up alongside the head, this is what keeps music collecting from getting dull and average. Just keep goin' down the rabbit hole!

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  7. The US audience didn't pay much attention for Dr. Feelgood at that time,
    but in UK and rest Europe they got what they deserve,
    soon after we left Germany and came to Greece I was a teenager (round '76),
    Dr Feelgood had already released their second LP "Malpractice" and "Back In The Night" was a huge airplay here in Greece.
    I still have many of theri vinyl issues and some from the 80's,
    In the mid 00's i saw them in a festival (with their later incarnation _ without Brilleaux ofcourse, and Wilko Johnson, but they were still dynamite.

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  8. I just watched The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson and I loved it... It´s fucking awesome. After seeing the documentary, I decided to look for some Dr. Feelgood music and I found your blog, and let me tell you that you got a remarkable collection of great music. I just download this album, but I don´t know the password. Would you like to share with me? Best regards!

    ReplyDelete