DR. FEELGOOD
‘GREATEST HITS’
(Grand Records)
8/10
British R&B and Pub Rock leg-ends Dr. Feelgood celebrate their 50th anniversary with the stupendous (and originally titled) ‘Greatest Hits’ collection. Opener ‘She Does It Right’ perfectly encapsulates the Feelgood’s motoring and timeless R&B sound. It has the feel of a dirty dockside pub backroom littered with shady characters, cigar smoke and jellied eels. The band’s tub thump wraps it all up with an underlying 1970’s sexual beat of candlewick bedspreads, cotton nighties and back seat bunk ups. ‘All Through The City’ rightly remains a focal point of the band’s genre influencing legacy as Wilko (nine lives) Johnson’s individual guitar style lovingly smothers the track before a generic ‘Keep It Out Of Sight’ musically conjures up images of a chase scene from The Sweeney. The superlative ‘Roxette’ from the 1976 Number One album ‘Stupidity’ is followed by the Rock ‘N’ Roll shake ‘n’ chop of ‘I Can Tell’ and some blue-chip Canvey Island Blues in the shape of ‘Sneakin’ Suspicion’.
‘Back in The Night’ is a late-night last bus lovebite of a cut while ‘Going Back Home’ gets those denim hips swinging. The end of the Wilko Johnson era of Dr Feelgood after the ‘Sneakin Suspicion’ album in 1977, strangely brought them long-standing worldwide recognition with the jukebox (& every ‘best of’ Punk/New Wave album, ever) favourite ‘Milk And Alcohol’. The cut shuddered with a ‘Tiger Feet’ opening and a cantering instantly singable chorus. ‘Put Him Out Of Your Mind’ has some stunning Lee Brilleaux harmonica playing which helps paper over the more rounded showtime sound of the tune. A head-bobbing ‘Jumping From Love To Love’ is followed by the disc one ending single ‘Crazy ‘Bout Girls’ which bristles with a ‘Barracuda’ backbeat. Disc 2 kicks off with the ‘Boom Boom’ riffage of ‘Dangerous’ before John Lee Hooker’s ‘Mad Man Blues’ gets a Feelgoods workover. A dangerously synthetic cover of ‘See You Later Aligator’ does no favours to anyone before a semblance of order is restored with a simmering ‘Sugar Turns To Alcohol’ and a live ‘Down At The Doctors’.
Dr. Feelgood still tours to this day and their iconic logo can still be spotted on fly posters from Southend to Singapore while ‘Milk And Alcohol’ can be heard on anything from Gold, Radio 2 or a plethora of classic rock radio stations. This forty-one track collection further proves and helps to remind us all that Dr. Feelgood were, at times, the absolute dog’s bollocks.
‘Greatest Hits’ is out on April 2nd on Grand Records.
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