Dr. Feelgood are without doubt one of the UK's best ever pub rock bands, formed in Canvey Island in 1971 by Wilco Johnson, Lee Brilleaux and John B. Sparks (aka Sparko), who had all been members of existing R&B bands, and with the addition of drummer John Martin the classic line-up was complete. They took their name from a 1962 record by the American blues pianist and singer Willie Perryman called 'Dr. Feel-Good', which Perryman had recorded under the name of Dr. Feelgood & The Interns, but the fact that it was also a slang term for heroin, or for a doctor who is willing to over-prescribe drugs would not have been lost on the band. The group's original distinctively British R&B sound was centred on Wilko Johnson's choppy guitar style, and by late 1973 the band's driving R&B had made them one of the most popular acts on the growing London pub rock circuit. They signed a deal with United Artists Records, and recorded their debut album 'Down By The Jetty' in 1974, and despite proving a popular record, they band were primarily known for their high energy live performances, honed through constant touring. Perhaps not surprisingly, their breakthrough record was a live album, 1976's 'Stupidity', which reached number one in the UK Albums Chart. This included songs from their first two studio albums, as well as new songs heard for the first time in the live setting, but it turns out that some of these had already been laid down in the studio sessions for 'Down By The Jetty', and recent re-issues of their catalogue have treated us to a number of rare recordings, from those early 1974 sessions, right through to a rare b-side from 1977. This album collects them all together in one place, and as it ends in 1977, all the songs bar two feature the classic Wilko Johnson line-up of the band.
Track listing
01 Stupidity (studio version 1974)02 I'm A Hog For You Baby (studio version 1974)03 She Said Alright (previously unreleased 1974)04 (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 (b-side of 'She Does It Right' 1974)05 Comin' Home Baby (previously unreleased 1975)06 Casting My Spell On You (previously unreleased 1975)07 Malamut (previously unreleased 1975)08 Dr. Feelgood (previously unreleased 1976)09 Keep It Out Of Sight (b-side of 'Roxette' 1976)10 My Girl Josephine (previously unreleased 1976)11 Everybody's Carrying A Gun (previously unreleased 1976)12 Small Gains Corner (previously unreleased 1976)13 Homework (b-side of 'She's A Windup' 1977)14 You Upset Me Baby (live 1977)15 I'm Talking About You (studio version 1976)
