Doctor Feelgood: heroes of pre-punk, or the Canvey Quo?

Want this box really, really badly.

I remember reading in New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop, and Others, 1974-1981 by Gary Valentine that people from Blondie, Television and Talking Heads were spinning the first Feelgood record at parties a lot. It was one of the few things that had a pretty spare, clean sound. I wonder if they ever played any gigs with Motörhead? Lemmy may have been influenced by them some.

Motörhead's On Parole was what I was thinking of. I guess it was recorded in 1975 but not released until later.

Kinda like AC/DC's '74 Jailbreak too!

Need more Wilko in this thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVAVuHLH3vg

Man that Telecaster is like a +10 to kick ass. Apparently recorded in a schoolyard somewhere in France, 1976,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Q9Zc7nZjw

Best part of this is that Feelgoods drummer Big Figure himself starts replying to the YouTube comments. (and folks call him Mr. Figure)

Me on the Feelgoods' only number one (live) album: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/dr-feelgood-stupidity.html

pushing this one back up for Sunday morning readers.

rightly.

Watching the DVD from the box now. Brilleaux really is a terrifying coked-up psycho in the Kursaal footage.

Oof.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jan/09/wilko-johnson-terminal-cancer

well that fucking sucks

Shit. Apparently he used to have a residency at the Standard in Walthamstow (now closed down) but this seems to have stopped prior to me moving there, so I never got to see him.

Very sad news. I sold my Feelgoods vinyl somewhere along the line, and I really need to start recollecting some of their music.

Bad time for iconic guitarists what with Vini Reilly being in some difficulty. Hope he can keep on going and make the most of his remaining time. If you haven't seen 'Oil City Confidential' get to it, Wilko's quite an extraordinary character.

Was coming here to post that. I voted the All Through the City: With Wilko 1974-77 box my #1 reissue of last year in The Wire's critics poll. Really wish Oil City Confidential would get a US DVD release.

Damn.

no!

gutted to hear this... really sad for the guy..

Big respect to him for his decision to forego Chemo and spend his last few months playing and recording..

still the best thing ever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rViBFgjChH0

Love how that's the clip everyone goes for, but then again, it really does say it all.

In that clip Wilko looks like a third Davies brother that the parents kept chained in the attic.

I dunno the one I always think of is Roxette on maybe the Old Grey Whistle Test? That's fucking awesome as well.

i was just thinking that too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1VwjWXefFs

sad news, what a great player

yup, roxette is thee one but i've watched it so many times i've worn out the dvd.

Big respect to him for his decision to forego Chemo and spend his last few months playing and recording..

After watching Oil City Confidential I kinda understand the decision - he's crammed several lifetimes into one. Fucking hell, absolutely one-of-a-kind Character.

Wilko & The Blockheads

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS5bxk89gQg

Wilko shows you how to play The Riff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPg9P1q2icA

Level 5 guitar geek video of Wilko's black-and-red Telecaster being restored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LWaYFPX1No

Four farewell UK dates announced in March: London Koko, Bilston (West Midlands), Holmfirth (West Yorkshire) and Glasgow.

http://www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases/wilkojohnson/tour2013.htm

looked through thread for a reference to the following, didn't find none…

was watching the beginning of game of Thrones, and saw a familiar face: "shit, that looks like Wilko!" he plays a mute soldier…

thought that he must regard being on that show like walking around in the kind of Roger Dean album cover that he would have actively despised in Doc FG's heyday…

link dnw

xpost -- Nah he gets to chop off heads and the like. Good for the aggression.

he seems like a great guy:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21187740

Tonight on Radio 4 at 1915 GMT.

Sorry for the bad form of posting one's own piece. I went to meet Wilko in Southend this week.

You saw his battlements! I've often wondered about them.

They are not big and dramatic, sadly.

Great piece, thanks for sharing. Seems like a very dignified man, god bless him.

Thanks for sharing ithappens, really great article

Very! Also how did I miss that was you before.

Great piece. Thanks.

Thanks all.

i loved reading that ithappens .. fuck protocol ..
made me dig out my 3cd boxset of UA stuff ..
brilliant band ..
and a true hero of the era ...
(read the comments under the article to understand all the more as to why wilko is so loved ... )

great article and inspiring to see that it's possible for there to be a guardian article without negativity in the comments. wilko!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/544548_534190353279324_1518426891_n.jpg

good job fleece

i'm shocked that a Knight of the Loyal Arthurian Warband would do such a thing

yeah his FB page is definitely a peek into an interior life

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/487049_430881423634953_2007955215_n.jpg