Dr. Feelgood "A Case Of The Shakes" 1980***

I have a few of these "Original Album Series" collections, usually featuring 5 CD's by the same artist in cardboard sleeve miniatures of the original LP cover. They're cheap and don't take a lot of shelf space, which makes up for the absence of booklets and the like. Since, unlike other box sets,  they contain entire albums in separate CD's, I'm reviewing each album apart. "A Case Of The Shakes" is the 5th and last Feelgood studio album with Gypie Mayo on guitar. Gypie had a difficult task ahead of him, replacing Wilko Johnson who had an impressive stage presence and an uncanny ability to play lead and rhythm guitar all at once. Mayo did well -actually the band had its biggest hit singles during his tenure- but there's no denying there was a law of diminishing returns at work here. "...Shakes" is considered by some (e.g. allmusic.com) to be a return to form but I'll beg to differ. I'm not partial to Nick Lowe's production in this one. Apparently he tried to capitalise on their acceptance among the punk/new wave crowd by cranking up the volume, shortening the songs and removing most solos.  It's true that some songs gain in punch but they sometimes sound hurried, and the band less invested in them. Just compare the low vocals and stiff playing in the, nevertheless catchy, "No Mo Do Yakamo" with the swinging live version on next year's "On The Job". Funky opener "Jumping From Love To Love" fares better, as do the fast punky numbers. These include "Going Some Place Else", "Best In The World", "Punch Drunk", and the rockabilly-ish "King For A Day" and "Who's Winning". All are co-written with Lowe or his guitarist Larry Wallis (former Pink Fairies/Motorhead) and signify a move away from the band's blues roots. It's telling that Brilleaux plays almost no harmonica in this album, with the exception of a great solo in "Punch Drunk". When they do touch on blues they provide two of the album's highlights: the relaxed ballad "Violent Love" and boogie rocker "Love Hound", both originally written by Otis Rush. The two band compositions closing the album are also very strong: "Drives Me Wild"is a garage rocker and "Case Of The Shakes" (at 2:52' the album's longest song) a Bo Didley-like stomp. In the end I enjoyed the album, there are some good tunes in it, but I found Lowe's production a bit too stiff (is it coincidence his company was Stiff Records?). This short and sharp approach may work well for punk bands with lots of energy but limited musical abilities, but The Feelgoods had it all, and they could use some more room to move.

**** for Jumping From Love To Love, Drives Me Wild, Violent Love

*** for Going Some Place Else, Best In The World, Punch Drunk, King For A Day, No Mo Do Yakamo, Love Hound, Who's Winning, A Case Of The Shakes

** for Coming To You

Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey "Going Back Home" 2014****

Everyone loves a story with a happy ending, don't we? Well, this cd has exactly this type of back story. Wilko Johnson was the guitarist of English pub-rockers Dr. Feelgood. He always cut an impressive figure on stage with his jerky movements, long limbs, angular face and wild stare. The producers of the Game of Thrones series recognized his imposing presence when they cast him on the role of Ser Ilyn Payne, the mute and menacing royal executioner. His guitar playing was equally no-nonsense angular r&b, indebted to the great Mick Green of 60's rockers the Pirates who could play simultaneously lead and rhythm guitar. After leaving Dr Feelgood, he briefly joined Ian Dury's Blockheads and subsequently led his own band with moderate results, since his vocal abilities did not match his guitar playing. In 2013, he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and given a few months to leave. He responded with speeding up his plans to play and record as much good music as possible and reached out to one of his youth's inspirations to help him: The Who's Roger Daltrey. The two men had talked about co-operating before but pressing commitments meant that it kept getting postponed. This time they both rushed in the studio and came out one week later with the songs that make up this cd. As the months went by, Wilko gave his best time after time, playing every time what he thought was his last performance. His tumor kept getting larger and more painful but did not kill him. In the end he went into surgery and the operation that was deemed impossible proved a success. The doctors removed a tumor that was the size of a soccer ball and weighed 3 kilos! Today Wilko Johnson is declared cancer free and successfully recuperating from the extensive surgery he had. And the cherry on top of the cake is that his album with Daltrey was a huge hit, reaching No.3 at the UK chars, the highest since 1976 and Dr Feelgood's "Stupidity" album. And rightly so, because it is a very enjoyable album by two seasoned veterans enjoying themselves, playing rhythm and blues and rock and roll with the energy of men half their age! With the exception of an obscure 1965 Dylan single, the songs are chosen from Wilko's long career. The opening sentence of the album is an emphatic "I Wanna Live" followed by "...The Way I Like!" from "Going Back Home", written by a young Wilko in 1975 with the help of his idol Mick Green. Wilko's razor sharp riffs and Daltrey's swinging harp and roaring vocal combine for a rendition that equals, if not betters, the original. Overall, Daltrey's vocals are incredibly strong and youthful for a septuagenarian. If I hadn't recently seen him live with Who I'd doubt it's actually him singing. "Ice on the Motorway" references The Pirate's "Shakin' All Over", a song also frequently performed by The Who. "I Keep It to Myself" is another rock and roller that sounds like Elvis backed by an early version of The Rolling Stones. "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" is a treat for Dylan fans and "Turned 21" a soul ballad that provides a breather before the funky "Keep On Loving You". "Some Kind of Hero" is the second Dylan-influenced track, but this time an an original composition. The Feelgood's "Sneaking Suspicion" is given a heavier and funkier twist, ditto for "Keep It Out of Sight". "Everybody's Carrying a Gun"'s highlight is its rolling piano and the closer "All Through the City" reminds us why Dr. Feelgood were such a big influence on punk. Overall an excellent album and such a natural pairing that I can't wait for the sequel, when Wilko's health permits it...

**** for Going Back Home, Ice on the Motorway, I Keep It to Myself, Some Kind of Hero, Sneaking Suspicion, Keep It Out of Sight, All Through the City 

 *** for Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?, Keep On Loving You, Everybody's Carrying A Gun
 ** for Turned 21