Dr. Feelgood - Stupidity

 

Stupidity was one of the most unexpected number 1 albums in 1976. Despite critical acclaim, Dr Feelgood's first album "Down By The Jetty", in cricketing parlance, failed to trouble the scorers, and the follow-up "Malpractice" manage to lurk around the lower reaches of the album charts.

Nevertheless, thanks to constant touring around the UK, the Feelgoods had managed to build up a reputation for their tremendous live shows and were the only band to have properly broken out from the pub-rock scene to a level of mainstream recognition. They proudly flew the flag for Canvey Island.

Thanks to some clever marketing, to whip up enthusiasm for the new live album and then delaying its release, when the LP finally hit the stores the demand was such that Stupidity became the first ever live album to go to the top of the charts in its first week of its release in the UK. The Feelgoods were never to have it so good.

I would like to say I was there, but unfortunately this all past me by !

It was only sometime in 1977 that a school friend lent me his copy of the album, and don't tell anyone, I taped the LP and then played it constantly, trying to work out the lyrics. "Soda pop on the floor", "Got a whistling clover" etc, well, at least I think that is what he said !

It was only three or four years later that I shelled out for my own copy, which as the label states was £3.49 at Our Price Records, so it was probably when I was at College in Cardiff. However, Dr Feelgood were the second major band I saw live ( after Pink Floyd in Berlin on their Animals tour ) when they played Crawley Leisure Centre in 1977.

"Stupidity" is one of the rare albums where I can remember all of the songs on it, and remembered it as a truly outstanding album with only one duff track, and at most two ordinary songs, with the rest being from the top drawer.

Out of the 13 tracks present, 6 were covers of R&B classics, but the majority of the better songs were Wilko Johnson compositions, especially with "She Does It Right", "Going Back Home", "Back In The Night" and "Roxette" being outstanding, although the title track, "I'm a Hog For My Baby" and "Walking The Dog" giving them a fair run for their money.

The Feelgoods were unlikely looking stars. Lead singer Lee Brilleaux looked like a squadie dressed up for a rough evening, drummer The Big Figure and bass player John B. Sparkes looked like night club bouncers and guitarist Wilko Johnson strutted around like Frankenstein, so they were hardly pin-ups, but the energy and menace of the music drew the crowds.

Musically, they combined traditionally R&B with clever modern day lyrics that to some extent were the pre-cursor of Punk Rock, and according to some critics, Dr Feelgood were Punk's elder brother. Indeed, most of Punk's founder members expressed their admiration for Dr Feelgood at some point.

Side one, recorded in Sheffield in 1975, opens with Chuck Berry's "Talking About You", a short introductory number to set the tone with  driving bass, a choppy guitar and menacing vocal. It's quickly followed by one of only two songs where Wilko sings the main vocal, "20 Yards Behind", which has some of his trademark lyrics "There's so much confusion in the town when she's passing through, all the cars are going backward and the traffic light change to blue, I'm walking 20 yards behind her cos I am frightened about the damage she do". Brilleaux also delivers a harmonica solo which was famously described as "suck, blow, suck, blow", which fortunately was a reference to the musical playing !

The title track, Solomon Burke's "Stupidity" is up next, with a big build up, then becoming toe-tapping mid-pace number with some great guitar.

"All Through The City" has a great riff but a fairly ordinary tune, but makes reference to their Canvey Island beginnings -  "I've been searching all through the city, see you in the morning down by the jetty"

Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man" is the low point of the album, the second Wilko vocal, and plods on for over 5 minutes, and even Brilleaux's frantic harmonica can't save it.

The mood changes with a brilliant cover of Rufus Thomas' "Walking The Dog", waking up all those who had fallen asleep during "I'm A Man" "Mary Mary, quite contrary how does your garden grow, with silver bells and cockle shells and pretty ladies all in a row !" 

The side ends with the fabulous "She Does It Right", arguably Wilko's finest song, with perhaps his best riff and guitar solo, and a superb vocal from Brilleaux. It's hard to believe the single disappeared without trace, as it is possibly one of UK's finest R&B moments.

Second two, the Southend side, opens with "Going Back Home" jointly written by Wilko and Mick Green of The Pirates. It has a great rhythm section, a searing guitar solo and great Harmonica. "Got a brand new motor and I'm waiting for a loan, so I can fill her up and start her, then I'm going back home",

"I Don't Mind" is not to be confused the Buzzcocks song of the same name. It has more of the usual choppy chords and is the category of good, but not outstanding.

 

"Back In The Night" is another highlight of the album, featuring Brilleaux on slide guitar and more great lyrics eg "I got a girl a man's best friend, I'd have her now if she'd just come back again. But she left me in the fog, told me that I treat her like a dog.The last time that I saw her she was burying a bone. Got a six-leaf clover now I'm going back home"

 

Lieber and Stoller's "I'm A Hog For My Baby" follows and is a fun sing-a-long with a great bass line. It famously has a lengthy two note guitar solo from Wilko. Brilliant !

 

The cover "Checking Up On My Baby" is perhaps the album's other low point, not that there is too much wrong with it, but it is not as good as most of the other material on the LP.

The encore is "Roxette", their most well-known song at the time, and is apparently from where the Swedish pop-duo of the late 80's/early 90s and "It must have been love fame" took their name. Another song with driving bass, a choppy riff, harmonica and a growling vocal with menace. 

 

There's more great lyrics from Wilko "Roxette, I gotta go away and leave you for a couple of days. Roxette, I don't want no more of your tricks. I'm gonna get some concrete mix and fill your back door up with bricks, and you better be there waiting when I get my business fixed".

 

In conclusion, nearly 40 years later, Stupidity remains a fantastic album, and their can't be many live albums better than this.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Talking About You
2. 20 Yards Behind
3. Stupidity
4. All Through The City
5. I'm A Man
6. Walking The Dog
7. She Does It Right

Side Two :

1. Going Back Home
2. I Don't Mind
3. Back In The Night
4. I'm A Hog For You Baby
5. Checking Up On My Baby
6. Roxette

Released 1976
UK Chart Position : 1

Dollar - The Dollar Album

 

When the question of the most embarrassing album in your collection comes up, my instinctive reaction is to point at my Dollar album. It’s true at college this LP used to be well hidden below my Stranglers, Jam, Cure and plenty of other trendy punk/new wave albums at the time.

Dollar were formed as an offshoot of Guys And Dolls, a cheesy three girl/three boy line up that made The Brotherhood of Man seem edgy, and when Thereza Bazar and David van Day split to form Dollar it initially seemed to be a recipe of more of the same.

However, the release of the ballad “Love’s Got A Hold Of Me” featuring the soft, fragile vocal from Thereza rather than the dominant vocals from Van Day was an eye-opener, and hinted that there was something promising lurking under the surface.

After a couple more throw-away singles, Dollar teamed up with ex-Buggles song-writer/producer Trevor Horn, who contributed four songs to their third LP, and also brought along Bruce Woolley ( ex-Buggles ) and Anne Dudley ( who went on to work with a whole cornucopia of artistes from ABC, Lloyd Cole, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and Wham amongst others ).

The result was four stunning singles from the pop/synth, vaguely new wave genre, all of which charted in the UK Top 20, after which Bazar and Van Day then recorded additional material to complete an album. This produced another hit single and several other songs which remained in my consciousness, and looking at the track listing, there was only two songs I couldn’t remember.

My copy of the LP still had a £5.99 sticker on the cover from Our Price.

The track listing of the album was structured so that the strong Trevor Horn songs were to the fore on each side. Therefore, side one begins with “Mirror Mirror ( Mon Armour )” the second single from the LP. A mid-tempo song, lyrically it could be David declaring his love for himself " I've been looking at you you've been looking at me, And I want you to know that I like what I see" !

The second song is for me, the most memorable on the whole LP, as again Thereza had a rare prominent part on “Give Me Back My Heart” especially in the coda, which gives the song an almost heavenly feel. Starting as a slow ballad with a catchy chorus, there is an urgent piano break before the pace almost comes to a halt. However, it is just temporary before launching into the soaring finale.

“Hand Held In Black And White” was the first single released and is another fine example of electronic/dance pop, and has a great bass line submerged beneath the synths and piano." On a ticket Tokyo return, colour evening palaces that burn"

Written by Theresa, the dreamy "Pink And Blue" shows Dollar were not totally reliant on Trevor Horn material as it has one of the strongest hooks an the whole album,

Van Day's "I Got Your Number Wrong" continues the formula of a slow verse followed by a big chorus, and whilst suitable for a bland Saturday Evening family entertainment show, there is nothing memorable about it.

"Guessing Games" has an electronic beat intro similar to New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle but its the strong chorus that takes the track out of the mundane. "Tell me why your face won't fit the frame, its not a guessing game." 

The Van Day/Bazar "Give Me Some Kinda Magic" opens side two which again has the slow verse/big chorus and was the one non-Trevor Horn hit from the album. It also has a great synthesizer break before another big finish "You give me some kinda magic, and I don't wanna lose my hold on you"

"Videotheque" is as far away from cheesy pop as it is possible for electronica to get, bold, confident and futuristic. Duran Duran, Ultravox, The Pet Shop Boys and their ilk would have been proud to have released this song. Bucks Fizz eat your hearts out ! "At the videotheque we can dance forever......Ghosts are only lovers on the screen"

"Dangerous Blondes" is very much an album filler, a little silly and whilst inoffensive, instantly forgettable.

"You Made Me Love You" is another slow ballad, it's quiet nice, whereas "Anyone Who's Anyone" is a lively toe-tapper with a strong hook "Had a date last night, now I've got me a brand new boyfriend"

The LP closes with "The Second Time Around", which is perhaps the only dud track out of the 12 on show here.

Overall, The Dollar Album remains a very good album from a seriously under-rated duo.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Mirror Mirror ( Mon Armour )
2. Give Me Back My Heart
3. Hand Held In Black And White
4. Pink And Blue
5. I Got Your Number Wrong
6. Guessing Games

Side Two :

1. Give Me Some Kinda Magic
2. Videotheque
3. Dangerous Blondes
4. You Made Me Love You
5. Anyone Who's Anyone
6. The Second Time Around

Released 1982
UK Chart Position : 18

Singles :

Hand Held In Black And White ( No 19 - 1981 )
Mirror Mirror ( Mon Armour ) ( No 4 - 1981 )
Give Me Back My Heart ( No 4 - 1982 )
Videotheque ( No 17 - 1982 )
Give Me Some Kinda Magic ( No 34 - 1982 )