Lee Brilleaux: Rock'n'Roll Gentleman - Zoë Howe (March 2017)

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Lee Brilleaux: Rock'n'Roll Gentleman - Zoë Howe

Polygon Books

2017 Paperback Edition

(First Published in 2015)

£9.99

Lee Brilleaux, lead vocalist of the mighty Dr. Feelgood left this life way too early, aged 41 in 1994 but has left us an amazing catalogue of music dating back to 1975 that includes 19 albums and a host of compilations.

Zoë Howe, the author, established herself as a solid music biographer with her Typical Girls? The Story of The Slits in 2009. Writing about Dr. Feelgood was not a new subject for her as she had already penned alongside Wilko Johnson the 2012 published Looking Back At Me.

Whilst maybe lacking in a lot of detail regarding his life (there is little mention of his early years after being born in South Africa in May 1952) there is actually sufficient material gleaned from friends, family, band members and interviews to establish a picture of who he was from his teenage life moving to Canvey Island and what was to follow as he delved into the world of music, specifically the Blues and R'n'B via Jug Bands etc.

The tension that surrounded the relationship between Brilleaux and Johnson is touched upon in various places but not really in any kind of depth and it's only reading Wilko's side of the story that you end up with a more balanced assessment of what was going on.

The book focuses on Lee Brilleaux in many different guises - husband, father, friend, and of course as frontman for one of the finest R'n'B bands to ever come out of the UK. Tales abound of shows and tours, the recording and songwriting process for each album (not though in the kind of depth that someone like me - a pure anarok! - would relish), and the book is peppered with Brilleaux's humour and his humanity.

The final chapter in the book - The Long Goodbye - is worth the price of the book alone as Howe describes touchingly Lee getting diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and the after effects of chemotherapy etc to finding the strength to play two final shows with the band that were recorded January 1994 and released a month after his passing in April 1994 (Down At The Doctors) on their own Grand Label (Listen here to a couple of tracks from the album).

After finishing reading the book last week I said to my wife that there is so many tales involving alcohol in the story that I felt like I had violated my years of sobriety! I'm not sure that should be a nod to the authenticity of the book but it stands out as a major theme!

Well worth reading if you want to delve a little deeper into one of the most important bands of the 1970's. I say that because Dr. Feelgood (and fellow Canvey Island band Eddie and The Hot Rods) were a huge influence on my own musical journey when I first heard their number one album Stupidity in 1976. They were never a Punk or a New Wave band and yet for me their sound led me to Punk Rock and also to The Blues.

Lee Brilleaux Obituary - The Independent 8th April 1994.

Selected Albums 

by

Dr. Feelgood

Here's a few links to some albums by Canvey Island's greatest band that are worth a listen or three:

 Down By The Jetty - January 1975

Malpractice - October 1975

Sneakin Suspicion - May 1977

Be Seeing You - September 1977

Private Practice - September 1978

Let It Roll - September 1979

Primo - June 1991

The S4L 

Dr. Feelgood

Top Ten

10. You've Got My Number (from Brilleaux)

09. (I Wanna) Make Love To You (from Classic)

08. Paradise (from Sneakin' Suspicion)

07. She's A Wind Up (from Be Seeing You)

06. Down At The Doctors (from Private Practice)

05. As Long As The Price Is Right (from Be Seeing You)

04. Roxette (from Down By The Jetty)

03. Back In The Night (from Malpractice)

02. Sneakin' Suspicion - (from Sneakin' Suspicion)

01. All Through The City (from Down By The Jetty)

40 Years Old: Sneakin' Suspicion - Dr. Feelgood (May 1977)

  

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Sneakin' Suspicion - Dr. Feelgood

United Artists

Produced by Bert de Coteaux

Released May 1977

UK Chart #10

Side 1

Side 2

Personnel

Dr. Feelgood
    Lee Brilleaux - vocals, guitar, harmonica, slide guitar
    Wilko Johnson - guitar, backing vocals
    John B. Sparks - bass guitar, backing vocals
    The Big Figure - drums, percusison, backing vocals

Additional Musician:
    Tim Hinkley - keyboards

Single on Sneakin' Suspicion

A-Side

Sneakin' Suspicion

B-Side:

Lights Out

Sneakin' Suspicion

United Artists

Produced by Bert de Coteaux

Released 6th May 1977

UK Chart #47

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In 1976 two albums were released that came from bands hailing from Canvey Island that both had a huge impact upon me. The first was Teenage Depression by Eddie and The Hot Rods and the second, a live album called Stupidity by Dr. Feelgood. Both of these albums led the way for me to listening to Punk and New Wave. Neither of course were a Punk band but they had enough attitude between them to put the young Punks in their place!

Teenage Depression (November 1976) only made it to #43 which was not too bad I guess for a Debut Album.

Stupidity was a #1 album...okay, only for a week, but still a #1! That was 16 places better than their previous album Malpractice (#16 - October 1975) and a whole lot more places than their debut album Down By The Jetty (Did not Chart - January 1975).

Sneakin' Suspicion was the Feelgoods third Studio Album and sadly it would be the last to feature the Iconic Guitarist (yep, even back then!) Mr Wilko Johnson. After six years with the band, he left (according to the band, though Wilko himself says he was kicked out) after a disagreement about what tracks were to be included on the album (not totally sure of the truth that it was the inclusion of the Lew Lewis track Lucky Seven that caused the rift but I did hear that ages ago and cannot confirm whether it is true or not as both Lew and Wilko would later do some work together) and was replaced temporarily with Henry McCullough (who had been in Wings - though he left prior to the recording sessions for Band on The Run - and The Frankie Miller Band) before the permanant replacement by Gypie Mayo (who would serve with the band until 1981).

Half of the songs on the album were written by Wilko and Sneakin' Suspicion as well as Paradise are still regarded as two of his finest tunes (along with a truckload from the first two albums!). 

The remaining five tracks were covers: Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Trees) was first released in 1958 by Eddie Fontaine on the Sunbeam label. 

Lights Out is another originally released in 1958 by Jerry Byrne on the Specialty label. The song has been recorded by loads of other artists (Shakin' Stevens and The Sunsets had released a version of it in 1970 on the Debut Album A Legend - Parlaphone. Pre-Motors' Nick Garvey released it as a B-Side to the Debut and only single by The Snakes). I didn't connect it until a few years ago that one of the writers, Mac Rebennack, was actually the famous New Orleans Blues, Jazz and Zydeco Musician Dr John!

Sneakin' Suspicion (Demo).

Lucky Seven was written by fellow Canvey Islander Lew Lewis (he had played with Eddie and the Hot Rods before going on to form his own bands). He would release the song himself a year later on Stiff Records - LEW1).

You'll Be Mine was written by the great Willie Dixon and was released on Chess Records in 1962 by Howlin' Wolf .

The last cover, and indeed the final track on the album is a Bo Diddley song that was released on the Checker label in 1964. The song had also been covered by Georgie Fame and The Harry South Big Band (1966), The Ugly Ducklings (1966), The Pretty Things, Rory Gallagher, The Missing Links (Aussie Garage Band from the 60's), Paul and Barry Ryan, and no doubt by many more folks also.

Wilko Johnson Playing His Songs From Sneakin' Suspicion

 Sneakin' Suspicion - Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey (2014).

Sneakin' Suspicion - Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey (Live at Shepherds Bush Emprire 2014).

Sneakin' Suspicion - Wilko Johnson Band (Live at Ripley Town Hall 2007).

Paradise - Wilko Johnson (from the 1991 album

Don't Let Your Daddy Know)

Paradise - Wilko Johnson Solid Senders (1979).

Paradise - Wilko Johnson Band (Live Barcelona 2016).

Walking On The Edge - Wilko Johnson Solid Senders (1978 Single).

At a time when voices within the Punk Scene were decrying anything from the past (though those that seemed to be shouting the loudest drew quite a few tracks from the past to beef up their live sets, mentioning no names at all...ahem...the Sex Pistols! 😏) Dr. Feelgood drew upon it to bring fresh life to what are actually some brilliant songs. It's funny because although Dr. Feelgood were not a Punk band I actually knew loads of Punks who loved them.

I have a lot to thank bands like Dr. Feelgood, The Blues Band and 9 Below Zero for, as they were partly responsible for my tracking down a lot of Blues material I might never have heard of had they not been covering it, and to this day I still love listening to the Blues.

So 40 years down the road from its release it is actually an album I still have a lot of love for and cannot even imagine how many times I have played it (or how many copies of it I have had in one format or another) down through the years. Playing it earlier today as I begun putting this together was a real delight. It still sounds great and is worth a spin or two more in the coming weeks.

Revisiting Down By The Jetty - Dr. Feelgood (1975)

Down By The Jetty - Dr. Feelgood

United Artists

Produced by Vic Maile

Released January 1975

Did Not Chart

Side 1

Side 2

Personnel
Lee Brilleaux - lead vocals (tracks S1.1, S1.3-S1.5, S1.7, S2.2-S2.6), guitar, harmonica, slide guitar
Wilko Johnson - guitar, piano, backing vocals and lead vocals ( tracks S1.2, S1.6, S2.1)
John B. Sparks - bass
The Big Figure - drums
Bob Andrews - organ (S1.3), saxophone (S2.6)
Brinsley Schwarz - saxophone (S2.6)

Singles from Down By The Jetty

S1. Roxette

S2. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66

 22nd November 1974

Did Not Chart

S1. She Does It Right

S2. I Don't Mind

 27th March 1975

Did Not Chart

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Dr. Feelgood from Left To Right

 Wilko Johnson - Vocals and Guitar (January 1971 - March 1977)
John 'The Big Figure' Martin - Drums (January 1971 - April 1982)
 Lee Brilleaux - Vocals and Harmonica (January 1971 - April 1994)
John B. 'Sparko' Sparks - Bass 

(January 1971 - April 1982)

Down By The Jetty is the debut album from Canvey Island natives Dr. Feelgood. Released in January 1975 in Mono on United Artists it was a setting out of the stall of exactly the kind of band these Essex boys were -  mean and moody, capable of doing damage to your worst enemy for a price - and that's just from looking at the album cover! Music wise they find inspiration from the Blues, R&B and streetwise Rock 'n' Roll with a hint of Canvey Island swagger.

I was only eleven when it came and didn't stumble upon it until after I had heard the Stupidity album in 1976. I've said elsewhere that the live album and also the debut from fellow Canvey Islanders Eddie and the Hot Rods had made a huge impression on me as a young teenager. Although neither would ever be considered a Punk band by any stretch of the imagination, they were very influential on the early Punk and New Wave scene and both had played shows with various Punk bands as well!

But back when the debut album came out Dr Feelgood were one of a number of bands making their mark on the Pub Rock Scene with their high energy live shows. They had been on the go since 1971 and by the summer of 1974 they had been signed to United Artists with their debut single getting a release in November the same year.

Most of the songs on the debut came from the pen of Wilko Johnson, the rest were tried and tested covers like John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom and Oyeh! was a Mick Green (from Johnny Kidd and The Pirates) song, and he would also co-write one of the Feelgood's greatest tunes - Going Back Home - for their second album Malpractice.

For an album that didn't make much of a mark when it came to the charts it delivered on influencing a vast array of future stars of the Punk and New Wave Scene like Paul Weller, Bob Geldof, Richard Hell, Ramones and Blondie. Even one of the brightest bands around at present, The Strypes, drew a lot of inspiration from Dr Feelgood.

Whilst the album is good from start to finish there are three songs on it that really towered above the rest of the remaining ten tracks: She Does It Right, Roxette, and All Through The City.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 173 - Dr. Feelgood

Stupidity - Dr. Feelgood

United Artists

Produced by Dr. Feelgood

Released September 1976

UK Charts #1

Tracklist

 1. Talking About You (Berry)
2. 20 Yards Behind (Johnson)
3. Stupidity (Burke)
4. All Through The City (Johnson)
5. I'm A Man (Bo Diddley)
6. Walking The Dog (Thomas)
7. She Does It Right (Johnson)
8. Going Back Home (Green/Johnson)
9. I Don't Mind (Johnson)
10. Back In The Night (Johnson)
11. I'm A Hog For You Baby (Leiber/Stoller)
12. Checkin' Up On My Baby (Sonny Boy Williamson)
13. Roxette (Johnson) 36:19
14. Riot In Cell Block No. 9 (Leiber/Stoller)
15. Johnny B. Goode (Berry)

 Personnel
Lee Brilleaux - vocals, guitar, harmonica, slide guitar
Wilko Johnson - guitar, backing vocals
John B. Sparks - bass guitar
The Big Figure - drums, backing vocals

Dr. Feelgood are one of those bands who get thrown in with the whole Pub Rock Scene but really they were a band that transcended that little stage in the corner of the local boozer and embarked on a journey around the UK playing much bigger stages as they rightly deserved.

The original vinyl album had the first seven tracks, recorded in Sheffield, on Side 1, and the next six tracks, recorded in Southend, on Side 2. A free single, only issued with the first 20,000 copies, included the final two tracks. It was initially claimed that these final two tracks were recorded in Aylesbury: however, the text on the back of the 1998 Grand Records re-release (GRANDCD 21) states that tracks 8-15 were all recorded at Southend. This was finally corrected with the box-set release of "All Through The City" (2012), where it emerged that "Johnny B. Goode" had indeed been recorded at Friars in Aylesbury.

It reached the #1 spot on the UK Album Chart for one week only, in its first week of release, but hey a #1 Album is a #1 Album no matter how short a time it stays there! It did so as well on the back of not having a supporting single to go with it (a very rare thing indeed).

They had released two studio albums in 1975: Down By The Jetty and Malpractice (UK Album Chart #17). Stupidity was the third album (and first live one) and showed the band at their blistering best with a fine mix of original songs, mostly written by guitarist Wilko Johnson, and seasoned with some cracking R&B/Blues/Rock 'n' Roll cover versions.

Stupidity alongside Eddie and The Hot Rods debut album (also released in 1976) Teenage Depression is an important album for my own journey of musical discovery as a 13 year old kid back then.

Dr. Feelgood

Live on The Geordie Scene

1975

(Visual Quality is pretty rough but it's worth checking out if you haven't seen it before)

Remembering Lee Brilleaux

Today is the 22nd Anniversary of the passing of Lee Brilleaux (10th May 1952 - 7th April 1994) at the tender age of 41 years old.

Here's three brilliant albums from Dr Feelgood as a reminder of how great he was as a frontman. He performed his last show for Dr Feelgood in January 1994.
 

Down By The Jetty

January 1975 Debut Album

Dr Feelgood

Stupidity

September 1976

Live #1 Album

This one is probably my most favourite Dr Feelgood album.

Sneakin' Suspicion

May 1977

Top Ten Album