Heavily influenced by legendary guitarist Mick Green from '60s rockers Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Wilko employs a finger-style, chop-chord strumming action. But no, Wilko was lured into music by the dark magic spun by his first Telecaster, bought from a music store in Southend, Essex, soon after becoming the strutting, grimacing, six-string rhythmic powerhouse behind Lee Brilleaux in Dr Feelgood.įeel good? Audiences certainly did in the mid '70s as Wilko duck-walked his way across countless stages and venues in the UK, with Dr Feelgood in the vanguard of the pub rock movement, performing the gutsy down-to-earth rock and roll that was a welcome antidote to the faltering prog-rock era. The man from Canvey Island, who studied English at Newcastle University before doing a bit of travelling, could have been a retired teacher by now, sucking on a pipe and whittling away at his pension. But despite the doctors' worst predictions he continued to perform and present himself with vigour and a new zest for life. "I'm supposed to be dead now." So said Wilko in a recent interview, having been diagnosed in late 2012 with terminal pancreatic cancer. It’s on the Chess label, it has a retro flip back cover and a glossy insert with loads of pictures of Daltrey and Johnson through the years.The former Dr Feelgood guitarist & Blockhead Wilko Johnson has recently been in the news for lots of non-music reasons. He looked a little tired yesterday yet was due to be in London tonight at HMV signing more copies of the album (Update: Wilko pulled out today as he was feeling unwell and Roger Daltrey stepped in his place).īut “Going Back Home” is a terrific upbeat record and if you like your vinyl I’d recommend you get this (limited) version. It says much about Wilko Johnson that he is still embracing life at every opportunity, still playing shows and meeting fans as long as his health allows. Dr Feelgood were a blueprint for punk and spearheaded the pub rock movement in the mid-seventies, as Julien Temple’s Oil City Confidential documentary captures so brilliantly ( see my list of Top 25 Music Documentaries). He told us he knew immediately Dr Feelgood would go on to play bigger venues, and was visibly moved as he recalled the morning of his birthday when he heard about (Dr Feelgood singer) Lee Brilleaux’s death. This is unsurprising as Dr Feelgood were local heroes – their live album “Stupidity” hit #1 on the UK album charts – and the effect they had on people locally can still be felt today.Īt the front of the queue (he got there three hours early) was a fan who had seen Dr Feelgood play The Esplanade in Southend back in the early seventies. Business was brisk – the hundred vinyl LPs sold out quickly. Impressively Wilko found time from his busy schedule to sign copies of the album for fans at his (and my) local record shop Fives Records in Leigh on Sea. Sadly the sessions were unproductive even if the line up was mouth watering. The MC5’s disastrous appearance at Wembley Stadium was a big influence on the young Wilko, as he described a couple of years ago at the launch of his book with Zoe Howe, “Looking Back At Me”. Interestingly, before linking up with Daltrey, Wilko did try to record another farewell LP with Wayne Kramer of the MC5 and Rat Scabies of The Damned. The whole record was recorded in eight days with Wilko’s band (also featuring former Blockhead Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Dylan Howe) in tow. Alongside re-recorded Dr Feelgood and Wilko solo classics there’s even a cover of Dylan classic single “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window”.Ī fan displays his signed copy of “Going Back Home” outside Fives records yesterdayĪlthough the two men first discussed recording together three years ago, Johnson’s diagnosis meant making the album became more urgent: “procrastination was no longer an option” as Wilko put it. Daltrey turns back the years, growling out some maximum RnB alongside the choppy licks and chords that are Wilko’s trademark. The resulting record “Going Back Home” has been on my turntable all day and features terrific performances from both men, acting as a career retrospective of sorts for Wilko. WILKO JOHNSON TABS SERIESEven though it has been over a year since he performed a series of farewell concerts, he still feels well enough to keep playing.Įven better, he has recorded a new album with Teenage Cancer Trust patron and Who singer Roger Daltrey. The former Dr Feelgood guitarist and current National Treasure expected the cancer would claim him in October last year, but he’s nothing if not a fighter. Picture credit: Mrs ERTASįourteen months have passed since Wilko Johnson’s public announcement of his diagnosis of terminal cancer of the pancreas. Wilko Johnson at Fives Records, Leigh on Sea yesterday.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |