It helps that Norman Watt-Roy (bass) and Dylan Howe (drums) are Johnson’s regular rhythm section, but Mick Talbot on piano and Hammond organ and Steve Weston on harmonica are equally at ease with the music and the rest of the band. They are the perfect combination of sounding like they could go off the rails at any moment while at the same time being incredibly tight. ![]() The band accompanying the two front men are the perfect match to the music as well. The tough kid from the streets who once sang “I hope I die before I get old” is still alive and well and giving the establishment a two finger salute. Listening to this disc you swear he was born to sing this music as he not only sounds great, he has the right attitude to express the sentiments behind the words. However, on this recording his voice is a wonderful growl, full of expressive twists and turns which is perfect for the material. Of course that could be my own personal bias as I’ve never been one for the rock and roll vocal pyrotechnics he used to engage in during his younger years. “I wanna live the way I like/Sleep all the morning, go out and get my fun at night/Things ain’t like that here/Working just to keep my payments clear.” Bemoaning having to actually work to do the things you want to do might not seem overly rebellious to some, but considering the fact Britain is the home of the Protestant Work Ethic, this type of attitude would make Margret Thatcher spin in her grave.įor those of you who are wondering how Daltrey sounds after all these years, as far as I’m concerned his voice sounds better then it ever has. The music is rollicking, I defy anyone with any soul in their body to resist the urge to dance while listening to it, while the lyrics are a celebration of the ups and downs of a irresponsible life. The disc’s opening and title track is a perfect example. While it might be a bit odd to hear these two veterans of the rock wars singing songs about being young and irresponsible, when it comes down to it, isn’t that what rock and roll should be about? A celebration of everything the supposed adult world looks down upon. The songs on this disc are about things we can all relate to, whether we want to admit it or not. However, that’s not the point of this music. Lyrically speaking, none of Johnson’s songs are going to change the world or even probably change your life. While it might appear the two are a generation apart as Daltrey and The Who were part of the early 1960s British rock scene and Johnson the early ’70s, they both share a love for what they call British R&B. Released on the Chess record label in the UK, the disc is being issued in North America by Universal Music Enterprises. One of the projects he’s undertaken was teaming up with Who frontman Roger Daltrey to record an album of 10 Johnson-penned, and one cover, R&B/blues/rock and roll songs called Going Back Home. (His doctors told him he was only going to make it until October 2013, but he’s defied all their predictions and is still performing.) Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2012, he’s been grabbing at as many opportunities as possible to make and record the music he loves while he can. ![]() While Johnson left the band soon after their fourth album, he’s never left the style of music he played with them behind. Feelgood for their formative years was guitarist and primary songwriter Wilko Johnson. Feelgood, the band who impressed everyone from Johnny Rotten to Richard Hell with their rawness and intensity, they looked to the blues and R&B for their inspiration. So when four guys from Canvey Island (about 30 miles east of London up the Thames River in England) decided to formed Dr. No matter what was being played on the popular music stations or rising high in the charts, the blues seemed to always be hanging around the fringes, ready to raise its head when people wanted to hear something a little more rebellious than what was normally available. They also entrenched their style of music into British pop culture. While most of them went on to become part of the music establishment, at the time their music was considered rebellious and dangerous by the establishment. The Animals, Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones (yes they started off as a blues band, listen to their early albums) were just a few of those whose careers were shaped by the blues. The early 1960s saw the rise of an incredible number of blues-based rock and roll bands in, of all places, the British Isles.
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