As long as the price is right (Dr Feelgood) (LP 2401 - 2402)

Dr Feelgood  As It Happens (CD, United Artists Records, 1979) *** 

Dr Feelgood  Live At The BBC (CD, BBC/Warner Bros Records, 2028) *****  

Genre: Pub rock 

Places I remember: Vinyl Countdown; JB Hi-Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: She Does It Right (BBC)

Gear costume: Milk And Alcohol (As It Happens)

Active compensatory factors: Dr Feelgood in a live setting is always a treat.

As It Happens uses the same format as Stupidity - each side comes from a separate venue. Side 1 is The Pavilion Hemel Hempstead, side 2 is from Cros in Rayleigh (Essex) - close to where I used to live in Leigh-on-sea and work in Benfleet. Gypie Mayo had replaced the irreplaceable Wilco Johnson by this time. 

Gypie does a pretty good job nonetheless, but it's not quite the same is it.  

The BBC disc comes from the same venue (Paris Theatre in London) but from different times - 25th March 1974 (tracks 1-5), 14th January 1975 (tracks 6-12), 14th September 1975 (tracks 13-21).

This one is the real deal. Wilco brought freshness, exuberance, joy, and a certain kind of magic to proceedings. He also brought great songs like She Does It Right, Roxette, All Through The City, Going Back Home, and more.

Plus, Lee Brilleaux is an awesome presence on this set of songs. Dr Feelgood with this line up is the band at their finest.

Where do they all belong? I've realised that all of my Dr Feelgood albums are live ones. I need to grab some of the studio albums with Wilco onboard.