60 albums
1986 - Dr. Feelgood - Brilleaux

My love for Dr. Feelgood ran from 1979, when a school pal encouraged me to listen to some Feelgood singles I’d picked up at a jumble sale, to Classic in 1987 and I bought all their albums during that period, and all on vinyl despite having started my CD buying before that. Having said that I rarely listen to the albums from that period, tending instead to head to Wilko era Feelgoods.

Dr. Feelgood - Brilleaux (1986)

However, I was seeing Feelgood a lot during that time, they played a lot around London and the South East and we took almost every opportunity to see them, and they were sensational every time, mostly because of how hard it was to take your eyes of Lee Brilleaux - he was an astonishing front man and he had a good band around him. I’m so glad I saw them although slightly sad I never saw the classic Lee, Wilko, Sparko, Big Figure line-up - but… I saw Wilko a lot during this period… so I can pretend.

Brilleaux is a good album but it’s not one I’ll go back to often because it sounds a touch tame next to those earlier albums, and especially to their live shows.

Some idle thoughts:

• I can’t imagine Lee performing in a non-smoking venue - I’m sort of glad he never had to, although of course it was all the smoking which meant he never had to play in non-smoking venues!
• Whenever I put on a proper jacket (of which I have just one) I feel like Lee Brilleaux, and pretend I have a collection of mouth organs, and cigs and lighters, in the various pockets.
• I saw a band called Dr. Feelgood at the Ealing Blues Festival a few years ago, they were OK I suppose but… no Lee, no Feelgood!

There’s a great live video of the band in France in 1986 just to prove how effing great they were and how hypnotic Lee was.

Dr Feelgood in France in 1986 (play on YouTube)