Dr. Feelgood - Down By The Jetty (LP) - 50th Anniversary

Down By The Jetty lands like a fist on the pub table, all grit and no garnish. Dr. Feelgood’s debut came out in January 1975 on United Artists and, in a cheeky move for the time, it was released in mono. That choice still feels bold. The record comes at you in stark black and white, from the sleeve to the sound, like the Canvey Island oil refineries that shadowed the band’s home turf. It is hard, unfussy British R&B, played by four blokes who knew how to shake a room without a single studio trick to hide behind.

The lineup here is the classic one. Lee Brilleaux growls and blows harp like his life depends on it. Wilko Johnson wields a Telecaster like a switchblade, that staccato, machine-gun chug he learned from Mick Green cutting through every bar line. John B. Sparks is the anchor on bass, The Big Figure holds the pocket with a drummer’s grin and a bouncer’s authority. Together they sound locked, tense, almost impatient, the way great bands do when they’ve been woodshedding in grimy pubs and finally get shoved in front of a mic.

It opens with “She Does It Right,” a mission statement masquerading as a love song. The rhythm section stalks while Wilko’s right hand never stops, a percussive blur that doubles as rhythm and lead. Lee sells it with that feral bark and a harmonica break that feels like the air in the room just got thinner. “Roxette” is the band’s early classic, all swagger and attitude, a tune catchy enough that a Swedish pop duo later borrowed its name. “All Through the City” paints the group’s Essex world in sodium light, a tour of late nights and trouble with a tune that drives like an idling taxi. Every track is wired for speed, but there’s a sly swing hiding in the corners. You can dance to this, even if the dance happens on sticky floors.

Part of the thrill is how physical the record feels. Producer Vic Maile captured the band the way fans heard them, close and clammy, like you are standing by the monitors while the pint glasses rattle. The mono mix pulls the players right up against your face, no safe distance, no headphone travels. You hear fingers on strings, sticks on rims, breath pulling across the harp. It sounds like a set in a bar by the estuary at closing time, which is exactly the point.

Covers are handled with the kind of respect that only comes from playing them nightly. The band takes on John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” with clipped economy, leaning into the pulse rather than the soloing, and the groove snaps so hard you can almost see shoulders moving across the room. Their originals sit comfortably next to the standards. Wilko’s songs have a comic-book clarity and a streetwise edge, full of sharp corners and quick exits. No wonder punk kids clocked it. You can trace a line from this record’s serrated chug to the first wave that hit a year later. Paul Weller and others have tipped the hat to Wilko’s chop, and you can hear why.

If you are hunting Dr. Feelgood vinyl, this is the one that starts the story and sets the rules. A clean UK copy of Down By The Jetty vinyl will make your system feel like it grew sticky carpet overnight. Reissues have kept it in circulation, but the music doesn’t care which pressing you spin. It just wants volume. I have seen folks in a Melbourne record store light up when the first bars of “She Does It Right” come over the shop speakers. It still works its old magic, even half a world away. For crate diggers looking to buy Dr. Feelgood records online, or anyone building a row of Dr. Feelgood albums on vinyl next to their Stones and Yardbirds, this sits right at the front.

History gave the album a steady glow. Critics heard a corrective in it, a return to tempo and toughness during a time of longer hair and longer tracks. Fans kept the flame, passing stories of sweat-soaked gigs and suit jackets that never wrinkled. Lee Brilleaux’s presence is a big part of that legend, that mix of menace and charm, but the whole band had a stance that felt carved from the Thames mud. The songs don’t pretend to be more than they are, which is exactly why they last.

So play it loud. Let the harmonica squeal, let the Telecaster jab, let the drums snap like a wet towel. Down By The Jetty is the sound of four players who knew their city, their bars, their people, and their limits, and pushed right up against all of them. If you are new to Dr. Feelgood, start here. If you already know, you know. And if you sell vinyl records in Australia, you probably already keep a copy on the wall waiting for the right customer to walk in and smile.