And Then There Was Pub Rock

Introduction

I have been listening to “Goodbye Nashville, Hello Camden Town” which is a compilation of songs that went under the label “Pub Rock”. This was a peculiarity to the UK, and was a reaction to the overblown glam bands and stadium rock excesses that occurred in the thoroughly seventies.

Bands have always played in pubs and still do to this day, and I do enjoy seeing bands play in pubs and other small venues. On the Tyne where I live we have The Black Bull, Trillians, the Star and many more.

The music however referred back to rhythm and blues, rock and roll, country and western swing, and the garageband punk of the late sixties.

All these bands wanted to get a recording contract, it was a very different environment to today but probably laid the foundations for the punk explosion of 1977.

A lot of these bands are still around in one form or another and I saw a lot of them in my teenage years,and Wilko Johnson who was influenced by Mick Green of The Pirates and the guitarist with Dr Feelgood is my main guitar influence, the only difference being he can play and I can’t, but we both came through serious cancer instances.

Anyway there was a wide range of great music that came out of this musical umbrella and some drifted into the punk and new wave universes, such as Ian Dury after he left the pub rockers Kilburn and The High Roads.

I do suggest you get yourself a copy of “Goodby Nashville, Hello Camden Town” and that may cause you to investigate the bands further , but here are a few to whet your musical appetite.

Kilburn and The High Roads - Rough Kids

Ian Dury penned and sang this piece of cockney rock and roll. Members of the band went on to other pub rock, punk and new wave combos.

Dr Feelgood - You Shouldn't Call the doctor (If You Can't Afford the Pills)

This live performance is a perfect epitome of what Pub Rock was, musical anti heroes, and I saw this line up many times. Lee Brilleaux in his filthy suit, John B. Sparks in flares on bass, Wilko's combined lead / rhythm guitar, driven by The Big Figure on drums.

Brinsley Schwarz - Country Girl

Written and sung by Nick Lowe who went on to be a punk super producer as well as being the "Jesus of Cool" and many of the band ended up backing Graham Parker in The Rumour.

Eddie and The Hot Rods - Get Out Of Denver

Although they went on to bigger things this is a class high energy rock and roll cover of a Bob Seger classic

Chilli Willi and The Red Hot Peppers - Goodby Nashville Hello Camden Town

These gave the title to the album that inspired this piece and I wonder if their name gave the idea to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

The Pirates - All In It Together

Originally Johny Kidd's backing band in the 1960's and featuring Mick Green's lead/ rhythm guitar playing on hits such as "Shakin' All Over" that influenced Wilko Johnson of Dr Feelgood and eventually me and many others, they reappeared and were a big part of the Pub Rock scene. This is one of my favourite songs of theirs in the seventies.

Ducks Deluxe - I Fought The Law

Until The clash released their take on it this was my definitive version of the song in the band led by Sean Tyle.

Conclusion on Pub Rock

These songs are a very small sample and I have have missed a lot here, but this whole scene paved the way for the unk explosion that led to so much amazing music for us to listen to. Without this we would have been condemned to a life of "Adult Oriented Rock"