“She Does It Right” and the syncopated body punches of “Roxette” hit hard then and still do today. Taut and lean, almost every track fizzes with an explosive energy that would carry the band from cultish obscurity to a number one act (the stunning live album Stupidity) in less than two years.
Though firmly rooted in the pub rock movement that briefly flowered in the mid-'70s, it’s easy to understand why the punks took up with the Feelgoods and their minimalist short-sharp-shock approach to their music.
The urgency of the album is undermined only once by a dreary stroll through “That Ain’t The Way To Behave.” Wilko’s slightly effete vocal on an otherwise consummate reading of “Boom Boom” confirms the wisdom of letting Brilleaux’s rumbling clout front things up.
This expanded two-CD set includes outtakes from the original sessions at Rockfield Studios, a complete stereo version of the record, and a set of live recordings of the band wowing the crowds at Dingwalls circa ‘74.
As welcome as all these extras may be, it’s the punch of original mono Down By The Jetty album that’ll have you reeling.
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1 - Connie Phillips
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