Seems like everybody was sick of the radio as the mid-70s approached. Some went underground. Others got back to their roots, whether it was nihilistic and chaotic (punk) or traditional (roots rock). Some literally hit the UK corner bars for an evening of well-played r&b/country blues and rock’n’roll; hence pub rock.
Strip away the nomenclature and you’re back to upbeat, rhythmic, toe-tapping, air-guitar slinging music that will put a smile on your face whenever you slap it on. If there is such a thing as Friday music, this is it.
Perhaps a slight bit of liberty on my part if a few of these tracks are from outside the immortal era; if so, at least the musicians performing the material have validated roots.
So here are ten powerful pub rockers to start your weekend off!
01. Graham Parker and the Rumor: “Empty Lives”
02. Dr. Feelgood: “Roxette”
03. Mickey Jupp: “Georgia George”
04. Eddie and the Hot Rods: “Quit This Town”
05. The Inmates: “I Thought I Heard a Heartbeat”
06. Ducks Deluxe: “Coast To Coast”
07. The Motors: “Dancing The Night Away”
08. Brinsley Schwarz: “Surrender to the Rhythm”
09. Bram Tchaikovsky: “Girl of My Dreams”
10. Rockpile: “If Sugar Was as Sweet”
Yeah, I know that last band is only one-quarter Brit (two Welsh and a Scot), and for all their related efforts only have one proper album. But pub rock is about the music, not birthplace, and Rockpile was a pub rock supergroup.
Besides, if it was about being in pubs, these would all be Faces tunes, yes?
Dr. Bristol's Prescription 