Milk and Alcohol
"Milk and Alcohol" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dr. Feelgood | ||||
from the album Private Practice | ||||
B-side | "Every Kind of Vice" | |||
Released | January 1979 | |||
Recorded | 1978 | |||
Genre | Rock and roll, pub rock | |||
Length | 2:55 | |||
Label | United Artists Records — UP 36468 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Nick Lowe/Gypie Mayo | |||
Producer(s) | Richard Gottehrer | |||
Dr. Feelgood singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Milk and Alcohol" on YouTube |
"Milk and Alcohol" is a song by the band
History
"Milk and Alcohol", written in 1978 by Nick Lowe and John "Gypie" Mayo, reportedly retells Lowe's 1970s experiences drinking one too many Kahlúa-milk drinks at or after a United States concert by bluesman John Lee Hooker. However, while the song anonymously criticises Hooker ("Main attraction dead on his feet, Black man rhythm with a white boy beat"), ironically it was inspired by Hooker's own lyric about "milk, cream and alcohol".[3][4][5][6] The song was recorded in 1978[7] and first appeared on Private Practice, an album by Dr. Feelgood that was released in October 1978.[7] The heavy riffs on "Milk and Alcohol" were added by Mayo, a guitarist who replaced Wilko Johnson in 1978, after Johnson left the band as a result of an argument over the recording of Dr. Feelgood's fourth album, Sneakin' Suspicion (1977).[8]
"Milk and Alcohol" was released as a single, on
The song reached the Top 10 in the
The song is in the key of C major, and has a tempo of 168. Like many other Dr Feelgood songs, it has a
Impact
"Milk and Alcohol" was the band's fourth
In April 1989, a re-recorded version titled "Milk and Alcohol (New Recipe)" was issued by
In 1997, "Milk and Alcohol" continued to be played by the band while making the rounds of the world's pubs, clubs and concert halls.[15] However, by 2003, "Milk and Alcohol" was seen as a "forgotten gem".[16] With the band continuing to present the song in concerts, the music community regained respect for the song. In 2005, the band's biggest hit was being called a "classic."[17][18] In that same year, "Milk and Alcohol" was considered by the music magazine Q in its compilation of the top ten cigarettes and alcohol songs for the ultimate soundtrack to a drinking session, but lost out to the 1987 song "Nightrain" by the American rock band, Guns N' Roses.[19] Mayo's guitar performance on "Milk and Alcohol", which ranked as number four on a 2005 list of the top ten great British guitar heroes,[20] was cited in that same listing for waking "a generation of guitarists up to the sheer power and energy" of the guitar.[20]
More than four decades after reaching the UK's top ten, "Milk and Alcohol" continues to be a popular choice for the band during its concerts.[21][22][23][24]
References
- ^ a b c "Lee Brilleaux, 41, British Blues Singer". The New York Times. 9 April 1994. p. 111. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ^ "Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
- ^ "John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker CD". 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 4 June 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- YouTube, 1969
- ISBN 0-85112-072-5.
- Brown coware/were popular Kahlúa/milk drinks.
- ^ ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- ISBN 1-900711-15-X.
- ^ ISBN 1-900711-15-X.
- ^ "30-something and still feeling good". The Sentinel. 14 January 2005. p. 35. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b Bungey, John (8 September 2001). "Reissues and singles; Music". The Times.
- ^ "Band not banned; How greedy local councils are killing live music". The Times. 19 July 2001.
- ISBN 1-900711-15-X.
- ^ Somerville, Christopher (2 May 1997). "The first no-quarter-century; Arts; Music; Profile; Dr. Feelgood". The Times. p. 38.
- ^ Cole, Paul (14 September 2003). "Play: CD Reviews — Driving Rock Anthems (EMI Gold) (Various)". Sunday Mercury. p. 43. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- Plymouth Evening Herald. 27 May 2005. p. 32. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ^ "Doctor's orders at Half Moon". Torquay Herald Express. 2 June 2005. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- Independent on Sunday. p. 7. Archivedfrom the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ^ a b Edwards, Mark (6 March 2005). "Get on Down: Guitar heroes". The Times. p. 23. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ^ "Feelgood factor at venue". Carmarthen Journal. 20 September 2006. p. 45. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ^ Cowen, Andy (5 May 2008). "Culture: Doctor in the house". Birmingham Post. p. 11. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2008.
- ^ "Doctor left sub rooms audience feeling good". Gloucestershire Echo. 21 May 2008. p. 20. Retrieved 24 October 2008.[dead link]
- ^ "Rock around the docks". Gloucestershire Echo. 22 August 2008. p. 8. Retrieved 24 October 2008.[dead link]