129 - Pub Rock, Ian Dury, Joe Strummer, The Sex Pistols, Dr. Feelgood, Nick Lowe & more with Mark Wilkerson

In the early 1970s the music scene is dominated by prog rock concept pieces, synth solos & overblown tours. The societal backdrop in Great Britain is one of labour & coal strikes, riding inflation & unemployment & a struggling economy. In the background of this upheaval an American band named Eggs Over Easy begin to play gigs at The Tally-Ho in Kentish Town in North London. Another band who come on the scene is Brinsley Schwartz featuring Nick Lowe who goes on to become a key part of the story. Along with The Tally-Ho others key venues include the Hope & Anchor ins Islington, the Lord Nelson & the Kensington. Pub rock received positive coverage in the music press of the day & Ian Dury enters the scene after several good reviews for his band Kilburn & the High Roads. Dr. Feelgood become the first band from the pub rock scene to attain a degree of commercial success including a number 1 album. The short-lived outfit The 101ers come to an end when Joe Strummer departs to make heavier, punkier music inspired by The Sex Pistols who they share a bill with at The Nashville in West London. Stiff Records is another key part of the story & Nick Lowe produces a number of early releases including the Damned’s first album & debut single New Rose, often credited as the first punk single in the UK. He also produces other offshoots from the pub rock scene including Graham Parker & Ian Dury’s debut albums & Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True. The scene fizzles out once punk arrives. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.