Ian Dickson © Classic Rock Magazine

When Manic, Machine-Gunning guitarist Wilko Johnson controversially quit the band, some critics said they were finished. But Canvey Island R&B outfit Dr Feelgood this month made those critics eat their words with their first ever hit single. And, with poetic justice, the music for 'Milk And Alcohol' was written by newcomer John 'Gypie' Mayo while backstage in Holland warming up for his first UK tour with the Feelgoods.

"The storyline of the song was before my time," he now recalls. "Nick Lowe and the Feelgoods went to see John Lee Hooker in a club in LA. He was pretty messed up with drink, the story I heard goes, and consequently his performance wasn’t too good. I think it left everybody feeling kinda sad, because they were all huge fans. The memory must have made an impression on Nick, because a few years later he came up with that lyric, inspired by that night." The band were pulled over by the LA police department after the gig, which may have inspired another Lowe-penned lyric on the 'Private Practice' album - 'lt Wasn’t Me' !