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Photographer: Simon Marsden. Oil City Confidential is the soundtrack to director Julien Temple's third rock documentary film about the great greasy pub rock outfit Dr. Feelgood (his first two being the infamous Great Rock 'n Roll Swindle about the Sex Pistols and second the highly acclaimed Joe Strummer documentary The Future Is Unwritten). This 22-track monster collects live and studio material from the first four albums by the original band and cuts from the legendary 1975 Going Back Home Kursaal gig. In addition, there are three selections from the band's mentors: two from Johnny Kidd & the Pirates (Dr. Feelgood snagged their name from a song by the band, whose guitarist Mick Green was a primary influence on Feelgood guitarist and songwriter Wilco Johnson) and an earlier track from the Paramounts, an early Brit roots rock, blues, and R&B outfit that featured later Procol Harum stars Gary Brooker and Robin Trower. Ultimately, it's the Dr. Feelgood music that matters. It's these four albums that the band is best known for, with a trademark raw and unhinged back-to-basics approach to rock & roll that immediately preceded and indeed influenced many of punk rock's creators. This is a great anthology of Dr. Feelgood tracks, and makes the documentary that much more appealing to see. Perhaps now this band, which was overlooked everywhere but in Great Britain, will get something of the respect it so richly deserves. ~ Thom Jurek
