![]() That rawness also makes it a fitting coda to not only his career but also to Daltrey's: by finding sustenance in the music they originally loved, they've made a testament to the enduring power of music and how it enriches and strengthens a life. That velocity is crucial to the creation of Going Back Home it was made with the realization that the clock was about to run out, that Wilko Johnson might not live to see its release. It's tough stuff but it's also enthusiastic, infectious fun, a record of three-minute songs that blazes by in just over a half-hour. In the other, each musician has found a sparring partner who rivals their famed original partner: Daltrey has the gravity and menace of Lee Brilleaux and Johnson hits back with the savagery of Townshend. Roger's lower register is gruff, wearing the scars and weight of his years, while Wilko's guitar slices, pushing and accelerating the beat with alternating precision and recklessness. He's making noise while he still can, and Daltrey matches Wilko's abandon, sounding liberated to be singing songs that aren't racked with Pete Townshend's self-doubt. Johnson penned the handful of originals not long after receiving his terminal diagnosis, but there isn't a shred of self-pity or sadness here. Both musicians are notably older than they were back then - Daltrey doesn't bother reaching for the high notes and Johnson's playing isn't as manic as it was during the Feelgoods - but that's what makes Going Back Home special: neither are bothering to hide their age, nor are they desperately attempting to recapture their youth, they're reconnecting to their roots and seizing the present. ![]() Feelgood, 1975's Down by the Jetty, appeared nearly a decade after the Who's 1965 debut Sing My Generation - but the singer is only four years older than the guitarist, so they share many core American blues and R&B influences, speaking a common language from a different perspective. Going Back Home is issued on Chess, home to Muddy Waters. His voice was always a blunt instrument, but age has weathered it to a fearsome growl. It may seem that a generation separates the two rockers - Johnson's first album with Dr. Roger Daltrey, untethered from the Who, lets rip. That twin connection is important, as Going Back Home isn't merely a return to Wilko's roots, it's a homecoming for Daltrey as well, marking the first time in decades that he's sung such tough, blues-based, three-chord rock & roll. Supported by his touring band, Johnson entered the studio with Daltrey and knocked out Going Back Home in a week, just like the Feelgoods and the Who did back in the old days. Feelgood songbook: the hard R&B and rock & roll songs he wrote and recorded in the '70s that continued to resonate decades later. Wilko had a few new originals, plus the idea to cover Bob Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window," but he mainly stuck to the Dr. Instead of whiling away his final days, Johnson set out on a final tour and, finding himself still standing at the end of it, received an invitation from Who singer Roger Daltrey to go into the studio and record an album of whatever songs the guitarist wanted. All rights reserved.Early in 2013, Wilko Johnson received the news that he had terminal pancreatic cancer and had maybe ten months to live. In addition to music, Johnson dabbled in acting he most recently appeared as mute executioner Ser Ilyn Payne on the first two seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones.Ĭopyright © 2022, ABC Audio. “I was lucky to have known him and have him as a friend. His music lives on but there’s no escaping the final curtain this time.” “More than anything Wilko wanted to be a poet,” Daltrey shared in a statement paying tribute to Johnson. In 2014, he paired up with The Who’s Roger Daltrey to release the album Going Back Home. He left the group in 1977, went on to become a member of Ian Dury and The Blockheads, and also released music on his own. Wilko Johnson, shooting the bird at death, joins up with Roger Daltrey to rip the roof off a gang of songs selected from Johnsons back catalogue as well as. Feelgood, Johnson appeared on the band’s first four albums, Down by the Jetty, Malpractice, Stupidity and Sneakin’ Suspicion. ![]() “Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. “This is the announcement we never wanted to make, and we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died,” read a statement posted to social media. No official cause of death was announced, but he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nearly 10 years ago. Feelgood, passed away Monday at the age of 75. Guitarist Wilko Johnson, best known for his work with the ’70s British band Dr.
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