“Do Anything You Want To Do” / Eddie & the Hot Rods
I know, I know, you guys thought I’d end pub rock week with the Brinsleys – but there’s so much more to pub rock, I haven’t even scratched the surface. (What, no Ducks Deluxe? No Kilburn & the High Roads? No Fabulous Poodles?) And I really can’t check out without paying tribute to Eddie & the Hot Rods, a band I think of as the missing link between pub rock and punk.
Take a dose of Dr. Feelgood’s visceral energy and throw in the hard-hitting crunch of mid-60s American rockers like the Stooges and the MC5, and then play it at overdrive speed – that was the idea behind the Hot Rods (“Eddie” was actually their manager, Eddie Hollis, who wrote this song). They also were writing songs about adolescent hang-ups and attitudes, which spoke to the younger audiences moving into the old pub rock venues. And how could mellow country rockers play these stages after a band like Eddie & The Hot Rods (or their colleagues the 101ers, fronted by a pre-Clash Joe Strummer)?
Sure, it’s a classic sentiment, but every kid who goes through this feels like the only rebel in the world. And then you turn on the radio and hear a song like this and it’s like those musicians read your mind.
Pub rock had pretty much run its course by the time “Do Anything You Want To Do” hit the Top Ten in 1977. By this time, I guess Eddie & the Hot Rods had lost a little of their rawness -- like any ambitious band might when it starts to get radio play -- and with a wave of hungry punk bands coming up behind them, that lost rawness made the Hot Rods irrelevant. The Sex Pistols—who’d once been the opening act for the Hot Rods--had already released “Anarchy in the
7 comments:
What a great band to close out your "Pub Rock Week", Holly! Eddie and The Hot Rods, an honorable mention for the 101'ers...totally perfect.
By the way, I'm loving the Fountains Of Wayne! Thanks for the tip!!!
I LOVE this song! Should have been a huge hit. Thanks for the reminder.
Spencer
No John Ottway? No Man? No Graham Parker? No Squeeze? No Wreckless Eric?
BRING ON PUB ROCK FORTNIGHT
I actually posted about this song/band about a week ago! It's a classic, for sure. It's rebellious spirit sort of reminds me of "Friday on My Mind" by The Easybeats.
A great song, and a great week!!!
You can read about 'pub rock' in my book 'No Sleep Till Canvey Island - The Great Pub Rock Revolution' available from www.willbirch.com
Absolutely essential reading!! Everything I know about pub rock (well, all the insider bits, anyway) is due to Will's book. I ate that up like CANDY. Buy, buy, buy!!!
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