"Milk and Alcohol" is a song by the band Dr. Feelgood that reached number nine in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. Written by

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Gypie Mayo Gypie Mayo (born John Philip Cawthra; 24 July 1951 − 23 October 2013) was an English guitarist and songwriter, playing in Dr. Feelgood from 1977 to 1981, and from 1996 to 2004 in the reborn Yardbirds with Alan Glen. Early career Mayo was bo ...

, and produced by

Richard Gottehrer Richard Gottehrer (born 1940) is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. In 1997, he co-founded the Orchard with longtime business partner Scott Cohen, an independent music distribution company. His career began as ...

, the song was Dr. Feelgood's biggest hit and continues to be played by the band.

History

"Milk and Alcohol", written in 1978 by

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,John "Gypie" Mayo, reportedly retells Lowe's 1970s experiences drinking one too many

Kahlúa Kahlúa () is a brand of coffee liqueur owned by the Pernod Ricard company and produced in Veracruz, Mexico. The drink contains rum, sugar, and arabica coffee. History Pedro Domecq began producing Kahlúa in 1936. It was named Kahlúa, meanin ...

-milk

drinks A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothies a ...

at or after a United States concert by

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

man

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

. However, while the song anonymously criticises Hooker ("Main attraction dead on his feet, Black man rhythm with a white boy beat"), ironically it was inspired by Hooker's own lyric about "milk, cream and alcohol". The song was recorded in 1978 and first appeared on ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

'', an album by Dr. Feelgood that was released in October 1978. The heavy

riffs A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accomp ...

on "Milk and Alcohol" were added by Mayo, a guitarist who replaced

Wilko Johnson John Andrew Wilkinson (12 July 1947 – 21 November 2022), better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in t ...

in 1978, after Johnson left the band as a result of an argument over the recording of Dr. Feelgood's fourth album, ''

Sneakin' Suspicion ''Sneakin' Suspicion'' was the fourth album by Dr. Feelgood, and was released in 1977. During recording of ''Sneakin' Suspicion'', the band nearly disbanded following the departure of guitarist, songwriter and focal point, Wilko Johnson. The ...

'' (1977). "Milk and Alcohol" was released as a single, on

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, in January 1979. The

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

material of the single record was issued in the three colours of black, white and brown, with the white and brown meant to call to mind white milk and brown alcohol. The outline of a

bottle appears on the

record sleeve A record sleeve is the outer covering of a vinyl record. Alternative terms are ''dust sleeve'', ''album liner'' and ''liner''. The term is also used to denominate the outermost cardboard covering of a record, i.e. the ''record jacket'' or ''album ...

. The background around the bottle on the different record sleeves was varied to match the vinyl colour. The song reached the Top 10 in the

in the same month it was released. The track reached number nine in the UK chart, and spent nine weeks in the listing. Capitalising on the notoriety the song brought, the band presented "Milk and Alcohol" live to audiences around the world in 1979, including in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Russia and the United States. The song is in the key of C major, and has a tempo of 168. Like many other Dr Feelgood songs, it has a

shuffle Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome. __TOC__ Techniques Overha ...

feel and a short guitar solo after the second chorus.

Impact

"Milk and Alcohol" was the band's fourth

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

in the United Kingdom, and their only top 10 single on the UK Singles Chart. For much of the 1970s, the musical world was perceived as being dominated by " fey glam-rockers and 15-minute

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

solos." When "Milk and Alcohol" was played in the pubs of

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...

in the late 1970s, the song came across as a radical departure that contributed to "a short, sharp shock of roots rock." For a while, the song led to some drinking both alcohol and milk while listening to Dr. Feelgood perform live. In April 1989, a re-recorded version titled "Milk and Alcohol (New Recipe)" was issued by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

in both 7"

((EM 89) with "She's Got Her Eyes on You" as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

); and 12" vinyl ((12 EM 89) with "She's Got Her Eyes on You" and "Mad Man Blues" on the B-side). Both songs were later released on the "Rarities" disc of their ''Looking Back'' compilation album. In 1997, "Milk and Alcohol" continued to be played by the band while making the rounds of the world's pubs, clubs and concert halls. However, by 2003, "Milk and Alcohol" was seen as a "forgotten gem". With the band continuing to present the song in concerts, the music community regained respect for the song. In 2005, the band's biggest hit was being called a "classic." In that same year, "Milk and Alcohol" was considered by the music magazine '' Q'' in its compilation of the top ten cigarettes and alcohol songs for the ultimate soundtrack to a drinking session, but lost out to the 1987 song "

Nightrain "Nightrain" (pronounced "Night Train") is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. The song is a tribute to an infamous brand of cheap Californian fortified wine, Night Train Express, which was extremely popular with the band during their ear ...

" by the American rock band,

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

. Mayo's guitar performance on "Milk and Alcohol", which ranked as number four on a 2005 list of the top ten great British guitar heroes, was cited in that same listing for waking "a generation of guitarists up to the sheer power and energy" of the guitar. More than four decades after reaching the UK's top ten, "Milk and Alcohol" continues to be a popular choice for the band during its concerts.

References

External links

*
Song lyrics at Drfeelgood.de
{{authority control 1978 songs 1979 singles Music in Southend-on-Sea Songs written by Nick Lowe Dr. Feelgood (band) songs Songs about alcohol Song recordings produced by Richard Gottehrer United Artists Records singles