The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Rhythm and blues genre · 1940–

The Feelgood wing of pub rock is 1960s British R&B played again in 1970s pubs: choppy guitar, harmonica, shouted lead, and danceable backbeat.

Influence
Rock genre · 1964–

Pub rock is a rock style: the electric band and backbeat, aimed at small rooms and short songs after mid-1970s spectacle.

Influence
Rock and roll genre · 1954–1964

Pub sets revive 1950s rock-and-roll strophe and guitar identity beside R&B.

Influence
Roots rock style · 1968–

The Brinsley Schwarz wing learns The Band’s job — vernacular song, restraint, harmony vocals — and plays it in London pubs.

Influence

Pub rock

style · 1971–1976

Kind of Rock

Early-to-mid-1970s British back-to-basics rock played in London and Essex pubs: short songs, R&B and country-tinged rock and roll, no arena or prog display (Dr. Feelgood, Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, Eddie and the Hot Rods). It is a style of rock and a named scene (Hope & Anchor, The Nashville). It is not an alias of Roots rock (U.S. Band/CCR job) and not yet Punk. Feelgood is the core example; Dire Straits walk out of the same rooms later and sit on Roots rock.

Listen

  1. Roxette Dr. Feelgood (1974) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  2. She Does It Right Dr. Feelgood (1974) YouTube · Amazon
  3. Milk and Alcohol Dr. Feelgood (1978) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  4. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding Brinsley Schwarz · written by Nick Lowe (1974) YouTube · Spotify
  5. Country Girl Brinsley Schwarz (1970) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  6. Get Across to You Eddie and the Hot Rods (1976) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  7. Do Anything You Wanna Do Eddie and the Hot Rods (1977) YouTube · Spotify
  8. Nervous Wreck Ducks Deluxe (1973)
  9. Down by the Jetty Dr. Feelgood (1975) YouTube
  10. Keys to Your Heart The 101ers (1976) YouTube · Spotify

Passed on

New wave style · 1978–1985

UK new wave takes pub-rock’s short original song, tight band, and pub-circuit economy and aims them at radio (Costello).

Influence
Punk genre · 1975–

British punk inherits the pub circuit, the short-song ethic, and some of the people (101ers → Clash; Hot Rods as a tempo bridge).

Influence

Rhythm and blues → Pub rock

phrase and lickmeter and grooveperformance practicestrength: highwell documented1971–1976recordingoral

Mechanism

The Feelgood wing of pub rock is 1960s British R&B played again in 1970s pubs: choppy guitar, harmonica, shouted lead, and danceable backbeat. Strength high on that wing. The Brinsley wing leans on Roots rock instead.

Evidence

Feelgood repertory and Wilko Johnson’s chop; Savage’s account of pub rock as an R&B revival against glam/prog.

Debate

Whether this is only nostalgia. The transfer is real craft in a new room; punk then speeds it up.

Mediators

artist: Dr. Feelgood

Rock → Pub rock

instrumentationform and structuremeter and groovestrength: highscholarly consensus1971–1976oralrecording

Mechanism

Pub rock is a rock style: the electric band and backbeat, aimed at small rooms and short songs after mid-1970s spectacle. Taxonomically a child of Rock. Strength high.

Evidence

Feelgood and Brinsley as named pub-rock bands still playing rock sets (Savage, Grove).

Debate

Whether pub rock is only a venue. The corpus keeps the named 1971–76 style because punk’s British room needs a donor.

Mediators

artist: Dr. Feelgood; artist: Brinsley Schwarz

Rock and roll → Pub rock

form and structurephrase and lickmeter and groovestrength: mediumwell documented1971–1976recordingoral

Mechanism

Pub sets revive 1950s rock-and-roll strophe and guitar identity beside R&B. Strength medium: R&B is the heavier Feelgood donor; this is the youth-single half (Ducks Deluxe and the Chuck Berry diet).

Evidence

Pub-rock covers and originals on two-minute 1950s forms; Savage’s revival account.

Debate

How much is rock and roll versus R&B. Split like the beat edges: this file is the 1950s single.

Mediators

artist: Ducks Deluxe

Roots rock → Pub rock

form and structureperformance practicemelodystrength: mediumwell documented1971–1975recording

Mechanism

The Brinsley Schwarz wing learns The Band’s job — vernacular song, restraint, harmony vocals — and plays it in London pubs. Strength medium and wing-specific. Feelgood’s R&B path is the other donor.

Evidence

Brinsley records and the pub-rock press’s Band citations; Savage on the country-tinged pub wing.

Debate

Whether pub rock is British roots-rock. The corpus splits: Roots rock is the U.S. 1968 job; this edge is the British room that imports it.

Mediators

artist: Brinsley Schwarz; artist: The Band

Pub rock → New wave

form and structuremelodyperformance practicestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1977–1979oralrecordingradio

Mechanism

UK new wave takes pub-rock’s short original song, tight band, and pub-circuit economy and aims them at radio (Costello). Strength medium. pub rock punk is the amateur-club hop; this file is the songwriter hop. Punk is still the snap parent of new wave.

Evidence

My Aim Is True / This Year’s Model against Dr. Feelgood / Brinsley Schwarz (Savage, Starr).

Debate

Whether Costello is still pub rock. The 1971–76 pub circuit is pub-rock’s; the 1978 Attractions radio snap is new wave’s.

Mediators

artist: Elvis Costello

Pub rock → Punk

performance practiceform and structurefunction and contextstrength: mediumwell documented1975–1977oralrecording

Mechanism

British punk inherits the pub circuit, the short-song ethic, and some of the people (101ers → Clash; Hot Rods as a tempo bridge). What it does not inherit is pub rock’s R&B shuffle and bar-band polish. Strength medium: garage and the rock refusal are heavier musical donors; this edge is the London room and the last pre-punk style.

Evidence

Strummer’s 101ers; Savage’s map of pubs as the 1976 venues; Hot Rods speeding pub rock toward punk tempos.

Debate

Whether punk “is” sped-up pub rock. No: the ethic and some rooms transfer; the sound is a reduction beyond Feelgood.

Mediators

artist: Joe Strummer; artist: Eddie and the Hot Rods