The Inmates

The Inmates took shape in the late 1970s as a British R&B act modeled on Dr. Feelgood, built around vocalist Bill Hurley, guitarist Peter Gunn (born Peter Staines), second guitarist Tony Oliver, bassist Ben Donnelly, and drummer Jim Russell. Their cover of the Standells’ garage staple “Dirty Water” supplied the material for the group’s first album. Like several peers working in the same vein, the five-piece never succeeded in bottling their stage energy for vinyl, so further strong releases still left them boxed into a tight pub-rock enclave. Frontman Bill Hurley stepped out alone in 1985 with the solo album Double Agent, a raw fusion of soul and R&B standards that fared no better than the band’s own work. Meet The Beatles, Live In Paris delivers Beatles songs refracted through hard R&B and Chicago blues.