Ian Dury

Ian Dury was born the the same year as my father (!), 1942, hacked around the UK for a while before
gaining some notoriety in the 1970's punk/new wave scene, most notably as leader of Ian Dury & the Blockheads. To describe the Blockhead's sound would be somewhat difficult, as they blended reggae, rock, funk, soul, and Dury's love of music hall stuff......he compiled his initial lineup out of drummer Charley, bassist Norman Watt-Roy, keyboardist Mick Gallagher, guitarist John Turnbull, and saxaphonist Davey Payne......it took a while for the band to find a lable, finally landing at the most obvious place all along, of course, Stiff Records.

The resultant release is one of the semi-forgotten semi-classics of the era,"New Boots and Panties",  the great singles "Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick" and "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" are the standouts, other great stuff here, such as "What a Waste" and "Superman's Big Sister" and more a solid 3.5 to 4 star release as this is something of an aquired taste.

The next release was "Do it Yourself", a double disc which I would consider his best work by far, this one actually creditted to the Blockheads and not just to Ian........great stuff: "Inbetweenies", "Waiting For Your Taxi", "Sink My Boats" and PLENTY more, that is just Disc 1......Disc 2 has some fun demos, live cuts, alternate takes......I recommend the entire package if you wish simply dabble, this is where you'd wanna start.

He released a few more albums in his lifetime, and I am not crazy about them.......I know his more rabid fans will jump on me for this, but they just don't do it for me, and i don't have em anyways.....perhaps you could look to Pirate Bay, or maybe a blog friend will check in.......I jut don't find the remainder of his work to be "for Me".......

What I do have is a good live set from Licianatta, 1980, which features a fine version of "Fucking Ada", as well as "Rythm Stick" and "Sex and Drugs", really a good set, haven't seen it around all that much......."Pinkpop Festival 1981" covers a good bit of the same turf, (good version of "Clever Trever")......fans are gonna want these, dabblers may settle for "Do It Yourself".

WHile I'm at it, why not throw on "Stiffs Live", which I've probably posted here somewhere before, but Dury gets a couple tracks here, as well as Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric, Elvis Costello, et al......

Well that's about all I GOT......hopefully someone from abroad will take interest and contribute some other things.......I was never a HUGE Ian Dury fan, but in small doses DID  find him amusing.....my knowledge of him is pretty lacking as well, although I do know he died a few years back from colorectal cancer (2000, at age 57........RIP)

NEW BOOTS AND PANTIES-01 Wake Up and Make Love With Me/02 Sweet Gene Vincent/03
I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra/04 My Old Man/05 Billericay Dickie/06 Sex & Drugs& Rock & Roll/07 Clever Trevor/08 If I Was With a Woman/09 Blockheads/10 Plainstow Patricia/11 Blackmail Man/12 What a Waste/13 Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick/14 There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards/15 Common As Muck/16 Superman's Big Sister

DO IT YOURSELF DISC 1-01 Inbetweenies/02 Quiet/03 Don't Ask Me/04 Sink My Boats/05 Waiting For Your Taxi/06 This Is What We Find/07 Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy/08 Mischief/09 Dance of the Screamers/10 Lullabye For Franci,es/11 What a Waste/12 Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick/13 There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards/14 Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3/15 Common Is Muck/16 Reasons to Be Cheerful Part 3 (12" Version)

DO IT YOURSELF DISC 2-01 This Is What We Find/02 Boogie Woogie (Duff Em Up)/03 Quiet/04 In Betweenies (Backing Track)/05 Babys Kept Quiet (Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy)/06 Blow (Instrumental)/07 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/08 I'm Partial To Your Abracadabra/09 Wake Up and Make Love With Me/10 Clever Trever/11 Sweet Gene Vincent/12 Billericay Dickie/13 My Old Man/14 If I Was With a Woman/15 Blockheads/16 Plaistow Patricia/17 Blackmail Man

LICIANATAN 12/13/80-01 Billy Jean and Me/02 Clever Trevor/03 Sink My Boat/04 Superman's Big Sister/05 Patricia-Yes and No/06 Uncoolohol/07 Delusions of Granduer/08 What a Waste/09 I Wanna Be Straight/10 Fucking Ada/11 Oh! Mr. Peanut/12 Plaistow Patricia/13 Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick/14 Sweet Gene Vincent/15 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

PINKPOP FESTIVAL 1981-01 Wake Up and Make Love With Me/02 Clever Trever/03 I Was With a Woman/04 Superman's Big Sister/05 Dance of the Crackpots/06 Plaistow Patricia/07 Sink My Boats/08 I Wanna Be Straight/10 Yes and No (Paula)/11 Billericay Dickie/12 Oh Mr Peanut/13 Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick/14 What a Waste/15 Sweet Gene Vincent/16 Blockheads/17 Sex and drugs and Rock and Roll

STIFFS LIVE-01 NICK LOWE-I Knew the Bride/02 NICK LOWE-Let's Eat/03 WRECKLESS
ERIC-Semaphore Signals/04 WRECKLESS ERIC-Leconnze Cherie/05 LARRY WALLIS-Police Car/06 ELVIS COSTELLO-I Just Don't Know What To Do/07 ELVIS COSTELLO-Miracle Man/08 IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS-Billericay Dickie/09 IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS-Wake Up and Make Love With Me/10 ALL (NICK LOWE, WRECKLESS ERIC, LARRY WALLIS, ELVIS COSTELLO, IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS)-Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll & Chaos


Let me know wnat you think and what you'd like to see/hear......working a huge post on the Japanese metal band Loudness, STILL trying to figure the best way to sort the massive Yo La Tengo, just so much still more to do, it'll happen when I get to it........for know I hope you enjoy these!