Ian Dury

10-10-08 Ian Dury

Mr. Dury has been gone for some time now – but it’s nice to see he’s gotten the ‘deluxe edition’ treatment for most of his albums with The Blockheads. I’ve been a fan since I first heard “What A Waste”! His singles weren’t always on his albums, so I’ve left ‘em in…separating the tiles roughly by ‘period’.

Kilburn & The High Roads

CD HANDSOME (Kilburn & The High Roads) SEQUEL UK NEXCD 144

1975 12 TRKS ('90 issue) Ian Dury

Ian Dury & The Blockheads

CDx2 NEW BOOTS AND PANTIES (Deluxe edition) FUEL 2000 US 61478.2

1977 31 TRKS (21 x bonus tracks) ('04 issue)

LP NEW BOOTS AND PANTIES STIFF US STF 002

1978 11 TRKS

CD GRUFF-VOICED pirate REEL MUSIC RMCD-95103

1977 11 TRKS Live '77, pirate

7" WHAT A WASTE / WAKE UP AND MAKE LOVE STIFF UK BUY 27

1977 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL / RAZZLE IN MY POCKET STIFF DE 6.12197

1977 2 TRKS with pic sleeve (BUY 17)

7" SWEET GENE VINCENT / YOU'RE MORE THAN FAIR STIFF BEL COU/B/BUY 23

1977 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, Yellow vinyl

7" HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK STIFF UK BUY 38

1978 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP DO IT YOURSELF STIFF UK SEEZ 14

1979 10 TRKS

CDx2 DO IT YOURSELF (Deluxe edition) DEMON UK MEDCD 752

1979 33 TRKS ('04 issue)(23 x bonus tracks)

12" INBETWEENIES / DANCE OF THE SCREAMERS STIFF FR 740.517

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

12" REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, PART 3 STIFF UK 12BUY 50

1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

12" I WANT TO BE STRAIGHT STIFF UK BUYIT 90

1980 2 TRKS no pic sleeve

7" SUEPERMAN'S BIG SISTER / YOU'LL SEE GLIMPSES STIFF UK BUY 100

1980 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP LAUGHTER STIFF JPN VIP-6757

1981 12 TRKS insert

CDx2 LAUGHTER (Deluxe edition) DEMON UK MEDCD 753

1981 31 TRKS (19 x bonus tracks) ('04 issue)

Ian Dury

LP LORD UPMINSTER POLYDOR US PD-1-6337

1981 8 TRKS

CD LORD UPMINSTER GREAT EXPEC UK PIPCD 005

1981 8 TRKS original CD issue

12" SPASTICUS AUTISTICUS POLYDOR UK POSPX 285

1981 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP 4,000 WEEKS' HOLIDAY POLYDOR UK POLD 5112

1984 10 TRKS

12" REALLY GLAD YOU CAME POLYDOR UK POSPX 646

1983 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

7" PROFOUNDLY IN LOVE WITH PANDORA / EUGENIUS EMI UK EMI 5534

1985 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

CD APPLES WEA UK 246355.2

1989 12 TRKS

LP APPLES WEA UK WX 326

1989 12 TRKS promo

CDx2 BUS DRIVER'S PRAYER & OTHER STORIES (Deluxe edition) DEMON UK MEDCD 754

1992 22 TRKS (8 x bonus tracks) ('04 issue)

Ian Dury & The Blockheads

CD WARTS 'N' AUDIENCE re EDSEL UK DIAB 8027

1990 16 TRKS (2 x bonus tracks) ('00 issue) Live '90

CD MR. LOVE PANTS RONNIE HARRIS DUR 1

1998 10 TRKS

I never got the chance to see Ian Dury & The Blockheads play live, no thanks to Lou Reed. When Dury & Reed played The Roxy – it sold out in a matter of minutes – and the idea of paying above face value to a ticket didn’t work for me (then and now). A friend saw them play in New Zealand and said something to the effect of “I strongly dislike people trying to deafen me!” or thereabouts.

I got one of those ‘song by song’ books of Dury collaborating with a writer, saying what all the songs are about, nice! When Mr. Dury passed away, Terry in England sent me some great video – a live show, and a loving documentary.

Of the Blockheads albums, do ‘em in order – if at all possible. “Do It Yourself” is amazing! Of the solo albums, I have always been fond of “Apples” (itself a soundtrack to a stage show). Singles? Too many to rank ‘em – absolutely love “What A Waste”, “Reasons To Be Cheerful” and “Profoundly In Love With Pandora” (from the Adrian Mole TV series) – shame there was never an LP/CD of that caliber of material!

And let’s not forget Chas Jankel, Dury’s venerable ‘musical director’. He started out in a band called Byzantium, and has had a solo career of note – I absolutely love his 2^nd solo album, “Questionnaire” – which isn’t on CD, as of 2008. Quincy Jones covered Jankel’s single “Ai No Corrida”!

Interesting that Dury’s son (pictured on the cover of “New Boots…”) Baxter Dury now has a musical career (I have not heard his stuff).

And Mickey Gallagher (keyboards, from Skip Bifferty) and Norman Watt-Roy (bass, from The Greatest Show on Earth) – bravo! And let’s not forget Davy Payne (the sax player) or dear old late Charlie, the Blockheads fine drummer. Long live The Blockheads!