Ian Dury And The Blockheads Paradiso Amsterdam 3rd March 1978 (TFTLTYTD #9)

 

This TFFTLTYTD thread post remembers two musicians from one of Britain's quirkiest bands, Ian Dury & The Blockheads. Both Ian and the Blockheads' drummer, Charlie Charles succumbed to cancer before their time. I did get to see Ian with the band a few times, at the Clapham Grand, then supporting Madness and finally at the Junction in Cambridge at what must have been one of his last live performances. 

It's out there that Ian Dury wasn't an easy man, perhaps his circumstances shaped him that way. I remember having a conversation with Keith Lucas (a.k.a. Nick Cash of 999) about Ian's behaviour at the time of the demise of Kilburn & The Highroads. That not withstanding, what a poet and performer the man was. The fact too that he was surrounded from the mid-70's by some of the counties best musicians made the Blockheads a tour de force on the live circuit... as this professional recording from Amsterdam's Paradiso Club proves.

Thanks to the original Dime uploader.

This recording contains the track 'England's Glory' that also became one of the bizarrest releases on Stiff Records, a cover by comedian Max Wall.

(spoken intro.)

This one's for Julie, who we love

I love her almost as I do Alma

But we don't do Alma no more

It's called 'England's Glory'. if you wanna sing

Please sing

There are jewels in the crown of England's glory

And every jewel shines a thousand ways

Frankie Howerd, No'l Coward and garden gnomes

Frankie Vaughan, Kenneth Horne, Sherlock Holmes

Monty, Biggles and Old King Cole

In the pink or on the dole

Oliver Twist and Long John Silver

Captain Cook and Nelly Dean

Enid Blyton, Gilbert Harding

Malcolm Sargeant, Graham Greene (Graham Greene)

All the jewels in the crown of England's glory

Too numerous to mention, but a few

And every one could tell a different story

And show old England's glory something new

Nice bit of kipper and Jack the Ripper and Upton Park

Gracie, Cilla, Maxy Miller, Petula Clark

Winkles, Woodbines, Walnut Whips

Vera Lynn and Stafford Cripps

Lady Chatterley, Muffin the Mule

Winston Churchill, Robin Hood

Beatrix Potter, Baden-Powell

Beecham's powders, Yorkshire pud (Yorkshire pud)

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-UbfLJZ7Dsx

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-JPpNDIvjXa

Ian Dury And The Blockheads Town And Country Club London 25th September 1990 (TFTLTYTD #6)

Thanks to Chatts for this one. As part of the TFTLTYTD thread, this one is for the former Blockheads drummer Charlie Charles to lost his fight with cancer not so long after this series of benefit gigs. However, the ring master of the Blockheads circus, Ian himself, lost his own fight with cancer five years later in 2000.

I was fortunate enough to see The Blockheads with Ian on three occasions. In 1994 Madness played Madstock II in Finsbury Park with Ian (a well acknowledged influence for the band) in support. At around the same time the band headlined at the Grand in Clapham, this time with The Nutty Boys (Lee and Chrissy Boy from Madness) doing the support honours. Lastly, I saw one of the band's last gigs at the Junction in Cambridge. That must have been in 1999, Ian was unwell by this stage but it was magical seeing such an icon in such a small venue. 

My first encounter with Ian and his Blockheads was when 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' came out.... late 1978. I remember going to a schoolfriend's house specifically to record the single. This meant kneeling in front of his parent's radiogram with the small plastic microphone pointed at one speaker whilst trying to be as quiet as possible! The B-side, 'There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards' was wonderfully subversive in my 9 year old mind!

Dury was a fantastic lyricist whose wayward appearance and cockney delivery meant that he still found a receptive audience after punk swept the pub rock bands aside (of course not overlooking the fact that Kilburn & The High Roads were the inspiration for many of the young punks that dominated 1977).

By all accounts Ian wasn't the easiest of personalities, but that not withstanding his and The Blockheads legacy is second to none.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-dICXFvyWK2

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-sdbmYB3dUK

 

NME 24th to 31st December 1977

 

I am not sure whether visitors to this site will be interested in uploads of certain issues of the music press or not, even more to the point whether people are keen to see images of the gallic one's bare arse!

For my part I love to peruse old issues of the UK music weeklies that back in the day served as indicators on what we would spend our money on and how we would use our social lives! I have on many occasions (OK it is maybe a bit of a bloke thing to do... akin to making lists!) turned to the gig listings, picked a day in order to decide in whose company I would have spent that particular evening. 

What these old issues also provide is band histories as they happened. Snapshots of long careers. Given the very high price that the original papers (yellow papers as Gunta calls them) command online it is a shame that more are not digitised and put out there.

This was the infamous issue that featured our bass player as 'Stud Of The Year'. What is clear from this issue was that 1977 was unquestioningly the year of punk. The 'King of Rock 'n' Roll is dead 'Long live King Punk Rock!'. 

If anyone on here has old issues of NME, Sounds or Melody Maker etc scanned and would be happy to share please get in touch/

PDF: https://we.tl/t-VSOaLVsrCu

Ian Dury & The Blockheads Top Rank Brighton 5th May 1978

Artwork may have the date wrong again but here's a great set from the Blockheads in Sussex in 1978!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-zdSocztvTb

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-xjIyABdCdF

01. Upminster Kid (Including Introduction By Kosmo Vinyl)
02. Wake Up And Make Love With Me
03. Clever Trevor
04. Sweet Gene Vincent
05. If I Was With A Woman
06. You're More Than Fair
07. Billericay Dickie
08. Plaistow Patricia
09. I Made Mary Cry
10. What A Waste
11. Blockheads (Including Band Introductions)
12. Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll
13. My Old Man
14. England's Glory
15. Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll (Reprise)

Ian Dury: Vocals
Mickey Gallagher: Keyboards
Davey Payne: Saxophone
Charlie Charles: Drums
Norman Watt-Roy: Bass
John Turnbull: Guitar