After the surprise success of 1977's New Boots And Panties, this follow up was long awaited, and as I remember, receive with mixed reaction. 48 different versions of the sleeve were printed, I wonder if any completist ever got the lot?
I recently picked this up off Ebay for very little, and I'm looking forward to it, having felt the reviews a little harsh. Sure there's no Clevor Trever, or Billericay Dickie on this, but people seem to forget that much of that first album was just OK.
The most apparent thing in this album, is the quality of the playing - it catches the Blockheads at the height of their powers, sounding like they're enjoying every minute of this, and playing like demons, as tight as any band I've heard.
Have you heard Ian Dury and the Blockheads? Well, most of this album is just like them at their best. Possibly not their most commercial, there are few massive stand outs, and a couple of very average tracks, with no hit singles on the album.
But tracks like Quiet, This Is What We Find, Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy and Mischief display all the playfulness, crudity and wordplay you'd associate with Dury, backed by a band at their best. And while it's not a classic Dury lyric and vocal, Dance Of The Screamers is worth a listen, just for the funk bassline driving the Blockheads, and Lullaby For Franci/es is a lovely gentle reggae end to the album.
OK, I get it, you like this, but where are the hits? Fear not gentle reader, the additional tracks on this CD are coming, with Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, its enchanting music hall style B-side There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards, and the glorious Reasons To be Cheerful, Part 3. Sadly, there's also its tedious B-side Common As Muck, the less successful single I Want To Be Straight and its B-side That's Not All, as well as the extended version of Reasons To Be Cheerful.
But back to the original album. I think it's been unfairly slated, and if it's missing something in iconic character songs, it more than makes up for it in sheer magnificence in the music. Give it a listen.
4* - a worthy follow up to New Boots And Panties
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