New Boots and Panties!!

There's some really intriguing stuff hiding at the limits of new wave. Not always stuff I want to listen to, but intriguing nonetheless. And New Boots And Panties is certainly intriguing. I kind of forgot how early New Wave kicked off, but even so, this came out in 1977: or, famously, the same year of the fittingly named "Class of '77". Even if I'm not always with Ian Dury here, it is admirable that the same year The Clash, The Sex Pistol, X-Ray Spex and others were inventing the bones of punk, Ian Dury was already fucking around with it, jamming in all sorts of shit. This deviates from other early new wave in a very particular way: while other early bands were mutating a core of punk with all sorts of art-school camp, the core on New Boots And Panties *is* the camp. This is more of a quirky pop/music hall/dub/funk/showtune album than it is a punk album. Which isn't to say you can't hear any punk here, Blackmail Man in particular is basically just a punk song, and you can certainly see punk in the negative space of other songs, but I don't think I'd ever call this a punk album. Anyways, as I've implied, I have kind of mixed thoughts on this album. There's a comedy slant here that doesn't always hit with me, and I'm not coming back to every song here. But the highlights have plenty to discuss. I'm figuring out if I like Wake Up and Make Love With Me, but it is fascinating. I'd say I didn't know they made new wave for straight people, but I'm almost tempted to say the depiction of heterosexuality here feels more like it was made by a gay man as a joke than anything. Any romance on this album is kind of through this lens, it's kind of campy and as blatant as possible, and *sometimes* I like it. On another note, My Old Man has neat dub influence, and Blackmail Man kind of rips. But I'd also like to note Billericay Dickie, which may be the most British song ever commercially released. It sounds like a parody of every musical, and as an American, I was kind of surprised I even had the biological mechanisms necessary to enjoy this song. And I also want to make another note of Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, which absolutely grooves, it's got a fantastic melody, great feel, and is everything I want from this sort of proto- New Wave. But if this album is clever and catchy and weird at it's best, it's kind of stupid at its worst. But that isn't the worst crime an album has committed during this project, not by a long shot. And besides, I did like a lot here. Give this one a go, it's truly unique, but I can empathize with anyone who just thinks this is just obnoxious.

Weird but not bad

I’ve always had a lot of affection for this Ian Dury album. It’s all drums and bass and vocals; and surprisingly it makes you want to dance in a pub rock kind of way. It’s really carefree and loose with a big emphasis on fun / just having a good time.

It’s a totally untapped idea to repackage Cockney music hall and blend it with rock, pop and even disco bass / drums. If anyone else out there is doing it it’s certainly not left the mark Ian Dury makes with this record.

My copy has Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’roll on it, uncredited, and it does boost the overall tracklist. I don’t know why he was shy about putting singles on the LP, although one of the best tracks has to be the album track Blackmail Man which is pure angry punk energy. Fantastic.

My wife told me today that the child on the front cover is Baxter Dury which I didn’t realise - he himself has had a really full music career. You should check out Leak at the Disco if you’ve never heard him.

BILLERICAY MENTIONED RAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Enough with the fucking british albums

I had way more fun than I probably should have listening to this album. If you have ever thought about making an album, do it, because this random guy from Essex did it and it worked. His vocals aren't great, but they work perfectly with the album. The jazzy instrumentals help to make a fun listen. I would never recommend this to anyone, but I would listen to this album again.

I think you have to be British and of a certain age to get this. But for those of us who are, it's a nostalgic listen. Shame that some of his biggest hits missed being on this album, instead being released as singles only. "Reasons To Be Cheerful" would probably have knocked this up to a four.

This was mildly amusing to begin with, but the longer it went on, the deeper my stomach plunged into a pit of existential dread.

Musically it's a passable enough fusion of disco, funk and pub rock, if a bit shallow, but this geezer might be the most irritating vocalist I've been subjected to as part of this challenge. That's no mean feat when the likes of Anthony Kiedis, Billy Corgan, Damon Albarn, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Presley and the sheep-human mutant from The Flying Burrito Brothers have been served up at various points. We get it guvna, you're desperate for sex.

It's like a pub joke gone way too far.

This cannot be an actual album released by actual humans.

Freche Pubsongs mit Ska-Charakter. Der Cancel-Culture stehen wohl die Haare zu Berge.

Ian Dury has maybe one good song.

Weird one. It is ALL OVER THE PLACE as far as sound. It's not entirely bad, but completely comes off as a desperate novelty. I wish more of it sounded like Plaistow Patricia. Holy shit, I vividly remember Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll from early childhood, hearing it on Dr. Demento!

What a fun discovery

meh

I'd call it outsider music if the guy wasn't firmly entrenched in British punk. He's very unconventional in terms of both music and writing. Borrowed from a wide variety of backgrounds. Definitely had more interesting things to say than most at the time.

Musically interesting and well-written in parts, though I’m still not totally sure why he’s held in as high regards as he is.

3.5/5

Wow. Just no.

New Boots and Panties!! by Ian Dury is not only a fun album—it’s a brilliant one.

Dury’s lyrics are meaningful, poetic, and often laugh-out-loud funny. The songs are rich with melody and wildly eclectic—you never quite know what’s coming next, and that’s part of the magic.

This album is pure genius. Giving a 5/5 to something I’m hearing for the first time is rare for me, but this one absolutely earns it. I’ll be returning to it again and again.

Favourite track: Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll – a timeless classic.
Least favourite: None. Every track deserves its place—there’s not a weak one here.
Album artwork: Brilliant cover—striking and full of personality, just like the music.

The album starts off slow, kinda leaning more to the folk/pop side of things. Then, once Blockheads starts, the album takes a hard swing into pub rock/punk. I thoroughly enjoy the second half of the album more than the first half. The whole album is surprisingly solid though. Given the album title, I thought I was in for another premium selected pile of shit, but this album is great! Ian's strong cockney accent adds to the grit of the album. I also like his comical, nonsensical lyrics.

Favorite songs: Blackmail Man, Blockheads, Plaistow Patricia, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Clevor Trever, Sweet Gene Vincent, Billericay Dickie, Wake Up and Make Love With Me

Least favorite songs: I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra

4/5

Very rough and juvenile, but high octane and fun