New Boots and Panties!!

Surprisingly sad in places like My Old Man. If I Was With A Woman is sad and terrifying. It reminds me of that Margaret Atwood quote "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them."

It's also funny and funky and angry. It's got range.

This is an odd one, huh? It's extremely crass, vulgar, and immature, but I'd say it is all done with so much goofy disinterest in the world that it often comes off as charming even at its weirdest and creepiest. I wouldn't label this as punk, per se, but in some aspects it sticks a middle finger up against all those surrounding, no matter how "against the man" they truly are. Ian Dury will win in a pissing contest against you, every time. The issue, however, is that the music just isn't good. Dury's voice is flat, and not in a charming, foreboding way like many late 70s acts, but in a "you never should've been a singer" sort of way. The instrumentation is solid, but extremely predictable, to the point where even the actual punk closer wasn't a surprise. Lyrically, as I've mentioned, it can be off-putting. It is something you can laugh along with, but I can see many going in and instantly being turned off by the first track's implications. It has cute moments that I enjoy, feel the need to show to others even, but never because the song is good. Actually, it reminds me of the Streets in an over the top, so bad it's good, British sort of way. Except this actually feels like I'm laughing with it, not at it. For that I'll give it credit. However, this album is not good musically, and I do not view it as a positive listening experience, nor do I really want to go through it again. At least, not alone. Perhaps in a road trip with a few mates would this be more of a cracker.

Innit?

nother bri ish lad

What did I just listen to?
I have to Hope that most of this was meant to be ironic? Sung from characters’ points of view? So many misogynistic lyrics.
I can’t say the music is great. The lyrics seem meant to shock.
It would be easy to give this only one star.
But I think this was all intentional?
Which would make it clever?
Oh boy.
Still… mostly not fun to listen to…
Certainly a conversation topic so I’m glad to know this exists and be able to discuss it with anybody else who had the patience to stick with it through to the end.

After a night to think about it I guys I’ll give it 2 starts as a nod to its originality?

This is off to a completely unhinged start. because Wake Up and Make Love With Me is filthy and delivered by someone who sounds like a british plumber. Wow this is real bad. Blockheads features the sound of a 8-bit shit.

Very punk and also funny in parts. At the end it was a bit exhausting and became annoying.

Literally one of the worst albums ever made.

If this album had been an EP and just had the songs from Blockheads onward it would be pretty good. As it is, the first 2/3 of this album are hard to listen to. The musicians aren’t bad but the music is cheesy. And I did not care for Ian’s songwriting and his voice, while solid for the faster songs at the end, did not work with his slower pop songs and ballads.

Definitely on the weirder side. Not someone I had ever heard of before. I had much higher hope based on the premise but it ultimately fell flat with me. 2/5

wow. this is terrible.

I went into this thinking I'd really enjoy this. But I've listened to the album 3 times now and I must miss something. It's ok, but not as mind-blowing as some people make it out to be.
Enjoyable, but not more than that.

Good old cockney rock n roll.

Does Ian Duty have to shout so much? Yes, yes he bloody well does! Packed with grit, wit and authenticity, focus is more lyrical than melodic. Great album.

I'll give'm this. They knew the sound they were aiming for and they nailed it. Not sure I'm very into it though.

Can't say I enjoyed this. The vocal delivery style is so flat and lazy I don't understand how he was the vocalist. I don't find him a particularly effective screamer either. Certainly someone else in The Blockheads had to have had a better voice? Also, obnoxious cleverness really isn't my thing when it comes to lyrics, especially when it's just a relentless barrage of it. Musically it's fine I guess? Nothing that grabbed me enough to distract me from the vocals or lyrics though. Definitely wanted to skip a few tracks as I went through but I persevered, for what it's worth, which wasn't much. Seemed to get worse as it went on. Will be avoiding in the future.

When I started listening to this I was confused and almost offended. Like I thought I was being pranked. I thought somebody recorded randy newman trying to do an impression of the clash, and I was not sure at all why this album was so critically praised. As I listened through I warmed up to it a little bit, I enjoyed the more punk-type stuff at the end of the album, and overall it was a mostly enjoyable if not strange album.

Clever trevor lever