Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Hard to listen to. Like 2-3 songs.
ok
Successfully entertaining in parts. I come awake / with a gift for womankind is a strong and seriously ridiculous opening. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is a super strong conclusion. Quite a bit wide of the mark in many other parts such as Billericay Dickie and Blockheads. Some songs I just can't decide. The music itself is pretty good throughout. Ludicrously British.
Interesting album
-um this is such a funny album name -never heard of this guy -first song is based and valid as hell -that piano is popping OFF -love this sax (?) coming in it sound so COOL -the array of instruments and sounds in these songs is really what i enjoy -and his accent is so much fun!!!! -i like the more rock sounding songs the best -okay the laughing laughing at the end of if i was with a woman was kinda creepy -overall an interesting album. some elements are not my taste and some were
Some great songs, some terrible songs
That was partially fun though
David Fauxie (respectfully) Quite mad that to admit that half of these songs I just didn't vibe with, but half of them are just so damningly fun and have sexy guitar riffs (cough cough Plaistow Patricia). I definitely want to rate it closer to a 4 but I have to give it a 3 for the time being.
Really enjoy the music. Singing detracts from the album to me. Lyrics and singing give me a 70’s Bloodhound Gang vibe
This album was a slow roll. I wasn't too into it at first, but it got progressively better.
I enjoyed it on the whole, had a strange feeling of nostalgia for a time when I didn't even exist. I liked 'my old man' maybe partly because this album sort of made me think of my own old man.
Some of the lyrics were fun, however I think I just find his singing style too annoying to ever listen again
Engaging mix of funk and rock'n'roll with Dury's amusing lyrics and delivery. If you don't just collect the hit singles, then this is a good enough collection as taster.
Vulgärer, selbstironischer Zeitgenosse mit dickem Cockney-Akzent. Textlich wurde ich oft an die Sleaford Mods erinnert. Rock'n'Roll im besten Sinne.
This album was really mixed for me. It's got all these cool elements mixed in, like disco and funk. Some of the lyrics are good too, but a lot of them are that cloying style of British humor where they expect you to laugh at them despite the fact that they aren't actually saying or doing anything funny. I feel like better vocals would make this an incredible album, but perhaps that would be messing with the alchemy. There's certainly plenty of musical significance to the album, which has a lot of early punk elements mixed in with the more danceable music elements 3/5 Important, but it could be more pleasant to listen to
I really could have lived without this album. I've definitely heard worse here. Music was sometimes nice but damn... that vocals were real downgrade.
Ik had het idee dat ik naar een soort proto-Blur aan het luisteren was. Best grappig, maar ook niet geweldig.
Pretty interesting without being amazing.
this was a baffling inclusion but admittedly i think I'm just not the target audience. a lot of the references and subtleties went way over my head, and i wish i could appreciate it more. still, as i see it, it's a weird album for weird people, and there's nothing wrong with that. this guy is an unapologetically horny brit, and i applaud his genre explorations from track to track. the lyrics don't do much for me, particularly the overtly sexual ones, but whatever. still not sure how this makes the 1001 list but there are worse albums on the list than this one by far. favorites: sweet gene vincent, sex & drugs & rock & roll
Dury's influence was more potent than his material. Still, you can't help but love Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
I want to say above a 3 but not quite a 4 for me. But Razzle in my Pocket, Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll are awesome tracks
Is there a name for songs that are old and kind of meh? We've heard "Sex & Drugs & Rock'n'Roll" before; there is no need to put the whole album on the list.
Not bad but too silly and unnecessary for this list.
What a peculiar album, not sure what to think about it but definitely interesting entertainment
he committed to his own lane. i respect that.
This guy is a nut, but a nut can write cool songs too! I’m no big Ian Dury fan, I don’t think I ever will. But I can enjoy his songs, just not too much at a time. Still, there’s a hook to the songs and he was a huge influence for the sound of pubrock and britpop! 7 out of 10
I’m so conflicted about Ian Dury. There are songs I love by him, and songs I hate by him. Half the reviews of this album talk about what a great songwriter he is, and the other half talk about what a pile of shit these songs are. And everyone’s correct.
2-3
Stompin' band at the height of their powers, and a charismatic front man. Sometimes the lyrics are little overly clever (Dury never saw an easy rhyme he didn't like; Billericay Dickie is an example there), and the line between sexy and sexist is often crossed, and has dated poorly (Wake Up and Make Love With Me is a case study in why we need consent training). Still, Dury is trying to shock and provoke a sense of fun. It's hard to be too outraged when you're dancing, after all. Dodgy sexual politics aside, this is a fun listen and the cover photo is ace. Would buy.
Wake Up, Sweet Gene Vincent, I’m Partial, Clevor Trever, If I Was With a Woman and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. Starts off well and then gets loud and annoying and then ends well. British guys should stick to this not rap.
even more barely ok british guy music. side one is mostly cheeks. side two is better. plaistow patricia, blackmail man
Decently enjoyable. FS: Blackmail, Sweet Gene
3,5
This was a weird album. I really liked the guitar, but really hated the guys voice. The middle of the album was really good, but the end turned into some garbage punk? I would give all my favorite parts of this album a 4, but the last two songs + his voice on every song takes it down to a 3.
I didn't know that it was possible to go from really weird erotica, to punk, to funk all in the same album but this insane man was able to do it. At first I was going to have to knock the album, but honestly the creativity and uniqueness won me back by the end. The only thing I could think in the beginning was that his voice sounded like the parody of Randy Newman from Family Guy
That was weird. Didn't hate it as much as I thought I would after listening to the first couple of lines, but I also never want to listen to it again. 3.5 stars
A strange one - novelty album well past its use by date? Or a sort of pioneer. There's a fair amount of 'ewww'. I only knew his couple of hits. Almost a 2, because I didn't really enjoy listening to it - but scrapes in with a 3 due to originality
Tämä sai hyvälle tuulelle.
Vekkuli levy. Ei ihan kolmea, mutta pyöristyy ylöspäin viihdyttävyytensä ansiosta
I came into this album with no expectations as I had never heard of this album or Ian Dury even and in all honesty I came out of listening to this album pretty much the same as I went in. This to me felt like a very standard 70's British punk album. That is not to say it is bad by any means just average. I definitely don't think it is on the caliber of a lot of the other albums I have heard from this list and I think if you just included the standard picks for this genre/scene: "The Clash (self titled)", "London's Calling", "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols", "Live At The Witch Trials", "Unknown Pleasures" and "Pink Flag", you would have covered the genre and the scene nicely. I even think The Undertones self titled is a better fit and I am not even a huge fan of that album either. This album is a little more off the beaten path and I don't think it fits the list. Still solid with some good songs at the start but after "Clevor Trever", the album falls off to me. Still good but not something I would see myself coming back to, 7/10.
This was a fun lil album. It felt like a bloke from your local pub decided to make some music about all of the regulars he interacts with. It’s crude and goofy and somewhat catchy and suppose that’s all you need. I didn’t listen to the bonus tracks or anything but billericay dickie was a bop. What I imagine the British version of colt 45 to be.
Old school proto-punk. Decent.
I wanted to like this one, and in parts I did, but the misogyny in it was pretty heavy. I was surprised at the end where it just became a punk song though. That song was good. It was sorta a mish-mash of things, but not in a good way (for me). 2.5/5
Top 3 Songs: 1 - Blackmail Man (10) 2 - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (11) 3 - Blockheads (8)
Super weird album!! I feel it gets better the longer you listen to it as you get into a state of mind where you can appreciate dirty lyrics with mixed genres and english accent lol Saved tracks: I'm Partial To Your Abracadabra, Billericay Dickie, Blockheads
I mean I like Ian Dury, but top 1000? Of all time?
Meh. 3/5
What a weird but fun album
Interesting blend of styles and insight into the birth of a genre.
Estilo un tanto clásico con algún canción más gamberra. Inicialmente pudiera parecer inicios del punk. Agradable y fácil de escuchar. Totalmente desconocido para mí.
Joa nicht schlecht aber mehr irgendwie auch nicht
Manche Songs sind lustig aber nach ner zeit kommt das Lustige mmn zu over the top rüber und wird nen bisschen cringe. Decent 6/10
Feels a lot less of a novelty record than some of Ian Dury's big hits. It tails off towards the end, but overall enjoyable. Much more melodic and grown up than I was expecting. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Wake Up And Make Love With Me Date listened: 22/03/23
Bit of fun init
Top horny weirdo album
The first song was quite a hard listen, just the lyrics gave me some secondhand embarrassment and reminded me of that recording of Princes Charles dirty talking Camilla Parker Bowles. I think the album is a little weird on first listen but as you get further in, you also get more used to the sound of the artist.
Ik heb iets met die Ian Dury! Het zijn eigenlijk bijna carnavaleske nummers maar zijn stem fascineert me
Different and interesting, I enjoyed it
Old Wine in New Bottles
Had some fun moments. Got a little stale by the end, and didn't necessarily feel all that coherent as an album. The groove of the first song got my hopes up, but I felt like it never really got back there again. 6/10
I've never heard of this album, nor of Ian Dury before listening. It's weird, and a hard one to rate. I'm not a fan of the monotone, heavily English accented "singing" voice he uses on some of the songs, for example, Clever Trevor. It reminds me of the Squeeze song, Cool for Cats. On the other hand, you've got three (I think) songs where he changes it up and sounds like the Sex Pistols. (I looked it up, and this album came out a month before the Sex Pistols album.) It's not something I'd listen to often, but I'll give it a 3/5 at least for originality. Favorite song: Sweet Gene Vincent (or maybe Blockheads?)
Pretty odd and very cockney
Ian Dury is one of my dad's favourites. This album is absolutely a lot with lyrical and instrumental mayhem. Ian is a silly man with a serious streak, and I have a bit of a soft spot, even if there's inevitably a bit of dodginess in there. Like a fun midpoint between the storytelling comic singers of the 1960s and britpop. I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra is a title and a half. Some of these songs just straight up slap (Blockheads for example). 'The album's title derives from Dury's habit of buying clothes second hand and refers to the only items of clothing he insisted on buying new' lmao
Feels like a worse version of Scott walker
soooo strange. what’s even stranger is that I actually enjoyed it
Yea it was alright
Huh. Well that was something. I'd never heard Ian Dury before so I had no idea what to expect. Having heard it I'm still not sure what to expect. I kind of liked it and hated it in equal measure and often for the same reasons. I guess my overall feeling is that a little Ian Dury goes a long way. I found myself getting impatient in the middle of songs where only seconds earlier I was thinking it was pretty cool. The musicians were terrific throughout. And also, it was cool to hear a record that so obviously influenced Blur. Overall: good show, Ian. And also please stop.
I was going to rate this a 2 but the quality of the backing band and a few of the lyrics (too few!) bumped it to a 3.
Lidt skørt, men det fungerer alligevel. Gammelt rock, funk, punk
interesting
I knew one song by Ian Dury before listening, so I had a little bit of an idea of what I was getting myself into. I knew it was gonna be kind of weird, and it certainly was. There were some parts I liked, and some parts that were a bit much for me. This seems like something I'd like more upon revisiting. For now, it's getting a three. My favourite songs were Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, My Old Man, and Billericay Dickie.
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.
Sad no rhythm stick
Weird. I guess I could see why this would be mentioned together with the Clash or whatever, but this is way stranger. Some OK tracks, but not sure I'm coming back to listen this one again.
Kind of interesting, in a old sort of way. His voice was pretty annoying but I can see it having it’s place.
i knew this was going to very british from there being a song called "billericay dickie" and yet, it still somehow exceeded my expectations of how british i thought it was going to be. it's a very fun album (especially the pub rock tracks) though some of the lyrics are way too goofy and/or horny.
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is one of my absolute favorite songs, but this album is pretty meh compared to that one song. I like a few other tunes but I would definitely recommend skipping the album and start with the single.
Funny
3.5/5. Weird but fun listen, interesting lyrics.
Wtf is this cover. I like the start of the first song rn tho, can’t lie. Is this guy mentally handicapped? It’s honestly quite goood. Trending towards a 3 rn. It’s a 2.5, closer to 3 than 2 tho. However, it feels wrong that it’s one star from Kiwanuka, which was more like a 4.5 than a 4. Happy to finish listening, it was okay, nothing I’m going to relisten to tho. It has potential to grow on me tho.
Good old cockney rock n roll.
I think I've heard this album before on a "best of new wave" list or something. This guy seems like a very jokester artist who doesn't take himself too seriously. A few catchy songs but at a certain point in the album it feels like novelty. maybe that's the point? not bad but not something I would seek out again
Weird
Some interesting tracks but mostly just a lot of British yelling.
C'est un album éclaté plein de style, c'était vraiment bon j'ai apprécié l'écoute 3.85
Really nice mix of genres, but the album often feels too long to the point is tiring. The first half is fine, but I heavily preferred the second half, with its more punk-ish sound.
Good sound, very British, a little too vulgar
Good album. Took a minute warm up to it.
66/100: Never heard of this guy before, but found this album lyrically pretty funny. It almost feels like Lil Dicky’s mind dropped into a rock star’s body. With that being said, the music itself isn’t all that great. The only song that I actually enjoyed listening to was “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.” Will likely not revisit this album intentionally, but I’m glad I got a chance to discover this artist.
No awareness of this person other than that my brother once put Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll on one of the many mix tapes he gave me. I enjoyed this pretty well, though I suspect I’m losing a fair bit of the wit in translation, both of accent and slang.
Funny album and quitte enjoyable. Not something I would listen to regularly. But for one time it was fun. Favourite song: - Billericay Dicky
eh
2 is too harsh but 3 is too much.
It bad. Much better than I expected from the title
Well that was odd. Album started quite jauntily, cockney story-telling almost in the vogue of Chas and Dave, then developing into something a little more darker and unhinged.
Close to 4 star for me.
This isn't a three star review. It's a blended four star / two star review. The two stars come from the weird sex songs. I'll admit to being slightly prudish about this kind of stuff but they stand out to me as an unpleasant listen. On the other hand I enjoyed the rockers and especially the "slice of life" numbers that sound like a barely-literate Billy Bragg or working class Kinks.
At times high energy punky, at others funky groovy. Despite his extremely British voice, I found myself a bit charmed by the quirky grooviness of it.
There’s a great mix of songs and styles on this album. And the songwriting has humor and wit. Ian Dury seems to enjoy embodying despicable (even misogynistic) male characters - a surprising but frequently funny choice. I like when singers sing in their natural accent (like The Clash) and it’s very fun to hear Ian Dury sing almost conversationally in such a thick accent. Though sometimes the album can almost be a bit too British for me (“Billericay Dickie,” for example).
Welp, so much for innuendos... Ian Dury is pretty clear that this is supposed to be a "sexy" album hahah. I already have a hard time taking "talk-singing" seriously, so this just seems sooo jokey to me. I was glad to hear more variety in the music as the album went on, but still kept the ultra-direct "I shall caress your clitoris" lyrics.
"Wake Up and Make Love With Me" as an opener is 1. an amazing title, and 2. amazingly cool. Lyrics are funny as shit and I can't recall the last time I heard something like this as an opener that made me laugh so hard. It's a really interesting album and sound. I love how the second song starts as a slower ballad-type track and then about a minute and a half in it gets a big feel change with the drumset and rock and roll piano. It kind of sets the idea that you-never-know-what's-next for the rest of the album. It's sleazy and sexy in the best possible way.
Quirky, bawdy and irreverent, but also oddly charming at times. Deliberately noisy but whimsical as well, drawing on a wild variety of musical influences, from jazz and music hall to rockabilly. Ian Dury is an acquired taste, but this album grows on you if you give it a chance. Fave Songs: Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Blockheads, Clevor Trever, Plaistow Patricia, Blackmail Man, My Old Man, Billericay Dickie
I'm a little perplexed by this one. There's much to like here with it's grooving energy and variety, but there isn't anything too notable here, and the weirder bits added to the music don't gel well for me. Favorites: "Wake Up And Make Love With Me", "Sweet Gene Vincent", "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"
The opener is such a slick banger. A nice intersection between disco and punk. After that track, however, he slowly descended into Elvis Costello lite. The riffs and the overall atmosphere might be interesting, but it's pretty bland especially when compared to the opener. Near the end, he made a turn and became full pledged punk. Compare the explosive noise of the genre to the chill vibes of the opener. This album is quite a rollercoaster ride.
Speciaal genre: punk maar ook weer niet. Wel oké om naar te luisteren
Very horny album. The grooves are thick on this baby!
I am partial to parts of this (Billericay Dickie, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll), but I think mostly out of some kind of twisted nostalgia. The rest of the album isn't bad, but I'm not going to go out of my way to listen to it. Bonus points for the lyric "I come awake with a gift for womankind" though.
cool example that good songwriting is all you need for a nice album, Ian Durry sounds like an average bloke but the songs are still great
While the album is a fun romp that does not overstay it's welcome, the vocals are a bit too indistinct. The musical variety on the track helpsa lot, but the style of delivery really feels like it holds the album back. Highlight: Clevor Trever, Blockheads
Mildly entertaining. Like the vocalist's voice and overall style of the album. Nonetheless, there wasn't anything outstanding. Tounge-in-cheek lyrics.
Bardzo ciekawa progresja albumu, zaczynając od wolnijeszych ballad, a kończąc na rockowym, prawie punkowym brzmieniu. Co do warstwy lirycznej niestety nie wciąnęła mnie za bardzo.
J'imagine ça a du être une immense influence pour la scène punk émergente des années 70s, le chanteur fait un peu penser à Damon Albarn, mais pas full mon genre
Rockabilly is back or never left Very good compositions but I really hate the guy's voice
The more I hear it, the more I like it. Standouts: Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Clevor Trevor, Wake Up and Make Love With Me, My Old Man Others: Sweet Gene Vincent, Plaistow Patricia 3.5 / 5
Slightly unhinged album. Can appreciate it
Odd and unexpected. Will revisit someday.
It was fun
Middle of the road
Thanks 1001 albums, I never would have listened to this and my son never would have been introduced to the f-bomb c-bomb combo without you.
When I was about 9, I had a mix tape that had Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick on it - I had no idea who was singing it, or why, but I found it mesmerising.
Durchwachsen. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll hat natürlich Hymnen-Charakter, war aber das einzige, das ich kannte. Die anderen Songs sind mir größtenteils zu punkig; Wake Up and Make Love with Me, Clevor Trever und If I Was with a Woman fand ich zusätzlich zum erstgenannten allerdings recht pfiffig und außergewöhnlich.
No sire, not for me.
Fine - actually better than I expected. A unique British talent.
I like the cheekiness of the lyrics and delivery style. Not blown away but interested to hear more.
on second listen pretty good, lyrics are solid. 3
I enjoyed some songs, but most of it didn't grab me.
Y'all know I love comedy music especially when the music is very enjoyable too. Some of the basslines and grooves are awesome and really compliment the funny lyrics
Bit of fun innit - something a little different. Some infectious grooves and I find the accent quite endearing.
speciaal mijn papa is fan aha
Very good and layered punk album.
Stompin' band at the height of their powers, and a charismatic front man. Sometimes the lyrics are little overly clever (Dury never saw an easy rhyme he didn't like; Billericay Dickie is an example there), and the line between sexy and sexist is often crossed, and has dated especially poorly. Still, Dury is trying to shock and provoke a sense of fun. It's hard to be too outraged when you're dancing, after all. Dodgy sexual politics aside, this is a fun listen. Would buy.
Very cool and funky
A unique album to me. Worth a listen to for the lyrics, and I quite like the style of his voice. Some nice instrumental parts for example on "If I was with a woman".
I can see how this slapped in UK
arseholes bastards fucking cunts and pricks. my kind of lyrics. started a bit slow and a bit too knees up mother brown, but the second half picked up speed and was pretty bloody good. all of it was better than the album i accidentally started to listen to where robbie cunting williams was doing a cover version.
In what turned out to be an enormous error, I had a big, big wank on the morning of an IVF appointment, where I had to go into a little room and provide a sample. So, by the time the moment arrived, no matter how hard I went at it, I couldn't get anything out. In the end I just got some flour and milk and mixed it together with some spit and legged it out of there. My wife was not happy.
Haven’t heard before. Just okay.
Pretty good. Some cool punk and new wave vibes going here. Some strange songs. I enjoyed it but wasn't overly excited.
Don’t know how to pin point it other than the obvious accent but big Brit vibes
Good album, but nothing memorable
Drugs & Rock n Roll. Not so sure about the Sex.
An eclectic mix of musical styles from Disco to Punk Rock. The album seemed pleasing, but since this was a first listen for me, it didn't grab me right away. Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll is a song that I've heard before and recognized it right away. I had no idea previously, who sang it or when it was from. Stand Out Songs: Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
“Will you be... I hope you’ll be... I hope you’ll be showing your pussy tonight baby! Cause I’m gonna be wanking my fucking cock to you naked.”
Kinda fun
Super fun and lyrically a little bit shocking ahaha
Hmmm, it was fun but I don't know if I will ever listen to it again 2.5?
Intriguing but ultimately mediocre. 7.4/10
Punk/disco rock from England with pretty cool vocals and deep basslines. Definitely can tell it came out of the 70's - this album lets the good times roll!
This guy must get so much old lady poon. Good for him. Also Clevor Trever is the first rap song don't @me
Malgré la recherche desesperée de bad buzz de Ian Dury, faisant regulièrement allusion au sexe et aux femmes de manières generale, cet album restera eternellement aux oubliettes. Et pour cause, la qualité de ce dernier est hautement discutable, je mets neamoins 3 car je n'ai pas été dérangé non plus outre mesure
Um álbum com uma sonoridade agradável, no inicio até lembra Talking Heads. Contundo rapidamente notasse que é um álbum a fazer troça da existência. No geral acho que perde pontos por esta parte humoristica assim tão descarada. Em suma, o álbum ouve-se bem, não é demasiado longo, mas parece que estamos a ouvir uma compilçaõ de músicas pouco serias. Levando tudo isto em conta destaco o Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. Nota: 5/10 03/06/2024
Great album with some good tunes with excellent lyrics.
Har inte så mycket att säga vissa va okej, vissa va jobbiga—> 2,5/5
Good
Vocals were pretty bad, music was sometimes interesting. I’m not gonna listen again but it was entertaining 6/10
6/10. A strong British accent does make bad sex jokes about 20% funnier, which brings this up from a 5/10. I think it might have been more enjoyable if I'd been able to focus on it a bit more, because I could tell there were some jokes that I missed, but I don't think that would bring the rating significantly higher.
Rough-edged. 5/10
1977, Punk Rock, Pub Rock, disco, Music Hall, geht klar, nichts besonderes
Musically it's quite good. Lyrically...I feel transgressed and violated.
starts very good but it doesn't hold, has some cringey choruses
What a weird mashup of an album! Fave track - "Clevor Trever", maybe - or "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" I think this is a pay-attention-to-the-lyrics album, so probably need to relisten with more focus!
Funky, catchy, and downright bizarre. Really enjoyed the jazz/funk/reggae fusion of the music and thought the weird lyrics were funny for the most part. Reminds me of Warren Zevon and Frank Zappa. Highlights: -Wake up and Make Love With Me -Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll -
ok so this album is kinda bad but in a good way, the songs aren’t that great but still funny, his voice is a bit annoying but it’s sorta catchy and overall it all works together … but i most likely wouldn’t listen to the whole album again, sorry
Was ok - not my taste
Like Leonars Cohen but more vulgar which I respect.
I actually liked this more than I expected to. A lot of NSFW content but I never got the appeal of Ian Dury growing up. This is far more melodic than I expected.
Better than Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, but not something I much listen to any more.
Legendary
This is actually a very funny album with some real guitar riffs/rock accents.
AGGRESSIVELY HORNY. Like, seriously. This guy is so horny. But it has this really fun, classic feel to it, and his British accent is really thick, which kind of adds to the fun.
3.5
After a couple of listens, it has some appeal! Loved all the Essex references
Not a bad album, but not my type. Some songs were pretty good and had killer guitar.
Interesting album. I really like the varied instrumentation, and a lot of the songs are very catchy, but some songs just downwright annoying, and the album name is trash. Closer t0 a 3.3
I have a strong suspicion that the Americans are going to hate this one. And not without reason; Billericay Dicky is a song that I never want to hear again. That being said I did find myself grooving along to the opening track after I had gotten over some of the icky lyrics, and for this I did feel some shame. There are some other highs on this album and I do wonder if Dury's musicianship would be more respected if he had a more conventional voice. Favourites: Blackmail Man Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
This is one of those bands that I have heard of for years in relation to the punk rock and pub rock scenes but I had never checked them out. If all of the albums are like this then I don’t need to listen any further. The only song I recognized was Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll which was near the end of the album. It’s the only song that has stuck with me and one of the few that didn’t sound like a joke. 2/5
Eventually all sounded the same
yay more britslop (said no one ever) freaky ass song too wtf
britslop
Some decent songs, but in general the vocals don't really do it for me. I see why it was included though - very important album from a certain English point of view.
A mixed bag for me. For better or worse, it's one of the most utterly British things I've ever listened to. Not entirely convinced it warrants a spot on this list, but as I'm nearly 2/3 of the way through at this point, it's definitely not a surprise given the author's tastes.
That was weird and terrible.
I like parts of this album but others are horrible
meh cool piano intro but the voice is a bit of a turn off
The writing is trite, the music goofy. Really bad. And there's two platters of it.
Musiikki paikoitellen aika menevää funkkia ja diskoa, aika ympäriinsä matkaa genrejä pitkin levyä. Omaan makuun kinnaa vastaan BRI'ISH ESSEX BLOKE vokaalit, jotka on enempi puhelaulua juntilla brittiaksentilla. Brittiaksentti ja horny lyriikat ei jotenki mätsänny omiin mielenkiinnon kohteisiin, vaikka instrumentaalit uppos aivan hyvin.
eh
Sounds like something I found in my grandparents closet. 2/5 ⭐️ 250/1089
4/10
That should have been good but it just…wasn’t.
Fand es erst irritierend, dann witzig, dann nervte mich der Gesang.
Just because an album is irreverent, ribald and off-beat does not mean it is an album you need to hear before you die. And this is a case in point.
Entirely forgettable
This album fucking sucks but inexplicably becomes kinda, SORTA, ok in like the last 2 songs but EVERYTHING before that is insufferable
Well not really very enjoyable but not too horrible.
horny british guy which is jamming around (2.5/5.0) its funny and entertaining when you dont try to take it serious!
I can’t tell whether this is meant to be amusing. Not for me, really.
Very British. I didn't always love it.
Have never really been that into Ian Dury's stuff. I think the odd song can be fun in isolation, but a whole album of it just wears thin on me. It's also another album that really highlights how UK centric the list can be and how much it canonizes a very specific type of music fan's taste.
Bollocks
I wish it was the album by Monty Python. That's an album that everyone should listen to at least once.
5.5 / 10
A quirky record but I don't think it belongs in 1001.
I don’t really know what to say on this one.
When everything is a laugh, pretty soon nothing is.
This feels like one of those albums where you had to be there at the right time and in the right place to fully appreciate it. For me, though, this was way before my time, and I just happen to be in a completely different place. The witty and quirky humor? It feels like it didn’t quite survive the test of time. And the music behind it? That only seemed to weigh the album down even further.
Lisää englantilaista kuraa listalla…
The vocals really drag my enjoyment way, way down.
It's alright and definitely of its time. Reminds me of Robert Wyatt and not as interesting. Could see how it has an influence on punk and other subculture through the 70s and 80s. Just not my jam.
I know the cover well but never listened to this. it is all a bit pretentious and not really my thing at all. Glad to know I am not really missing anything not listening to this over the years. I know sex and drugs and rock and roll. Blockeads was the standout track. 2.5 stars
Haha this one came up on the same day I dropped it back in the free box outside the record store. Nuff said, I guess!
Feels like the Benny Hill of British rock w a touch of Sid Vicious thrown in now and again to make it feel dangerous. Tiresome just the same.
An odd mix of English folk and skiffle music, with a large dose of bawdry humor and lyrics thrown in. Definitely not a mainstream effort, but interesting in its own way.
--Wake Up and Make Love with Me...oh, we got some bass. it's funky but too repetitive --Sweet Gene Vincent...boring intro that makes a weird transition into rockabilly --I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra...don't love the talk-singing --My Old Man...the cool bass is back. the unfortunate talk-singing is also back --Billericay Dickie...is Jimmy Savile singing this? no thanks --Clevor Trever...when this guy gets funky he's enjoyable. there's also some light rapping --If I Was with a Woman...he deftly continues the funk. nice guitar solo --Blockheads...fun punk --Plaistow Patricia...sounds like one of the songs I ejaculated out in the car before guitar band practice. the bass and sax are doing fun things at the end --Blackmail Man...speed punk stuff. it's got solid energy but not for me --Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll...they are good indeed. fun song but I can't tell if it was on the original recording or not. (*Later edit: track was included on SOME original 1977 UK releases but not credited on the sleeve or label. "Sex..." did receive a full release and credit on the 1978 US version. So, I'll begrudgingly incorporate it into my rating)
Yeah, not great. This didn't start out too bad, though as the songs went along, I found his voice started grating on me. The mix of music was bad: new wave, punk, etc. it was all just held back by relatively bad lyrics and his signing. Ultimately just not my thing, but not as bad as The Specials which I just listened to. 2 stars
A good example of what millennia of inbreeding will get ya.
Found the whole thing entirely weird, no wonder that generations views on woman stemmed for a future generation of “you can’t say anything now” felt like I was in an adult nursery class being held by a cockney geezer.
The album starts out with the sex-pesty Wake Up and Make Love with Me, which I quite liked the music for, despite everything else. I thought if the rest of the album was catchy pub-rock fun, I'd be able to look past some icky lyrics and Ian Dury's one-trick-pony vocals. But by the time I got to the monotonously annoying Billericay Dickie, I was no longer having fun. When I got to If I Was with a Woman, I was less certain that Dury was "playing a character" and that he wasn't just a fucking abject worm (see also his relationship with Jane Horrocks, so generously described as "tumultuous"). By the closer, which just sounded like a drunkard shouting racial slurs in the street, I found myself feeling wistful for the charm of that first track of Dury rubbing his boner on you and muttering that you'd better wake up. Two stars because I often really enjoyed the music itself, and I liked Sweet Gene Vincent and My Old Man. But too much of this album was irritating, one-note, and slimy.
Perhaps if I'd been a Cockney barrow boy I may have understood the acclaim Ian Dury received at the time. Heard so many of these songs before that it almost sounds like a greatest hits album. I did listen through this lot though but won't be bothering again. Unfortunately it was never really my cup of Rosie me old china. Sorry.
Really tempted to give this a 1, but I actually quite liked most of the backing tracks. The problem was when he started singing.
This is a relatively alright album. Nothing too exciting and sounds quite old, but it was alright leaving it in the background.
The instrumentation is pretty good for the most part. I'm not a fan of the vocals. My least favourite was Billericay Dickie.
First guitar line of the big hit is all my brain and body need of this.
No thanks
I think he's unique - he doesn't sound like anyone else and instantly recognisable. That said, the opener might be the most off-putting opener I've had on the list so far, and it is frequently irritating. Prefer the more punky sounding songs.
I appreciate the weirdness in it and the musical variation.
Ummm...ok.
Another blind listen. Album title and cover are really cool. ——— Okayyy music is groovy and layered. I love his accent. i’m listening as my husband lays asleep next to me, so the opening track is really making me feel some sort of way. It’s not my cup of tea per se but it’s reallly fun. ___________________________ Despite the fact that most of Ian's singing is really him speaking, it's quite nice. He's got a soothing voice, and his accent is really great. __________________________ Billericay Dickie is too folky for me. ___________________________ Many of the songs in the middle sound the same, to be honest. Woah the breakdown at the end of If I was with a woman is amazing!! ______________________ What a turn into blockheads. the farting sounds were genuinely disturbing. it's giving being drunk as fuck so I guess its doing what its meant to. ________________ The album started off more promising then it just kept getting crazier and not in a way that I am able to appreciate. __________________ over so quick! I appreciate it for what it is, a funky punk rock expression of what white british man pub life was like in the late 70s. but it does not speak to anything meaningful or interesting enough to warrant listening ever again. I enjoyed the opening track but nothing more as a full track. __________________ POEM: Wake up, and make love with me To the song of the coffee machine and The fork that hits the plate reaching for the cake Wake up, stretch your body against the mattress and look at me Tell me all about last night’s dreams
Listening session: june 20th, while chilling on our balcony in Sicily Listened to before: no Thoughts: Favourite tracks: Wake Up And Make Love With Me? Didnt listen after clevortrever
Doesn’t feel like a serious album so much as a musical skit during a tv comedy (I realise I’m probably describing The Young Ones which was likely influenced by this)
This is the most British album ever released. I genuinely can’t tell if I hated it or the absurdity falls into a kind of love for it. Odd, odd album.
It was alright. Kinda ignorable.
333/1089 okay so i’m four songs in and i think this is on the bearable end of the “bri’ish pub rock” cringe spectrum and then i get hit by Billericay Dickie… ffs LAUGHING LAUGHING LAUGHING LAUGHING LAUGHING LAUGHING okay now he’s playing in my face bc why are we doing a gross fart sound on blockheads? unfortunately the album took an annoying turn and never recovered imo 23/100
The Far From Divine Comedy? There wasn't much to like about this. Even the title is off-putting -- and the vocals are similarly repellent. Some of the music was a little interesting -- I liked it when the Moog showed up. It's the sort of pub music that feels like it's giving you an STD against your will. I suppose I'll give it some positive marks for originality. Once I became acclimated to the style, I found "Clevor Trever" and "If I Was with a Woman" alright. The last three songs squander any goodwill I was starting to feel. The bonus track, "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is nothing special. All this adds up to the lightest of 2s.
Eh
Yeah this is absolutely not an album you should have listened to before dying. It's not inherently bad, but the voice is very annoying in my opinion. It's a question of 'How British can you get?' which is very off putting. The low recording quality also makes it tough to listen to the craftmanship of the musicians. 2/5
Miced bag of parts that really don't leave you on the fence. Either you dig the overly british voice or you don't. Either you find the coarse lyrics funny or vulgar. And I find my opinion meandering from song to song between "ok sod that was over the line, he's not singing here" and "Sounds a bit like Blur, nice." I do think there's a bit of the book writer's nostalgia coming through here. The review in the book is more about Ian Dury as a person and the fact he finds the lyrics funny than anything musical.
He likes to fuck and drink I guess. I don't get the appeal
oof not a pleasant listen
This dude fucks chicks in DK Mode.
i have had an irrational hatred for ian dury for most of my life and i genuinely could not tell you why. i liked aspects of this, like the first couple of songs and the bass on if i was with a woman, but taking the album as a whole i wasn't really able to get behind it
I could not listen. Too goofy
Good, but just kinda gross... and most Bri'ish sounding guy ever.
Till en början trevligare än vad jag trott. Inledande Wake up and…gillar jag. Skön discokänsla. En del hyfsad punk också. Men tramslåtar som Billericay Dickie kunde vi ha varit utan. Tyvärr blir det mer och mer på minuskontot ju längre in i albumet vi når.
Eddie Meduza-versionen av the Clash. Funkar säkert att skråla på puben. Trevligt sväng emellanåt.
I get why the creator of this list would like this but I didn’t.
Some of it was kind of interesting. 2.5
Not really my thing.
It’s a 70s funk album. That’s also a punk album that has some of the weirdest lyrics I’ve ever heard.
God damn... This album list really is just a bunch of old British men jerking off each other's music tastes, isn't it? There can not be a single soul on this planet who isn't a 60-year-old British man who cares about this album, right? I know I don't care for it! Granted, I am pretty much the total opposite of the target demographic for this, but that didn't stop me from liking other "incredibly British albums" from bands like the Kinks and Blur. I think this album is genuinely just bad. Now, I will say that it's not all bad. I think the music of this album is genuinely pretty good. Most of the instrumental parts of these songs are enjoyable. Honestly, if this album was just the instrumentals, I think I would enjoy this album enough to give it a decent 3/5 or so. But that's not how things work around here. We have to deal with Ian Dury's singing and songwriting, and I don't like it. He puts no effort into his singing on most songs, and on the occasion that he does put effort into it, it sounds like crap. The songwriting might genuinely be even worse than that. Bro really says multiple slurs in the final song of the album. What the fuck. This album made me uncomfortable. Once again, I think the music here is genuinely quite good, but the voice and lyrics just ruin everything. This guy's kind of like a 70s British equivalent to Limp Bizkit in a way, except I genuinely enjoyed the Limp Bizkit album more than these. Jesus. Yeah, this is ass. Decent 2/5. The good instrumentals save this from being a 1.
Great instrumentals, not so great vocals. I feel like a singer this mediocre has no place singing over instrumentals this good, but I guess that's part of the style. Similar to the last album, there was one or two songs where he actually sang from his chest, likely mimicking styles from America, and he had some decent vocal jobs. But for most of the album, it was that nasally half-singing that I just can not really enjoy. It didn't take me long to figure out that this guy is pretty raunchy, with varying results. I thought "if I was with a woman" was pretty funny/cheeky Strong two to a light three
They just keep getting more English This album has its merits, there are some interesting bits, but the music is not primary. I'm not likely to love an album where the lyrics are the primary focus rather than the sound. At least there is variety in the styles of song. Fairly enjoyable listen that I won't come back to. I'm definitely not the target audience
The single Sweet Gene Vincent failed to chart and I can see why. I wouldn’t want to hear it on the radio. Some of the funk songs had a great funky baseline but when you stop and listen to the lyrics or his voice, it’s rough.
5/10 This one has a lot of personality. It’s weird, cheeky, funky, and very British in its own way. Not connects with me, but I respect how unique it is.
No. 2.3
Meh
This reminds me of when someone takes a sip of a weird drink and says, “this is terrible, you have to try it!”
Some of the music behind this was good - especially the bass But he's southern so he can fuck off the cunt
+1 for that random part of one song that straight up sounded like a wet fart. Bravo. 2/5
One or two listenable to take it out of 1 star territory but overall did not enjoy
respectfully… no
This is completely unhinged. It’s more of a cultural artefact than an album. So I agree it should be on the list, but I can’t say I enjoyed it.
Imagine this soundtracked the BBC’s office parties in the 80s. Musically, it’s a bop. Lyrically it makes me feel queasy. I’m going to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and assume the lyrics are from the perspective of characters rather than Ian being an absolute creep.
Didn’t like a lot of the lyrics, sexist. Music very mid. 3/10
Ist ok, kann man mal machen
The kind of shit ass music Austin Powers would probably obsess over
sounds in the realm of something Jessica would like
Ian Dury you crazy bastard. Talk about strange, in a comical way. That's what saved this album from being a 1 star. It made me laugh it was so bad
This is novelty music. I disliked most of it, especially his voice.
I understand this was an E album, but I thought it was more childish and crass rather than explicit. Not my thing.
Solo para iniciados....
Not my vibe even though I like Folk and old rock
Lille 2’er, overhovedet ikke noget for mig men jeg hørte det på en bar, og det passede meget godt til den
Decent album. Bass: very good Drums: ok Vocals: ok Guitar: was there any? It’s kind of positive rock from 70s, like Loaf Meat if something like that.
Defintely a weird and wonderful album. Super groovy, the instruments in the background are playful and fun, but damn those lyrics are fucking crazy lol. Sweet Gene Vincent I can see myself going back to. I can imagine an old perverted man listening to some of these songs maybe its the voice? But the songs are very visual. But the lyrics are a fever dream
the first half of sweet gene vincent is awesome and then everything else is 70's slop
If you judged a book by its cover you’d think this album was gonna be pretty interesting. Turns out it was boring AF.
This guy isn’t one for nuanced lyrics
Oi, this album sucks. It's redeemed, slightly, by a couple of songs, "Sweet Gene Vincent" and "Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll," both of which are fun and goofy. Most of the album is either old English vaudeville which isn't nearly as amusing as it thinks it is, or pub punk songs like "Blockheads" and "Plaistow Patricia," both about sleazy characters from the underside of British life. No thanks on either. There's just a smarmy, douchey quality to the whole thing. I'm rounding up from 1.5 stars.
Oh boy, this was weird. In a sea of British albums that this list is, this one is probably the most British so far lol. Interesting to hear a combination of punk, disco, and music hall. I thought it was pretty fun musically, too bad Ian Dury can’t sing very well.
Ik las de reviews en kwas verbaast da iedereen zo slecht sprak over dit album... en dan ben ik naar het 2de nummer gegaan en snapte ik het plots.
Sex and drugs and Rock & Roll war ja ganz nett
1001 albums but each album gets more British
I thought I hated it, then thought it wasn't too bad, and ended up finding it pretty annoying.
NGL I thought some of this slapped. His voice is definitely an acquired taste and the lyrics can be ridiculous but they grab you. Some song were absolute ass though and were very childish. Fave song: Plaistow Patricia, Wake Up And Make Love To Me 2/5
Ian Dury has a lot of personality, and the songs are unmistakably his. Unfortunately, with the exception of the first track, I struggle to stay engaged with them. They're, for the most part, not bad, but I just find myself getting a bit bored by the end of each one.
I’m not sure this has aged particularly well.
I did not like this one. Maybe I just don't get it, but it sort of feels like a "you had to be there" kind of album, if that makes sense.
This project is making me appreciate that this era of British working class eccentrics being allowed to make pop music existed. Half these songs are straight music hall ditties and most of them sound exactly the same. I don't like them very much but I do appreciate their existence.
If you just remove the singer, it'd be so much better.
The music and vocals aren't the problem here, it's the gross, pervy and strange lyrics. I have no wish to revisit this.
Man what the hell I hate how I actually like the sound of the music, some of those baselines are actually catchy and the use of saxes is really well done. If this was an instrumental album I really think it’d be a 4, but unfortunately the guy has to open his mouth. I’m pretty confident that this is the worst the vocals have been for any album so far, it’s like he’s trying to sound as aggressively British as possible. I’m pretty sure he tried to sing in as close to an everyday voice as possible to hammer home the themes of this album, but it makes him sound like a classless idiot (especially with how shallow and dumb some of those lyrics are). One of the only songs he actually puts some oomph into his vocals for (Blockheads) sounds so much better than the rest of the album, though even that one has so much else to dislike about it. I’ll admit this is definitely one I’d like more if I was British and I didn’t hate that stupid britslop accent, but I think an album that sounds ear grating to everyone not living in your country can’t be considered good.
Band is tight and doing some interesting stuff. The vocals are absolute garbage, though. 2 stars
de ersti Teil vom Album hani gar ned mal so schlecht gfunde aber denn irgendwenn hets öppis bi ihm putzt und er isch insane worde. Schad für ihn unds Album, aber darum nur zweimal go bsueche ide Gummizelle
could be a 1
The aural equivalent of being slobbered over by a drunk sex pest who thinks he charming and funny.
Not for me
Probably fun to listen to in other settings or occasions, but def not in the mood today. 2.5
Simple & funky... maybe too simple. Favs: Blockheads Wake up and make love with me Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Geezer core. All rude banter, character studies in pub blokes, goofy singalongs, and tipsy accordion. The warm ale of music. Possibly the most English album of all time.