Various - Brand New Boots and Panties

  by John Clarkson

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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When Ian Dury died last year , Britain lost one of its best singer songwriters. Dury recorded, both as a solo artist and also with his band the Blockheads, ten albums in a musical career that expanded nearly thirty years. He is best remembered though for his 1978 number one single 'Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick', and his first album with the Blockheads, the seminal 'New Boots and Panties'. Released in 1977, 'New Boots and Panties' fused together cockney musical hall wit and deft lyrical characterisation with the new wave and punk sensibilities of the time, but also contained elements of jazz, funk, blues and even disco. Half singing, half speaking his gravelled vocals, Dury would make other records in a similar format and would remain an always engaging and consistent talent. He would never again, however, quite match the dizzying heights of 'New Boots and Panties', which would remain his masterpiece and spending ninety weeks on the British albums chart, be by far his biggest success. When Dury reformed the Blockheads two years before his death, as he fought a concurrent and spirited public battle against the cancer that would eventually kill him, his work received a much deserved revival and renewed interest. It was perhaps inevitable, as well as appropriate, that some form of tribute album should eventually follow and so now, just over a year on from his death last March, we, therefore, have, 'Brand New Boots and Panties', a covers reworking of the original, which features the Blockheads providing backing on all but two of the eleven tracks, and a wide array of special guests. There is an argument that the best covers are those which are as far removed as possible from their original source , and on 'Brand New Boots and Panties', this is certainly true. Sinead O' Connor on 'Wake Up and Love with Me' replaces the roguish wide boy charm of Dury's original with a splendidly aching and desperate vulnerability, while Cerys Matthew, by once more putting a different slant on an old theme, again invests 'If I Was With a Woman' with new meaning. Paul McCartney acquits himself well too with a blustering rock 'n' roll vocal on 'I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra' which contrasts neatly with Dury's more languid version of the song. The rest of the album is, however, a patchier affair. There is nothing really terrible here, and a lot of it, particulary Feeder vocalist Grant Nicholas's rendition of 'Blockheads', is on its own merits in fact very good. It all remains though just a little too faithful to its source, and Dury's unique rough diamond charm, always the high point of all his albums, is too much of a marked absence and an irreplacable loss for it ever to be really inspiring or fulfilling. Not a bad album then by any means , but one which is worthy and competent rather than overall a success. Enjoyable enough though, and well enough done to hopefully restore further interest yet in the original album.

Track Listing:-

1 Wake Up And Make Love With Me - Sinead O'Connor
2 Sweet Gene Vincent - Robbie Williams
3 I'm Partial To Your Abracadabra - Paul McCartney
4 My Old Man - Madness
5 Billericay Dickie - Billy Brag And The Blokes
6 Clevor Trever - Wrecless Eric
7 If I Was With A Woman - Cerys Matthews
8 Blockheads - Grant Nicholas
9 Plaistow Patricia - Shane Mac Gowan
10 Blackmail Man - Keith Allen

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