"On The Soul Side" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (May 2018 Ace/Kent Soul 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue With 10 Bonus Tracks and Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...It Will Stand..."

I grimace now at the thought of it - but back in the day when I needed money for our kids or something - I sold my prized collection of 50 Kent LPs into the job (I worked at Reckless Records in Berwick Street and had diligently collected them across years). The idea at the time was that they (Kent LP compilations) were plentiful - turned up at every record fair and were cheap too. There was always 10 or 15 different titles lying around the basement of "Cheapo, Cheapo" in Rupert Street at £2.50 a throw.

Cut to decades later and with the demise of secondhand record shops everywhere and the rise of CD - it's a very different story. What was once plentiful and easy to access on LP is now not so, superseded by Ace's legendary 'Kent Soul' CD compilations which themselves are 32-years satisfying the marketplace and numbers probably 200+ releases and counting (the first showed in 1986).

The label 'Ace Records' began in 1975 but they started their 'Kent Soul' imprint with the vinyl LP compilation "For Dancers Only" on Kent KENT 001 in September 1982. By the time they'd wound down vinyl reissues on Kent in March 1990 with the Green Garland LP "Just For The Doctor" – the imprint had clocked up 97 releases on the black stuff. Which brings us to this fabulous 2018 CD reissue of their popular sixth outing KENT 006...

It gives us the original September 1983 16-track UK LP and adds on a further 10 relevant bonus cuts (not 12 as stated on the rear CD inlay) many of which are either new to digital or previously unreleased. I'd even argue that the 10 Bonuses would make up one helluva VINYL LP of their own right. Here are the steppers, sweaters and kiss-me-quick-squeeze-me-slow smoochers...

UK released 26 May 2018 (8 June 2018 in the USA) - "On The Soul Side" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace/Kent CDKEND 473 (Barcode 029667086929) is a 26-Track CD compilation based around a 16-Track 1983 compilation LP (Tracks 1 to 16 – Tracks 17 to 26 are Bonuses) that plays out as follows (64:42 minutes):

Side 1 of the original September 1983 UK LP:

1. Love And Desire - PATRICE HOLLOWAY (November 1966 US 7" single on Capitol 5778, A-side)

2. Gonna Fix You Good (Every Time You're Bad) - LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS (July 1966 US 7" single on Veep V-1233, A-side)

3. Dr. Love - BOBBY SHEEN (1966 US 7" single on Capitol 5672, B-side of "Sweet Sweet Love")

4. Ready, Willing And Able - JIMMY HOLIDAY & CLYDIE KING (April 1967 US 7" single on Minit 32021, A-side)

5. A Lot Of Love - HOMER BANKS (May 1966 US 7" single on Minit 32000, A-side)

6. Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) - THE O'JAYS (April 1965 US 7" single on Imperial 66102, A-side)

7. The Record - H.B. BARNUM (March 1965 US 7" single on Capitol 5391, A-side)

8. It Was Easier To Hurt Her - GARNET MIMMS (March 1965 US 7" single on United Artists UA 848, A-side)

Side 2 of the original September 1983 UK LP:

9. Fortune Teller - BENNY SPELLMAN (March 1962 USA 7" single on Minit 644, B-side to "Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)") - Side 2 of Original LP

10. It Will Stand - THE SHOWMEN (September 1961 US 7" single on Minit 632, A-side)

11. Boy Watcher - GINGER THOMPSON (September 1968 US 7" single on 123 Records 1702, A-side)

12. Do-Wah-Diddy - THE EXCITERS (December 1963 US 7" single on United Artists UA 662, A-side)

13. I Want You To Be My Baby - ELLIE GREENWICH (April 1967 US 7" single on United Artists UA 50151, A-side)

14. Point Of No Return - GENE McDANIELS with The Johnny Mann Singers (July 1962 US 7" single on Liberty 55480, A-side)

15. Baby, I Love You - JIMMY HOLIDAY (May 1966 US 7" single on Minit 32002, A-side)

16. What's A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You) - TIMI YURO (June 1962 US 7" single on Liberty 55469, A-side)

2018 CD BONUS TRACKS:

17. If You Were A Man - CLYDIE KING (May 1965 US 7" single on Imperial 66109, B-side of "The Thrill Is Gone")

18. Nobody Treats Me The Way You Do - THE MAGNIFICENT MEN (From the 1968 US Stereo LP "The World Of Soul" on Capitol ST 2846)

19. The Thrill Of Romance - PATRICE HOLLOWAY (2018, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED)

20. It's What's Underneath That Counts - JUNE JACKSON (July 1966 US 7" single on Imperial 66185, A-side)

21. What You Gonna Do (When Your Love Is Gone) - BOBBY WOMACK (February 1968 US 7" single on Minit 32037, B-side of "What Is This")

22. Trick Bag - EARL KING (January 1962 US 7" single on Imperial 5811, A-side)

23. Don't Let Your Eyes Get Bigger Than Your Heart - SYLVIA ROBBINS (March 1964 US 7" single on Sue 805, A-side)

24. The Man Who Don't Believe In Love - MARV JOHNSON (January 1964 US 7" single on United Artists UA 691, B-side of "Unbreakable Love")

25. Love Is A Hurtin' Thing - LOU RAWLS (August 1966 US 7" single on Capitol 5709, A-side)

26. Nothing Left To Do But Cry - MERRY CLAYTON (December 1963 US 7" single on Capitol 5100, A-side)

The 20-page booklet features new liner notes from ADY CROASDELL and aptly so too because he wrote the original rear sleeve under the pseudonym Harboro Horace aka 'Horace & The Boys' – all 161 words of it. In fact he jokes that in 1983 an essay of such brevity was all you got – today of course you expect and get more like 3 to 10 thousand words. Across the jam-packed pages there's the usual plethora of fabulous memorabilia (a publicity still for Little Anthony & The Imperials – Tom Waits will be pleased), those gorgeous Minit, Imperial, United Artists and Capitol labels (some British demos and American promos), trade adverts and sheet music for cool dudes like Homer Banks, Garnet Mimms, The Showmen and Gene McDaniels, even an early picture sleeve for the gorgeous Merry Clayton who of course duetted to such stunning effect with Mick Jagger on "Gimme Shelter" later in 1969 (those boys knew their stuff). On top of all that there is a track-by-track breakdown and fantastic-sounding transfers mastered by one of Ace’s long-standing Audio Engineers – DUNCAN COWELL who handled many of the brilliant Blue Horizon CD Reissues for Sony back in 2006 and beyond (I've reviewed most). It's the usual classy affair from Ace – to the legendary music...

The original LP (Tracks 1 to 16) still stands up so well - a great run of tracks - dancers, smoochers and all points in-between. It's all Sixties music - mostly 1966 in fact - that pivotal year. The boppers like Jimmy Holiday's joyous "Ready, Willing And Able" and Patrice Holloway's gorgeous Girl Soul number "Love And Desire" already elevate Side 1 - but there's no slacking on Side 2 either with the shuffling R&B of Spellman's "Fortune Teller" and the grandstanding vocal performance from songwriter Norman Johnson on The Showman's "It Will Stand" - a talent he would bring to bear with Chairman Of The Board in the early Seventies. The racy talk of the 'other sex' in Ginger Thompson's "Boy Watcher" on the obscure 123 Records was new to Soul fans when the LP came out (a great discovery too) - while the three ladies in The Exciters (Brenda Reid, Lillian Walker and Carol Johnson) brought their version of "Do-Wah-Diddy" to the Oasis Club in Manchester (a 1963 Lieber & Stoller Production). Ellie Greenwich turns a 1953 Louis Jordan hit written by Jon Hendricks into a 'yeah yeah' raver - the famous and revered songwriter's only chart success (low hundreds in 1967). Britain's beat boys The Alan Brown covered Little Anthony & The Imperials and a rare flop for them - the very Motownish "Gonna Fix You Good (Every Time You're Bad)" while the upbeat "Dr. Love" by Bobby Sheen is the very stuff of Northern Soul magic and may indeed induce you to cover the linoleum with Talcum Powder.

The quality of the BONUS TRACKS is shocking. Of the 10 new additions Croasdell quite rightly sings the praises of the gorgeous "If You Were A Man" - Clydie King lifting the Jerry Riopell and Nick De Caro production up into the Soul premium seats. The Magnificent Men has Lead Vocalists Dave Bupp and Adrian 'Buddy' King sounding like girls on the initial stages of "Nobody Treats Me The Way You Do" - but as the tune progresses their prowess turns into fantastic growls. Winner number three comes from June Jackson whose self-penned "It's What's Underneath That Counts" feels like Tammi Terrell tearing it up over at Motown as she eyes MG with affection in the booth opposite. Speaking of fantastic growlers - any compilation is enhanced in my book by including Bobby Womack's Minit Records material - and the "What It Is" flipside "What You Gonna Do (When Your Love Is Gone)" is another dancefloor cool one - the kind of shuffler NS fans love. R&B looms large in Earl King's cool "Trick Bag" - the kind of song that every white-boy band in the Sixties covered. Even better is a fab morality tale on the hugely likeable organ-and-brass grinder "Don't Let Your Eyes Get Bigger Than Your Heart" from Sylvia Robbins - a great singer and savvy Soul lady who went on to form the All Platinum label. Marv Johnson's sweet shuffler "The Man Who Don't Believe In Love" combined with the classy CD finisher "Nothing Left To Do But Cry" from Merry Clayton make you want Ace to issue these 10 tracks as a stand alone LP. Groovy baby...

What did we expect because Ace has made a winner better - yet again. It's only taken 30 years to do it. It will stand indeed. Well done to all involved...

"Bad Day At Black Rock" – the 1955 Film by JOHN STURGES (May 2018 Warners/HMV UK 'Premium Collection' BLU RAY, DVD and Download Reissue) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...The Body Of A Hippo And The Brains Of A Rabbit..."

At times it’s hard not to think that Spencer Tracy was in fact the greatest actor who ever lived. His brooding slow-build performance in John Sturges’ "Bad Day At Black Rock" gave him a fifth Oscar Nomination for Leading Role in 1955 (when he passed in 1967 Tracy had been nominated nine times and had won twice for Captain Courageous in 1937 and Boys Town in 1938 – the first actor to win two years running).

But first a few notes about this new 2018 British-Issued BLU RAY, DVD and DOWNLOAD version...

In June 2018 – the UK Premium Collection Series for Warner Brothers (in conjunction with HMV UK – purchasable in store or online) will reach title No. 65 (I've compiled the full list below with Barcodes so you can locate the right issue). But please note – there is also a Warners 'Premium Collection' out of Europe (Germany I think) where titles come in 'Digibook' form. Most releases in that film series are different to their UK counterparts ("Excalibur" appears to be the only duplicate). Examples of European 'Premium Collection' releases include Troy, A.I., The Matrix, The Butterfly Effect, 10,000 BC, The Golden Compass, John Rambo, The Hurt Locker, Body Of Lies, Shoot 'Em Up and many more. Back to this latest 'UK' reissue...

Numbered on the card spine as 63 in the series - the glossy card slipcase once again lends this 2-disc release a very classy feel and the banded four artcards clipped inside are a very nice touch indeed - even if they are only the pencil drawings of Robert Ryan, Anne Francis and the same one of Spencer standing by the railway track that was used on the cover art (the fourth is the film’s poster art). Beneath the see-through trays that hold the two discs is another poster spread across both sides in Black and White that advertises the 1955 MGM Film in Colour! It’s a 2-Disc Set (BLU RAY and DVD) with no Region Code listing on either disc. From previous issues I’ve found that the BLU RAY is All Regions but the DVD is Region 2 (UK and Europe only) and therefore USA/Sub-Continent buyers will require a multi-region player to play the DVD if they buy this issue. There is no booklet (mores the pity – only a few titles in this series have one) - but there is a digital download code sheet to watch the movie on the go and an advert sheet with the first 60 titles listed (basic details only). Let’s get to the print and extras...

It's a 1080p High Definition Transfer, 16 x 9 – 2:4:1 Screen Ratio, a DTS Master-Audio with English in 2.0 – Subtitle is English for the Hard Of Hearing only. The Special Features are a Theatrical Trailer and a feature-length Commentary on the Film by Movie Historian Dana Polan – a University Professor in Southern California. The commentary may be extremely dry – but it's hugely informative and insightful as to what's happening on screen and why - I enjoyed it a great deal. It is of course crushing that there's no onscreen or off interviews with the stellar cast or Sturges - but the commentary as I say is a genuinely superb extra worth having. To the movie...

Sturges was and became famous for Westerns – "Escape From Fort Bravo" in 1953, "Gunfight At The OK Corral" would follow 1955's "Bad Day..." in 1957, "The Magnificent Seven" in 1960 and later of course a Western of another sort - "The Great Escape" in 1963. So its no surprise that his deliberate choice of Widescreen gives the film an aggressive Western look – dust blowing – used up ramshackle buildings in a town that’s been left behind while the rest of the country ploughs on into a Space Age future. The MGM colour is gorgeous and very clean throughout. There is a natural grain on almost every shot so it’s not pinprick perfect – but (and I can't state this enough) – restoration has been done here and the print has a fabulous vibrancy because of it. You also notice things more. While most of the men wear nondescript hats or none at all - Tracy wears a Black Trilby while Robert Ryan wears a Red Baseball Cap – the two colours stand out – marking them out as opposing forces. When the modern-looking Fifties Southern Pacific train speeds through desert and track in the opening title sequence – again its red-coloured siding is blazing – like a stained bullet hurtling towards its target. As it pulls into the crossroads and stops – we see men all along the porches watch eagle-eyed to see if anyone gets off – and when Spencer does – they grimace - sensing danger or even a reckoning.

Returning to this dark Fifties small-town murder-hunt in 2018 and I'm still marvelling at the extraordinary layering ST gives his John MacCreedy character – a one-armed World War II veteran who faces verbal and physical violence on returning to a modern day town that clearly wishes he’d stayed away or better still lost his life entirely in battle. It’s a clenched-fist place filled with broken men who either drink, skulk on porches or glare from outside the town's one hotel with malevolent intent - themselves under the heel of an even bigger bully - Robert Ryan’s character – Reno Smith – a man who seems to have a grip so tight on them that one look will silence all dissenters mid-sentence. There's only one woman on show – a young but dainty-looking grease monkey in the town's tires 'n' gas garage (Anne Francis) – there are no children anywhere – there's nothing to do but sweat in the unrelenting desert sun. Although it’s supposed to be Modern Day America – Black Rock feels like a declining frontier town you really should have avoided even if you're thirsty and in need of rest.

Thugs come in the shape of Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin – but its Reno Smith who quickly works out that MacCreedy’s unfazed yet determined way will dig out and expose their dirty little secret – a Japanese farmer called Komoko who went missing four years back post Pearl Harbour and all that nationalistic heated blood. Spence checks out his last known address – Adobe Flats – but finds a burnt down house and on the way back into town – Ernest Borgnine tries to run him off the road. This is a place where another hard man drives into town with a dead steer on his bonnet – its once-proud antlers dangling over his dirty radiator grill. If it isn’t implied macho violence – it’s actual cowardice as the local lawman (Dean Jagger) lies drunk in the bed of his own prison cell. In one scene the sheriff is being grilled on what the stranger asked about and is then soundly put in another box by the overbearing Robert Ryan - "...you've the body of a hippo and the brains of a rabbit..." he snarls at the sheriff and sadly the drunk meekly agrees. The only tiny semblance of decency comes in the local Doctor played by Western Movies veteran Walter Brennan who warns MacCreedy to get out of town. Andre Previn's music also amps up the tension as mob rule goes after lone decency.

“Bad Day At Black Rock” is a great film anchored by the mighty Spencer Tracy abled assisted by a troupe of hugely capable acting sidekicks who you suspect knew they were doing good work in a good movie helmed by a Directing great. Dig up the new dirt on this one and enjoy...

PS: Some details about the Warner Brothers 'Premium Collection' BLU RAY Reissue Series In Conjunction With HMV UK (releases 2016 to 2018):

Each 2-Disc Set Contains a BLU RAY, a DVD, a Digital Download Code (with Ultraviolet), an Exclusive Outer Glossy Slipcase and 4 Art Cards (usually one is the movie poster and others are stills from the movie). None of the 56 releases to date have booklets except where noted (11, 27, 31, 40 and 53) and “Casablanca” (No. 48) is the only issue in the Series with Three-Discs. The Entire Series is numbered on the silver spine with the year of the film's release above that number (as per the list below). Begun in October 2016 - releases are ongoing into 2018 and while some have been available in the USA many titles are first time on BLU RAY in the UK and Europe...

2016 RELEASES:

1. Them (1955) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202770

2. Forbidden Planet (1956) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202985

3. The Omega Man (1971) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202763

4. Soylent Green (1973) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202756

5. All The President's Men (1976) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202626

6. Logan's Run (1976) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202718

7. The Shining - Extended Cut (1980) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202206

8. Diner (1982) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202664

9. Little Shop Of Horrors (1986) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202749

10. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) - released 3 October 2016 - Barcode 5051892202848

2017 RELEASES (except No. 48):

11. King Kong (1933) - released 27 February 2017 - Barcode 5051892206600 (with 32-Page Booklet)

12. The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938) – released 27 February 2017 - Barcode 5051892206921

13. Excalibur (1981) – released 13 March 2017 - Barcode 5051892206280

14. The Mission (1986) - released 13 March 2017 - Barcode 5051892206877

15. Jason & The Argonauts (1963) - released 13 March 2017 - Barcode 5050349003724

16. The Hunger (1983) - released 17 Apr 2017 - Barcode 5051892207638

17. Performance (1970) - released 17 Apr 2017 - Barcode 5051892207621

18. The Time Machine (1960) - released 8 May 2017 - Barcode 5051892208291

19. Outland (1981) - released 8 May 2017 - Barcode 5051892208215

20. A Scanner Darkly (2006) - released 8 May 2017 - Barcode 5051892208857

21. Gattaca (1997) - released 8 May 2017 - Barcode 5050349523925

22. Donnie Brasco (1997) - released 29 May 2017 - Barcode 5050349609926

23. Blow (2001) - released 29 May 2017 - Barcode 5051892208277

24. Battle Of The Bulge (1965) - released 5 June 2017 - Barcode 5051892208260

25. The Dirty Dozen (1967) - released 5 June 2017 - Barcode 5051892208284

26. Casualties Of War (1989) - released 5 June 2017 - Barcode 5050349145820

27. Gettysburg: Director's Cut (1993) - released 12 June 2017 - Barcode 5051892208321

28. Jeremiah Johnson (1972) - released 12 June 2017 - Barcode 5051892208307

29. Legends Of The Fall (1994) - released 12 June 2017 - Barcode 5050629158823

30. Sex, Lies And Videotape (1989) - released 17 July 2017 - Barcode 5050349292623

31. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - released 17 July 2017 - Barcode 5051892209236

32. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) - released 17 July 2017 - Barcode 5051892209274

33. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966) - released 17 July 2017 - Barcode 5051892209328

34. White Heat (1949) - released 14 August 2017 - Barcode 5051892209687

35. The Public Enemy (1931) - released 14 August 2017 - Barcode 5051892209656

36. Little Caesar (1931) - released 14 August 2017 - Barcode 5051892209618

37. Point Blank (1967) - released 18 September 2017 – Barcode 5051892209632

38. The Yakuza (1974) - released 18 September 2017 - Barcode 5051892209663

39. Body Heat (1981) - released 18 September 2017 - Barcode 5051892209557

40. Chinatown (1974) - released 18 September 2017 - Barcode 5053083131807

41. Shaft (1971) - released 2 October 2017 - Barcode 5051892209649

42. New Jack City (1991) - released 2 October 2017 - Barcode 5051892209625

43. Pet Sematary (1986) - released 16 October 2017 - Barcode 5053083131814

44. House Of Wax 3D (1953) - released 16 October 2017 - Barcode 5051892209984

45. The Haunting (1963) – released 16 October 2017 – Barcode 5051892209915

46. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - released 16 October 2017 - Barcode 5051892210867

47. The Maltese Falcon (1941) - released 6 November 2017 - Barcode 5051892209922

48. Casablanca (1942) - released 5 February 2018 (delayed release) - Barcode 5051892209816 (Three Disc Special Edition with Booklet)

49. The Big Sleep (1946) - released 6 November 2017 - Barcode 50501892209892

50. Lost Horizon (1937) - released 6 November 2017 - Barcode 5050629028638 (80th Anniversary Reissue/4K Restoration with Booklet)

2018 RELEASES:

51. Amistad (1997) - released 15 January 2018 - Barcode 5053083134747

52. Munich (2005) - released 15 January 2018 - Barcode 5053083134754

53. Badlands (1973) – released 19 March 2018 – Barcode 5051892212724

54. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) – released 26 February 2018 – Barcode 5051892212618

55. Valley Of The Gwangi (1969) – released 26 February 2018 – Barcode 5051892212625

56. Clash Of The Titans (1981) – released 26 February 2018 – Barcode 5050189221263

57. (Frank Capra's) Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1946) – released 5 February 2018 – Barcode 5050629038132

58. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) – released 19 March 2018 – Barcode 5051892213189

59. My Own Private Idaho (1991) – released 9 April 2018 (Barcode 5051892212731)

60. The Last Picture Show (1971) – released 9 April 2018 (Barcode 50500629745030)

61. Dark Passage (1947) – released 30 April 2018 (Barcode 5051892215091)

62. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948) – released 30 April 2018 (Barcode 5051892214889)

63. Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) – released 21 May 2018 (Barcode 5051892215015)

64. I Confess (1953) – released 11 June 2018 (Barcode 5051892215022)

65. The Wrong Man (1952) – released 11 June 2018 (Barcode 5051892215084)

PPS: The HMV Mail-Order Website usually offers this series at 2 for £25 (P&P inclusive) - even including the latest titles...

"Do It Yourself" by IAN DURY and THE BLOCKHEADS (March 2015 UK Edsel 'Deluxe Edition Hardback Book Casebound Packaging' 2CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"... Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick..."

Edsel of the UK have reissued six of Ian Dury’s albums in these March 2015 Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound sets – and natty looking things they are too. Here are the reasons to be cheerful...

UK released March 2015 – "Do It Yourself" by IAN DURY and THE BLOCKHEADS on Edsel EDSK 7081 (Barcode 740155708139) is a 'Limited Edition 2CD Deluxe Edition in Hardback Casebound Packaging' that pans out as follows:

Disc 1 (66:21 minutes):

1. Inbetweenies [Side 1]

2. Quiet

3. Don't Ask Me

4. Sink My Boats

5. Waiting For Your Taxi

6. This Is What We Find [Side 2]

7. Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy

8. Mischief

9. Dance Of The Screamers

10. Lullaby For Franci/Es

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Do It Yourself" - released 18 May 1979 in the UK on Stiff Records SEEZ 14

BONUS TRACKS:

11. What A Waste – April 1978 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 27, A-side ("Wake Up And Make Love To Me" from the "New Boots And Panties!!" album was its B-side)

12. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick – December 1978 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 38, A – Number 1 Chart Hit)

13. There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards - December 1978 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 38, B – Number 1 Chart Hit)

14. Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3 – July 1979 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 50, A

15. Common As Muck – July 1979 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 50, B

16. Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3 [12" Version] – July 1979 UK 12" single on Stiff Records BUYIT 50, A

Disc 2 (71:27 minutes)

DEMO VERSIONS (Recorded November 1978 at Ian's House, Rolvendon, Kent)

1. This Is What We Find

2. Boogie Woogie (Duff 'Em Up)

3. Quiet

4. Inbetweenies (Backing Track)

5. Babies Keep Quiet

6. Blow (Instrumental)

FROM THE "STIFF'S LIVE STIFFS" TOUR, 1977

7. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

8. I'm Partial To Your Abracadabra

9. Wake Up And Make Love To Me

10. Clever Trevor

11. Sweet Gene Vincent

12. Billericay Dickie

13. My Old Man

14. If I Was With A Woman

15. Blockheads

16. Plaistow Patricia

17. Blackmail Man

The 26-page booklet inside the hardback covers features full annotation by known expert WILL BIRCH, lyrics to all the songs (including the stand-alone singles), publicity photos, original artwork (including a few variants of the many wallpaper sleeves), singles and tour memorabilia and so on. These are the 2004 Edsel remasters done at Alchemy Mastering and they sound amazing.

Following on from their huge 1977 album "New Boots And Panties!!" and the number one single "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" in December 1978 – May and June 1979 saw "Do It Yourself" race up to Number 2 on the UK LP charts. The band had probably hit their peak and the infectious piano-bopping "Inbetweenies" opens the album on a winner. Tight, slick and yet somehow fun and loose – clever rhythms in "Quiet", "This Is What We Find" and "Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy" feature lyrics about "...persistent louts and clowns...forty year-old housewives of Lambeth Walk and The Landlord's bent...". But the singles added on a bonus make a peerless run of hits and laughs. To this day I still think the 6:41 minutes of the 12" single "Reasons To Be Cheerful. Part 3" is an absolute masterpiece. The Demos (along with the live stuff was unreleased until 2004) are fun curios (not a lot more) but the Live Stiff material is a band on fire – on a mission - caught on the up and spitting confidence at an audience who are already know something special is going on.

"Up your bum!" our Ian says in "Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy". 

Better in your CD stack I think...

PS: the IAN DURY March 2015 Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound CD Reissues on Edsel are:

1. New Boots And Panties!! (Edsel EDSK 7080, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708030)

2. Do It Yourself (Edsel EDSK 7081, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708139)

3. Laughter (Edsel EDSK 7082, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708238)

4. The Bus Driver's Prayer (Edsel EDSK 7083, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708337)

5. Mr. Love Pants (Edsel EDSA 5034, 1CD, Barcode 740155503437)

6. Warts 'N' Audience [Live] (Edsel 5035, 1CD, Barcode 74015550536)

PPS: Amazon lump all the 2004 and 2015 reviews together in the one place (a nasty habit of theirs) – so if you want the Hardback Book Edition I’ve just reviewed from 2015 – make sure to use the Barcode I’ve provided above to get the right issue...

"Laughter" by IAN DURY and THE BLOCKHEADS - November 1980 Album on Stiff Records (March 2015 UK Edsel 'Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound Packaging' Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"... Superman's Big Sister..."

Edsel of the UK have reissued six of Ian Dury's albums in these 2015 Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound sets – and natty looking things they are too. Here are the reasons to be cheerful...

UK released 2 March 2015 – "Laughter" by IAN DURY and THE BLOCKHEADS on Edsel EDSK 7082 (Barcode 740155708238) is a 'Limited Edition 2CD Deluxe Edition in Hardback Casebound packaging' that pans out as follows:

Disc 1 (49:12 minutes):

1. Sueperman's Big Sister

2. Pardon

3. Delusions Of Grandeur

4. Yes And No (Paula)

5. Dance Of The Crackpots

6. Over The Points

7. (Take Your Elbow Out The Soup) You're Sitting On The Chicken [Side 2]

8. Incoolohol

9. Hey, Hey Take Me Away

10. Manic Depression (Jimi)

11. Oh Mr. Peanut

12. F***king Ada

Tracks 1 to 12 are the album "Laughter" - released 28 November 1980 in the UK on Stiff Records SEEZ 30

BONUS TRACKS:

13. I Want To Be Straight - August 1980 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 90, A

14. That's Not All - August 1980 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 90, B

15. You'll See Glimpses – October 1980 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 100 – non-album B-side of “Superman’s Big Sister”

Disc 2 (52:53 minutes)

ALBUM OUTTAKES

 (Recorded October 1980 at The Producer’s Workshop, Fulham, London)

1. Duff 'Em Up And Do 'Em Over (Boogie Woogie)

2. You Are Here

3. Come In No. 9

DEMO INSTRUMENTALS by THE BLOCKHEADS

4. Chicken (Take Your Elbow Out Of The Soup)

5. CC's Rock

6. I Know Your Name

7. Public Party (Dance Of The Crackpots)

8. Black And White [Yes And No (Paula)]

9. Manic Depression

10. More Turns For Everyone

11. Blue Light (That's Not All)

12. Back To Y-Front

13. Fatback

14. On The Spot (Do The Block)

15. Duff 'Em Up And Do 'Em Over (Boogie Woogie) [Oh Mr Peanut]

16. Peter Gunn

The 26-page booklet inside the hardback covers features full annotation by known expert WILL BIRCH (done in 2004), lyrics to all the songs (including the stand-alone singles), publicity photos, original artwork front and rear (including photos of the “Superman’s Big Sister” single and a montage of British trade magazines like NME and Melody Maker) and so on. These are the 2004 Edsel remasters done at Alchemy Mastering and they sound amazing while all of Disc 2 was Previously Unreleased at the time.

Following on from their huge 1977 album “New Boots And Panties!!”, the number one single “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” in December 1978 - and the No.2 album placing of “Do It Yourself” in June 1979 – LP number three for Ian’s Blockheads saw the beginning of the end for the band in the public’s eye and affections. “Laughter” scraped into Number 48 on the charts in December 1980 – a far cry from the huge popularity of their two predecessors – even with the involvement of Dr. Feelgood’s wild guitarist WILKO JOHNSON. That’s not to say that the song quality control had slipped in any way - far from it in my book.

"Superman's Big Sister" shows Dury's knack for catchy melodies aligned with witty lyrics and wacky themes. "Delusions Of Grandeur" struggles a bit to take flight for sure - but the wickedly good "Yes & No (Paula)" would have sat comfortably on 1977's "New Boots & Panties!!" with its Ska-Rock rhythms and scat-spoken lyrics. Fun and anger collide on "Dance Of The Crackpots" with Davey Payne's great harmonica playing warbling away in the back of the mix. The band starts to finally sound slightly manic Feelgood on the acidic "Hey, Hey, Take Me Away" while "F***ing Ada" finishes the album half-laughing, half-crying with its angry chorus offset by chorus line strings.

Disc 2 features the full-blown version of "Duff 'Em Up And Do 'Em Over (Boogie Woogie)" (a long sought after fan fave) while the Instrumentals it has to be said feel like good backing tracks but without the lyrics – they're a curio more than anything else.

"I'm sick and tired of taking drugs and staying up late..." - our Ian sang on "I Want To Be Straight". I never tire of Dury's intelligence and wit and the nerd in me is loving these gorgeous looking reissues...

IAN DURY March 2015 Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound CD Reissues on Edsel are:

1. New Boots And Panties!! (Edsel EDSK 7080, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708030)

2. Do It Yourself (Edsel EDSK 7081, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708139)

3. Laughter (Edsel EDSK 7082, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708238)

4. The Bus Driver's Prayer (Edsel EDSK 7083, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708337)

5. Mr. Love Pants (Edsel EDSA 5034, 1CD, Barcode 740155503437)

6. Warts 'N' Audience [Live] (Edsel 5035, 1CD, Barcode 74015550536)

PPS: Amazon lump all the 2004 and 2015 reviews together in the one place (a nasty habit of theirs) – so if you want the Hardback Book Edition I've just reviewed from 2015 – make sure to use the Barcode I've provided above to get the right issue...

"The Bus Driver's Prayer And Other Stories" by IAN DURY and THE BLOCKHEADS (March 2015 Edsel 'Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound Book' Packaging) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Poo-Poo In The Prawn..."

Edsel of the UK have reissued six of Ian Dury’s albums in these 2015 Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound sets – and natty looking things they are too. Here are the reasons to be cheerful...

UK released 2 March 2015 – "The Bus Driver's Prayer & Other Stories" by IAN DURY and THE BLOCKHEADS on Edsel EDSK 7083 (Barcode 740155708337) is a Limited Edition 2CD 'Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound Book' packaging and pans out as follows:

Disc 1 (47:04 minutes):

1. That’s Enough Of That

2. Bill Haley’s Last Words

3. Poor Joey

4. Quick Quick Slow

5. Fly In The Ointment

6. O’Donegal

7. Poo-Poo In The Prawn

8. London Talking

9. Have A Word

10. D’Orine The Cow

11. Your Horoscope

12. No Such Thing As Love

13. Two Old Dogs Without A Name

14. The Bus Driver’s Prayer

Tracks 1 to 14 are the CD album “The Bus Driver’s Prayer & Other Stories” – released November 1992 in the UK on Demon Records FIEND CD 702

Disc 2 (36:21 minutes)

OUTTAKES / DEMOS

1. Amerlind

2. I Believe

3. Cowboys

4. One Love

5. Grape And Grain

6. The Writer

7. Whale

8. Itinerant Child

The 26-page booklet inside the hardback casebound cover features full annotation by known expert WILL BIRCH (done in 2004), lyrics to all the songs (including the outtakes/demos), unpublished photos, repros of his handwritten ‘5 poems’, original artwork and so on. These are the 2004 Edsel remasters done at Alchemy Mastering and they sound amazing while all of Disc 2 was Previously Unreleased at the time.

The glory days of Number 1 singles (“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” in 1978) and Number 2 LPs (“Do It Yourself” in 1979) were long past for IAN DURY by the time 1992’s reunion with Mickey Gallagher, Chaz Jankel, Davey Payne and John Turnball (The Blockheads) took place. Not that the public seemed to notice nor care. The original Demon album didn’t even crack the top 50 and it would be 1998 with “Mr. Love Pants” before Dury would see chart action again. But as expert/fan Will Birch argues (he wrote the liners notes) – “The Bus Driver’s Prayer & Other Stories” is a bit of an overlooked gem in a catalogue of witty winners.

While both openers “That’s Enough Of That” and “Bill Haley’s Last Words” gamely struggle to capture that “New Boots And Panties!!” magic – it’s not until “Poor Joey” comes along (a song about the most typical caged bird in the world – the budgie) that we get Dury’s genius for brilliant words fronting a happy-go-lucky tune. “Old mother nature’s left me right in the lurch...” he drones in that deadpan way of his as one of The Blockheads punctuates the tune with his best strangled Budgerigar voice - “Hello!” My other crave is the fabulously titled “Poo-Poo In The Prawn” – where “if you go swimming in the shite-us...you’ll get worse than dermatitis...” where he waxes lyrical about all manner of turds coming at you through the plumbing and the briny. The lure of Ireland’s beautiful Donegal County floats rather prettily throughout  “O’Donegal” where you will feel a need to holiday in Ireland right quick. Back to home ground and the “rent book/laundry” reality of “London Talking” where paying bills occupies your mind and a Chelsea Bun seems like a good way to soften the depression. It ends on the one-minute “Bus Driver’s Prayer” where he takes the Lord’s Prayer and substitutes every famous line to fit bus destinations like Kingston, Wimbledon and Ealing (short but so damn clever).

But what’s genuinely shocking is the quality of the eight cuts that didn’t make the album – fully finished songs (beautifully produced). To my ears both “Amerlind” and “I Believe” are better than some tracks that made the album. Maybe stuff like “Cowboys” and “The Writer” with their distinctive keyboard sounds was deemed to be too lightweight – but I listen to them more than the CD cuts – and the sheer melody/lyrical power of the quietly-moving and hopeful “Itinerant Child” is just plain brilliant (play this beauty a lot).

“I think my eyes were blurred with tears...” - our Ian sang on “Itinerant Child”. And many of us felt the same way when he sadly passed away in 2000. Take a chance on his genius with this wicked looking casebound reissue...there’s joy in them there hardbacks...

PS: the IAN DURY March 2015 Deluxe Edition Hardback Casebound CD Reissues on Edsel are:

1. New Boots And Panties!! (Edsel EDSK 7080, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708030)

2. Do It Yourself (Edsel EDSK 7081, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708139)

3. Laughter (Edsel EDSK 7082, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708238)

4. The Bus Driver's Prayer (Edsel EDSK 7083, 2CDs – Barcode 740155708337)

5. Mr. Love Pants (Edsel EDSA 5034, 1CD, Barcode 740155503437)

6. Warts 'N' Audience [Live] (Edsel 5035, 1CD, Barcode 74015550536)

PPS: Amazon lump all the 2004 and 2015 reviews together in the one place (a nasty habit of theirs) – so if you want the Hardback Book Edition I’ve just reviewed from 2015 – make sure to use the Barcode I’ve provided above to get the right issue...