Do you agree that these are "Reasons To Be Cheerful"? ***NOW WITH MUSIC!***

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Ian Dury & The Blockheads

Some of Buddy Holly
The working folly
Good Golly Miss Molly
And boats
Hammersmith Palais
The Bolshoi Ballet
Jump back in the alley
And nanny goats
18-wheeler Scammells
Dominica Camels
All other mammals
Plus equal votes
Seeing Piccadilly
Fanny Smith and Willy
Being rather silly
And porridge oats
A bit of grin and bear it
A bit of come and share it
You’re welcome we can spare it
Yellow socks
Too short to be haughty
Too nutty to be naughty
Going on forty
No electric shocks
The juice of a carrot
The smile of a parrot
A little drop of claret
Anything that rocks
Elvis and Scotty
The days when I ain't spotty
Sitting on the potty
Curing smallpox

Health Service glasses
Gigolos and brasses
Round or skinny bottoms
Take your mum to Paris
Lighting up a chalice
Wee Willy Harris!
Bantu Steven Biko
Listening to Rico
Harpo, Groucho, Chico
Cheddar cheese and pickle
The Vincent motorcycle
Slap and tickle
Woody Allen, Dali
Dimitri and Pasquale
Baila, Baila, Baila and Volare
Something nice to study
Phoning up a buddy
Being in my nuddy
Saying okey dokey
Singalong-a-Smokey
Coming outta chokey
John Coltrane’s soprano
Adi Celentano
Bonar Colleano

Discuss.

[Masher88]

what?

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Masher88

what?

Click and listen. Then you should get it. Enjoy.

[Masher88]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Click and listen. Then you should get it. Enjoy.

eegad...I'm sorry I clicked on the link

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Masher88

eegad...I'm sorry I clicked on the link

You don't like funk?

[username n/a]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Click and listen. Then you should get it. Enjoy.

That was awesome man!

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by username n/a

That was awesome man!

Glad you liked it! Maybe you'll go and check out some more of his stuff.

I've been trying to find it online for ages as iTunes had a pathetically small selection of his music until recently, but they've just added this and some other great tracks.

I was going to post this in "Recordings", but I'm interested to hear whether people are going to comment on all the things that apparently made the late Ian Dury cheerful, so the discussion might not be all that directly music-related.

[Marcury]

Ian Drury, classic stuff.

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Marcury

Ian Dury, classic stuff.

Fixed it. Common mistake that is.

Just listening to this again as my playlist has looped round. AWESOME guitar solo at the end. One of those where you can almost taste each note...

And the words even contain a carrot reference. Perfect.

[fenderhutz]

This was almost annoying as that d-da da da song from the 80's.

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

This was almost annoying as that d-da da da song from the 80's.

Well, knock me down with a feather!

I really thought most musos would like this track - even if the thread sucks.

[cdef]

Ian Dury was great, IMO. Not a great singer per se, but an uncommonly perceptive, funny, literate and technically skillful lyricist. And, a riveting frontman for the storming Blockheads.

Here are some admirable lines from his paean to a deceased roadie,
the Ballad Of The Sulphate Strangler:

...

We hit the road together, the Blockheads and their crew:
a gram of whizz, a drop of vod, a can of Special Brew.
From Spain to San Francisco we blazed the funky trail,
with occasional disbursements to keep the Strangler out of jail.
When we got to New York City we had to let him go,
'cos the dramas going on backstage were better than the show.

...

These are the scars of the life that I lead:
the veins are from drink and the nose is from speed.
A Stanley knife here, which had me well geed:
do I get cut and do I not bleed?
Each purple patch upon my face
shall rudely chart my fall from grace.
I will not pass the loving cup
until the patches all join up!


Or take this, from his London Talking:

That's a very tasty hat,
where'd you have to go for that?

I got it down the Lane
where the prices are insane.
I could've got the houndstooth,
but I rather liked the plain.

Mr. Dury's work itself is one more reason to be cheerful.

[Baryonyx]

"Jump back in the alley"-blatant reference to "You can call me Al" by Paul Simon!

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Chris2112

"Jump back in the alley"-blatant reference to "You can call me Al" by Paul Simon!

Unlikely! This was released in 1979 - 7 years before Gracelands.

I think it's a reference to Tutti Frutti by Little Richard.

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by cdef

Ian Dury was great, IMO. Not a great singer per se, but an uncommonly perceptive, funny, literate and technically skillful lyricist. And, a riveting frontman for the storming Blockheads.

Here are some admirable lines from his paean to a deceased roadie,
the Ballad Of The Sulphate Strangler:

...

We hit the road together, the Blockheads and their crew:
a gram of whizz, a drop of vod, a can of Special Brew.
From Spain to San Francisco we blazed the funky trail,
with occasional disbursements to keep the Strangler out of jail.
When we got to New York City we had to let him go,
'cos the dramas going on backstage were better than the show.

...

These are the scars of the life that I lead:
the veins are from drink and the nose is from speed.
A Stanley knife here, which had me well geed:
do I get cut and do I not bleed?
Each purple patch upon my face
shall rudely chart my fall from grace.
I will not pass the loving cup
until the patches all join up!


Or take this, from his London Talking:

That's a very tasty hat,
where'd you have to go for that?

I got it down the Lane
where the prices are insane.
I could've got the houndstooth,
but I rather liked the plain.

Mr. Dury's work itself is one more reason to be cheerful.

Great post and a good reason to be cheerful - thanks for that. I really liked this bit especially:

... but an uncommonly perceptive, funny, literate and technically skillful lyricist. And, a riveting frontman for the storming Blockheads.

I agree 100%.

[cdef]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Unlikely! This was released in 1979 - 7 years before Gracelands.

I think it's a reference to Tutti Frutti by Little Richard.

I think Chris must have had his tongue in his cheek there. It's from Long Tall Sally by, yes, Little Richard.

[GregC]

Originally Posted by bassybill

Click and listen. Then you should get it. Enjoy.

Cool! Thanks, Bill, I'm woefully undereducated on Ian Dury beyond "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick". (I had a Stiff Records compilation with Elvis C., Roky Erickson, etc.) I dig it--and I bet the Clash were influenced by this tune.

[Sir Edward V]

I'm digging that song, what is it Brittish funk? lol something I've never heard before, its pretty tight though

just finishing it up, niiiice guitar solo

[peterbright]

That could produce sterility

[cdef]

Originally Posted by Sir Edward V

I'm digging that song, what is it Brittish funk? lol something I've never heard before, its pretty tight though ...

That's Norman Watt-Roy on bass, a legendary British funkateer.