Straight from the Desk
Encyclopedia
Straight From The Desk is a live album by Ian Dury & The Blockheads recorded 23 December 1978 at the Ilford Odeon, Ilford
, Essex
.
There is little information about the album available other than what can be heard on the record. During the performance of "Billericay Dickie
" the audience break the venue's floor, presumably in excitement causing Dury to warn the audience to mind the hole as an introduction to "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
" and mention it repeatedly later in the set. Dury forgets the words totally on "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards" forcing the Blockheads to carry on playing while he remembers them and gets back in time.
Also featured at the concert was a 'Blockheads light' that was presumably a piece of on-stage equipment that falls over and fails to work at the same time Ian Dury breaks his microphone. This can be heard at the start of "My Old Man".
Though the set features "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
" it is mostly a long instrumental featuring band introductions and their respective solos with only the song's first verse and an end repetition of the song's title and lasts over 12 minutes. Clever Trevor features a lengthy instrumental break also featuring a saxophone solo by Davey Payne and also an ad-lib name checking West Ham United F.C.
and Gants Hill
, Ilford
, Romford
, Barking
and Dagenham
, Dagenham is also name checked in the performance "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
". These are all areas near the venue.
The album was the first time a recording of "I Made Mary Cry" was released. A song written during Ian Dury's time with 'Ian Dury & The Kilburns' the latter day incarnation of his influential pub rock band 'Kilburn & The Highroads' with Rod Melvin (who also co-wrote his first hit single "What A Waste
") and a song that Ian Dury continued with the Blockheads as late as 1979, this version like other live versions with the Blockheads features a much happier ending than the studio version with the song's protagonist, a criminal, being released rather than dying on the floor of his cell. Also included is a version of Kilburn & The Highroads song "Upminster Kid", like You're More Than Fair Dury sings it in his own regional dialect rather than the accent used on the studio recordings.
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
There is little information about the album available other than what can be heard on the record. During the performance of "Billericay Dickie
Billericay Dickie
Billericay Dickie is a song by Ian Dury, from his debut album New Boots and Panties!!. It is narrated by a bragging bricklayer from Billericay, and is filled with name-checks for places in Essex...
" the audience break the venue's floor, presumably in excitement causing Dury to warn the audience to mind the hole as an introduction to "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song and single by Ian Dury & The Blockheads, first released 23 November 1978 and was first released on the 7" single BUY 38 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick / There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards by Stiff Records. It went to number one on the UK Singles...
" and mention it repeatedly later in the set. Dury forgets the words totally on "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards" forcing the Blockheads to carry on playing while he remembers them and gets back in time.
Also featured at the concert was a 'Blockheads light' that was presumably a piece of on-stage equipment that falls over and fails to work at the same time Ian Dury breaks his microphone. This can be heard at the start of "My Old Man".
Though the set features "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is a song and single by Ian Dury. It was originally released as the Stiff Records single BUY 17 with "Razzle In My Pocket" as the B-side, on 26 August 1977...
" it is mostly a long instrumental featuring band introductions and their respective solos with only the song's first verse and an end repetition of the song's title and lasts over 12 minutes. Clever Trevor features a lengthy instrumental break also featuring a saxophone solo by Davey Payne and also an ad-lib name checking West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
and Gants Hill
Gants Hill
Gants Hill is a district of Ilford in the London Borough of Redbridge in northeast London, England. It is a suburban development situated north east of Charing Cross....
, Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Barking
Barking
Barking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
and Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, Dagenham is also name checked in the performance "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song and single by Ian Dury & The Blockheads, first released 23 November 1978 and was first released on the 7" single BUY 38 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick / There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards by Stiff Records. It went to number one on the UK Singles...
". These are all areas near the venue.
The album was the first time a recording of "I Made Mary Cry" was released. A song written during Ian Dury's time with 'Ian Dury & The Kilburns' the latter day incarnation of his influential pub rock band 'Kilburn & The Highroads' with Rod Melvin (who also co-wrote his first hit single "What A Waste
What a Waste
What a Waste is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, originally released on the Stiff Records single BUY 27 "What a Waste" / "Wake Up and Make Love with Me"...
") and a song that Ian Dury continued with the Blockheads as late as 1979, this version like other live versions with the Blockheads features a much happier ending than the studio version with the song's protagonist, a criminal, being released rather than dying on the floor of his cell. Also included is a version of Kilburn & The Highroads song "Upminster Kid", like You're More Than Fair Dury sings it in his own regional dialect rather than the accent used on the studio recordings.
Track listing
- "Wake Up And Make Love With Me" (Dury/Jankel) - 4:33
- "I'm Partial To Your Abracadabra" (Dury/Jankel) - 3:00
- "Upminster Kid" (Dury/Hardy) - 4:08
- "Clever Trevor" (Dury/Jankel) - 7:41
- "This Is What We Find" (Dury/Gallagher) - 4:52
- "You're More Than Fair" (Dury/Hardy) - 2:46
- "Blackmail Man" (Dury/Nugent) - 2:42
- "Billericay DickieBillericay DickieBillericay Dickie is a song by Ian Dury, from his debut album New Boots and Panties!!. It is narrated by a bragging bricklayer from Billericay, and is filled with name-checks for places in Essex...
" (Dury/Nugent) - 3:16 - "Hit Me With Your Rhythm StickHit Me With Your Rhythm Stick"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song and single by Ian Dury & The Blockheads, first released 23 November 1978 and was first released on the 7" single BUY 38 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick / There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards by Stiff Records. It went to number one on the UK Singles...
" (Dury/Jankel) - 4:55 - "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards" (Dury/Hardy) - 3:48
- "Plaistow Patricia" (Dury/Nugent) - 6:10
- "I Made Mary Cry" (Dury/Melvin) - 4:03
- "What A WasteWhat a WasteWhat a Waste is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, originally released on the Stiff Records single BUY 27 "What a Waste" / "Wake Up and Make Love with Me"...
" (Dury/Melvin) - 3:34 - "My Old Man" (Dury/Nugent) - 5:08
- "Sex and Drugs and Rock and RollSex and Drugs and Rock and Roll"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is a song and single by Ian Dury. It was originally released as the Stiff Records single BUY 17 with "Razzle In My Pocket" as the B-side, on 26 August 1977...
" (Dury/Jankel) - 12:27
Personnel
- Ian DuryIan DuryIan Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
- Vocals - Chas JankelChas JankelCharles Jeremy Jankel professionally known as Chaz Jankel, is a musician best known as the keyboard player and guitarist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads...
- Guitar, Keyboards - Norman Watt-RoyNorman Watt-RoyNorman Watt-Roy is the bassist for The Blockheads, previously known as Ian Dury & the Blockheads.In November 1954 the Watt-Roy family, including Norman, his older brother Garth and his sister, moved to England...
- Bass - John Turnbull - Guitar
- Davey PayneDavey PayneDavid 'Davey' Payne is an English saxophonist best known as a member of Ian Dury's backing band The Blockheads, and his twin saxophone solo on their 1978 UK #1 single "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick"....
- Saxophones - Charley Charles - Drums
- Mickey Gallagher - Keyboards
Sources
- Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll: The Life Of Ian Dury by Richard Balls, first published 2000, Omnibus Press
- Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song by Jim Drury, first published 2003, Sanctuary Publishing.