HISTORY – 27 March 2000 – IAN DURY Passed Away…

27 March 2019

Nineteen years ago today, on 27 March 2000, the brilliant
singer-songwriter and actor IAN DURY died of cancer, only 57.

It was in 1977, after his former band Kilburn and The High Roads split, that Ian Dury
formed and fronted The Blockheads and became an idiosyncratic star. It was the era of punk, but Dury had his own musical vision (a mix of jazz, funk, rock, disco and music-hall) and his own particular way of poetic story-telling. He became a sort of singing stand-up comedian as his lyrics were full of wordplay, clever humour, sharp impressions of daily
life in good old Britain and weird characters wrapped in splendid tunes. To remember
this wayward and one-of-a-kind artist and performer Turn Up The Volume! picked these
three timeless crackers…

– HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK –

– SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL –

– SWEET GENE VINCENT –

IAN DURY: Biography – Facebook Page

(photo on top: AP Press / FB Ian Dury)

IAN DURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS Scored No 1 Hit In The UK 40 Years Ago With ‘HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK’…

When timeless in sound and vision it’s a…

quotefield-kopie

27 January 2019

The great late British singer/songwriter IAN DURY and his BLOCKHEADS scored a No 1
in the UK 40 years ago. HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK topped the singles chart
on 27 January 1979. The anti-violence song was a stand alone single written by Dury and his band’s leader Chaz Jankel. A remarkably solid gold composition with an awesome flow, snappy chorus and great lyrics. It became a million-seller over the years. Ian Dury was on holiday in Cannes, France the day the single landed on number one and was at the beach when the hotel staff brought him a bottle of champagne and told him the good news. Here’s that classic diamond…

In the deserts of Sudan
And the gardens of Japan
From Milan to Yucatan
Every woman, every man
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
Je t’adore, ich liebe dich,
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me slowly, hit me quick.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
In the wilds of Borneo
And the vineyards of Bordeaux
Eskimo, Arapaho
Move their body to and fro.
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
Das ist gut! C’est fantastique!
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
It’s nice to be a lunatic.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
In the dock of Tiger Bay
On the road to Mandalay
From Bombay to Santa Fe
Over hills and far away
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Hit me! Hit me!
C’est si bon, mm? Ist es nicht?
Hit me! hit me! hit me!
Hit me with your rhythm stick.
Two fat persons, click, click, click.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
(x10)

IAN DURY: Facebook – Discography

YESTERDAY’S CRACKERS – This Week: 25 Killer Tracks And 3 Top LP’s From 1979…

The best of the past

Every week Turn Up The Volume! jumps into the past! Relive 25 Crackers and
3 Top Albums per year/per week. Here’s another firework year to remember: 1979.

The 25 KILLER TRACKS

.
The 3 TOP ALBUMS

Unknown Pleasures by JOY DIVISION

Stream here

.
Metal Box by PUBLIC IMAGE LTD

Stream here

.
‘London Calling’ by THE CLASH

Stream here

.

See/hear you next week for the year of 1980…

YESTERDAY’S CRACKERS – This Week: 25 Killer Tracks And 3 Top LP’s From 1978…

The best of the past

Every week Turn Up The Volume! jumps into the past! Relive 25 Crackers and
3 Top Albums per year/per week. Here’s another fabulous year to remember: 1978.

The 25 KILLER TRACKS

.
The 3 TOP ALBUMS

– ‘All Mod Cons‘ by THE JAM

Stream here

.
– ‘Parallel Lines‘ by BLONDIE

Stream here

.
‘This Year’s Model’ by ELVIS COSTELLO

Stream here

.

See/hear you next week for the year of 1979…

10 Historic Knockout Singles Turning 40 in… 2017

Looking back in time… memorable moments in sonic history!

7sevenmix

1977! Phenomenal year for knockout punk drones, innovative new generation noise and
David Bowie shining heroically amidst the juvenile havoc. Smell the 7″. Watch the cool artwork. It was hard to make a selection as there were far more than these ten big ones. But the fabulous crackers I chose are, unquestionably, timeless monuments. 24 Karat
Gold and still sounding bloody awesome right now, right here! PLAY VERY LOUD!…

1/ ‘God Save The Queen’ by SEX PISTOLS
“God save the queen / The fascist regime”
Can you believe it, she’s still in charge…
sexpist


2/ ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ by RAMONES

Unbeatable bubblegum pop punk. 1-2-3-4
ramones

3/ ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock ‘n Roll’ by IAN DURY
Imperishable cockney anthem…
iandury

4/ ‘Heroes’ by DAVID BOWIE
The late legend’s pure, Berlin inspired, diamond…
bowieheroes2

5/ ‘Complete Control’ by THE CLASH
Adrenalin fueled chainsaw dealing with Big Brother…
clashcontrol

6/ ‘Watching The Detectives’ by ELVIS COSTELLO
Word wizard and songsmith – the alternative king…
elvis

7/ ‘In The City’ by THE JAM
Angry young man Weller full steam…
jamcity

8/ ‘Orgasm Addict’ by BUZZCOCKS
Catchy teenage punk on crushing pop speed…
buzzcoks

9/ ‘Peaches’ by THE STRANGLERS
Sexual controversy with a smoking groove…
stranglers

10/ ‘Oh Bondage! Up Yours!’ by X-RAY SPEX
The wonderful, clamorously outspoken, late Poly Styrene
xray