reasons to be cheerful the best of ian dury rar

Reasons To Be Cheerful The Best Of Ian Dury Rar Full Of Memorable

Remastered from the original tapes, this version features six bonus tracks, five of them previously unreleased, as well as 20-page booklet complete with lyrics and new sleeve notes.

Its title is a reference to the length of an average human lifespan (4000 weeks).

In 1984 Ian Dury was an official face for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Britain and went so far as to shave a peace symbol into his hair, this can be seen on the cover to the album (and the Ban the Bomb Single).

If accounts by Dury himself and Music Student member Merlin Rhys-Jones (who would continue to work with Dury and co-write songs with him until his death) from Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll: The Life of Ian Dury are correct, it would appear that it was Polydor records who suggested and insisted on Dury working with young musicians.

Contradictorily, Ian Dury The Blockheads: Song By Song purports that Polydor had wanted The Blockheads to play on the album, with the group rejecting the idea after learning they wouldnt be paid due to Dury spending most of his advance on his previous solo effort Lord Upminster.

Song By Songs account is corroborated by Norman-Watt Roy (bassist for the Blockheads).

Both versions are questionable.

Chaz Jankel, Durys primary songwriting partner, was busy with his solo career in America and with no Blockheads present, Dury turned to his old songwriting partner from his pub rock days Russell Hardy (and another Rod Melvin it would seem), and worked with a young American songwritermulti-instrumentalist Michael McEvoy, who had been introduced to him by Blockheads and Kilburn and the High Roads member Davey Payne after McEvoy had played on the saxophonists solo album for Stiff Records.

Adam Kidron, who had produced Paynes album, had hired McEvoy as on a number of projects (including Orange Juices debut album and Scritti Polittis Songs to Remember) which he produced before 4000 Weeks Holiday.

Rehearsals for the album began in 1982 in Hammersmith, London, not very far from Durys current flat in luxurious Thames-side apartments, and was recorded the following year in Basing Street Studios, Notting Hill and later The Townhouse.

Though Jankel did not write any of the songs, he did play lead guitar as a guest.

Ed Speight and Geoff Castle, who had played on Durys seminal New Boots and Panties LP in 1977, guested on guitar and Moog synthesizer.

The sessions also featured an extra special guest, celebrated reggaeska trombone player Rico Rodriguez MBE (known to UK youth from The Specials), but most of the recordings were performed by the Music Students, i.e.

McEvoy, Rhys-Jones, drummer Tag Lamche and saxophonist Jamie Talbot.

Critically the album is often considered the weakest of Durys output, Ian Dury apparently never even played it once.

Dury was forced by Polydor to remove one of the albums stronger (and controversial) songs Fuck off Noddy (and another about Billy Butlin) because of high profile paedophile and child pornography cases at the time (there was also rumours of a proposed lawsuit by the estate of Enid Blyton).

The song puts down childrens television and contained such lines as: Winnie The Pooh is having a wank.

And what are you up too Said Thomas the Tank and Fuck off Noddy you stupid prat.

Dury was determined not to cut the song (an illegal MP3 can be found on some download services) and arguments about it delayed the records release for over half a year.

The single Really Glad You Came (Youre My) Inspiration was released during that time, the songs were two different lyrics put to an almost identical tune (by McEvoy) and the single was a total failure (though these are the two tracks most often used on Greatest Hits compilations) and its follow up single Ban The Bomb Very Personal was actually mocked by critics, the first time this had happened to Ian Dury in his career thus far.

Despite heavy promotion and touring by Ian Dury The Music Students, including a weeks residency in Tel Aviv, Israel and an appearance on influential music show The Tube the albums sales were poor, though the album reached number 54 in the UK Album Charts.

The album also contains a noteworthy track: Peter the Painter was written (with McEvoy) on request from British Pop artist Peter Blake, Blake had been Durys teacher at Londons Royal College of Art and the two remained good friends until Durys death in 2000.

Blake was having his own exhibition at The Tate Gallery, London and asked Dury to compose a theme tune for it.

Peter the Painter was that theme tune.

Reasons To Be Cheerful The Best Of Ian Dury Rar Full Of Memorable

Wiki. Ian Durys last LP for Polydor was, as usual, full of memorable lyrics, keenly added to a tableau of multi-faceted musical muscle this time provided by a fine young band of musicians he dubbed the Music Students.

With 4000 Weeks, Dury demonstrated, once again, his supremacy as champion of the written word.