10 Perfect New Wave Albums With No Bad Songs
2. New Boots And Panties!! - Ian Dury (1977)
Ian Dury had the charismatic swagger of Oliver Reed's Bill Sikes. There was a touch of danger about him to, but for the most part, he was singer who handle his subjects with a tender yet humorous sensitivity.
Dury acquired his dark sense of humour from an early age. Before he was ten, he contracted polio, which resulted in the withering of his left leg and arm. He didn't shy away from his disability, however, addressing his condition in later tracks like Spasticus Autisticus. But his debut album is when the magic started.
Like the man, his music had a certain style. It was confident and smooth; at times cheeky and boisterous, and laced with crude and humorous references - above all, it had groove. His sound epitomised the confident bravado of London's East End. His lyrics explored the squaller of working class poverty in the UK, in a defiantly, celebratory way.
You only need listen to the first track before you're sold on this record, Wake Up And Make Love With Me, opens with melodic piano piece before dropping into a strutting bass line. Dury then describes a sensual encounter with a nameless lover, with effortlessly cool delivery.