''New Boots and Panties!!'' is the debut studio album by

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk rock, punk and new wave music, new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Kilburn ...

, released in the UK on

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

on 30 September 1977. The record covers a diverse range of musical styles which reflect Dury's influences and background in

pub rock Pub rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock ...

, taking in

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

, British

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

and early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, courtesy of Dury's musical hero

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is ...

. Consisting mostly of love songs and character stories based on the working-class people of the East End and

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

Estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

areas where he grew up, the songs are frequently ribald and profane, but also contain humour and affection for his characters. Widely considered to be the best album of Dury's career, it is also his biggest selling, having been certified platinum status in the UK for 300,000 sales. Sales of the album during the first few months after its release were modest, and the album's only single, " Sweet Gene Vincent", failed to chart. Subsequently, three stand-alone singles, "

What a Waste "What a Waste" is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, originally released in 1978 on the Stiff Records single BUY 27 "What a Waste" / "Wake Up and Make Love with Me". The song has remained in The Blockheads' set following Dury's deat ...

", "

Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, first released as a single on Stiff Records in the UK on 1 December 1978 and credited to "Ian & the Blockheads". Written by Dury and the Blockheads' multi-instrumentalist Ch ...

" and "

Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3 "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3" is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, initially released as the single "Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3 / Common as Muck" on 27 July 1979, which reached number 3 in the UK singles chart the followin ...

", all reached the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, and their success kept the album in the spotlight and ensured consistent sales over the next two years. ''New Boots and Panties!!'' was among the UK's top 30 best selling albums of both 1978 and 1979, and eventually peaked at number five in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

in February 1979, 17 months after its release, after "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick"'s chart-topping success. The album's title derives from Dury's habit of buying clothes

second hand Used goods, also known as secondhand goods, are any item of personal property that have been previously owned by someone else and are offered for sale not as new, including metals in any form except coins that are legal tender. Used goods may ...

and refers to the only items of clothing he insisted on buying new. According to ''Ian Dury & the Blockheads: Song By Song'', the name was chosen by Dury from a list of twenty potential titles drawn up by compere

Kosmo Vinyl Kosmo Vinyl (born Mark C. Dunk, 9 February 1957, England) is a former longtime associate and sometime manager for The Clash, as well as being associated with Ian Dury & the Blockheads, two seminal English bands of the 1970s and 1980s. He can be ...

. ''New Boots and Panties!!'' has been reissued several times, including a three-disc edition for its 30th anniversary and a five-disc box set for its 40th anniversary.

Background

Much of the album was written by Dury, nearly a year before its release, at Oval Mansions (the top floor flat at 40, Oval Mansions,

Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...

, London, which he shared with Denise Roudette, and which he nicknamed 'Catshit Mansions') and was written in partnership with Chas Jankel. Some of the tracks were co-written with Steve Nugent. Dury and Jankel recorded demo tapes of many of the songs in April 1977, joined in the session by Nugent, at Alvic Studios,

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

(run by two musicians, Al James and Vic Sweeney). Jankel played the bass, guitar and piano; Dury sang and played drums. These recordings have since been included as part of Edsel's re-issue of the album. The studio engineer at Alvic told Dury about a rhythm section who were acting as session musicians to earn extra money; bassist

Norman Watt-Roy Norman Joseph Watt-Roy (born 15 February 1951) is an English musician, arranger and composer. Watt-Roy's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music as the bass ...

and drummer Hugh "Charley" Charles. As well as playing on ''New Boots and Panties!!'' the two became key members of

The Blockheads The Blockheads are an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. me ...

. According to

Wreckless Eric Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock music, rock and New wave music, new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single "Whole Wide World (song), Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two d ...

(aka Eric Goulden), the song " Sweet Gene Vincent" was composed on 1 December 1976, the same day as the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

' appearance on the ''Today'' show hosted by

Bill Grundy William Grundy (18 May 1923 – 9 February 1993) was an English journalist and broadcaster. As the host of ''Today'', a regional magazine programme on Thames Television in London, he gained national attention for an interview with the Se ...

Recording

A week after the demos were finished the final album was recorded in the Workhouse Studio on the

Old Kent Road Old Kent Road is a major thoroughfare in South East London, England, passing through the London Borough of Southwark. It was originally part of an ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and used by the Anglo-Saxons who named it Wæcel ...

. Dury's management company Blackhill – who would also manage

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

– owned a 50 per cent share in the studio (along with the group

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. They were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The group had two l ...

), and put up the £4,000 to pay for the group to record the album in 'dead time' (that is, when the studio was empty – usually late at night). The album was produced by

Peter Jenner Peter Julian Jenner (born 3 March 1943) is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises. Early career Peter Jenner is the son of Will ...

, Laurie Latham, and Rick Walton. Jenner was one of the two partners in Blackhill Management, and had been producing since the late 1960s, having worked with

Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely asso ...

and

David Bedford David Vickerman Bedford (4 August 1937 – 1 October 2011) was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music. He was the brother of the conductor Steuart Bedford, the grandson of the composer, painter ...

among others. Although Jenner was the experienced producer at The Workhouse, in practice he left most of the production for ''New Boots and Panties!!'' to his young protégée Latham, who had joined the studio four years previously and who also engineered the album, with Walton carrying out production duties on those occasions when Latham was unavailable. Latham later recalled that Jenner's technical input on the album had been minimal and that he had more of an overseeing role:

Davey Payne David Stanley Payne (born 11 August 1944) is an English saxophonist best known as a member of Ian Dury's backing band The Blockheads, and for his twin saxophone solo on their 1978 UK No. 1 single "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick". He also appeare ...

and Ed Speight of Dury's old band

Kilburn and the High Roads Kilburn and the High Roads were a British pub rock band formed in London by Ian Dury in 1970. The band released one studio album '' Handsome'' in 1975, disbanding the same year. AllMusic credits the band with being "an undeniable influence on ...

were invited to fill out the sound of the album. Payne, who played saxophone, would stay with Dury for much of the rest of his career. Geoff Castle, who played

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer ( ) is a modular synthesizer invented by the American engineer Robert Moog in 1964. Moog's company, R. A. Moog Co., produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014. It was the first commercial synthesizer ...

on "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" and "Blockheads", was a friend of Speight's who was asked in to help out. During these sessions a chance remark by Charley Charles would later give the name of the Blockheads to the band; while reading the words to the song "Blockheads", the name stuck after the Stiff tour; exactly how is the source of some disagreement.

Release and promotion

Attempts to find a record label to publish the completed album were initially unsuccessful. Dury's lack of commercial appeal and his unorthodox look worked against him even in the year of the

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

explosion. It was eventually licensed to

, who leased office space directly below the offices of Blackhill Management. Stiff already had

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

and the Damned on their books, and would go on to score hits not only with Dury, but with Madness,

the Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (, ; 10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter. The daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl, she recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop ...

and others. Licensing the album meant there would be no question of who owned it, or its masters. ''New Boots and Panties!!'' was released on 30 September 1977, following the release of the single "

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is a song and single by the English singer Ian Dury. It was originally released as a Stiff Records single on 26 August 1977. The song was released under the single name "Ian Dury", but three members of the Blockheads ...

". The single was not a commercial success, nor was it included on the album's original pressing (Dury expressed a strong desire for singles not to be included on the album, and therefore the song and its B-side "Razzle in My Pocket" were omitted) although a later pressing included the track, uncredited, at the start of the second side of the album. At that time it was quite normal to issue 'stand alone singles' and public reaction to the album was unaffected. The album did not reach the top of the

but it did go

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

on 4 June 1979. Its follow-up, ''

Do It Yourself "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, wikt:modification, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals ...

'', reached number two.

Artwork

The photograph for the album's cover was taken by Chris Gabrin outside Axfords underwear and

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

shop at 306

Vauxhall Bridge Road The London Inner Ring Road, or Ring Road as signposted, is a route with an average diameter of , formed from a number of major roads that encircle Central London. The ring road forms the boundary of the London congestion charge zone, although ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, close to Victoria Station. Gabrin's

Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...

van and the Woolworths store on the opposite side of the road can be seen reflected in the shop window, although Gabrin was careful to position himself so that Dury would hide his own reflection. The child next to Dury on the cover photograph is his son

Baxter Dury Baxter Dury (born 18 December 1971) is an English indie music, indie musician, originally signed to Rough Trade Records. Early life Baxter Dury is the son of Ian Dury and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" Rathmell. As a young boy he appeared on the ...

. Ian Dury said Baxter ran into shot just as the photograph was taken, but in adulthood Baxter said the photograph appears too posed to be impromptu. Gabrin said, "I only shot 24 exposures and Baxter was in just four of them. As soon as the films were developed Ian came round and we immediately chose the same shot. We were so excited by the picture that we went straight into my darkroom and made the first print. The album title ''New Boots and Panties'' was subsequently coined by Ian." Dury and Stiff's in-house designer

Barney Bubbles Barney Bubbles (born Colin Fulcher; 30 July 1942 – 14 November 1983) was an English graphic artist whose work encompassed graphic design and music video direction. Bubbles, who also sketched and painted privately, is best known for his distin ...

cropped the photo and added the hand-drawn lettering on the front and back covers, which was written by Stiff's receptionist Cynthia Lole using a

magic marker A marker pen, fine liner, marking pen, felt-tip pen, felt pen, flow marker, sign pen (in South Korea), vivid (in New Zealand), flomaster (in East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic countries), texta (in Australia), sketch pen (in South ...

. The phrase 'There's nothing wrong with it!!' appears on the back cover below the track listing: this was apparently the reaction of the Blockheads upon hearing the first playback of the finished record. Dury later discovered that, unknown to him at the time, his father Bill had died in 1968 in a

bedsit A bedsit, bedsitter, or bed-sitting room is a form of accommodation common in some parts of the United Kingdom which consists of a single room per occupant with all occupants typically sharing a bathroom. Bedsits are included in a legal categor ...

just around the corner from where the photograph was taken. Axfords closed its London store in 1990 to concentrate on running the family business from its

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

factory.

Critical reception

''New Boots and Panties!!'' received good reviews from the music press upon its release. Allan Jones in ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' described the album as "a tense, harrowing account of urban degradation, that conveys with more vocal, musical and lyrical vehemence than any so-called 'new wave/punk' combo has yet been able to muster, the desperation and squalor of the social conditions (and the effects of those conditions upon individual personalities) it so provocatively illustrates." In '' Sounds''

Vivien Goldman Vivien Goldman (born 1952) is a British journalist, writer and musician. Early life and education Goldman was born in London in 1952, the child of two German-Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. She studied English and American literature at the ...

gave the record a five-star rating, saying, "Lawless brats from council flats have finally found a voice that speaks from, of and about the people. A voice that combines passion with the vernacular 'she got into a mess with the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

' – sage street advice, plus cinematic observation, plus humour." ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

''s

Tim Lott Tim Lott (born 23 January 1956) is a British author. He worked as a music journalist and ran a magazine publishing business, launching ''Flexipop'' magazine in 1980 with ex-''Record Mirror'' journalist Barry Cain. Early life and education In 1 ...

observed that "if you can grapple with the sheer unorthodoxy of it it's easy to fall in love with for its quaintness, its limerick simplicity ... The character of ''New Boots and Panties'' is indomitable, like Dury. It's a curiosity piece and a pop album and a good joke and sometimes a bad pun and a shot of Bohemian romantics and a load of crap and totally fascinating."

Roy Carr Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English music journalist, covering pop, rock and jazz. He joined the ''New Musical Express (NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and ''Melody Maker'' magazines. Biography Born in Black ...

in the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' said:

.. it's impossible to bag Ian Dury, except to say that he has taken the essence of the
Cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...
music hall and utilised rock as a contemporary means of expression. On occasions,
Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...
has dallied with a similar approach, but Dury has none of the self-conscious pretentions that Davies exposed in his flawed Flash Harry caricature. Ian Dury feels no need to adopt a transatlantic voice to comply with his subject matter, preferring to deliver ribald and bittersweet monologues in the tone of voice he was born with ... Whether or not you buy ''New Boots and Panties'' at least make hearing the album a priority. It's your loss if you pass.

In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

Robin Denselow Robin Denselow is an English writer, journalist, and broadcaster. Education Denselow was educated at Leighton Park School, a boys' Quaker boarding independent school (now co-educational) in Reading, Berkshire, followed by New College, Oxford, wh ...

praised the honesty of Dury's songwriting, saying that the singer "has refined (if one can use such a word of Dury) his early style into a remarkable, distinctively London-orientated blend of cockney music hall, rock, and Bowie-style electronics. This is mixed, with no nonsense and no frills, with a set of powerful, forthright and honest lyrics that will send self-consciously daring punks scurrying back to the safety of their dole queue clichés. I admire him for the way he throws himself full tilt into his emotions, using a backdrop as squalid as the worst of the East End for songs of unashamed sexuality, admiration, or hate. The tribute songs – straight and never mawkish – are to Gene Vincent and to Dury's father, and equally honest are the demented, stream of consciousness tirades." The album was not a hit in the US, but reviews by American critics were also positive. The music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

was impressed by the album, writing, "The tenacious wit and accuracy of his lyrics betray how uncommon he believes his blockheaded protagonists really are, and his music rocks out in the traditional blues-based grooves without kissing the past's ass. Tender, furious, sexy, eccentric, surprising." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' said, "A provocative combination of

Toulouse-Lautrec ''Comte'' Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful an ...

and Chas Bukowski, Dury punks out in a laughingly distasteful way even as he sits on a cushion of personal warmth, feigning indifference. Whatever you choose to make of his talents, you won't be left untouched." In 1983's ''

The New Rolling Stone Record Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'', John Swenson deemed it a "great" album. Contemporary reviews have similarly praised the album.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

said

Ian Dury's primary appeal lies in his lyrics, which are remarkably clever sketches of British life delivered with a wry wit. Since Dury's accent is thick and his language dense with local slang, much of these pleasures aren't discernible to casual listeners, leaving the music to stand on its own merits. On his debut album, ''New Boots and Panties!!'', Dury's music is at its best, and even that is a bizarrely uneven fusion of pub rock, punk rock, and disco. Still, Dury's off-kilter charm and irrepressible energy make the album gel.

Reviewing the 1998 reissue, Tom Doyle of '' Q'' believed that "''New Boots and Panties!!'' remains the creative yardstick he urycan never quite measure up to", while in 2012

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

stated, "Dury's work quickly mellowed (well, relatively), but the combination of cheeky ire, libertarianism and jazzed-up music hall punk on ''New Boots...'' was defiant, original and, 35 years later, stands as a mighty missing link between

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

and Blur." ''

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Kno ...

'' calls ''New Boots and Panties!!'' "the late Ian Dury's greatest album; rarely has a musical artist been so loved and respected ... He should be remembered for his dynamite band the Blockheads and this necessary album". Critical reviews of the 40th anniversary box set in 2017 continued to praise the album. Terry Staunton of '' Uncut'' called ''New Boots and Panties!!'' "a calling card that dabbled in jazz, music hall, retro rock'n'roll and Kinks-ian character studies. urycould have been dismissed as a Dickensian cartoon, were it not for the eloquence of his lyrics, his sly humour and the formidable musical range of his partner

Chaz Jankel Charles Jeremy "Chaz" Jankel (born 16 April 1952) is an English musician and songwriter. In a music career spanning more than 50 years, he came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Ian Dury and the ...

, whose playful arrangements brought depth and ballast to the odd-looking bloke at the mic." He concluded that neither of Dury's following two albums on Stiff Records "could match his debut's invention and charm". ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

''s Daryl Easlea described the 40th anniversary edition as "a joy to behold" and that ''New Boots and Panties!!'' "remains a truly singular album full of magic and wonder. No small thanks to its coterie of characters, real and imaginary, that Dury brought along to so capture the imagination." Mark Blake of ''Q'' said, "You can hear late-'70s London all over these songs... Yet ''New Boots''... is more than a period piece. It has endured. Punk's DIY ethos and rejection of conventional pop star glamour enabled Ian Dury rather than dictated to him. The man and his songs were too contrary to fit into any box or era." Summing up the record, he stated, "Forty years on, ''New Boots and Panties!!'' has lost few of its brilliant imperfections".

Accolades

''New Boots and Panties!!'' was ranked at number 2 in the ''NME'' writers' list of the albums of the year for 1977 and at number 7 by ''Sounds''. In June 2000 ''Q'' magazine placed ''New Boots and Panties!!'' at number 66 in its list "The 100 Greatest British Albums ... Ever!" A similar list in July 2004 titled "50 Best British Albums Ever!" ranked ''New Boots and Panties!!'' at number 39. In its April 1998 list of the "50 Best Albums of the '70s" ''Q'' placed the album at number 43. In October 2013 ''NME'' placed ''New Boots and Panties!!'' at number 240 in its poll of writers past and present for The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It is ranked number 495 in the 2005 book version of ''

's''

500 Greatest Albums of All Time 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

. It was also listed in the book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...

''.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Ian Dury and Chaz Jankel except where noted.

1977 UK & Europe release

;Side one # "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" – 4:23 # " Sweet Gene Vincent" – 3:33 # "I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra" – 3:13 # "My Old Man" (Dury, Steve Nugent) – 3:40 # " Billericay Dickie" (Dury, Nugent) – 4:17 ;Side two #

"Clevor Trever" – 4:53 # "If I Was with a Woman" – 3:24 # "Blockheads" – 3:30 # "Plaistow Patricia" (Dury, Nugent) – 4:13 # "Blackmail Man" (Dury, Nugent) – 2:14 *"

" appeared as the first track on side two of early repressings of the album, including a gold vinyl pressing in 1978, but was not credited on the sleeve or label.

1978 & 2012 US & Canada releases

;Side one # "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" – 4:23 # "Sweet Gene Vincent" – 3:33 # "I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra" – 3:13 # "My Old Man" (Dury, Steve Nugent) – 3:40 # "Billericay Dickie" (Dury, Nugent) – 4:17 ;Side two #

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – 3:04 # "Clevor Trever" – 4:53 # "If I Was with a Woman" – 3:24 # "Blockheads" – 3:30 # "Plaistow Patricia" (Dury, Nugent) – 4:13 # "Blackmail Man" (Dury, Nugent) – 2:14

1998 Hit Label/Repertoire/CNR Music bonus tracks

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" (single, August 1977) – 3:12 # "Razzle in My Pocket" (B-side of "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll") – 2:55 # "You're More Than Fair" (Dury, Russell Hardy) (B-side of "Sweet Gene Vincent") – 2:58 # "England's Glory"

ive Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...

(Dury,

Rod Melvin Rod Melvin is an English, London-based pianist and singer, appearing regularly at residencies such as the Groucho Club and previously Le Pont de la Tour. He studied Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art and Reading University where he was a co-fo ...

) (performed by Ian and the Kilburns) – 3:27 # "

" (Dury, Melvin) (single, April 1978) – 3:26

2005 Edsel/Fuel 2000/True North 2-CD set

;Bonus tracks #

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – 3:12 # "Razzle in My Pocket" – 2:56 # "You're More Than Fair" (Dury, Hardy) – 2:57 # "England's Glory"

(Dury, Melvin) – 3:29 ;Second disc ( demo versions) # "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" – 4:03 # "Sink My Boats" – 3:13 # "Apples" – 4:05 # "England's Glory" (Dury, Melvin) – 4:04 # "Tell the Children" (Dury, Melvin) – 4:03 # "I Made Mary Cry" (Dury, Hardy) (performed by Ian and the Kilburns) – 4:45 # "Sweet Gene Vincent" acking Track– 5:36 # "Blackmail Man" (Dury, Nugent) – 2:10 # "My Old Man" (Dury, Nugent) – 3:24 # "Something's Going to Happen in the Winter" (Dury, Nugent) – 4:38 # "Wifey" – 3:55 # "Sink My Boats" lternate Version– 4:19 # "I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra" – 2:52 # "If I Was with a Woman" – 3:22 # "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – 3:44 # "Clevor Trever" – 5:13 # "Blockheads" – 4:16

2007 Edsel 30th Anniversary CD/DVD

;Bonus tracks #

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – 3:12 # "Razzle in My Pocket" – 2:55 # "Close to Home" (demo, January 1977) – 4:12 # "Two Steep Hills" (performed by Ian and the Kilburns) – 2:52 ;DVD Recorded at

Queen Mary College Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London. Today, ...

, London on 10 December 1977 for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television series ''Sight and Sound in Concert'' (series 2, episode 11). # "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" # "I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra" # "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" # "Clevor Trever" # "Billericay Dickie" # "Sweet Gene Vincent" # "Blockheads"

2017 40th anniversary box set

;Disc one As original album. ;Disc two # "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" # "Razzle in My Pocket" # "You're More Than Fair" # "England's Glory" (live) # "Close to Home" # "Two Steep Hills" # "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" (BBC John Peel Session)* # "Clevor Trever" (BBC John Peel Session)* # "Sweet Gene Vincent" (BBC John Peel Session)* # "Blockheads" (BBC John Peel Session)* *Recorded 30 November 1977, broadcast 12 December 1977 ;Disc three – Demo versions # "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" – 4:03 # "Sink My Boats" – 3:13 # "Apples" – 4:05 # "England's Glory" (Dury, Melvin) – 4:04 # "Tell the Children" (Dury, Melvin) – 4:03 # "I Made Mary Cry" (Dury, Hardy) (performed by Ian and the Kilburns) – 4:45 # "Sweet Gene Vincent" acking Track– 5:36 # "Blackmail Man" (Dury, Nugent) – 2:10 # "My Old Man" (Dury, Nugent) – 3:24 # "Something's Going to Happen in the Winter" (Dury, Nugent) – 4:38 # "Wifey" – 3:55 # "Sink My Boats" lternate Version– 4:19 # "I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra" – 2:52 # "If I Was with a Woman" – 3:22 # "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – 3:44 # "Clevor Trever" – 5:13 # "Blockheads" – 4:16 ;Disc four – Live at the

Paris Theatre The Paris Theatre (also known as the Paris Studios) was originally a cinema located at 12 Lower Regent Street in central London which was converted into a studio by the BBC for radio broadcasts requiring an audience. It was used for several ...

, London 01/07/1978 # "Sex & Drugs and Rock and Roll" # "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" # "Clevor Trever" # "Plaistow Patricia" # "I Made Mary Cry" # "What a Waste" # "Blockheads" # "If I Was with a Woman" # "Upminster Kid" # "Sweet Gene Vincent" # "Sex & Drugs and Rock and Roll (Reprise)" ;Vinyl As original album.

Personnel

– vocals *

– guitars, keyboards *

– bass *Charley Charles – drums Additional personnel: *

– saxophones *Edward Speight – ballad guitar *Geoff Castle –

*Chris Gabrin – photography *

– brush lettering Personnel on "You're More Than Fair", "England's Glory" and "I Made Mary Cry" (performed by Ian and the Kilburns): *Ian Dury – vocals *Giorgi Dionsiev – bass * John "Irish" Earle – saxophone *Malcolm Mortimer – drums *Ed Speight – guitar Credits on 2005 and 2017 'demo versions' discs: *Charley Charles – drums on tracks 12, 15, 16 and 17 *Ian Dury – drums on tracks 8–11, 13 and 14 *Kuma Harada – bass on tracks 1–5 *Chaz Jankel – lead vocals on track 10, backing vocals on tracks 1–5, 12 and 14, guitar on tracks 1–5 and 7–17, bass on tracks 10, 13 and 14, keyboards on tracks 1–6 and 12, piano on tracks 13 and 15–17 *Steve Nugent – guitar on track 11 *

Peter Van Hooke Peter Van Hooke (born 6 April 1950) is an English rock drummer and producer with over 350 credits to his name. He was the drummer for the English band Mike + The Mechanics (from 1985 to 1995) and also drummed for Van Morrison's band, Headston ...

– drums on tracks 1–5 *Norman Watt-Roy – bass on tracks 12 and 15–17 *Tracks 1–5 recorded at Livingstone Studios,

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...

, London, July 1976 *Track 7 recorded at Pebble Beach Studios,

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

, 1 December 1976 *Tracks 8–10 recorded at Alvic Studios,

Wimbledon, London Wimbledon () is a suburb of southwest London, England, southwest of Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,189 in 2011 which includes the electoral wards of Abbey, Wimb ...

, February/March 1977 *Track 11 recorded at Alvic Studios, Wimbledon, 1976 *Tracks 12–17 recorded at Alvic Studios, Wimbledon, early 1977

Re-releases

Edsel Records Demon Music Group Limited (DMG; formerly Object Enterprises Limited from 19821991 and Music Collection International Limited from 19912000) is a record company owned by BBC Studios that is mainly concerned with back-catalogue rights and re-iss ...

re-released the album in 2004 as part of a series of 2-Disc Ian Dury re-issues. The album was first reissued for the American market where "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" was added to its track-list. Its initial CD re-issue on the Demon record label included an interview with Ian Dury that was on a 12" record packaged free with the original album. Since then all CD re-issues have added the bonus tracks "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll", its B-side "Razzle in My Pocket", "You're More Than Fair" a re-recording of an old Kilburn & The Highroads song originally released on the B-side of the "Sweet Gene Vincent" single, and a live version of "England's Glory" by Ian Dury & The Kilburns (the final phase of Kilburn & The Highroads) that was originally released on a rare re-pressing of "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll", given away free by the ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

''. Also included on previous versions was "

" the first single credited to 'Ian Dury & the Blockheads' that included "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" as its B-side/double A-side. Edsel removed this from their version and instead included it on their re-issue of ''

''. Edsel's 2-Disc re-issue included a bonus disc of additional demos and recordings by Ian Dury and The Kilburns, including songs that would later appear on his albums ''Do It Yourself'' (1979) and ''

Apples An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

'' (1989) and an old Kilburn & The Highroads song "I Made Mary Cry" that would be continued with by Dury as late as 1978, with a live version appearing on his ''Straight From The Desk'' live album, released in 2001. The album was again released in 2017 as a 4-CD and vinyl album box set to celebrate its 40th anniversary. A limited edition of 500 copies available exclusively through

Amazon UK Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...

had the vinyl disc pressed on clear vinyl rather than the standard black vinyl.

Charts

Certifications

Release history

''Brand New Boots and Panties''

After Dury's death, the album was remade in 2001 as a tribute album under the title ''Brand New Boots And Panties''. Except for "My Old Man" and "Billericay Dickie", the Blockheads played on all the tracks, with vocals provided by various others: #

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

: "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" – 4:59 #

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

: "Sweet Gene Vincent" – 4:07 #

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

: "I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra" – 3:31 # Madness: "My Old Man" – 3:13 #

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...

& the Blokes: "Billericay Dickie" – 4:43 #

: "Clevor Trever" – 6:15 #

Cerys Matthews Cerys Elizabeth Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews now ...

: "If I Was with a Woman" – 3:34 #

Grant Nicholas Grantley Jonathan Nicholas (born 12 November 1967) is a Welsh musician and the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Feeder. In 2014, Nicholas released his debut solo album '' Yorktown Heights.'' In the following year, a released a min ...

: "Blockheads" – 4:07 #

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (25 December 195730 November 2023) was a British-born Irish singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He won acclaim for his lyrics, whic ...

: "Plaistow Patricia" – 4:03 # Keith Allen: "Blackmail Man" – 2:14 The album was produced by Dury's long-time producer Laurie Latham, with the exceptions of "My Old Man" (produced by Madness' usual producers

Clive Langer Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' Brothers of the Head''. Biog ...

and

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (; born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. Early life He was born in Fulham in November 1952 to parents Ken and Doreen. ...

), "Billericay Dickie" (produced by Bragg's producer

Grant Showbiz Grant Showbiz (real name Grant Cunliffe) is a British record producer principally known for his work with the Fall, the Smiths, and Billy Bragg plus as an artist in his own right with Moodswings. He has worked on more albums by both the Fall (15 ...

) and "Clevor Trever", which Latham co-produced with Wreckless Eric. Billy Bragg & the Blokes chose to give "Billericay Dickie" a more Indian feel, a style they used on Bragg's album ''

England, Half-English ''England, Half-English'' is a 2002 album by English political singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and the Blokes. The title track is about racism in England and the anti-immigration feelings and racist abuse of asylum seekers fuelled by the t ...

'' the following year: the song was subsequently included as the opening track on the bonus disc of the 2006 re-issue of the album. Madness' "My Old Man" was likewise performed much more in their style than that of the Blockheads'. Sinéad O'Connor chose to change the words of "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" so the sex of the song's narrator was a woman; Cerys Matthews chose not to do the same with "If I Was with a Woman". Wreckless Eric, for whom "Clevor Trever" was originally written, meandered and mumbled during the latter half of the song, over a long instrumental extemporisation, extending it to nearly double its original length. Other musicians featured on the album include

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...

(piano), Steve Sidwell (trumpet), Sam Brown (vocals),

Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, London, Holloway, North London, Howe d ...

(guitar),

Dylan Howe Dylan Lee Howe (born 4 August 1969) is an English drummer, bandleader, session musician and composer. The son of guitarist Steve Howe (musician), Steve Howe with whom he has sometimes collaborated, Dylan is also noted for his work with rock ba ...

(drums). The album's cover art featured a painting of Ian Dury by pop artist Peter Blake, a former teacher and long-time friend of Dury's.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *Original copy of the vinyl LP. Cat No SEEZ 4

External links

* Music audio * Music video at ''

TopPop ''TopPop'' was a Dutch television programme. It was the first regular dedicated pop music television series in the Dutch language area. The Netherlands broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly from 22 September 1970 to 27 June 1988. Presenter ...

'' {{Authority control 1977 debut albums Albums produced by Laurie Latham Ian Dury albums Stiff Records albums Albums produced by Peter Jenner