Do It Yourself
	Chaz Jankel is musically direct
	Released on May 18, 1979
	UK CHART POSITION #2
	Find it at GEMM
SEEZ 14 cover [high resolution scan]

T he Toad Prince in starched shirt and Stiff collar with his merry band of Blockheads on their second sortie into the backside of the moon. There isn’t a proper hit on it, but Do It Yourself was designed that way. What’s here is the usual madness: delicious musical hall/disco and Dury’s droll patter, the fly in the ointment as it were. The opening “Inbetweenies” always gets the nod come compilation time, but it’s nothing to DIY for. Zany and inspired instead are “This Is What We Find,” “Quiet” and “Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy.” The closing, reggaefied “Lullaby For Francies” is a keeper too. England has a long and luscious history of eccentrics whose sense of humor often obscured a barrelful of rich musical monkeyshines. The Stiff stable was full of them. But few stars shone so garish as Ian Dury, illuminated as he was by arguably the best backing band in the business, The Blockheads. That’s not to take anything away from The Rumour or Rockpile or The Attractions even, but Ian Dury & The Blockheads is as much about a band as Madness ever was. Chaz Jankel writes a good half of the material, but Do It Yourself is more than half a good album. Despite being the second album, it’s been noted that some of these songs pre-date Panties; “Mischief” is actually credited to Loving Awareness. While it doesn’t contain any essential hits in the usual sense, Dury fans would do themselves a great disservice to ignore Do It Yourself. Of interest to collectors, the original elpee was released in a variety of wallpaper designs.

TRACK LISTING

1. INBETWEENIES    (Ian Dury/Chaz Jankel)
2. QUIET    (Ian Dury/Blockheads)
3. DON'T ASK ME    (Ian Dury/Chaz Jankel)
4. SINK MY BOATS    (Ian Dury/Chaz Jankel)
5. WAITING FOR YOUR TAXI    (Ian Dury/Chaz Jankel)
6. THIS IS WHAT WE FIND    (Ian Dury/Mickey Gallagher)
7. UNEASY SUNNY DAY HOTSY TOTSY    (Ian Dury/John Turnbull)
8. MISCHIEF    (Ian Dury/Loving Awareness)
9. DANCE OF THE SCREAMERS    (Ian Dury/Chaz Jankel)
10. LULLABY FOR FRANCIES    (Ian Dury/Chaz Jankel)
    
    CD reissue bonus tracks
    
11. WHAT A WASTE
12. HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK
13. THERE AIN'T HALF BEEN SOME CLEVER BASTARDS
14. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, PT. 3
15. COMMON AS MUCK
16. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, PT. 3 (12" VERSION)
    
    Bonus disc two
    
1. THIS IS WHAT WE FIND
2. BOOGIE WOOGIE (DUFF 'EM UP)
3. QUIET
4. INBETWEENIES (BACKING TRACK)
5. BABIES KEPT QUIET
6. BLOW
7. SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL
8. I'M PARTIAL TO YOUR ABRACADABRA
9. WAKE UP AND MAKE LOVE WITH ME
10. CLEVOR TREVOR
11. SWEET GENE VINCENT
12. BILLERICAY DICKIE
13. MY OLD MAN
14. IF I WAS WITH A WOMAN
15. BLOCKHEADS

CREDITS

CHARLEY CHARLES -- drums
IAN DURY -- vocals
MICKEY GALLAGHER -- keyboards
CHAZ JANKEL -- guitars, keyboards, md
DAVEY PAYNE -- saxes
JOHN TURNBULL -- guitars
NORMAN WATT-ROY -- bass
Laurie Latham -- recording engineer
Gabrinovski -- photos

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