Ian Dury and the Blockheads

The death of Ian Dury on 27 March 2000 deprived the world of one of its finest rock lyricists. With songs that focused on issues of everyday life in England and lyrics that were at once poetic and deliciously carnal. Dury made it acceptable, even sexy, for English acts to be English again. In Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Song by Song, Jim Drury talks with each of the remaining members of the Blockheads, and many of Ian's other colleagues, to cover the songwriter's entire career, from the early singles and 1977 album New Boots and Panties to his final recordings and performances. Readers discover the inspiration behind classic songs like 'Sweet Gene Vincent' and 'Reasons to be Cheerful', the rows and punch ups that drove a wedge between Ian and the band, and the return to form that Ian Dury enjoyed toward the end of his too-short life. Drury also provides in-depth coverage of the The Blockheads career since 2000, the band having made the brave decision to continue recording and tourin