What a waste Ian Dury

Subject: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Cllr
Date: 15 Mar 06 - 08:07 PM

In one of the BS threads someone (PB) mentioned Ian Dury

I could be the driver in articulated lorry
I could be a poet, I wouldn't need to worry
I could be the teacher in a classroom full of scholars
I could be the sergeant in a squadron full of wallahs

I could be a lawyer with strategems and muses
I could be a doctor with poultices and bruises
I could be a writer with a growing reputation
I could be the ticket-man at Fulham Broadway station

What a waste!

I got into folk music, sort of, from Led Zep acoustic album (iii) and Jethro Tull's Songs from the Wood slipping into Steeleye Span
but I still remeber as one of my all time favourite gigs seeing Ian Dury and the music students on the "F**K off noddy tour" around 1983
at Brunel university It got me to thinking about punk and whether there were influences on folk I had missed perhaps from bands no longer performing but still worth a listen any suggestions?
Cllr

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Bird Flu
Date: 15 Mar 06 - 09:18 PM

The Oysterband are worth checking out.Then there's Billy Bragg and Shane McGowan both Punk/Folk Funk/Polk

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: GUEST,Nicholas Waller
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 07:01 AM

The Men They Couldn't Hang might be worth a look, probably punk/rock slightly influenced by folk rather than the other way round.

Their "Rain, Steam and Speed" from Silvertown is a good song, named after the mid-19thC Turner impressionistic painting of a Great Western steam locomotive barrelling over a Brunel bridge (at 30mph, apparently).

Rain is the cold
Steam is the burn
Speed is the way the world turns (round)

Some men build a monument
Some men build a tomb
Some men move the world around
To give them breathing room
Some men carve a statue
Of Isambard Brunel
Some men carve a tunnel into hell

"It is not unfair to say they had a very Pogue-like feel with hard-driving versions of traditional tunes, hard-edged punk voice, and a hard-left political angle, epitomized by their first track, "Ironmasters," an angry recounting of the losing fight of unions against industry."(http://www.greenmanreview.com/tmtch.html)

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Ross
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 08:56 AM

I went to see the Stiff record label tour at Lancaster University in 1978

I think it was Ian Drury, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and someone else

There were a lot of quirky songs that were supposed to be punk - Nick Lowes - I'm a police car was one I remembered - original Elvis Costello is quite quirky too

I suppose artists on the Stiff Label would be a place to look - they were definitely different to the SP's, Clash & Damned in the main stream

Are you doing anything locally folk wise?

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Fullerton
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 11:01 AM

XTC had a very folky phase (Check out the "Settlement" album.)

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: alanabit
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 03:40 PM

I wonder if the other person you saw on that tour was Jonah Lewie, Ross? He also played them. Another participant was Lene Lovich, if I remember rightly.

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: RMLondon
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 04:02 PM

I saw that tour in the Lyceum in London...I think "Police Car" was Larry Wallis not Nick Lowe ...or Larry Wallis and the Whole Wide World...

For "Quirky" "Punky" and "Folky" you can't do much better than Attila the Stockbroker ... and some of the stuff Jah Wobble is currently doing... is very folk orientated

I also think Robb Johnson ( www.robbjohnson.co.uk )is a musician (playing in lots of folk clubs) who has a significant amount of punk sensibilities about his stuff - and he does a cracking acoustic version of London's Burning

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Goose Gander
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 04:43 PM

Ian Dury never came up, but the folk-punk question was discussed in this thread

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Cllr
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 04:47 PM

Thanks RMLondon Robb is excellent. He was my main resident at a club I ran in Slough about ten yrs back!

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 04:55 PM

Mike - they didn't appear until late 1980s and their politics are definitely not yours, but the Levellers did some musically stirring stuff.
Quack!
Geoff.

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Alba
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 04:55 PM

Jings I was just thinking about XTC's song "Senses working overtime" the other day:)
Jude

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: JohnB
Date: 16 Mar 06 - 05:38 PM

Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll, what my brain and body needs.
JohnB

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Ross
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 04:51 AM

Hi all - you could be right about 'police car'

But in my defence -
It was illegal not to be drunk at a gig as student
Nick Lowe was always pinching other peoples stuff

Was Iggy Pop & the Stooges gutter folk

Did you know Ampthill is sinking into the Ouse Valley?

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: GUEST,BazT
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 07:32 AM

Lena Lovich "Lucky Number" was the first record I ever bought...I can't say with any certainty wether things have improved or worsened since then!

I do "Anarchy in the UK", "Teenage Kicks" and a couple of Nick Cave songs for badness at my local folk club. I do 'em in a "folkee-stylee" , but I have to say they don't exactly go down a storm, tending to split the room somewhat. In my defence, I try to make sure that I "earn" my abberations by doing a good few traditional songs between them.

In terms of "punk/folk" crossovers, I've got a foot in both camps, and I reckon some of the songs Nick Cave writes are great examples of songs with lyrical themes that occur in folk (murder, ships, seduction, erm....murder) but in a more "rock" format. Check out his albums "Murder Ballads" and "Abbattoir Blues".

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: fat B****rd
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 02:56 PM

Wreckless Eric was on the LIve Stiffs tour referred to.

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 04:57 PM

I've got the LP somewhere. Stiffs live. Wreckless Eric, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costelo, Dave Edmunds, Larry Wallis, sex, drugs, rock&roll and chaos....
also - Thin Lizzy, Graham Parker & the Rumour, Kursaal Flyers (I was recently told they had folk scene connections),Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias (Bob Marley meets Bob Dylan meets Punk).
And my all time faves Horslips - and Charles o'Connor is a really nice bloke, now living in Whitby, The Official Website and CDs.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: What a waste Ian Dury
From: ifor
Date: 18 Mar 06 - 11:24 AM

Try listening to The Boys From The Hill...Swansea and Wales'finest secret...urban folk with plenty of attitude and great songs including Brechfa Forest written by Andy Jones of the band.
Ifor
This is a band that should be booked at festivals across the land