All I know is that the moment my brother lent me his 'New Boots and Panties' LP, was the moment I found my type of music. So, you can imagine my delight when I walk into my local record shop and find this album staring me in the face, alongside the trendy Stereophonics. Cerys from Catatonia and Sinead O' Connor give Dury's songs a sexy twist. Paul McCartney produces a track that would sound great live, but not so fantastic through your CD player. Grant from Feeder and Keith Allen are brilliantly cockney.
Madness are superb.
Shane McGowen is just frightening. Bragg's version has a slight Egyption feel, and Wreckless sounds as though he's doing his track through a megaphone. But, if you already have the original, get this album to hear some different vibes and also to realise just how brilliant Ian Dury is. This album is full of surprises - the artists I expected to be poor perform brilliant renditions of songs from the great man's best loved album, and those from whom much was expected are disappointing. Wreckless Eric, Cerys Matthews, Grant Nicholas and Keith Allen have delivered excellent versions of Clevor Trever, If I Was With A Woman, Blockheads and Blackmail Man.