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**Ian Dury & The Blockheads - New Boots And Panties!! ★★★★☆**

In the pantheon of punk's great eccentrics, few figures loom as large or as lovably awkward as Ian Dury. By the time *New Boots And Panties!!* arrived in September 1977, the 35-year-old former art teacher had already lived several lifetimes. A polio survivor whose withered left arm and leg never dimmed his theatrical swagger, Dury had spent the early '70s fronting pub rock outfit Kilburn & The High Roads, whose raucous blend of music hall ribaldry and R&B grunt earned them a devoted following but precious little commercial success.

When that band imploded in 1975, Dury might have retreated to the classroom. Instead, he doubled down on his artistic vision, assembling a crack band of session musicians who would become The Blockheads. The timing couldn't have been more fortuitous. As punk exploded across Britain's musical landscape, here was an unlikely standard-bearer: a middle-aged disabled man with a penchant for cockney wordplay and a deep love of 1950s rock'n'roll.

*New Boots And Panties!!* is that rarest of beasts: a debut album that sounds utterly assured from its opening bars. Dury and his collaborator Chaz Jankel had crafted something that was simultaneously of its moment and completely timeless – a collection of songs that nodded to punk's year-zero attitude while drawing from a far richer well of influences. This is pub rock meets new wave meets music hall, filtered through the singular worldview of a man who'd spent decades observing life from society's margins.

The album's calling card remains "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll," a three-chord manifesto that became punk's most quotable anthem despite being written by someone old enough to be most punks' father. Dury's delivery is pure theatrical gold – part Max Miller, part Johnny Rotten, wholly his own invention. The song's genius lies in its simplicity; three words that capture an entire generation's hedonistic philosophy, delivered with a wink and a sneer.

But to focus solely on the hits would be to miss the album's deeper pleasures. "Sweet Gene Vincent" is a touching tribute to the leather-clad rocker, with Dury finding kinship in another performer whose physical limitations never dimmed his stage presence. The tenderness in his voice when he croons "Blue Gene baby" reveals the romantic beneath the roughneck exterior. Meanwhile, "Billericay Dickie" showcases Dury's gift for character studies, painting a vivid portrait of Essex man in all his mock-heroic glory.

Musically, The Blockheads prove themselves the perfect foil for Dury's verbal gymnastics. Jankel's keyboards provide a melodic counterpoint to the rhythm section's muscular drive, while the horn section adds both punch and sophistication. This is a band that can swing from reggae-tinged grooves to straight-ahead rock without missing a beat, always serving the song rather than showing off.

The album's production, courtesy of Peter Jenner, captures the band's live energy while allowing space for Dury's vocals to breathe. There's a warmth to the sound that many punk records lack – this music invites you in rather than keeping you at arm's length. Even at its most raucous, *New Boots And Panties!!* feels like a conversation between friends rather than a manifesto from the barricades.

The record's influence can be heard everywhere from Madness to Blur, in any British band that's ever tried to balance wit with melody, street smarts with genuine emotion. Dury proved that punk didn't have to be the exclusive province of angry young men – that middle-aged art teachers with complicated bodies and even more complicated hearts had just as much right to the revolution.

Four decades on, *New Boots And Panties!!* sounds as vital as ever. In an era of manufactured rebellion and focus-grouped authenticity, Dury's voice remains a beacon of genuine nonconformity. He didn't fit punk's template, so he created his own. The boots may be worn and the panties long since discarded, but the songs endure – funny, touching, and utterly human. This is punk rock with a heart, delivered by a man who understood that the best revolutions start with laughter.