Kilburn and the High Roads

Last updated

Kilburn and the High Roads
Origin London; Cambridge
Genres
Years active1970 (1970)–1975 (1975)
Labels
Past members Ian Dury
Russell Hardy
Keith Lucas (Nick Cash)
Humphrey Ocean
Rod Melvin
David Newton-Rohoman
Ian Smith
Edward "Ted" Speight
George Khan
Charlie Hart
Terry Day
Davey Payne
Charlie Sinclair
Chris Lucas

Kilburn and the High Roads were a British pub rock band formed in London by Ian Dury in 1970. The band released one studio album Handsome in 1975, disbanding the same year. AllMusic credits the band with being "an undeniable influence on punk and new wave". [1]

Contents

History

Dury formed Kilburn and the High Roads in 1970. The band consisted of Ian Dury as lead vocalist and lyricist, pianist Russell Hardy, guitarist Edward "Ted" Speight (later replaced by Keith Lucas), bassist Charlie Hart (later replaced by Humphrey Ocean and later by Charley Sinclair), saxophonist George Khan (later replaced by Davey Payne) and drummer Chris Lucas (replaced by Terry Day and later by David Newton-Rohoman, who used crutches). [1] The band performed their first gig in 1971 and were regulars on the pub rock scene by 1973. [1] The Kilburns also supported the Who on their Quadrophenia tour of late 1973. [4]

The band signed to Warner Bros. subsidiary Raft Records and recorded an album in 1974 but it remained unreleased when the label was shut down. [1] The band were managed by fashion entrepreneur Tommy Roberts, presaging acquaintance Malcolm McLaren's involvement with the Sex Pistols. Signing to Pye subsidiary Dawn Records, the band released debut single "Rough Kids" the same year and a second single and their re-recorded debut album Handsome in 1975, before disbanding soon afterwards. [1] [5]

Dury then formed the short-lived Ian Dury and the Kilburns and later, with different personnel, a new group, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, initially releasing records under his own name alone. Dury's solo success led to the release of a second Kilburn and the High Roads album, Wotabunch! in 1977, despite the group's earlier demise, largely duplicating the first album but remixed from earlier demos and later a compilation EP, The Best of Kilburn & the High Roads on Dury's next label, Stiff Records, in 1983. [1]

In 2016, Cherry Red Records released an expanded edition of Handsome with a bonus disc containing a previously unreleased 1974 Capital Radio broadcast. [6] [7]

Legacy

Davey Payne followed Dury into the Blockheads. Keith Lucas (as Nick Cash) went on to form punk band 999. Humphrey Ocean recorded a one-off single for Stiff Records in 1978, [8] written by Dury.

Suggs has credited Kilburn and the High Roads with being "a huge influence" on Madness. [9] Paul Simonon of the Clash has credited Dury as an influence on punk. [10] The Sex Pistols were inspired by Chris Thomas' production on the first Kilburn's single to work with him; [11] it has also been suggested that John Lydon borrowed some of his early performance style from Dury, [10] [12] although the claim is rejected by Lydon. [13]

Personnel

Kilburn and the High Roads

  • Ian Dury – lead vocal, percussion (also lyricist and songwriter) (1970–75)
  • Russell Hardy – piano (also songwriter) (1970–74)
  • Rod Melvin – piano, vocals (also songwriter) (1974–75)
  • Edward "Ted" Speight – guitar (1970)
  • Keith Lucas (Nick Cash) – guitar (1971–75)
  • Charlie Hart – bass (1970, 1972–73)
  • Ian Smith – bass (1971)
  • Humphrey Ocean – bass (1973)
  • Charley Sinclair – bass (1974 –75)
  • George Khan – saxophone (1970)
  • Davey Payne – saxophone (1971 –75)
  • Terry Day – drums (1970, 1972 –73)
  • Chris Lucas – drums (1971 –72)
  • David Newton-Rohoman – drums (1973, 1974 –75)
  • George Butler – drums (1974)

Ian Dury and the Kilburns

  • Ian Dury – lead vocal (1975 –76)
  • Rod Melvin – keyboards (1975 –76)
  • Edward "Ted" Speight – guitar (1975 –76)
  • John Earle – saxophone (1975 –76)
  • Giorgi Dionisiev – bass (1975 –76)
  • Malcolm Mortimore – drums (1975 –76)
  • Chaz Jankel – keyboards, guitar (1976) [14]

Discography

Studio albums

Album TitleLabelRecordedReleased
Handsome Dawn Records 19741975
Wotabunch! Warner Bros. Records 19741977

Singles

Song TitleLabelRecordedReleased
"Rough Kids"/"Billy Bentley" Dawn Records 19741974
"Crippled with Nerves"/"Huffety Puff"Dawn Records19751975 [15]

Compilations

Album TitleLabelRecordedReleased
The Best of Kilburn & the High-Roads Stiff Records 19821983
Upminster Kids [16] PRT Records 1974–751983

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Dury</span> British new wave singer (1942–2000)

Ian Robins Dury was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and previously Kilburn and the High Roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stiff Records</span> British record label

Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreckless Eric</span> Musical artist

Eric Goulden, known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock and new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single "Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all time. It was also acclaimed as one of the "top 40 singles of the alternative era 1975–2000".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll</span> 1977 single by Ian Dury

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is a song and single by Ian Dury. It was originally released as a Stiff Records single, with "Razzle in My Pocket" as the B-side, on 26 August 1977. The song was released under the single name "Ian Dury", but three members of the Blockheads appear on the record – the song's co-writer and guitarist Chaz Jankel, Norman Watt-Roy on bass and drummer Charlie Charles.

<i>New Boots and Panties!!</i> 1977 studio album by Ian Dury

New Boots and Panties!! is the debut studio album by Ian Dury, released in the UK on Stiff Records on 30 September 1977. The record covers a diverse range of musical styles which reflect Dury's influences and background in pub rock, taking in funk, disco, British music hall and early rock and roll, courtesy of Dury's musical hero Gene Vincent. Consisting mostly of love songs and character stories based on the working-class people of the East End and Essex Estuary areas where he grew up, the songs are frequently ribald and profane, but also contain humour and affection for his characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Gallagher</span> English keyboardist

Michael William Gallagher is an English Hammond organ player best known as a member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and for his contributions to albums by the Clash. He has also written music for films such as Extremes (1971) and After Midnight (1990), and the Broadway play Serious Money (1987).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick</span> 1978 single by Ian and the Blockheads

"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, first released as a single on Stiff Records in the UK on 1 December 1978 and credited to "Ian & the Blockheads". Written by Dury and the Blockheads' multi-instrumentalist Chaz Jankel, it is the group's most successful single, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in January 1979 as well as reaching the top three in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and it was also a top 20 hit in several European countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davey Payne</span> English saxophonist

David Stanley Payne is an English saxophonist best known as a member of Ian Dury's backing band The Blockheads, and for his twin saxophone solo on their 1978 UK No. 1 single "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick". He also appeared on the first version of Nico's 1981 album Drama of Exile.

<i>Do It Yourself</i> (Ian Dury & the Blockheads album) 1979 studio album by Ian Dury & the Blockheads

Do It Yourself is a 1979 album by Ian Dury & the Blockheads. It was the first album to be credited to Ian Dury & the Blockheads rather than Ian Dury alone, although Dury had used the full band name for the "What a Waste" 7" single of 1978. The album was released in the wake of the chart-topping hit single "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick", and reached number two in the charts, behind ABBA's Voulez-Vous. Do It Yourself sold around 200,000 copies, and was Dury's second Platinum album.

<i>4,000 Weeks Holiday</i> 1984 studio album by Ian Dury and the Music Students

4,000 Weeks' Holiday is a studio album by Ian Dury and the Music Students, released on 27 January 1984 by Polydor Records. It is Dury's only studio album with the Music Students and his fifth overall.

<i>Apples</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Ian Dury

Apples is the sixth studio album by Ian Dury, released in October 1989 by WEA. It was the soundtrack to his short-lived stage-show of same name though it was recorded before the show opened. The album contains twelve of the twenty tracks from the show. The album was reissued with no bonus tracks on 31 October 2011 by Edsel Records.

<i>Ten More Turnips from the Tip</i> 2002 studio album by Ian Dury & the Blockheads

Ten More Turnips from the Tip is the fourth and final studio album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and Dury's ninth overall. It was compiled and released in 2002, two years after Dury's death in March 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What a Waste</span> 1978 single by Ian Dury & The Blockheads

"What a Waste" is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, originally released in 1978 on the Stiff Records single BUY 27 "What a Waste" / "Wake Up and Make Love with Me". The song has remained in The Blockheads' set following Dury's death.

<i>Handsome</i> (Kilburn and the High-Roads album) 1975 studio album by Kilburn and the High-Roads

Handsome is the debut album of the Ian Dury rock group Kilburn and the High-Roads, released in June 1975 by Dawn Records.

<i>Wotabunch!</i> 1978 studio album by Kilburn and the High-Roads

Wotabunch! was released by WEA in 1978, following the success of Ian Dury as a solo artist. It is technically the "second album" by Kilburn and the High-Roads.

<i>Straight from the Desk</i> 2001 live album by Ian Dury & the Blockheads

Straight from the Desk is a live album by Ian Dury & the Blockheads recorded on 23 December 1978 at the Ilford Odeon, Ilford, East London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Blockheads</span> English rock band

The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. As of March 2023 members included Chaz Jankel, Nathan King (bass), Mick Gallagher, John Turnbull, John Roberts (drums), and Mike Bennett. There is a rolling line-up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards, Dave Lewis, and from time to time, the original sax player, Davey Payne. Between 2000 and 2022, the band's lead vocalist and main lyricist was Derek Hussey.

Kosmo Vinyl is a former longtime associate and sometime manager for The Clash, as well as being associated with Ian Dury & the Blockheads, two seminal English bands of the 1970s and 1980s. He can be heard introducing The Clash at Shea Stadium on The Clash's live album, Live at Shea Stadium, as well as many bootlegged performances such as Kingston Advice. His impressionistic reading of quotes from Travis Bickle in the film Taxi Driver can be heard on The Clash's "Red Angel Dragnet".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Watt-Roy</span> English musician

Norman Joseph Watt-Roy is an English musician, arranger and composer.

<i>Live Stiffs Live</i> 1978 live album by various artists

Live Stiffs Live is a live album released in 1978 by Stiff Records. It compiles concert performances by several of the record label's artists recorded during the "Live Stiffs Tour", which ran from 3 October to 5 November 1977.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kilburn & the High Roads – Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ian Dury". AllMusic.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  3. ↑ E, Gaz. "Ian Dury-fronted KILBURN & THE HIGH-ROADS get 'Handsome' 2CD reissue treatment". Über Röck-Kick Ass Rock N Roll. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Kilburn and The High Roads". Nostalgia Central. 12 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Kilburn And The High Roads: Handsome – Album Review | Louder Than War". 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Handsome 2016 edition". Discogs. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "Handsome: Expanded Edition". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Stiff – Humphrey Ocean And The Hardy Annuals". Stiff-records.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Du Noyer, Paul. In the City: A Celebration of London Music, Random House, 2010, p200
  10. 1 2 O'Hagan, Sean (29 November 2009). "The life and times of Ian Dury – pop". Theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Birch, Will. Ian Dury: The Definitive Biography, Pan Macmillan, 2010, p137
  12. ↑ "Ian Dury: Before The Blockheads when he fronted Kilburn and the High Roads". DangerousMinds. 30 August 2016. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "johnlydon.com – interviews – Q Magazine, June 2002". Johnlydon.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  14. ↑ "Kilburn & the High Roads". Punk Music Catalogue. 22 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "Crippled With Nerves". 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021– via www.youtube.com.
  16. ↑ "Kilburn & The High Roads Featuring Ian Dury – Upminster Kids". Discogs. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.