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Blockheads with no Norman tonight


yepmop
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Went to see the Blockheads tonight primarily to see the legendary Norman for the first time and..... he's not there :(

To say I'm disappointed and P*ssed off is an understatement, probably wont get another opportunity to see him play locally again.

I've since found out he's probably playing tonight with Wilco at a gig in Chelmsford and whilst I fully understand why he's there supporting his mate at this difficult and very sad time which I totally respect him for and I don't have a problem with that in any way.
I'm just really Peeved that there was no prior notification that he wouldn't be appearing as I wouldn't have bought tickets or wasted my money on taxi fares etc.

Probably get flamed to hell for this, but have to vent off my anger and disappointment.

I need a few beers!!!!!

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Feel for you, I would have been very, very disappointed. I've been privileged to have seen him many times with Wilko over the years and he is one of my heroes. I suppose the Blockheads gig would have been better paid but, as you say, sounds like he's putting his loyalty to Wilko in action, assuming he had the choice.

I bet they were great though! Always admired that band, even when I was at school and they were fresh! So, was the bass player any good?

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Gotta[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1387527400' post='2312870']
TBH The Blockheads without Ian Dury (never mind NWR) seems a fairly pointless exercise to me.
[/quote]
[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1387527676' post='2312872']
I remember seeing them in the 70's and thinking the opposite :rolleyes:
[/quote] agree with big red really!

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1387527400' post='2312870']
TBH The Blockheads without Ian Dury (never mind NWR) seems a fairly pointless exercise to me.
[/quote]
It does to me too in 2013 but in the 1970s The Blockheads were a great band even without Ian Dury. I saw them loads of times in pubs in London and they were up there with the best of them at the time.

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1387527400' post='2312870']
TBH The Blockheads without Ian Dury (never mind NWR) seems a fairly pointless exercise to me.
[/quote]
[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1387527676' post='2312872']
I remember seeing them in the 70's and thinking the opposite :rolleyes:
[/quote]
[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387532101' post='2312930']
It does to me too in 2013 but in the 1970s The Blockheads were a great band even without Ian Dury. I saw them loads of times in pubs in London and they were up there with the best of them at the time.
[/quote]

I think that's the point I was making. IMO Ian Dury was outstanding, but so are many poets/songwriters who don't make it. The Blockheads made him for me. The rather surreal counterpoint of the extraordinary technical skills of the band and the monotonic vocals (albeit with some clever lyrics) was the magic of the whole, and I doubt he'd have made it fronting the average pub band (I'd like to have have seen him fronting the Average White Band though, that would have been something :D ). And whilst there are moments of genius ('What a Waste' and 'Rhythm Stick' being the obvious examples), there is a catalogue of very average songwriting and mediocre vocal performances that without those moments of genius would probably never have surfaced.

Alongside Ian Dury and AWB, I'd love to have seen the Blockheads with someone equally mercurial but perhaps a little more vocally adept; Tom Waits and the Blockheads would have been interesting?

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[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387532101' post='2312930']
It does to me too in 2013 but in the 1970s The Blockheads were a great band even without Ian Dury. I saw them loads of times in pubs in London and they were up there with the best of them at the time.
[/quote]

and for all the 1970s radio caroline heads out there ... :D

[url="http://youtu.be/zsa3OHzOIlM"]http://youtu.be/zsa3OHzOIlM[/url]

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I'd be gutted if Norman wasn't at last Friday's gig too - sorry to hear that you didn't get to see him in action.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1387527400' post='2312870']
TBH The Blockheads without Ian Dury (never mind NWR) seems a fairly pointless exercise to me.
[/quote]

I don't agree, since it was Chaz Jankel who wrote the bulk of the music to back Ian's lyrics. His absence is really noticeable on 'Laughter' (although having Wilko onboard for that album was great).

I'm a huge Ian fan and think his best material was when backed by The Blockheads. They're are too good a band to be not playing and their new material with Derek is excellent - well worth checking out. That Derek does justice to his old mate's lyrics when they play the older stuff live is a bonus.

Edited by Green Alsatian
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[quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1387534857' post='2312977']
I'd be gutted if Norman wasn't at last Friday's gig too - sorry to hear that you didn't get to see him in action.



I don't agree, since it was Chaz Jankel who wrote the bulk of the music to back Ian's lyrics. His absence is really noticeable on 'Laughter' (although having Wilko onboard for that album was great).

I'm a huge Ian fan and think his best material was when backed by The Blockheads. They're are too good a band to be not playing and their new material with Derek is excellent - well worth checking out. That Derek does justice to his old mate's lyrics when they play the older stuff live is a bonus.
[/quote]

I think that the most recent album Staring Down the Barrel is a very good album indeed, and in my opinion compares well to any Blockheads album with the exception of New Boots and Panties which is an absolute classic. The 11 reviewers on Amazon seem to agree with me. As does the BBC reviewer. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3xw6 The whole album can be heard on Spotify.

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you think that's bad, went to see Sham 69 once, no Jimmy Pursey, no announcement, we thought the replacement singer was a roadie, the other week Sham were advertised as being on in Derby, no Pursey or Parsons, just a couple of guitarist who played with them before they made it, I don't mind not seeing the original band as long as it's made perfectly clear on the promo material, if it's not it's a con

Edited by PaulWarning
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[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1387536957' post='2313024']
you think that's bad, went to see Sham 69 once, no Jimmy Pursey, no announcement, we thought the replacement singer was a roadie, the other week Sham were advertised as being on in Derby, no Pursey or Parsons, just a couple of guitarist who played with them before they made it, I don't mind not seeing the original band as long as it's made perfectly clear on the promo material, if it's not it's a con
[/quote]

Ha ha, once again - and in similar vein to the question over the Blockheads with/without Dury - one is forced to ask whether the absence of Jimmy Pursey could ever be considered a bad thing :D

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[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1387532898' post='2312941']
.....and I doubt he'd have made it fronting the average pub band (I'd like to have have seen him fronting the Average White Band though, that would have been something?
[/quote]

As it's Christmas, anyone know of any Ian Dury & Blockheads or AWB tribute acts. I feel like arranging an interesting gig :D

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[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387532101' post='2312930']
It does to me too in 2013 but in the 1970s The Blockheads were a great band even without Ian Dury. I saw them loads of times in pubs in London and they were up there with the best of them at the time.
[/quote][quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1387532968' post='2312943']
and for all the 1970s radio caroline heads out there ... :D

[media]http://youtu.be/zsa3OHzOIlM[/media]
[/quote]
Not sure how that's relevant to my post but if that's what you were listening to in the 70s then great but it was a long way away from what i was listening to. :) .............although it is rather soothing. :D

Edited by BetaFunk
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[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1387536441' post='2313008']
I think that the most recent album Staring Down the Barrel is a very good album indeed, and in my opinion compares well to any Blockheads album with the exception of New Boots and Panties which is an absolute classic. The 11 reviewers on Amazon seem to agree with me. As does the BBC reviewer. [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3xw6"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...ic/reviews/3xw6[/url] The whole album can be heard on Spotify.
[/quote]
Indeed it is - I liked the central theme of what we're doing to the planet running through Staring Down the Barrel. I as I mentioned in another thread, I grew up with New Boots and Panties and it'll always be my fave followed by Do It Yourself and Mr. Love Pants.

Have you heard their latest album 'Same Horse Different Jockey' yet? It's great! Plenty of catchy tunes on that one. Here's the video from the first single, 'Express Yourself':

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSb0uHwdTvg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSb0uHwdTvg[/url]

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[quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1387548307' post='2313246']
Have you heard their latest album 'Same Horse Different Jockey' yet? It's great! Plenty of catchy tunes on that one. Here's the video from the first single, 'Express Yourself':

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSb0uHwdTvg[/media]
[/quote]

No, I haven't, and didn't know that it existed. I even checked their discography on Wikipedia to see if anything had been released that I hadn't noticed before I posted, and it's not there. I'm off to see if I can find the album on spotify now, and will pick up the album proper soon.

Edit: Album is on Spotify, listening now.

Edited by Annoying Twit
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[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387546158' post='2313199']

Not sure how that's relevant to my post but if that's what you were listening to in the 70s then great but it was a long way away from what i was listening to. :) .............although it is rather soothing. :D
[/quote]

It's the blockheads before they became the blockheads

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[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1387557612' post='2313383']
It's the blockheads before they became the blockheads
[/quote]
Exactly. Not the Blockheads. I saw Skip Bifferty for example on the college circuit long before two of them became Blockheads etc etc.

I'm sure that there's numerous examples of them all playing in other bands other than the Blockheads.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asA5mPZDCW8[/media]

Edited by BetaFunk
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