While listening to Do It Yourself, it’s easy to understand why Ian Dury is considered a sizable talent in late-’70s British rock circles, but aside from the song “Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy,” there’s nothing on this record that resonates with me. That’s not to say it’s “bad,” or any other pejorative term, just that it isn’t my thing. Funky basslines and horn-heavy arrangements may have been all the rage when Do It Yourself was released in 1979, but these mainstream elements are a long way from the stripped-down rawness of what I truly enjoy from that era.
To his credit, Dury manages a much more believable working class and subversive tone than many of his contemporaries, even if his music crosses more “groovy” lines than I can handle. In truth, I’d find it hard to fault anyone for enjoying Do It Yourself on a level I’m not capable of, but I don’t see it making it back onto my turntable any time soon without some heavy lobbying.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.