4,000 Weeks' Holiday

Infobox Album |
Name = 4,000 Weeks' Holiday
Type = Album
Artist = Ian Dury & The Music Students


Released = 1984
Recorded = 1983
Genre = Rock
Length = 37:40
Label = Polydor Records
Producer = Adam Kidron
Reviews =

Last album = "Lord Upminster"
(1981)
This album = "4,000 Weeks' Holiday"
(1984)
Next album = "Apples"
(1989)

"4,000 Weeks' Holiday" is a 1984 album by Ian Dury & The Music Student for Polydor Records.

Production and printings

Its title is a reference to the average person's lifespan (4000 weeks). In 1984 Ian Dury was an official face for Nuclear Disarmament in Britain and went so far as to shave a peace symbol into his hair, this can be seen on the cover to the album (and the "Ban the Bomb" Single). The album's song credits and lyrics are hand written, accompanying each song's information are strange catchphrases such as "when flies fly, flies fly behind flies", "a gaudy morning bodes a wet afternoon" and more bizarre of all "my, how we apples swim quoth the dogshit"

"4,000 Weeks Holiday" has never been issued on CD.

History

If accounts by Dury himself, and Music Student member Merlin Rhys-Jones (who would continue to work with Dury and co-write songs with him until his death) from "Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll: The Life Of Ian Dury" are correct, it would appear that is was Polydor records who suggested and insisted on Dury working with young musicians, however "Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song" tells that Polydor had wanted The Blockheads to play on the album, but the group turned it down when the found out they wouldn't be paid for playing because Dury had spent much of his advance on "Lord Upminster", "Song By Song"'s account is corroborated by Norman-Watt Roy (Bassist for the Blockheads). Both these opinions are questionable. It appears that no one will ever know the full truth of how things came about.

Chas Jankel, Dury's often songwriting partner was busy with his solo career in America and with no Blockheads present, Dury turned to his old song writing partner from his pub-rock days Russell Hardy (and another Rod Melvin it would seem), and worked with a young American songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Michael McEvoy, who had been introduced to him by Blockheads and Kilburn & The High Roads member Davey Payne after McEvoy had played on the saxophonist's solo album for Stiff Records. Adam Kidron, who had produced Davey's album, had hired McEvoy as on a number of projects (including Orange Juices debut album and Scritti Politti's "Songs to Remember")which he produced previous to producing 4000 Weeks Holiday.

Rehearsals for the album began in 1982 in Hammersmith, London, not very far from Dury's current flat in luxurious Thames-side apartments and was recorded the following year in Basing Street Studios, Notting Hill and later The Townhouse, though Jankel did no write any of the songs, he did play Lead Guitar as a guest. Ed Speight and Geoff Castle, who had played on Dury's seminal New Boots and Panties!! LP in 1976/1977, played guitar and Moog synthesizer, the sessions also featured an extra special guest, that of famous trombone player Rico Rodriguez who had risen to fame again with The Specials, but most of the recordings were performed by the 'Music Students',i.e., McEvoy, Rhys-Jones, a drummer Tag Lamche and saxophonist Jamie Talbot. Critically the album is often considered the weakest of Dury's output, Ian Dury apparently never even played it once.

Dury was forced to cut one of the album's stronger (and controversial) songs "Fuck off Noddy" (and another about Billy Butlin) because of high profile paedophile and child pornography cases at the time (there was also rumours of a proposed lawsuit by the estate of Enid Blyton), the song written against children's television and contained such lines as:

:Winnie The Pooh is having a wank:And what are you up too? Said Thomas the Tank

And

:Fuck off Noddy you stupid prat:Fuck off Noddy in your rotten hat

Dury was determined not to cut the song (an illegal MP3 can be found on some download services) and arguments about it delayed the record's release for over half a year. The single "Really Glad You Came / (You're My) Inspiration" was released during that time, the songs were two different lyrics put to the same tune (by McEvoy) and the single was a total failure (though these are the two tracks most often used on Greatest Hits compilations) and its follow up single "Ban The Bomb / Very Personal" was actually mocked by critics, the first time this had happened to Ian Dury in his career thus far. Despite heavy promotion and touring by Ian Dury & The Music Students, including a week's residency in Tel Aviv, Israel and an appearance on influential music show "The Tube" the album's sales were poor, though the album reached number 54 in the UK Album Charts.

The album did contain one noteworthy track: "Peter The Painter" was written (with McEvoy) on request from British Pop artist Peter Blake, Blake had been Dury's teacher at London's Royal College of Art and the two remained good friends until Dury's death in 2002. Blake was having his own exhibition at The Tate Gallery, London and asked Dury to compose a theme tune for it. "Peter The Painter" was that theme tune.

Track listing

# "(You're My) Inspiration" (Dury, McEvoy) - 4:15
# "Friends" (Dury, Hardy) - 2:57
# "Tell Your Daddy" (Dury, Melvin) - 2:47
# "Peter The Painter" (Dury, McEvoy) - 3:54
# "Ban The Bomb" (Dury, Hardy) - 4:20
# "Percy The Poet" (Dury, McEvoy) - 3:28
# "Very Personal" (Dury, Hardy) - 3:55
# "Take Me To The Cleaners" (Dury, McEvoy) - 2:37
# "The Man With No Face" (Dury, Hardy) - 4:48
# "Really Glad You Came" (Dury, McEvoy) - 4:36

Personnel

* Ian Dury - Vocals (credited by the pseudonym 'D. Poundcake' on "Peter The Painter")
* Michael McEvoy - Bass, Keyboards, Synthesizers, Brass Arranger
* Merlin Rhys-Jones - Guitar
* Tag Lamche - Drums
* Ray Cooper - Percussion
* Jamie Talbot - Saxophones

Additional Personnel

* Steve Sidwell - Trumpet, Clarinet on "The Man With No Face"
* Neil Sidwell - Trombone
* Geoff Castle - Synthesisers
* Chas Jankel - Lead guitar on "Percy The Poet"
* Ed Speight - Lead guitar on "Ban the Bomb"
* Rico Rodriguez - Trombone on "Friends"
* Davey Payne - Saxophones on "Peter The Painter"

ources

*"Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll: The Life Of Ian Dury" by Richard Balls, first published 2000, Omnibus Press
*"Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song" by Jim Drury, first published 2003, Sanctuary Publishing.