Handsome

by Kilburn & the High Roads

Overview

No band has ever sounded remotely like Kilburn & the High Roads. They were an oddity at the time, and they sound even stranger decades later, a glorious blend of distinctly British humor, freewheeling vaudevillian pop, musical theater, '50s rock & roll, jazz, and, of course, pub rock, which is the scene where they made their name. Even if you're very familiar with the wit and style of their leader, Ian Dury, through his solo recordings, the Kilburns' lone album, Handsome, will still sound a little strange since the alternately sly and brutal attack of the Blockheads isn't here -- in its place is a puffed-up, campy theatricality, complete with Rocky Horror-esque backing female vocals, that amazingly still feels punk, partially because of its sheer, unhinged, committed weirdness. All of this is present on Handsome, even if the finished product was too polished and slick for the character of this band. They may all have been accomplished musicians, as evidenced by the range of styles here and what they did later, but they sounded better with grit in the production -- a comparison of the raw, early recordings for Raft of "Rough Kids" (where it actually sounds like it was written about and by street hooligans) on the Naughty Rhythms pub rock collection, or the version of "Billy Bentley (Promenades Himself in London)," reveals that much. Still, even with its slick, slightly dated production, this is a treasure all the same, both for the band's unique sound and for one of the strongest batches of songs Ian Dury ever wrote ("Rough Kids," "Billy Bentley," "Crippled with Nerves," "The Roadette Song" (later covered by Elvis Costello), "Pam's Moods," and "Upminster Kid" hold their own with the best songs on New Boots & Panties!!). [Castle/Dawn's 1999 reissue expanded Handsome by adding several B-sides and four previously unreleased songs, and in 2016 Cherry Red reissued the album in a two-CD set including a bonus disc of previously unreleased tracks from a 1974 Capital Radio broadcast, making this as close to the complete Kilburn as likely possible -- and thereby, a collector's item for pub and punk fanatics as well as any serious Dury fan.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2024
Label:	Not Now Uk
UPC:	5060384460161
Rank:	77168

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kilburn & the High Roads   Primary Artist
Ian Dury   Vocals
Roderick Melvin   Piano
Charles Sinclair   Bass
Pete Willsher   Guitar (Steel)
Keith Lucas   Guitar
Dave Mattacks   Drums
Davey Payne   Saxophone
Tina Charles   Vocals
David Newton Rohoman   Drums

Technical Credits

Philip Chapman   Engineer
Roy Bennett   Composer
Geoff Dury   Composer
Hugh Murphy   Producer,Arranger
Charlie Hart   Composer
Rod Melvin   Composer
Reggie Stepper   Composer
Poundcake   Photography
Roger Dopson   Liner Notes
Larry Bartlett   Engineer
Ian Dury   Composer
Gordon House   Graphic Design
Chris Thomas   Producer
Russell Hardy   Composer
Pat Hardy   Composer
Sid Tepper   Composer
Sinclair   Composer