Do It Yourself (Deluxe Edition)

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineIan Dury's music always bordered on the functional, since it was used as a backdrop for his wry vignettes and stories, but on his second album Do It Yourself, that aspect came to the fore. Largely abandoning the punk inflections that were scattered throughout New Boots and Panties!, Do It Yourself is a record of mid-tempo pub rock disco -- competently played, but rarely engaging. Dury's stories are all wonderful, filled with humor and penetrating detail, but only a handful of tracks, such as the terrific "Inbetweenies," are married to actual hooks, and by the end of the record, the steady disco throb has become a little numbing. Even with these faults, Do It Yourself remains one of Dury's very best records, since his lyrical facility throughout the album is simply amazing. [Repertoire's 1996 CD reissue of Do It Yourself improves the album considerably by adding several singles -- "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick," "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards," "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3," "Common As Muck," "I Want to Be Straight" -- that are far more successful disco/pub rock fusions than anything on the album.]