Thursday, June 4, 2015

40 Year Itch: She's a Gamey Lass

Helmet Newton photo from 1975

Kilburn and the High Roads : The Roadette Song



With England in full recession and the heroes of the Sixties churning out chum ( a collection of oldies from John Lennon? a cover of the "Crossroads Theme" on McCartney's Venus and Mars? That Tommy movie from The Who? Rick. Wakeman.), it was the right time for younger musicians to explore a new sound. Rowdy pubs offered a place to hear a stripped down roots rock sound and some of the bands who did it best were Dr Feelgood, Bees Make Honey, Joe Strummer's 101'ers and Ian Dury's Kilburn and the High Roads. 



"The Roadette Song" was the lead off track from the band's debut album, released in June of 1975. It has every bit of that salacious winking Ian Dury we'd all come to enjoy with the Blockheads. Elvis Costello and the Attractions still had that number in their set list when they were touring America in 1977.


Elvis Costello's live version




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