Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

[MrMrbaggins]

wot about reasons to be cheerful part 3? @Pr0perB01

[76juno]

The Blockheads were a group of quite brilliant musicians, and if you want to hear bass playing at its very finest then look no further than the incomparable Mr Norman Watt-Roy.

[TheKeirens]

i just realised something... ian dury relly wanted to be hit llooll

[odaxelagniaproject]

HIT ME WITH YOUR GABBA KICK

[6447912]

I'm glad you have got so great quality video. It really shows the band in all its glory.

Is the saxophonist playing with TWO saxophones? Damn Blockheads, you're so epic. I am glad I haven't lived long enough to know Ian Dury. Don't get me wrong, he is awesome, but judging by the comments he did not have a great reputation.

So all I know of him: Few VERY SWEET songs.

Peace out.

[Iloveyah8D]

I didn't know about this band untill after I found the movie 'sex & Drugs & Rock N' Roll' on netflix. lol.

[chasboz]

Ian Dury Ultimate bingo caller Two Fat Persons Click Click Click..excellent.

[Pulpedtoafiction31]

I love the way Ian Dury was hit by that popper and he looks up as if to say what the fuck??

[InvisibleOvisAries]

I am Dave ! Yognau(gh)t and I have the balls!

[MrKayley10]

whats this from?

[nikitofin]

BEST BASS LINE EVER

[ggrady87]

@nikitofin i can play it! :) bluddy hard but good

[purdynow]

A cool guy who was so misunderstood.

[tumtillio]

The bass in this is so fucking chunky. Love it.

[pigyob]

Dingwall's rythmn 'n' booze

[jaymally23]

mint song he looks off his box

[TheGrantie7]

i dont know why but this is in my top ten of all time.its a tour de force trip around the planet earth with good backing.

[JoyOfSocks]

such bass!

[currymusodave]

Norman Watt-Roy plays some amazing bass lines on this - precise, funky, and most of them in "sixteenths" - this man is a joy to see live!

No-one will replace Ian, but the band are carrying on well in his absence and still regularly play absolutely cracking live shows. I had the priviledge of seeing them do a special "New Boots and Panties" show in Dec 2007 at the Shepherds Busg Empire, with Phill Jupitus on guest vocals.

[addioalre]

grande Ian!!!!

[ARLO999]

Nice to see the comments on the bass playing, it really is awesome, you try doing those runs, not easy.

[asyouweresir]

original luton style.....blam.real voice

[jameskwaka]

Best bass playing in many a long year...as you said popitinpete..i love this!

[SRPMITCHTUBE]

Ian Dury was obviously suffering from some artistic mental disorder. God bless the cunt. I for one 4 4 1 miss him and Vivien Stanshall, Stan Laurel and all the greats.

[popitinpete]

Oh Norman!! Top bassline! 

[bigadda1969]

gods speed ian great musician great man forever class

[rapidtightgroup]

Some very very good musicians on that stage....god dam!!!! rip Ian

[dodgysparks]

R.I.P  Ian you were PURE genius........HIT MEEEE.

[cluenobody]

nice bass lines

[yabadabadanyb]

Sweet bass line!!

[Sidcup12]

"two fat persons click click click"....genius

[spamtye]

hit me hit me hitt meeee!!! lol wat a tune!! rememba my grandad ww2 veteran tappin his hands on car steerin wheel goin crazy 2 this tune!!! heee :)

[dancemother]

@spamtye

grandad had taste

[addioalre]

genio!

[hypnophonic]

That slinky bass line is killing me! Monster shit.

[happyenjoytime]

Forkin BBC ... do you do digital?  that's a poor vdo that is ... RIP Ian

[r0ckyb0w]

awesome mr dury...your in my heart and soul rip x

[scratch885]

Great great band and classic to the max. The crap today is not even near the league of bands like this.

R.I.P Mr. Drury. Long live the BLOCKHEADS . .

[gorbashuk]

This is the best bass line ever written, mental tricky to play, soft touch needed

[IanDuryVideos]

Great clip!

[beta12566]

Two at once!

Wow!

[stixmix2375]

The bollocks... nuff said....

[bluevanities]

Guitarplayer22222 ... lol! it's a drum stick. ;)

[DefinitelyNotErica]

hit me

[Guitarplayer22222]

exactly what is a "rythme stick?'

[2sigs]

@Guitarplayer22222 who knows

[Shastania]

The bassline on this is amazing.

[pigyob]

His band were fucking tight

[creepbehindyourback2]

cool ||

[raymondfurley]

He was also a University lecturer, when made redundant he teamed up with some of his students and made his first hit "What a waste", Ian Dury has also appeared in films, like the major blockbuster with Syvester Stylonne - Judge Dread, So Ian Drury is more than most people imagine or remember him to be

[mrseangeraghtyesq]

no ending! What a shame. Great music from start to finish, Saw blockheads recently, they are still as funky, awesome and brilliant as ever. Worth seeing.

[twilight0vampire]

LOL Doctor Who Tooth and Claw made me want to listen to this. Nice song actually!  Ian Dury sounds awesome. I'm from the States, so I never heard of them till I wathced that show.

[hugehelmet]

IIRC this song had more bass note changes than any song ever.

[TheUnknown2007]

tune!

[thebluebaboons]

my god

[cleekerdelux]

IMMENSE. SIMPLE!

[chimpsinsuits]

Dury was a genius. nuff said.

Brits if you fancy hearing some punk hip-hop outta birmingham please check my videos out...

[bigadda1969]

proper music fab tastic a mix of jazz solid soul groove rnb and no slappers talkin shit on a stage

[Pr0perB01]

Its a pity he is only remeberd by people by this song and sex and drugs and rock and roll

[samoman92]

@Pr0perB01 nah man, plaistow patricia and geraldine ring for me :) and lullaby for francis, actually, for most true fans every single one is classic i think :)

[raymondfurley]

@Pr0perB01 Ian Dury a former Polio victim was also a University lecturer. When he was made redundantant he teamed up with the blockheads (his students actually) and made "what a Waste", his first hit. He has since appeareared in many films including the Hollywood blockbuster Judge Dread as a second hand dealer selling goods. So a very talented man in fact

[vixeneyes]

@raymondfurley well you learn something new everyday, this is good to know :-)

[jasebris]

@Pr0perB01 i wouldnt mind lol

[Nealo81]

@jasebris Agreed -- the whole band continues to be as amazing as they were more than three decades ago -- they kick it, period. And as you state, Norman Watt-Roy deserves a special tip o the hat as one of the finest funk players to grace the worldwide stage throughout the 70's, 80's and beyond. Amazing stuff, well worth a listen . . . several thousand times over!

[MrTheBiscuit]

What a fuckin solid band

[magicbus144]

The first single i ever brought, and what a song! And on the b side "there aint arf been some clever bas***ds"!  thanks

[PeterZughetto]

Absolut geil R.I.P. IAN

Punk's not Dead

Oi!

Peter

[matthew550]

what an abrupt ending,please upload the full version.

[banditash100]

is this disco?

[amazonkid]

hahaha..no this is the beginning of new wave.

[banditash100]

@amazonkid oh. i thought of disco because there is a lot of bass. i've heard of new wave but i dont know wat it means. can u tell me? thank u.

[Salaminguana]

@banditash100 it's a new wave/post punk parody of disco-sound.

[banditash100]

@Salaminguana thanks man.

[Salaminguana]

@banditash100 cheers, pal :) this was all the rage back in the day... Ian Dury used to jam with The Clash, p ex...

[samoman92]

@Salaminguana really? wow i never knew that, i know hed done some stuff with the stranglers and madness etc but never knew that, thanks dude :D

[piginasack]

Hahah - nice description! Progressive Post Punk Funk!

[luvsmovies79]

I LOVE THIS! brings back cool memories!

[NannyWhip]

One of the best bass lines ever. Norman rocks!!!

[nickodonoghue]

Timeless piece ladies and gentlemen. What a geezer! He played all sorts of styles. Today? what a joke!

[choicesman2000]

great guy met him once in london he didnt mind fans at all

[anne3362]

I heard this song at a nightclub after it came out, I wasnt sure it was a disco song at the time, think its a song that wouldnt be out of place anywhere.

[jpsea1]

it's nice 2 b a lunatic

[Nightflyism]

A classic!! Great music, great lyrics - and what a bassline!

[leetaw]

A one off - Ian Dury true legend.

[acertainblue]

It's a funky hybrid of a bunch of stuff - soul, r&b, funky disco, jazz... r.i.p., Ian! Funk on!

[NineTails20]

Fucking killer bassline....this song is one of my all time favourites.

[banditash72]

is this a disco song? wikipedia says rock. but i hear it's like disco bass and beat.

[IntellectualAmy]

Norman Watt Roy - a great Bassist. St.Helens - that's my home town. Back to Lancashire, I say :)

[markyboyz1300]

@IntellectualAmy

I met him at the bar after a wilco show, a very very nice guy, very friendly,not remotley showbizzy, he looked like he was recovering from illness although he still played bass with more energy than anyone ive ever seen before.

[IntellectualAmy]

@markyboyz1300 - well the truely talanted seldom are show-bizzy or off hand. Its the ones that aren't all that great that are usually the ones with the crap attitudes.

[stewthebassman]

I loved Ian Dury's music since I heard back in '77....and I never knew who Watt-Roy was until the internet came along. He is a fantastic bassist, the music wouldn't have been the same without him!

[ThePhatboy3]

Brilliant song. Brilliant musicians. The tuxedos are the icing on the cake. God, they look hot.

[nettyj112233]

i olve this song. rip ian xxx

[macseinchin]

Das ist gut!

C'est fantastique!

[missblack44]

bring back old days they were great fun

[KeylimeRonnie]

two fat persons click click click? what does that mean?

[GoodTimeGeorge3]

It seems to be a play on the nicknames used by British bingo callers (66 = 'clickety click'; 88 = 'two fat ladies') - but, that's a guess. To be sure you'd need to ask Ian Dury!

[MoveOnSoulClub]

fat parsons, lol

[foleyoni]

Love him but he's miming

[cosmictywlite]

@foleyoni so you think he`s doing a britteny,whys that man,the dude does`nt have 2 sink that low ...R.I.P Ian Dury

[foleyoni]

Saw him live at Midnight at the Olympia in Dublin back in the mid-90's. One of the best gigs I was ever at. Rhythm Stick went on for over half an hour - glorious. Love him, but here he's miming. Lots of artists did on TOTPs. I don't like it either, sad but true

[brandnewyork48]

most people who were on top of the pops usually mimed in the 70s and 80s because it was usually broadcast live so there were a few problems with the sound technology.

[GoodTimeGeorge3]

There was often no alternative than to mime on TOTP given the studio set up and the programme's parameters.

[Marlene55M]

It's nice to be a lunatic... oh yeah! :-))

[deadbug2u]

AWESOME!!!! I still love this over 30years later. RIP ID

[Forestamtul]

unbelieve its over 30 yrs go it only seems just yesterday doenst it?

[leetaw]

love it ,waited for it on totps - only to be rushed into hospital to have my appendix out. 31 years later to the very day ID  is a legend!

[MrMattinahatt]

damn that appendix, damn it to hell!!!

[williambellynck]

The saxophonist is very good

[sofakingdrunk66]

Classic.....Timeless......

[DAVEYBOND007]

In Aberdeen Tonight! Oh Yeah

[yianni1071]

can't help but laugh with norman (bass) looking like phil lynott :-) great song:-) !!!!

[Swartzie6]

Was No#1 for one week top of the pops..then Blondie took over

[mallardvasey]

Ah well, losing the #1 spot to Blondie is fair enough. Record buyers were spoilt for choice in those days!

[prosperoeleven]

Thankyou Ian

[henley65]

The man was a genius and is a legend. R. I. P. Ian!

[micozmic]

a classic ..great playing ..and better than anything ive heard in a long time....

[swebroolok]

There ain't half been some clever barstards ! , Ian and the lads, what brillience!

Still cuts it..

[GrooveMasterItaly]

amazing

[lumplum]

its nice to be a lunatic

[MrAzrielbones]

one amazing man. rip ian

[therealsoulproduct]

Punk/Funk at its best!

[austpom333]

Das is good

[munchkin40]

memories... lol.. wow.

[XThedirtyseagullX]

Luuuuv this song:)

[lawseyd]

totall legend better than the shit today

[themachman19691]

brilliant!rip ian.one of the best.

[dottydots45]

one of the best ...

[kirkwanglers32]

RIP Ian we miss you man.

[chrslmbrd]

This is fucking tops

[keeprighton2007]

isn't that Bob Holness on sax??!

[ILEKKIK]

Sudan and Uakatan

[hdfatboy2k]

Yucatan ( the penisula in SE Mexico)

[ILEKKIK]

Yeah there were a HIT by a big thing some 65 million years ago..? No rhythmstick hit ?? Yucatan, now I remember, thanks!

[yourgreat4]

I love him to. He had polio and so do I and I realized you can be great with or without polio

[hdfatboy2k]

LOL Good one........

[Pauluk33]

this is just a fukin good song is unreal and ians a god dam legend, i love this song and cant get enough of it

[pete4271]

I love the caption about london! even thou he was born outside of shitsville!

[b00mhauer]

That bass line is one of the greatest things ever.

[LivingDog94]

What gets me about this is that it sounds like a "gimmicky" song, but it is so well done it goes beyond gimmick. 5*

[salvadormarley]

1. Great lyrics.

2. Humour.

3. Great melody.

4. Fantastic voice.

5. What more could you want?

[tuomo63]

Great song, real players.

[strast0]

Show me a musician nowadays that can play two saxophones at the same time! Awesome

[hdfatboy2k]

Check out Jeff Coffin w Bela Fleck and the Flecktones

[venisfurs]

HIT ME!

[mandem251]

i loved this as a kid..... ian dury was so creative lyrically....

[chumchey]

nice ^^

[vonkamps]

...c'est fantastique.

[Bowa112]

je n'aime pas les croissants

[mtswood]

das ist gut, jah fantastisch.

[Thejbirdy]

Looked a lot like Lou Reed in this video, I didn't know he died! When was this? Sad.

[daobecca]

He died on 27th Match 2000 from metastatic liver cancer .... bx

[Thejbirdy]

He was brilliant, I just noticed he played a short minute part in "Judge Dread".

What a fabulous bloke.

JB

[melnickmx]

Ditto to all the above. And what tremendous playing, too. Especially Norman Watt Roy's bass. How did I not notice him at the time? Brilliant!

[Kamelotter]

Great and funky song with witty lyrics.

I wish there would be more music like that today.

[allertonoff2]

So so gaggin' for an extended remix

[teenyr]

I remember my moment of discovery of Ian Dury and The Blockheads on TOTP on hearing this single - my wonder hasn't diminished over time!

[WestLondonDroog]

Classic Londoner. RIP Ian.

[CustodesAstartes]

i just love the amount in inuendo in the song.

[minimoose50]

hit now!!!!!!!!!!! yh m8

[RogueGirl74]

This song just makes me happy in a giddy schoolgirl kind of way.

Thanks for posting!

[StandByMyLove]

OMG! I love this song! XD

[Honlohoho1]

I'd hit him with my rhythm stick... then I'd shove it up his ass!

Just kidding! Ian Dury is the best! Too bad he's no longer with us to come to perform in Israel!

[DarqfyreDragon]

agreed

[DazedSheep]

Feel the baaaassss!

[Meaju]

It's nice to be a lunatic! :D

[McMaryJane]

Holy shit that bass line is fkn great!

[McMaryJane]

When I was 17 ye woke me up fellow!

Ian Dury, Master!

[littlewingsigh]

Where is the end of the song? and what happened to the bass?

[labatouche66]

I loved this song as a teenager, but now that I can play guitar myself, I just love how this song is put together. The bass riff is ace. But has anyone got a good video of 'I wanna be staight' they would like to share with all of us?

[cra]

hit me baby iam wasted lol