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The Blockheads
Artist

The Blockheads

Genre: R&B, Disco, Pub Rock, New Wave, British Punk
Origin: England
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Biography

Originally assembled in 1977 as Ian Dury’s touring unit to support and promote the album New Boots and Panties!!, the Blockheads comprised Chaz Jankel, Norman Watt-Roy, Charlie Charles, John Turnbull, and Mick Gallagher. Excluding Jankel, they quickly entered the studio with Dury and scored a hit as Ian Dury & the Blockheads via the 1978 single “What a Waste.” The resulting momentum produced a U.S. tour opening for Lou Reed, while further British success followed in the next two years with the Dury-and-Jankel composition “Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick” and the album Do It Yourself.

During the early 1980s, Jankel’s absence in pursuit of a solo career in the States did not halt activity; Dury and the remaining members issued Laughter and toured Europe and the U.K. throughout 1981. Their collaboration ended in 1982, yet they reunited for shows across Asia in 1987. Charlie Charles’s death prompted another assembly in 1990 to benefit his family, yielding the live album Warts ’n’ Audience. Without Jankel, the band played Spain in 1991 before pausing until their 1994 slot at the Madstock Festival.

Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, Dury resolved to complete one more record and reconvened with the Blockheads to record Mr. Love Pants, released in 1998. A subsequent tour ended on a semi-permanent note with Dury’s passing in early 2000. The group resurfaced on disc with Where’s the Party? in 2004, and in 2008 they booked an extensive run of U.K. dates that led to the 2009 release of Staring Down the Barrel.

Top Songs

  1. Where's The Party?MonaWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?4:35
  2. Where's The Party?Shut Up and DanceWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?3:38
  3. Staring Down The BarrelRoll OverStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel4:48
  4. Where's The Party?I Wish It Was The DaysWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?3:58
  5. Staring Down The BarrelHold TightStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel5:09
  6. Staring Down The BarrelProphet Of DoomStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel3:10
  7. Staring Down The BarrelNo Go CentralStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel5:29
  8. Staring Down The BarrelGeorge The Human PigeonStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel4:26
  9. Staring Down The BarrelA Little KnowledgeStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel4:03
  10. Staring Down The BarrelGreedStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel4:23
  11. Where's The Party?Moving OnWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?4:35
  12. Where's The Party?Work To The BoneWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?5:06
  13. Where's The Party?Funny FarmWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?3:32
  14. Where's The Party?Feel The FunkWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?5:48
  15. Where's The Party?My Own RulesWhere's The Party? · 2004Where's The Party?3:50
  16. Why Me?Why Me?EWhy Me? · 2025Why Me?3:09
  17. GreedGreed (Single Edit)Greed · 2009Greed3:46
  18. Staring Down The BarrelLife In Your HandsStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel5:03
  19. Staring Down The BarrelDirty MoneyStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel4:01
  20. Staring Down The BarrelElegant StyleStaring Down The Barrel · 2009Staring Down The Barrel4:25

Albums

Live Albums

Singles & EPs