PRE-ORDER: Ian Dury "Bus Driver's Prayer & Other Stories" LP (Import)

Demon Records as part of a wider and ongoing Ian Dury catalogue initiative are pleased to be making his fourth solo album 'The Bus Driver's Prayer & Other Stories' available again once more on vinyl, having been out of print for over a decade. The album was originally released in 1992 by Demon Records and was recorded following the successful live reunion of Ian Dury & The Blockheads (inspired by the illness of their drummer, Charley Charles). Writing for the album was undertaken by Ian Dury and Mick Gallagher (with their writing partnership having been cemented following their work together in 1989 on the 'Apples' album and musical which had run at London's Royal Court Theatre for 10 weeks) along with guitarist and former Music Students member Merlin Rhys-Jones. Whilst not titled as a Blockheads record, all of Chaz Jankel, Mick Gallagher, John Turnbull and Davey Payne appear on the album. The album has it's origins in a 1991 Irish film 'After Midnight' for which Ian Dury was asked to produce some music for the film soundtrack. Dury recruited Blockhead Mick Gallagher and Merlin Rhys-Jones and the songs "O'Donegal" and "Quick Quick Slow", along with another, "Bye Bye Dublin", were written and recorded around this time along with incidental music for the film. Considered a 'return to form' for Dury as a lyricist, stand-out tracks are "Poor Joey" and "Poo-Poo In The Prawn" with AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine calling the album "an engaging collection of character sketches and stories" with Dury's "wry observations just as subtle and humorous as ever." The closing track, 'Bus Driver's Prayer', is a humorous monologue of uncertain origin that Ian would often recite back in his Kilburns days - 'Forgive us our Westminsters, as we forgive those who Westminster against us' - set to musical backing and genuine studio laughter. This reissue on black vinyl now features a printed inner sleeve featuring the album lyrics in full.