Ian Dury - Hit Me! The Best Of Ian Dury

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The Crown Prince of Essex is here in all his sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll glory, and while most of the tracks on this career-spanning collection will be familiar, diving back into the back catalogue is a welcome reminder of the power of modern poetry. Ever the astute lyricist, deftly combining slang with more sophisticated forms of English wordplay, it's enough to make you fall head over heels for the eccentric lad-cum-laird all over again.

With early anthems such as 'Kilburn & The High Roads' sitting next to outtakes from his final, posthumous 2002 album and classics like 'Reasons To Be Cheerful Pt.3', and 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick', Hit Me! is as comprehensive an introduction or as deep an exploration of a musical master's work as you are likely to find on two discs. Let's leave it at that.