Helped in no small measure by the release of a movie, in which renowned British actor, Andy Serkis (famed for his role as Gollum in The Lord of The Rings trilogy), takes the starring role as the polio-crippled Ian Dury, the London music scene of the 1980s was enriched by that remarkable character, just as punk music was at its peak. ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’, the Essential Collection, is a brilliant 20-hit selection of some of Dury’s greatest recordings.

Without wishing to drop into the typical David ‘Kid’ Jensen advertising strap-line of ‘Remember the outstanding…’, it is an album that is guaranteed to herald the deepest joy in ardent fans, while also introducing a raft of new listeners to Dury’s atonal musicality, allied to ingeniously witty lyricism and awesome backing from his sonorously charged Blockheads. Naturally, the opener is the title track, which courses along for three minutes and twelve seconds of bouncy irreverence and senior league jazz influences.

Yet, with ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful (Part 3)’, reprised as the last track of the set by a 12-inch version of the same recording, following ‘What A Waste’, you are rushed back to The Mean Fiddler, other growing pubs and clubs and the Camden sound, which was seldom ever ‘raw’, but was guaranteed to grab you by the short and curlies and tug hard. ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ comes next, with all its biting and spitting vocals and that all-pervading sense of fun that stopped street critics from pointing at the strangely gaiting guy with the walking sticks. Dury had made his musical mark and was recommended chart listening on BBC Radio One at the time.

It is hard to believe that Dury survived for as long as he did. It is reported that he was ‘in pain’ for much of his professional existence. Yet, as the movie highlights, thanks to receiving approval from his son and heir and the various family and group members, he lived that ‘rock and roll dream’ for as much as he possibly could and this album merely adds some colour and sense of fatality to it. The industry was the worse off for his gradual winding down of his musical muse and, while his acting career did enjoy some highly positive critical acclaim, Ian Dury was on a spiral of his own creation. It was up to him to either move upwards or down but his failing health would be the final deciding factor.

It is ten years since his death but, fortunately, his music lives on and this album serves as a modest anthology of his career and demonstrates that, no less than thirty years on from his first recording break, Ian Dury and The Blockheads still has resonance today. This is truly great listening and warrants a place in every rock music fan’s library.