Tag Archives: Paul Epworth

New music – Baxter Dury – Allbarone Versions (Extended Versions by Paul Epworth) (Heavenly Recordings)

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published by Ben Hogwood, with text from the press release

Baxter Dury is happy to announce the Allbarone Versions on Heavenly Recordings with the track Alpha Dog (Paul Epworth Extended Version) out now. The digital release will be on 24 July with a double 12″ to follow on 28 August.

When is a record ever finished? Baxter Dury’s eighth album, Allbarone, seemed to be done and dusted after release last autumn, yet super-producer Paul Epworth (Adele, U2) decided it was a good idea to work on extensions of five of tracks from the album. Not just extensions but full on electro-disco mixes that take the tracks apart from the edges and reorder them into relentless dance floor tools built to perfectly soundtrack the small hours.

Each track finds a groove and takes its journey right through the middle of the original track, to create classic 12″ extended remixes, adding a whole load of echoing dub over flickering percussion tracks, madly addictive basslines and gloriously languid disco rhythm tracks. From Kubla Khan’s hefty low-end groove to Alpha Dog’s deconstructed nightclub dub via Schadenfreude’s Eurodisco bass and fizzing hi-hat pulse, Paul Epworth’s phenomenal new mixes lift Baxter’s tracks up to another level.

Finally, Allbarone‘s done, and it’s become the perfect soundtrack to whatever you’re doing this weekend.

Published post no.2,926 – Tuesday 23 June 2026

On Record – Baxter Dury: Allbarone (Heavenly Recordings)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Baxter Dury appears to be in an imperial phase of his artist development. Each album has presented vivid portraits or stories in his own very distinctive, and very direct voice, capturing nuggets of English and international life – and snippets from life on the road or in the studio.

Allbarone can sound like an exotic destination – Mexico, perhaps – or a chain of bars in the UK, depending on how you pronounce it! The double meaning appears to be intentional, as it also frames the humour Dury brings to his work, not to mention the music.

What’s the music like?

For this album at least, Dury is a fully fledged dance music artist – and he goes for the jugular with a set of powerful grooves that have hard hitting vocals to boot. Some – Schadenfreude, or Return Of The Sharp Heads, for instance – hit particularly hard, the former with a brilliant, brooding groove and a nugget of storytelling, the latter with hilarious consequences of bad language as Dury and guest vocalist JGrrey take down the Shoreditch loafers.

Paul Epworth is a great choice of producer, the foil to Dury’s humour, which ranges from scathing to lightly scabrous – and is compelling to a fault.

Other highlights include the vibrant Mockingjay, Kubla Khan, the prowling beats of Hapsburg and the winsome portrait Mr W4.

Does it all work?

It does. Dury doesn’t hang around, the album over in a flash, but its high points are many and the music is a winning mixture of euphoric and slightly manic.

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. Allbarone is a triumph of plain speaking, both lyrically and musically. Safe to say that Dury has long shaken off the ‘son of Ian’ label, for his own personality is incredibly charismatic, his voice consistently compelling. As a result, the music punches with impressive weight, a remedy for our times.

For fans of… The Streets, Audio Bullys, BC Camplight, Underworld

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,667 – Wednesday 24 September 2025