Dexys Midnight Runners Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
Utterly overlooked upon release, condemned and chastised by every reviewer who came within 50 yards of it, Dexy's Midnight Runners' third album arrived in 1985 with the band's once-illuminated fame looking seriously battered, not only by the three years that Kevin Rowland kept listeners waiting, but also by the fact that he'd seemingly thrown away every pop classic blueprint he'd ever laid his hands on. Quite frankly, the album was a mess, with half the songs sounding like extemporized intros, and the rest seemingly trapped within their own middle eights. The fact that the Smiths, to name but one, had long since made a virtue of such intricacies was irrelevant -- the world wanted another "Come on Eileen." Instead they got "The Occasional Flicker," a song-cum-ramble-cum-rant that apparently went out of its way to disrupt those demands. Ah, but it's such a magnificent disruption. Freed (in his own mind at least) from the tiresome dictates of the band's hitmaking past, Rowland conceived an album that drifts past in a blur of haunting and sometimes haunted melodies, with the vocal lines floating almost conversationally over them. Play the album once, then think back on it later, and all you remember is the sheer casual joy of it all, the sense that Dexy's gathered in the studio for fun as much as profit, and if nobody liked what they did -- which they didn't -- then so be it. Listen closer, however, and even the lackadaisical swagger is expertly crafted. "This Is What She's Like," doomed to become the band's first non-charting single since "Liars A to E," is an absolute corker once you give it a chance to sink into your skull and, track by track, Don't Stand Me Down unfolds to become not the ugly duckling of Dexy's Midnight Runners' hit-packed catalog, but the new dawn that could -- should -- have finally exorcised "Eileen" and her buddies. And when it didn't, the band broke up. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Geno is a compilation album containing the A- and B-sides of the first five singles released by Dexy's Midnight Runners in the U.K. between 1979 and 1981. Four of these singles made the British charts, three hit the Top 40, two the Top Ten, and one, "Geno," and a tribute to American expatriate soul singer Geno Washington, went to number one. The first four singles, "Dance Stance," "Geno," "There There My Dear," and "Keep It," were made by the original Dexys lineup, which featured three horns and sported what in England was called a "northern soul" sound, i.e., the gutbucket R&B style of Booker T. & the MG's. But instead of a gritty soul singer up front, there was the adenoidal Kevin Rowland, who sang with a theatrical passion that was moving despite its pretentiousness. By the time of "Keep It," Rowland seemed to have nothing but posturing on his mind, after which the band split. Rowland reorganized a new unit to make a final single, "Plan B," in the familiar style, but Dexys had only begun its series of drastic musical, fashion, and personnel shifts. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For one brief moment, Dexy's exploded into America's consciousness -- and what a song to do it with! "Come on Eileen" combines ramalama rock & roll, soul delivery, and Celtic/country flavor into a perfect musical fusion and an irresistible U.K. and U.S. number one hit. Both the song and its video were such hits that years later, ska/punk band Save Ferris made a minor splash with its own version of the tune, while Garth Brooks appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit dressed as the capering, bedraggled Rowland. The rest of the album is nearly as successful, with quite a few numbers that should have matched "Come on Eileen"'s fame. Given that song's obvious debt to Van Morrison's similar fusions, it's no surprise that Dexy's tipped their hat with a great cover of Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said," another big British single. Throughout the album, Rowland's distinct, unique voice takes the fore, but the revamped Dexy's lineup proves it was the original version's equal, if not better. Given that only trombonist Big Jimmy Patterson remained, and even then only for two tracks, recruiting a new band able to create the "Celtic soul" Rowland dreamed about turned out to be exactly the right move. Excellently produced by Rowland and the legendary Clive Langer/Alan Winstanley production team, Too-Rye-Ay sounds like an old soul revue recorded on-stage, no doubt an intentional goal. Other highlights include the opening jaunt "The Celtic Soul Brothers," which just about says it all both in title and delivery; the slow swirl of "All in All," and the vicious ballad "Liars A to E." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'
Release Date 1/1/1980
Tracks 11
Label Parlophone
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The crackling stations being switched on the radio and the gang shout followed by the spoken injunction to "burn it down" sound like they should be starting off a Sham 69 record. Then "Burn It Down" actually starts, with its horn section, Hammond organ and Kevin Rowland's utterly unconventional soul vocals. The cult of Dexy's, and this album in particular, were worshipped as the return of "soul" to English rock music at the dawn of Thatcherism. Exploring the myth that this album holds, especially in Brit music terms, can be a strange prospect: 20 years on it doesn't sound revolutionary, it just sounds good. And good it is, quite good, compared to where Paul Weller ended up, i.e., too reverential by half. This is vibrant, alive, and unconcerned with perfection. Rowland takes a role that Morrissey would have in 1985 and Jarvis Cocker in 1995 -- the unexpected but perfect voice to capture a time and moment in the U.K. His slightly strangled wail and sly, wry lyrics and song titles ("Tell Me When My Light Turns Green," "Thankfully Not Living in Yorkshire It Doesn't Apply") make this album in many ways. Musically, the group lays down R&B grooves and brassy hooks with aplomb, as on the brilliant "Seven Days Too Long" and the number one single "Geno," but throw in film noir touches, John Barry-writing-for-James Bond fare and more just as ably. The liner notes have a fun description of the group's origins and brief notes for most of the tunes -- the best for the finale, "There, There, My Dear": "P.S. Old clothes do not make a tortured artist." The 2000 reissue contains a slew of extra tracks and B-sides, making it the version to find. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
