841 Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay (1982)

 841 Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay (1982)

Studio Album - Pop




About the Act:

Dexys Midnight Runners (with no apostrophe!), currently known as "Dexys" are a band from Birmingham fronted by singer, writer, and driving force Kevin Roland, the only member who has been with them through their whole history. They started in 1978, took a break for a cuppa between 1986 and 2003 and are still going. I always thought they were Irish, possibly because they have a deliberately Irish vibe to them. Kevin has Irish parents.

They had two major hits (UK Number 1) with "Geno" and "Come On Eileen", the latter of which also topped the US charts.


About the Album:

This was the band's second album, and the one which contains "Come On Eileen". It features the addition of a violin section to enhance the band, which already had a brass section.


My History with this Album:

I must have heard it before, but I don't remember. I know a few of the songs.


Review:

"Come on Eileen" is a song which jokingly signals the end of Wedding Discos. It is a classic 80s pop singalong fest. It's the last track on this album, so if that's what you are waiting for, you need to skip ahead or listen to the rest of the album. I suggest listening to the rest of the album because it's good.

The default mode is upbeat party feelings, This is enhanced by catchy rhythms and tunes and in the main fairly shallow singalong words. The opener, The Celtic Soul Brothers, is definitely in that vein, and their cover of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" fits them, and this mood to a T. Some of the tracks are less up-tempo and there are some songs with some lyrics worth thinking about, but at times quite opaque. Even then, you get the feeling that the melancholy, such as it is, is only skin-deep, and they'll shrug it off soon, and get down to the catchy stuff again. The music is described in some places as "Celtic Soul" - I'm not totally sure what that means, but I guess you could say it is dancy soul music, like Northern Soul, with brass in it, but then using some Celtic influence as well, especially highlighted with the introduction of violins to the band. On the whole, I think of them as Pop of the get-up-and-boogie type, perfect fodder for Dad Dancing.

Kevin's voice is quite distinctive. Apparently this was a deliberate thing to make them recognisable, he sings like he is crying. Apparently. It gives it a strange timbre, but it works, they have a distinctive sound, and it's a good one.

Dexys were a band I liked when I first heard them, at a time when quite a bit of pop was getting electronic and angst-faced, they were a breath of bouncy air. I never liked them enough to invest in their albums, but I do have a soft spot for them. I have enjoyed hearing the album.


7.4/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7nCWzcMZanUBPZgZaKpzM6

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq6hafsxa6615k7BY63p3hLCTlF1ZfoWy

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too-Rye-Ay


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