Day 0563 - Don't Stand Me Down

Dexys Midnight Runners "Don't Stand Me Down" (1985)

Described by the book as being the Pet Sounds of Northern Soul; and that seems pretty apt.  Some great vocals and with some sassy horns, but still with remnants of the strings that had peppered the band's previous release "Too-rye-ay".  Lush arrangements and occasional meanderings into spoken word passages make the music cinematic and a bit more interesting.

The album is not afraid to explore a few different sounds; to step on the accelerator in some places, but to ease off on it for others.  Apparently the album didn't fare well commercially on release, though it garnered some good reviews.  It went on to be revisited and re-evaluated by fans in later years.  I think it's bloody good, personally.

Day 0509 - Junkyard

The Birthday Party "Junkyard" (1982)

The wild, rabid Aussie band had made the move to the UK.  Based on acts such as the Fall, they assumed that they would find a music scene full of kindred spirits; but instead found a country well in the grip of new-wave, new romanticism and various other 'news'.

They did find supporters in England for the turbulent last year or so of their existence (in an already turbulent life... the band used to take hard drugs, and steal cars, amongst other things).  Drugs, alcohol, in-fighting all the usual band noise plagued this punky, demented murder-blues band, before Nick Cave left to start up his new gothy murder-blues band.

The songs on this, their last album, are as buck-wild and bare-backed as anything they ever worked on, with the songs being clamorous enough in places that you could imagine that each member was working on a totally different song.  Working 'against' rather than 'with' each other, but  somehow still working.

Day 0501 - Too-Rye-Ay

Well that brings me officially over the halfway mark so...

Dexys Midnight Runners "Too-Rye-Ay" (1982) - got it

Following the relative success of "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels" subsequent singles failed to landand, and several of the band members left.  Kevin Rowland responded by taking on 3 violinists who specialised in Irish folk music and getting the horn section who were formerly his bandmates in as hired-hands.

The gutsy northern soul sound of the first album is still present to a certain extent, but with strings, folksy Celtic elements, the odd ballad, and even a sudden explosion of jazz in the middle of "Until I believe in my soul".

The album wasn't faring particularly well until the single "Come on Eileen" suddenly picked up steam and went on to be (deservingly) the biggest selling single of 1982 in the UK, even making headway on the US charts.

Day 0455 - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels

Dexy's Midnight Runners "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels" (1980)

Touché 80s - the goodness continues!

Kevin Rowland and Kevin 'Al' Archer, late of the punk band 'Killjoy' formed Dexy's Midnight Runners at the tail end of the 1970s. The band's name was a reference to the 60s party drug of choice, Dexedrine.

The album opens with a confusing babble of mixed radio programme signals before these are interrupted by a raucous yell, signalling the start of the music proper. My first impression was that this would be another punky ska album (though that hadn't been my experience with the one or two DMR songs I'd heard), it turned out to be more like 'Northern soul... with guts'. Horns and backing vocals that almost have a slight hint of theatricality to their wildness.