Album Review by EDF
The Eighties have not been too kind in recent years to a lot of bands that emerged at the start of the decade. It seems normal now to see an Eighties reunion tour doing its rounds on a regular basis. The likes of Culture Club got back together a while ago with a new album to a limited reception. The same with Soft Cell who patched up their differences and likewise released a decent album. Now we have Dexys Midnight Runners’ classic line-up from the Young Soul Rebels period returning with THE BEST OF… featuring a couple of new tracks and a forthcoming tour.
Formed just as punk was dying away, new wave lead to more energetic, danceable guitar groups. Dexys however latched onto 1960’s soul and their sound was quite unique at that time. They reached No 1 with their second single, GENO and No 7 with THERE THERE MY DEAR; both tracks of which were taken from the classic SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOUL REBEL album. After a string of minor hits, came COME ON EILEEN, which polluted the airwaves during the summer of ’82.
It basically went downhill after that as the hits dried up. The last sighting of Dexys was late 1986 with the No 13 hit, BECAUSE OF YOU. Kevin Rowland then had a few attempts at a solo career which even took a weirder twist, but that is a tale for another time. Kevin had recently reconciled with the former Young Soul Rebel line-up and it seems that the spark is still there. With a string of hits as memorable as those on this collection, the new tracks stand out, if only that they sound different but engaging. Even then it’s a surprise that they show more imagination than most other current UK groups.
