Too Rye Ay

I've never been to Ireland but this makes me want to have a Guinness at the pub.

This has a nice vibe to it, and made me realise the Dexys were a bit more than just their hit "Come On Eileen." I suppose this album is kind of Eileen-like songs. The celtic-influenced rock, with the new wave cheeriness and solid pop hooks, the half talking half singing vocal style. I don't think as a whole this album really strikes a chord, only really the other singles of the album I personally enjoyed. I can see why others like it a lot and underrate it in the face of a overshadowing huge hit. Possibly maybe I might return, though not fully sure. I think this deserves a place on the list as it captures a certain point in time well that should be documented down for the future. Highlight Song/s: "The Celtic Soul Brothers", "Jackie Wilson Said" and "Come On Eileen"

One hit wonder. Oh Come Eileen is a classic

Not too bad, but repetitive.

I enjoy the horns

Compared to its predecessor, 𝘛𝘰𝘰-𝘙𝘺𝘦-𝘈𝘺 leans much more heavily into soul. Unfortunately, that doesn’t exactly help its chances with me, as blue-eyed soul and I still haven’t become particularly good friends. There’s certainly some charm to the album, and I can understand why people enjoy this kind of sound, even if it doesn’t always click with me. It’s not a bad record by any means, just one that doesn’t quite match my personal taste. The obvious exception is 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗻 𝗘𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗻, which is easily the highlight of the album. It’s ridiculously catchy, full of energy, and one of those songs that are almost impossible not to enjoy. The rest of the record is perfectly enjoyable in places, but nothing else really comes close to that level of excitement. Overall, a solid album with some undeniable charm, even if it hasn’t convinced me to join the blue-eyed soul fan club just yet.

Fun theatrical energy.

Come on Eileen is an absolute banger still. The rest of the album is pretty good. 3.5 rounding up.

Trop bien 🥰

Nope.

Not bad! Generally catchy. Come on Eileen is the best song on the album.

This was my first time listening to this album, and “Come On Eileen” basically sums up everything you need to know about what the entire album sounds like. Overall, it was a decent album. I would say most of the songs would get a 3.5 rating out of 5 on their own merit.

A super hit and some okay stuff but not enough to be above average.

A one song album, who’s one song was an absolute smash hit, but isn’t a song that’s revolutionary by any means.

OK, not much to write home about after Come on Eileen - Given a 4 because this one song is such a classic

Fun listen.

Matey's voice is a bit irritating but for the most part it's catchy enough

This album is pretty good, not great, but I can still tap my foot to it. I love the use of the horns even if their all used the exact same way throughout the entire album and it's very same-sies. Best song Dubious Worst song: Until I Believe in My Soul 6/10

Stop telling me to listen to this terrible band

Just a bummer to have to listen to this

A little tiny bit weirder than I expected. nice.

Of course Eileen

Partly heard before Saved 3/10 Top track: Come On Eileen

me encontré con un hit? me encontré con un hit.

Fue como comer un pancho que no tenías ganas de comer pero no era feo

Come on Eileen! This alone gives it a high rating, but I did enjoy the album overall.

Well I mean, if anyone bought this record after hearing Come On Eileen, they would have known exactly what they were getting - it's all very much in a single vein. It's not a good vein, but i guess it's consistent? At least it isn't Don't Stand Me Down i guess, but that last song comes dangerously close

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would!

It’s alright.

This often feels like an album of Celtic folk as performed by a ska band. I would prefer if they went full ska, as I personally don't enjoy folk music very much. As it is, I thought this was not nearly as interesting or good as their debut. It's not helped by the fact that Come On Eileen continues to be overplayed 45 years later. I always think negatively about that song and I never listen to it on purpose, but hearing it here? I get it. The band definitely has a crooning, whiny singer, typical of British New Wave music, and I really don't like that vocal style. I don't think I would listen to this album again.

Do one, Eileen. Although a lot of the album tracks are considerably better than the overplayed finale, a lot of it is pretty grating stuff.

fun little listen carried by come on eileen 6/10 best songs - come on eileen

A British band but I don’t mind them as much as others. More folk influenced.

Marked improvement over their other album

Rock with a kind of celtic folk vibe. I love music with lots of different instruments and the violin, horns, piano and banjo worked really well together with the guitar/bass/drums. I really liked the vibe and energy. Come On Eileen has been overplayed but it is a great song. Apart from that , my favourite two tracks were bonus tracks and not on the original album though (Show Me and Dubious).

This is my second Dexys Midnight Runners album and, from what I remember of Don't Stand Me Down (which I rated 2/5), Too Rye Ay is soooo much better. Very fun, and the compositions are great.

I had obviously heard of DMR before starting the 1001 albums list, but I had never listened to an album. Don't stand me down is my favourite album, that I hadn't heard before on this list thus far. This album has some superb songs and songwriting and again, the difficulty of being an irish immigrant comes through although less than DSMD. maith an fear Caoimhin

Every song above 3 minutes on this album is a slog except the obvious. It's interesting they were a 1 hit wonder, definitely think they could have been more if they didn't seem so generic.

Good for the genre, just not my thing

Over two years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the band’s first album in this project. At the time, I wondered if I should change my negative opinion of the band. Now that I’ve listened to this album, I know I was right. The album was pretty boring. “Come On Eileen” has a certain appeal for me for nostalgic reasons. But that appeal only lasts until the first chorus—then I’ve had enough. I won’t be listening to that again. 2/5

I remember the video for Come On Eileen, with the urban overalls and quasi-hick portrayal. It set a visual bias toward what the rest of the album was probably like, and boy was I wrong. This was surprisingly jazzier than I expected. The song Dubious was like Tower of Power level jazzy. It was interesting, too, because I was getting Oingo Boingo vibes throughout this album and my lovely in-home Boingo-lover hates this album. Let’s Get this Straight was very Sgt. Pepper-ish. Other songs were very ska, like I’ll Show You. My fav track was still Come On Eileen, but that is probably due to historical bias, and ai actually like the Save Ferris homage better. This was an interesting album but necessarily a go-to.

Random thoughts: * Fun listen to hear other Dexy's songs besides Come On Eileen. * Solid outing and should be the only Dexys album on this list. There is no way we need three Dexy's albums. The author must be a huge fan. * I liked the old-timey/reminiscing theme throughout. The cover of Jackie Wilson Said was nicely done. * I'm not sure I will pull this out often but it was a fun listen with an all-time song in Come On Eileen.

Man, was this fun. I knew one song of theirs only, in my mind the band was one of those one-hit wonders, but what a pleasant surprise this album proved to be.

Love this. It's not quite a 5 maybe but the self-belief and passion drives it along, and it's a pretty singular vision. Shame about the official live version of Come on Eileen though - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3rg4psdHxw

Some of this album was great. Some of it was not so great...

I've never heard of this group before. But I like them.

It's fine overall, even with Eileen

this is a weird one. the longer it went on, the less i liked it. i love come on eileen as much as the next person, but i don’t understand why we need a live version two tracks later. low 3, high 2? somewhere there.

For most of my life I hated come on Eileen as it was a wedding/naff 80s night staple, but I have come to appreciate it in the last few years. This album feels like it is all in a similar vein to that, so at this point I thought I would like it, but for all it's catchy hooks it just all felt a bit flat to me. All a bit ploddy and even when Eileen came on it still felt ploddy until the build up bit. Not sure why. Individually I liked the elements I think, but as a whole it left me a bit blah. I listened to it twice to try to figure it out, but I'm no closer. Not a dislike, definitely a disappointment, but mostly just a bit of a shrug.

High 3 for me as don’t find it a consistently great album, but I do enjoy their musicianship, instrumentation and authenticity and the energy they convey in some of the best songs. And they completely bottled lightning in *that single.*

Quite enjoyed this, even apart from its god tier one hit wonder

I admire their commitment to a sound, I just don't like the sound that much. And Come On Eileen, as good as it is, I don't ever listen to on purpose.

Not my happy place. I'm genuinely wondering what is wrong with me that I find this kind of music gratingly unbearable. It's just happy. Maybe I'm an old cynic. Things I like: Some of the big band bits. Things I find less enjoyable: The style of singing (but I don't know why - usually I like unfettered expression verging on the weird, but something about its combination with chart music from the 80s). It's a bit doobeeedoobeee do. Clacky percussion and perky bass. I think that's as far as my analysis can go at the moment. I think if it was playing loudly at a night out I'd not hold back dancing to (some of) it. But not something I would choose to listen to. I struggle to get to the end of the album. In which case it's a grumpy 2. Fave track: Dubious. For the brass. It's an instrumental as well I realise. hahah. Why are there only fucking deluxe albums available on spotify? I could have managed a 40 minute original release, but have to sit through 1h 3m.

I liked this for the most part. Not super exciting or interesting, but had some songs that were fun to listen to. 3/5

I enjoyed this one, thanks.

Did we need another from these guys on the list?

Review - I'll begin by saying this album is better than American's who only know Eileen would give it credit for. I'll also say it has it's fair share of misses. Hadn't realised it was only the second album. How confusing must it have been as a British fan like "oh nice Dexys are back, I loved Geno" then it's all violins and shit. A good album and ahead of it's time in bringing in Celtic influences. But it was done better later by the Waterboys. Still an ok album Score - 5.5/10 Need to listen? YES

I was expecting it to be a bore, but it’s actually pretty good

Come on Eileen is one of the most famous songs ever, a fun song, and actually the whole album sounded like that. Enjoyably upbeat and fun.

3.5 stars I love “Come on Eileen” and I remember my brother told me this record was actually good. I got it on vinyl for cheap and it’s got a lot of loud pops, but I think it was a good listen in this way. Haven’t played it through in maybe a decade and it does hold up as a fun record. Some songs are a little overlong and repetitive, but an enjoyable listen on most tracks.

favs tracks - "old" and "come on eileen" 3,5

Ok

I mean its ok. Might even call it enjoyable. How many Dexys Midnight Runners albums do I really need to listen to before I die? I'd wager its certainly less than 3.

Before going in, I am sceptical; this seems like one of those albums that was only included for one song, this one being "Come On Eileen", and even at that, I hate the song. I already rated one of their albums low; I believe a 2, but it should have been a 1 because I did not enjoy it at all. Yeah I did not enjoy the music, but I could at least see some good, feels very positive with the upbeat violin but the songs were not exciting at all

Yeah, you're waiting for "Come On Elileen," but the journey there is more than worth it.

Until I Believe in My Soul is the longest song I've ever heard in my damn life and it's immediately followed by Come On Eileen. I have to admit there is a pretty nice stretch of this near the end when the guy shuts the fuck up (update: it turns out these were the bonus tracks lmao)

Glad to hear the Celtic touches back on this one alongside the more soulful sound, and of course Come On Eileen is a classic. Overall I think this one falls between Don't Stand Me Down and whatever the first one was called in my ranking, not quite a 4-star but more than a bare 3-star.

At the very least, I understand now why Dexys Midnight Runners were one-hit wonders: their albums were full of a bunch of bullshit

I mean yeah, the singer gets goofy with it as usual, but the mood the music sets is nothing but carefree and fun, so in the end it all comes together pretty nicely. Standouts: Let's Make This Precious • Old • Until I Believe In My Soul • Come On Eileen

Perfectly cromulent album. In a list that inexplicably has three Dexys Midnight Runners albums on it, this is the one that I think they should've picked. It's accessible, it has some nice string touches, but it's also too long. While it descends into noodling at the end it is a welcome break from the affected singing.

In a nutshell: The UK's guilty pleasure. Every nation has a handful of artists that are like Dexy's Midnight Runners. The artist and/or their music is a little weird, sometimes endearing. It has songs that are easy to sing along to. You get that distinct chuckle and a small smile when you hear their hit single somewhere. You might even feel embarrassed to admit liking them. It's fine for what it is. Overall: 4/10

Let's be real here. frfr, if you will. It has suck that you favourite band is condemned to be 'one hit wonders' by the masses. DMR are clearly more than that (I'm looking at you Deee-Lite) But three (3) entries on this list (before you die, you say?) is just silly. Do I really need to relitigate who isn't here?

Come on Eileen? I barely know her! Do the midnight runners deserve two entries on this list? Certainly not, but I’ll give them credit for being more than a one hit wonder, this album was a good time all the way through. I bet they were a blast to see live. Then would rock the shit out of the Starlite room in 1985, I can just picture Glenn Anderson doing coke in the bathroom between sets.

2.7 Just truly awful vocals, but for the songs that were available on spotify, fun enough listen

Look if you love “come on Eileen” this is the album for you. I will admit I liked this album more than I thought I would and “Jackie Wilson” is also another banger song. I mean going in to this I didn’t know much about the Dexy Midnight Runners except that when my aunt was a teenager she was obsessed with them and bought overalls for herself because of them, and you know what I can see why. I rank this as a 3.5/5

Come On Eileen is a certified classic, but I was pleasantly surprised that this whole album has the same vibe. Hooky as hell, lead singers voice is infectious, and you can feel the inspiration of Irish trad throughout. My mam was a big fan when I was growing up, and I can see why. Super enjoyable.

Probably fine live in a crowded bar for 20 minutes (where they play Come on Eileen three times over). But this is a slog

They definitely have a recognisable sound. Some fun songs but felt some were a bit samey!

Foot tapping fun.

Quite a fun album, but a little tedious

Likte dette overraskende godt! Det er noen duds her. Spesielt Van Morrison-coveret og Old. Hører også mye mer Arcade Fire her enn jeg hadde noen grunn til å forvente. Spesielt den første låta føles litt som en prototype til soundet fra Funeral -- både instrumenteringen og vokalen. Slutter sterkt med Until I Believe In My Soul og en låt alle har hørt, men få kan si hvem som står bak. Nå stiller i hvert fall jeg sterkere på musikkquiz!

Gøy og fint! Og avslutter med en banger med gigantisk B.

Strings and horns, 1982 celtic rock Celtic soul brothers Jackie wilson said Come on eileen

Too Rye Ay - Dexys Midnight Runners (1982) I only knew them for Come On Eileen, which I thought to be both silly and rather compelling. It was a nice discovery. Nothing groundbreaking IMO and it didn't make me as enthusiast as some of the other people doing the project, but it was worth being listened to. It's probably a nice album to put in a family reunion, or something like this. Would definitely give it another listen someday. ⭐⭐⭐ 6.5/10

This is the first album in this run which I have already got a more than passing familiarity with. Dexys across their initial three album run managed to carve out a unique pop cultural position with three distinct sounds, looks, and records, each united loosely under the banner of Celtic Soul. This is perfect fare for me! I love celtic/folk music, and I love soul. That premise sets up the first track. And my thoughts on it are adequately summed up by its subtitle. More, Please, Thank You!). It is a great statement of intent as the band moved from a blue eyed, northern soul indebted and ska adjascent (in the sense of being a punky/pub band with horns) group, into this more folksy vision (ultimately to the detriment of the band's harmony, as much of the horn section from Searching for the Young Soul Rebels had already left to form The Bureau, who are also pretty great, with their replacements then leaving to form the TKO Horns for much the same combination of Kevin Rowland's frontman antics, and the formal inclusion of the string section). It is the perfect opening statement for this era, both for its proving of the validity of the musical synthesis, its emphasis of Rowland's musical intentions for the project, despite the pushback, and for just being an irresistably catchy track. And it inspired the writing of The Commitments. What follows is a sequence of songs which play in both musical sandboxes to produce unique and brilliant tracks. Take the ceilidhesque dancehall calls of All in All, or their Reet Petited up folk/soul cover of Van Morrison's Jackie Wilson Said, which is a song that never fails to make me smile, appropriately. Old combines soul with a mournful air(e), and the tone difference between trad and soul string sounds is made obvious, for the betterment of the musical texture, on Plan B. Until I Believe in My Soul even takes a turn into vintage jazz at one point. I think the album does a really solid job of capturing a live sound and feel, without sounding like a gimmick. These are studio recordings, but their are little conversation interludes. They sometimes break it down and build it back up, or tag back to a previous song or part of a song, but with a new sound at the end of tracks. It keeps the album experience strong, and plays with "The Celtic Soul Brothers & The Strongly Devoted" idea. And then there's Come On Eileen. What can you say? Pure musical bliss. Youthful innocence and cynicism together, paired with some lovely musical reviewsmanship of their own for Johnny Ray. Cannot fault it! Yeah, I love this album, and already knew that, so it was fun to revisit it in full (plus the non album singles bundled with it on streaming. Easiest 5 stars so far

I found this album very enjoyable. Of course the one song we all know plus the Van Morrison tune was fun.

Maso

OK, I honestly didn't know this band at all before getting this album today, but I DO know the song "Come On Eileen" (as well as the crude Clerks reference mentioned in the second-highest-rated review). So, I was a bit worried at first. Will this be another Crowded House debacle—a one-hit wonder that has not one, but THREE albums included on this list? Well, actually, not really. I'm listening to this for the second time through, and it's overall quite good. It also highlights where everything went wrong with this list/book. So, here's my two cents on that. Dimery made a great marketing choice by labeling the book 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, but forgot to make it clear that it was MOSTLY Anglocentric (i.e., VERY HEAVY on UK and US albums), so I think a lot of people assume that it should be as broad as possible with a title like that. But, on the other hand, it shows that between American and British popular music, there is a huge push and pull in terms of their influence on global popular music, with every other country fighting for the crumbs. So while American music listeners are saying, "F the UK," and UK listeners are debating which bands from their own culture should be represented (literally in a vacuum), the rest of us are going, "Who cares?!" (I realize my hypocrisy here - I snubbed Travis for being too "UK-centric" but because I think they suck. So. Yeah. Bite me.) So, questionable marketing and culture wars aside, let's discuss this album. It's joyous, poppy, clean, and very busy overall. Birmingham has historically had a very exciting music scene as the UK's second city, and this band could easily be an ambassador for what the city was capable of producing. There are big-band, rock, ska, baroque, lounge, gospel and folk influences here. The mix is nice and loud, and very lush. "Liars A to E" is a great example of how all of these influences can work when edited correctly. Sometimes it falls into clichés and sometimes it goes on forever, but I appreciate the work they put into this and their enthusiasm. I wouldn't say that this is a one-hit wonder, but it does make me wonder why three of their albums are on the list while Talk Talk gets only one and plenty of other great UK '80s bands get none. For instance, Crass and GBH aren't even on the bloody list (but that's the list's anti-punk bias). So, for everyone having "fun" with your petty "culture" wars on this site, maybe try enjoying something new? Easy 4 stars. I could see this getting a lot more rotation at home.

There's one I didn't expect to like as much as I did. Of its time, but also surprisingly classic and timeless (though maybe Kevin Rowland's warble is more firmly rooted as a sign of the time). Lots of fun, really, well recorded and great playing of a diverse set of songs. And honestly, "Come on Eileen" is a top notch single. Yeah, maybe you've heard it too much, but if it can be heard with fresh ears, it's pretty much a guaranteed bop. Yeah, this album deserves its place on the list.

It was okay. Not really an Irish band via the music played or the Yacht Rock type of songs. Not a big fan even if Irene is.

какой-то интересный подход к кантри звучит богато и ярко, даже не грустно средненько однако есть хит 3.2

Yks biisi ei levymitassa kanna kovin pitkälle vaikka kovasti on näköjään yritetty.

Ihan tämmöstä pirtsakkaa menoa, mutta one hit wonderiksi tämä kyllä silti jää jos on yhdellä biisillä 40 kertaa enemmän kuuntelukertoja kuin koko muulla levyllä yhteensä.

Ajoittain ihan mukavia rallatuksia. "Perinne"-soittimiakin osataan käyttää touhua tukevana, eikä vaan päälleliimattuna elementtinä. Levy kuitenkin inasen liian pitkä ja sovitukset ajoittain turhan väljiä. Sen lisäks hittibiisi pursuaa takapuolesta ulos. Naurattaa myös, että laulaja on käynyt samat veistotunnit kuin Robert Smith.

No joo. Ei nyt ollut kauhean hyvä kokonaisuus. Yksi aivan täysi megahitti, ja loput semmosta muniinpuhaltelua että ei tosikaan. Annetaan nyt toinen tähti kuitenkin Come on Eileenille, oon aina tykännyt siitä biisistä!

Little bit sitcom

A surprising offer of an album. Now I know they're so much more than "that one song". Would listen again.

I’ll be honest that even the album cover made me nervous, evoking memories of Top Of The Pops and every school disco and family wedding for the last four decades, but having established that THAT song was the final track, I resolved to give the rest of the album a proper listen. I fairly quickly realised that I must have heard the album before as I recognised a lot of the tracks. It didn’t give me much more than I was expecting, but I was surprised by how much I had overlooked Kevin Rowland’s voice.

3eme et dernier album proposé. Je n'avais pas apprécié les 2 précédents (notés 2/5 - chant pas terrible + morceaux trop longs sans suffisamment de variation). Ce nouvel album n’est pas mieux que les 2 autres, par contre il contient le tube ‘Come on Eileen’ qui lui évite la note minimale. =>2/5

7/10