Don't Stand Me Down

Hate the low volume level mixes on parts. Takes you out of the album.

He sure has a sound and really just one lol

Not too bad. There were a few songs I really liked.

3.6

A third Dexy's album? Gosh. Kevin Rowland has done something with this album. It's production is challenging, with huge leaps in dynamic range taking us from imperceptibly quiet to horn-blaring loud. 7 tracks over 46 minutes leads to a pretty indulgent 6annabit minutes average track length. Now for instrumentals, that might not be so bad - but Rowland continues his theme of incomprehensible singing. He then mixes this in with spoken word numbers which combine imperceptible quietness with incomprehensible speech. It's a difficult album to listen to. I'm very fortunate to have a really bloody good stereo system, and I live somewhere very quiet. I can just about get away with the dynamic range. But if you're trying to (say) listen to it in the car, or while you're out and about, listening on headphones - this is going to be really hard to listen to. Musically, it's pretty good. Despite everything, Rowland is great. A consummate musician, and something of a perfectionist, he also seems to have that detachment, not quite understanding what makes an album accessible and popular. I'd love to rate this higher, becuase there's genuinely a lot good going for it, but the questionable spoken word stuff and the inaccessible nature of the production is just too much to let slide.

Pop-rock elegante con buenas voces e instrumentación. No destaca especialmente en nada, pero puede escuchar

Not bad but not as good as their preceding albums. The conversational back and forth that appears on a lot of the songs is kind of fun. Great last track, also

I had heard nothing other than 'Come On, Eileen' and was impressed by this.

Kommer aldri til å like Prince, uansett hvor mange ganger jeg prøver

Ist der Gesang ernst gemeint? Wie sehr kann man Worte knödeln. Musik ist gut, viel los, macht Spaß.

Alright.

Come on, Dexys. The second track is 12:21? You know how good that'll have to be for me not to skip it? You sure you wanna do that? Later that day: Eh, this was fine. Even the long song. I didn't fall in love but I wouldn't judge anyone too harshly you did.

some cool ideas - 3 stars

This was alright. Some songs were better than others.

6/10

I can see why this would've been a commercial failure. It's more of a spoken word concept album. I found it a little tiresome, but I suspect it might grow on me.

The excessive talking at the start of "This Is What She's Like" was irritating, but I like the song once it finally got going; its probably the highlight of the album. In general, this record has too much chit chat on it.

Started off with me finding his voice a bit ott, ended up with me enjoying the tunes. 3.5?

My least favourite Dexys album on this list, but still serviceable. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: This Is What She's Like Date listened: 13/12/23

2,5

5/10. Oh hey, yet another album from those guys who had one hit and it went to their heads so badly that they decided to start writing 8 minute songs. Nothing strictly wrong with this album, but I didn't need to hear it before I died

Melodramatic, weak vocals, a couple tracks with a bunch of talking, what was the rationale for adding this to the list? Still had enough fun listening to it that I don't exactly dislike it. 6/10

Not as fun as their other album in the 1001.

What happens when you drop 60% of your band between albums? You lose some of the ebullience and chaos that made you such fun to listen to. Some poignant and beautiful tunes but missing the sense of good old-fashioned hijinks of the first two albums.

Kind of like Dexys overall, but the album is a bit flat. No standout tracks like other albums, but it's not bad.

2.8/5 - Its got some heart and good musicians. But i had to remind myself i was listening to music a few times which also led me to relistening to those songs.

It's fine. The introspective talking doesn't work for me, but the songs themselves are have a mellow, sincere vibe that is okay. One of Those Things is weird to me as i can only hear a Bob Seger riff on repeat which in this context makes me want to move to the next song. Generally inoffensive.

One of those things sounded just like sweet home Alabama. Pleasant album to have on in the background

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: This is what she’s like, Listen to this

Pop. Soul.

Dexy's Midnight Runners have clearly studied the music that came before them. I can hear elements of folk rock, jazz rock, the Beach Boys, and a whole lot of doo wop and early R&B. Their instrumentation and production is very clean as well. Unfortunately, while the synthesis is excellent, it comes off as a bit sterile. I think if they had added a bit of post-punk experimental flavor it would have come off as more exciting and groundbreaking.

This album was unusual but all the better for it. And so fresh - if you had told me it was released this year I would have believed you. But it’s nearly 40 years old. Wow.

Good listen, enjoyed the songs and the way it flowed

Again, trust the people back then. Don't let nostalgia add meaningless sweetness that wasn't there at all.

Several years ago, I attended an open house at Artspace, a building that housed many arts groups in the city. On one of the floors, a band was performing to a group of enthusiastic people jam packed into a small space. The band broke out into a cover of Dexy's, Come On Eileen, a song I like, but never really grabbed me, but this band played such a raucous version of the song that gave off an energy I had never felt from the song and transported it into a memorable experience and now I love the song. Many consider that song to be a "one-hit wonder" for Dexys Midnight Runners, but the album it was on, Too-Rye-Ay and their debut, Searching For The Young Soul Rebels are good, solid records. Listening to their third album, Don't Stand Me Down leads me to wonder if the band ran out of ideas or if they were trying too hard to recreate the magic of Eileen. On a couple of the songs, it seemed like they were going to break out into Come On Eileen with similar sounding musical phrases and, One of Those Things sounds more like, Werewolves Of London than Kid Rock's embarrassing cover of the song. The conversation/talking/mumbling through many of the songs was annoying, especially during (the way too long...over 12 minutes!), This Is What She's Like, which is otherwise a decent song. When they get down to actually singing songs, it's not bad, but overall they produced better albums and can't understand why this album made the list? Now come on...Eileen!

Never blew me away but solid

Langweilig

Based off the first song: What a strange singer. 4th song in: It's certainly interesting. It has good instrumentation, very 80s, and it reminds me of Dave Mathews at times, but, ultimately, not for me. Last Song in: I hate to admit it, but if the singer's voice annoys me, it's really hard for me to enjoy the rest of the band. His intonation and falsettos really bugs me. It's hard for me to pinpoint it to a certain element of it. It's Tay Zonday, but without the awkward charm.

I actually rewatched Todd in the Shadow’s excellent One Hit Wonderland video on Dexys, and his take on their “difficult” third album never inspired me to check it out. And yeah, I’m not impressed by hearing the “Come on Eileen” guys make 12 minute “epics” or interlope “Werewolves of London”. They’re not as weird or artsy as Faith No More, this doesn’t really work. I added a few points for great ideas scattered around, I don’t feel comfortable giving this below 3 stars, but it’s not for me. C-

In tegenstelling tot jullie allemaal vond ik dit wel ok. Al zingt hij (of zij?) dan als Cher.

It's pretty good, but the songs are too long and there's too much random talking during the songs that is pretty annoying. Ironically the song where they sing about all songs sounding the same (One of Those Things) is a direct rip-off of Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon, which came out a few years earlier. 3 stars.

Good not great

Album 201 of 1001 Dexys Midnight Runners - Don't Stand Me Down Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Track : This is What She's Like More detailed story of this album is below. Wasn't really sure why this was on here, but then I listened and enjoyed it very much. This band went from international stardom with a 10 member band to a low key 4 member band in only a couple of years. Then they were gone. We all think of Too-Rye-Ay and to many that is all they ever did. This is a fine album. Too bad it was pretty much forgotten. Don't Stand Me Down is the third studio album by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners, released in September 1985 by Mercury Records. The album was released three years after their second album, the internationally successful Too-Rye-Ay. At the time, Dexys' lineup had been pared down from ten members to just four: vocalist/guitarist Kevin Rowland, guitarist Billy Adams, violinist Helen O'Hara, and saxophonist Nick Gatfield, the last of whom left the band after the recording sessions were completed. These four members are pictured on the original album cover in suits (and, for the men, ties), in what Rowland referred to as an "Ivy League" or "Brooks Brothers" look. The album was a commercial failure upon release, and its rejection by both critics and the public resulted in the group's disbandment in 1987. The album was later described as a "neglected masterpiece" by Uncut, and was selected as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Quite a curiosity... the long compositions with their interstitial dialog bits. There is solid material, it's interesting to get more of this band than just "the hit," but it didn't quite pull it off for me.

2nd Listen Dexys Midnight Runners from England 1985 New Wave, Blue Eyed Soul Standouts: Knowledge is Beauty, My National Pride, One of Those Things, Reminisce Part Two, The Waltz The slow soulful songs are really the gems on this album. 3.5/5

Just a thought but when the band's a one hit wonder perhaps 1001 should include only the album with the one hit. There are some nice jams like "One of Those Things" but nothing original or ground breaking.

Good but there are better Dexys albums out there

Dexys Midnight Runners - Don’t Stand Me Down It's hard for me to listen to this album knowing they are the band that is considered a “one hit wonders” releasing one of my all time favorite songs “Come on Eileen”. This is a song that evokes memories of little me watching the music video on MTV when I was very young (maybe dancing a little too!) and many nights singing it with my friends in bars. I never knew this band did anything else or really cared to find out. Love the albums cover. Invokes many questions with a certain uncomfortableness to me. Upon first listen to the album, I found myself enjoying it and also disliking it throughout. I loved aspects of the song “This is what she likes” but hated the opening talking (and continued talking throughout the album - as I could not understand what was being said & it just kind of irritated me. (I don’t mind spoken words on albums but this seemed off to me) Come on Eileen seemed to sneak through to me on this song. “One of those things” seems a complete rip off of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolf's of London” which is a great song! I think this album wanted to give the middle finger to someone, probably the record industry and music company, offering not much radio friendly songs or singles. Seemed almost theatrical. Also, I think it was a story, maybe something about his life and girlfriends but I never really cared to find out and it was not coherent enough to understand on first listen. I am glad I listened but nothing on the album would have me want to listen again, to disjointed & a little frustrating. But “come on Eileen” is with me forever!

A very generous 3 stars

Not so bad.

L'album s'est perdu

Not as bad as I thought it would be but the bar was pretty low

álbum decent 3.

Standouts: Kevin Rowland's 13th Time, One of Those Things. 3/5

I wish Dexy's was bigger in America. They were a great act. But this isn't amazing or anything.

I'm guessing this album is here because it killed the band and not because it's good. This Is What She's Like is way too long and so was the rest of the album considering how unremarkable the songs are.

WT…and I mean this…AF is this doing on here. Three albums of this group???

Way too much spoken word for me, and the songs just aren't that compelling.

Not really sure why these guys are on this list, even once. It is boring and shite.

No standouts

Mer brit pop. Meh

Nja. Lite experimentellt och int helt min grej. Inte rykande dåligt heller.

Rubbish. Nice pop at times, but it is drowned out by all the whispering.

It’s one thing to spend 11 minutes ripping off your own song, but to write a song, lamenting lack of variety in popular music and with the refrain “They all sounded the same”, and then lay it over the riff from Werewolves of London is a tiny bit hypocritical.

Dexy's doesn't do it for me. Over represented.

It was ok

1/2 millioner listens på spotify? vildt nok det er havnet her, gad om der er en grund til det er gået i glemmebogen. Umiddelbart er det ret irriterende... Men det er vel OK, jeg tror bare den her lyd ikke ligefrem ælder mega fedt. Sweet Home Alabama Cover er også meget grineren (One of Those Things), kan seriøst ikke høre andet. 2'er det rykker IKKE min verden det her... Der er sådan lidt talking heads knock off over det på en eller anden måde

5/10

2.5

The music is… ok. The yippy 80’s singing from the dude always annoyed me.

Tutte uguali

Woof that was a bear

Second album proposé après 'Searching For The Young Soul Rebels' que je n'avais pas vraiment apprécié (noté 2/5 - chant dérangeant qui gâche l'accompagnement). Même constat pour ce second album concernant le chant. De plus les morceaux sont inutilement longs, et sans variation suffisamment intéressante pour accrocher l'auditeur. =>2/5

60

Loose extended (never-ending) pub-rock jams with vocals by that obnoxious singer. Sometimes the songs are accompanied by a spoken-word conversation instead. Sounds like they were going for a Springsteen thing, but this is tedious and boring.

Not super into it

Man we did not need to hear this. Hated hearing this guy’s voice on this album and nothing memorable at all

no thank ya!

Ameno, aveces. Nada del otro mundo. Anticuado ya. No esta mal aunque te puedes morir tranquilamente sin escucharlo sin ningun problema y no creo que lo vuelva a escuhar en mi vida nunca mas.

This was rough. 2 good songs on here and the rest were just such nothing. The speaking/joke bits just cut any vibe the album was building tbh.

Nothing here, annoying voice, empty songs Only one album left to go. 1.5

Is this the second album on this list? Why?

not very good

No es mi estilo

4/10

Blind album, know the artist. Too Rye Ay was way better. This was not as fun. 2.

Vamos hoy con otra banda que no juno de ningún lugar: nombre, tapa de disco ni canciones. El cantante suena medio Freddie Mercury y la banda, medio Talking Heads. Me coparon algunos temas pero hasta ahí nomás. No siempre se está de acuerdo con una selección, no? De eso se trata, seguramente. Hasta mañana

Não..

Might have been a 3 if not for the bad Sweet Home Alabama ripoff.

Why have I had to listen to THREE albums by a one hit wonder band? They are a one hit wonder for a reason. There was a lot of talking on this album weirdly. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever heard, but I never want to hear it again.

A bit annoying.

It was ok

The critics and the buying public were right about this at its release. It pretty much sucks.

You can drop two of their albums of the list Will I listen to again: 1%

A departure from the formula that made the prior albums successful, this was a critical and popular failure at the time that was so badly received that the band broke up over it. Talking for the majority of the album over rambling music is not worthy of inclusion on the list. 2⭐️

Like most Americans, I only know this band from “Come on Eileen.” There’s some music here that has potential. But it is a pop album with multiple tracks longer than 6 minutes, which might be fine if there were any transitions in the songs. But nope, just the same few chords played over and over with little variation for 6-12 minutes. And lots of talking over the music, instead of singing, which was like watching a terrible movie relying on voice over to tell the story. Didn’t like it.

Only recently became acquainted with this band's first album and I loved it. I don't know anything but the hit from the second album, but I can't stand that fiddle-laden drivel. This one, sits somewhere between those two. There is some good soul-inspired stuff on here, that is reminiscent of their early work but never really hits with the same power. The upbeat numbers are fun and listenable. I really enjoyed the obviously ascorbic satire of shamelessly ripping off Warren Zevon while singing "It all sounded the same" over the top of it. When they slow down and Kevin switches between talking over the music lounge-singer style and full on crooning it is simply unbearable though. It feels like filler and there's just way too much of it on here.

Why did they make me listen to this. Stop talking. The songs are too long. No one wants to hear this

too much yapping

Je ne comprends rien de ce qu’il dit. Mais parfois, quand il chante comme ça, je me demande quelle langue il parle. C’est la que je m’ennuie le moins.

Somebody described this as pub rock and it makes sense. I didn't find anything monumental but I made it all the way through.

Completely forgettable

5.5/10

A lot more boring and pointless than their other records on here although the singing is still just as annoying. The one recognisable tune of course is the one that rips off Werewolves Of London. Arooooooo! I don’t know what the point was of the chatter at the start of track 2 so I just started imagining that it was the vultures from Jungle Book saying it. (“What are we going to do?” I dunno what do you wanna do?”)

No reason for this here. I like Dexy's but for FFS. Three?

Genuinely one of the most self indulgent, pretentious albums I have ever listened to. There are some good musical ideas here I like, but they are separated by the sound of this guy disappearing so far up his own arse he can see daylight again. I don't regret listening for the experience but I doubt I would revisit. 2 Stars

The twangy 'knowledge of beauty' has a great country arrangement with violins and lap steels, the rest is all brassy pop and wierd soul pastiche with nasal vocals and lots of energy.

Boof, I hate this dude's voice. It's like his nose is stopped up and he is trying too hard to sound like he is from the 80s. Very froggy and forced, I hate it. I think this is two stars, simply because the rest of it is just fine - but I would def judge someone who said this was good music.

Just didn’t think it was very good…and why is it on this list?

I would go out of my way to never listen to this album again, but it wasn't quite bad enough for 1 star. It constantly sounded one small step from breaking into too-rye-ay. I hated the weird vocals, the talking, and the sudden dips in volume for no reason. When it all came together, it was maybe pub-band quality, nothing more, a pretty awful 2 star album that I took great relief in finishing listening to.

ke mu dadam vtora shansa nekogash, na rati go slushav ama ne mi ostavi nekoj poseben vpecatok

The band is good and when he sings it's great, but the rambling conversations throughout ruins what could have been a decent album.

This is very odd, not phased by the talking parts necessarily but they don't really do anything for me and the whole thing just feels like a bit of a fever dream. It sounds a bit like a record put together to get out of a label contract on purpose, which I don't think was the intention. Kind of impressed by how it comes together but I don't like it - 2*

Okay this was a step down from their others

didn't expect them to sound like they did. I mean I've only heard Come On Eileen before this and this didn't stick with me at all

Not for me

Not so great.

There should be a law that every Dexys Midnight Runners' album has to have Come On Eileen on it.

Yeah not sure why this is on the list

It’s good to know they have diversity but three of these albums??? This is what she’s like really needed to be 11 minutes long? It’s fine it’s just another album in a row where I know I will never listen to anything on here ever again.

I can see why folks could like this album, there are sparks of greatness that just never quite deliver. I keep wanting to get into a song, and then it veers away meandering off into the night.

Three?

I was confused when I got this album. I was pretty sure I already got a Dexys Midnight Runners album a few months back and was positive it had Come On Eileen on it. There was no way this band deserved another spot on this list but maybe I was confusing it with a different 80's one hit wonder. They do tend to run together after 500+ of them. So I sat and patiently waited for Come on Eileen. And waited. And Waited. It never came. Turns out I was correct, I had previously gotten the album with that on it, and somehow a one hit wonder band got not one, not two but three separate albums on here, despite the fact that 99.8% of people could probably only name one of their songs. Not only that but the rest of their discography isn't even that good. At least I will remeber for when that third album of their's pops up. 3/10

This album certainly exists and it was one of the ones I’ve now listened to. I didn’t hate it, didn’t love it.

so much talking

Another mediocre British rock band. Yippee. Too much talking throughout the entire album. And when the singer isn't talking I can barely understand what he's singing. Two stars. (Favorite track: Knowledge of Beauty.)

music for the pub

Rubbish Simpsons: Yes

Kind of hoping this is the last dexys album in this list

This was a really odd experience...I actually cringed for the lead singer throughout the album. It reminded me of a bad high school performance where you actually feel bad for the kid performing because they were given a song or part they didn't have the skills to do, but are forced to perform in front of an entire gym of people and struggle the whole time. The band was good, but for some reason he was singing in slow motion and with a mouth full of marbles. That could be how he sings but it just didn't work. Then all the random quiet/silent openings and then the talking parts, like they were forced to make the album over 40 minutes long so they just filled in randomness. It felt like they were tired and out of ideas but were contracted and forced to make an album so they put this together. They knew it wasn't good and didn't work for their band but they didn't have a choice.

I’m surprised by how much I don’t like this considering I loved the last Dexy’s album we had on here. His voice sounds way too forced and the songwriting is sludgy. Pass! 2.5/5

"The album was a commercial failure upon release, and its rejection by both critics and the public resulted in the group's disbandment in 1987." An album so terrible it made the band break up. So of course it made this list! The one decent song imo is One of Those Things, where they obviously rip off Werewolves of London, though it does sound like they admitted to that in 1997. I get the sense they knew what a mess they were making and chose to embrace the mess. Or maybe they truly thought this was great. And who's to say it's not, I'm just one opinion in a very subjective world. Either way, it had a few ok-ish moments but was mostly a cringe fest to me. And good grief, do a little self editing! Way too much going on and the vocals were hard to stomach in most of these too.

2.5 stars

Not really notable

His voice sounds like he’s trolling us… But the album wound up being ok. Just nothing special to me honestly.

Know your classics i guess. Wel leuk maar niet speciaal

It’s not a bad record, but 80s Brit pop just isn’t my lane. A lot of it hit me like theater kid soul music, super dramatic, super committed, and the vocalist gets into this borderline yodel thing on a few tracks that kept pulling me out of it. That said, I’ll give it this: the little “Werewolves of London” nod was pretty slick, that was the one moment where I was like “okay, that’s fun.”

Meh.

I didn’t get much from this. I like his voice and I don’t mind the tracks I just couldn’t for the life of me see what it was trying to do or why.

Meh

80's chud from a one hit wonder group. I'd give it one star if it didn't have some okay grooves.

Yeah... nah.

I’d like to go back in time to when and where the first person of the late 70s or early 80s decided to use the stupid Dracula voice for singing and stab them in the heart with a stake. We didn’t need three of these.

Easy to see why they didn't make another album for 27 years. When there isn't a conversation taking place, the music dull or grating, and the vocals are obnoxious. Points for some cool piano parts. 1.5/5.0: Bad

This is genuinely so mid it’s annoying.

kind of perfectly illustrates why they’re a one-hit-wonder

What the.... Liked the last song but rest was rambling nonsense. Music itself was OK.

Before: The only thing I know from them is Come On Eileen, which I do like, but also find a little annoying. I'm not optimistic. During: The Occasional Flicker, this is awful. This Is What She's Like, wow, 12+ minutes, what was the point of that? Knowledge Of Beauty, awful?, not sure, it has it's moments. One Of Those Things, oh I've heard this before, Werewolves Of London. At least I found a song to add to my playlist "one of these things is a bit like the other". Maybe I'll rename it "One Of Those Things isabitliketheother" in honor of this album. After : I didn't like a single song on this album, but I don't hate it, so I'm giving it a 2. I won't be relistening to see if it grows on me. Well, maybe I'll give it another try in 10 years.

de super lange praat stukken zijn verschrikkelijk, de zing stukken zijn iets minder verschrikkelijk

Wodee dees is saai. 2 van de nummers zijn letterlijk gwn de bandleden die praten met een bas eronder gezet???

I'm not really sure what I'm listening to. Is this a satire album on its era of pop? Is it genuine, or is it being ironic? I don't know, but for me it's not really doing much more than sounding distinct and pretty inoffensive.

Was just not in the mood for this. Snoozefest.

Dexy’s Midnight Runners has to be the most blatantly overrepresented artist on the entire list. 3 albums is crazy for a band who most people would think of as a one hit wonder. Frankly, it pisses me off that this record was selected when it was a commercial and critical failure upon its release, and has seemingly little-to-no influence on culture. I liked it well enough, though at times, I found it annoying or cynical. But it loses some points for simply not deserving inclusion on this list.

Who knew they had a song other than Come On Eileen much less a whole album without it. Know wonder they're known as a one-hit wonder.

Second Dexys Midnight Runners album, and the final in their included discography. I'm surprised these guys have three list albums. That's every album in their discography by the time the 1001 Albums book released, which is kind of insane. It hasn't been too long since my last album from these guys - about 80 or so since I listened to Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, which I remembered thinking was alright. There was a bit of an exotic influence on that album, if I'm remembering correctly. I think it was reggae/dub, which made for a tolerable listen but one I haven't felt compelled to the return to. Here's hoping this album is different. I'm not sure what I've just listened to. This is a strange, strange album. I guess it's new wave, but I can't put my finger on what this album is trying to be beyond that. The first half of this album dicks around aimlessly with the insultingly pointless "This is What She's Like" among other tracks that feature a lot of dead air. The second half is random Americana music, including a "Werewolves of London" sample with some incredibly lazy songwriting and assorted rambling plastered on top. The extremely English vocals don't do much for me, but I wasn't invested in this music enough to be put off by it. An overall dull and draining listen, but one I was content to let wash over me. Book time. "...Pet Sounds for the 1980s." Cycled through a lot of producers during the creation cycle. Ignored by critics. Unsuccessful with the public. It isn't looking too good for this album. Wikipedia says more than half of the band left after the release of their previous album. The failure of this album lead to the remaining band members leaving. The frontman refused to create any publicity for the album. If there's any silver lining, the album has received a very mild critical reappraisal in the time since release. I mean, what can I say? Its been a while since I've come across an album which demonstrably doesn't belong here. It seems to me like their second album is the only one that matters and the rest of their inclusions have coasted by on a nepotistic English bias. We're snubbing this one. In place of this album, I humbly submit Viva La Woman by Cibo Matto for inclusion on the list.

Meh. 80s

Vocals aren't good. The skits (?) interspersed throughout the album really make the tracks drag on. Instrumentals are forgettable.

This album didn't too much for me as I'm not the biggest fan of their arrangement with the fiddle and the vocalist's tamber. "Listen to This" was a nice jam song, but otherwise, it's hard for me to listen to this band anymore than the occasional replay of "Come on Eileen", and even then, some part of that is being done so ironically.

This guy's voice is nails on a chalkboard...DNF

This album was fun, but not my style.

No pop song needs to be 12 1/2 minutes long, and if you absolutely must do so, at least make it interesting! This whole album was pretty rough. Not the worst I've had so far, but not great - and you know I'm not just "not a fan" of Dexy's Midnight Runners, because I gave Too Rye Aye a 4/5.

si es vd q hablaba el tio mas de lo q cantaba

Nie wszyscy muszą nagrywać dziesięciominutowe piosenki

Jedyna myśl jaką mi się pojawiła w głowie w połowie tego albumu to: AUUUUUU WEREWOLVES OF LONDON a raczej brak tego wersu przy tym jak beat byl identyczny. Pozostawia mi to pustkę która tylko zapełnia posłuchanie werewolves of London, w sumie easy to do.

Well interesting for sure but not my speed today, I really disliked their banter that they would break into. Some interesting and catchy tunes here but overall a 2.

Mid-level 80s blue-eyed-soul. Nothing special here. Not sure what was going on with the interpolation of "Werewolves of London". 2 stars.

Did not care for this album, certainly less than I did the other two in the project. They had their big success and could now show their avant-garde, break-the-mold sides… well it fell flat to me. Not the worst thing here but no better than 2/5 for me

its alright, if its playing I won't hate on it but idk if I would add to my playlist. songs also very long, a 12 min song???? crazy

Ei mikään kauhean ihmeellinen levykäinen. En kauheasti pitänyt laulajan äänestä ja biisit eivät juurikaan jää mieleen. Yksi raita kuulosti aivan Werewolves of Londonilta. Onneksi tämän listan tekijät päättivät sisällyttää mukaan Dexys Midnight Runnersin koko kolmen albumin diskografian.

They have a sound and it doesn’t change too much. 3/10

meh. only song i liked was knowledge of beauty

1. Surpris!! j’attendais rien et surpris en bien 2. le son aurait été bien si 1. il durait pas 10 ans, 2. on avait pas une éternité de conversation avant de débuter 3. sympa! 4. ils aiment bien parler ces tdc, sinon le son est good 5. mid 6.enfin il parle pas.. oui! 7. le titre dit tout 2.5/5

was shocked to see an album by Dexys Midnight Runners on the 1,001 Must Listen list. I was even more shocked to find it wasn't the album with their massive hit, Come On Eileen. Huh?!? Seems the band went through some changes in between their second album, which included Come On Eileen, and the third album, Don’t Stand Me Down. They went from a 10-piece band with fiddles, hurdy gurdys, and mandolins, down to a four-piece band. In addition, band leader Kevin Rowland, also the lead singer, wanted to experiment more musically. Which means the third album isn’t a carbon copy of Come On Eileen. Which, coming off a surprise hit like Eileen, was certainly not a good plan for continued success. The production for the third album was costly, as well, while their second album cost nothing to make. Already behind the eight ball on this one. When Don’t Stand Down came out it flopped badly. The band didn’t think the record company gave them any support. I’m sure the record company also thought, there’s no Come On Eileen on this album. Where’s Eileen?!? But as happens occasionally, over time, the album has garnered a cult following, and several critics declared it as a masterpiece. Not me, though. The album is fine, but it’s nothing that grabs me and makes me want to listen to it again. I do take issue with there being no Come On Eileen on the album. The chords used in most songs, if that’s even the right term, are all reminiscent of the chords in Eileen. So, in a way, the spirit of Eileen is woven all through the album. Except in Track 4, One of These Things. Track 4 is essentially Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London, which is weird. And you might think I’m exaggerating, but Rowland straight up admitted they stole the piano riff from Werewolves and gave Zevon a co-writing credit. That’s just weird, right? I guess it’s nothing hip-hop hasn’t done its whole life. Track 4 is the most memorable song on the album to me, and it’s only because it sounds like Werewolves of London. The other tracks are good, but overall, it's just another 80s rock album. The lone single released from the album was This Is What She’s Like and it starts out with a conversation between two dudes. At least it’s not in the song. You know I hate talking in songs, looking at you, Shania, and Bret Michaels. It takes 2 minutes for the song to actually kick in, and it’s just okay. I’m lukewarm on this album. I wished I either loved or hated it, but I get no feelings from it. So, don’t listen to it or do, I don’t think it will affect you either way.

Didn't immediately catch me. Continued not to catch me. Overall boring

All the talking was kinda weird

Fine as background music while I was working... Not much else to say about it. Don't listen too closely to the guy's voice. Lol.

Previously, I was only familiar with Come on Eileen… I did recognize one of songs on this album. It’s OK.

I can't decide if this is bad or if I just don't like it. I'd be much more into it if the singer would drop the stupid affected voice and if the album weren't so bloated with spoken word conversations about nothing.

LOVE THIS COVER

The 4th song boiled it down for me when thinking about the songs on this album: "they all sounded the same."

Meh

Doesn't hit

When Dexy’s decided to ditch the dungarees and donkey jackets, they turned into Elvis Costello and Van Morrison Do Tom Waites. Neglected masterpiece my arse!

why were they talking

I reviewed DMR’s first album about a year and a half ago, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, giving it four stars. Reading about this album, I get the impression that this effort from DMR is going to be a little different than Soul Rebels, so I’m not sure what to expect from this in terms of its sound. This will be my penultimate album from 1985 (my birth year) to review, and I’m hoping its 40th birthday is worth celebrating! I was really underwhelmed by this album. I was immediately a bit nervous when I saw that it was over 45 minutes long but with only seven songs, and it seems my trepidation was well placed. A couple of these songs were good, but most of them took nearly half their run time to really kick off into something I enjoyed. I enjoy the tone of Kevin Rowland’s voice, but I was really turned off by all the spoken word sections on this album. Musically, there wasn’t a whole lot for me to enjoy either, and I didn’t think that this album was really anything I hadn’t already heard before from the likes of Haircut 100 or Orange Juice. “One of Those Things” was the best song on the album in my opinion. The interpolation/sample/whatever of Warren Zevon was excellent, and I thought the lyrics carried a wonderful message as well. Other than that, I did like “Listen to This” as well. “Listen to This” was fun, and I liked the saxophone playing and overall upbeat sound of the song. Dexy’s does up-tempo pop really well, and it’s a shame that there wasn’t more of that on this album. While this album wasn’t really my jam, I’m still looking forward to hearing Too-Rye-Ay.

This wasn’t great for me. Wasn’t super lengthy but it really dragged and didn’t connect with any of it really. I just don’t know what they were going for here. Not horrendously bad but really not my thing.

The Americans will put this down to English bias on the list but it must be known that there is not a single other person in the uk that would put THREE dexy albums on a list like this. Most people wouldn’t put one on there. The author is a lunatic and I have been subjected to his awful taste for nearly three years now.

It’s fine, one of those bands I feel like I should like more than I do, but I just can’t get into this band.

I mean for a northern soul album it’s fine - I think there are better albums and I’ll probably pass on any more DMR in the future

Easily the worst of their 3 albums

2 “Are we there yet?” “How much longer till the next song?” “Where are we, still on track 2?” Track two had gems but how do you play this on radio? Track 2 weighed in at over nine minutes. I guess if you’re a Disc Jokey and you got to pee, and you need a long track, then put on track 2 and you will have no problems, you will have time to spare! So who produced this album? Alan Winstately and Kevin Rowland. Winstately is probably why a lot of these songs sound like Elvis Costello. Winstately produced for Castello, Punch the Clock and Goidbye Cruel World. So i wonder what the discussion between Alan and Kevin Rowland was like? I believe Kevin Roland had the final say and that’s why it’s a Yugo and not a Porsche, it could have been so much more. The production of it is weird where editing was most needed they just kept playing. The sound levels are not mixed correct, the vocals don’t match the instrumentations. But I don’t think it was Winstately fault on this one! Is it me or does “one of these things” sound like a copy of Werewolf of London by Warren Zevon; only it’s a bunch of rambled and not like a hit by Zevon. “They all sounded the same! That’s a bit of it. One of those things.” Then he reminisces again into oblivion, this would be a great live album, or something like VHI’s storytellers. . The problem is there is a lot of good here! If only they could have found a producer who could filter the mess into coherence! Or that Rowland listened to his producer. Uncut was right when they said it was a “neglected masterpiece”. The good stuff and there is a lot of it. Kevin Rowland has a great voice. violinist Helen O'Hara, and saxophonist Nick Gatfield. I think a Christmas album would be a good choice for them! Or an ode by Shakespeare. Something that would keep their creativity at bay and not at odds with performance. Overall a 2:5.

2. Kinda tedious.

Dexy's have one really great song. It's not on this album. This isn't a terrible band. The lead singer is just a bit irritating -- I'm not sure if he's trying to channel Van Morrison or Elvis Costello or something, but his nasal baritone dynamics sometimes dip so low that I can't hear him over the band. The fiddle player is pretty good -- great intonation. You'd be delighted to have these guys play a pub you were in, or maybe a wedding you were at. Give their albums a skip, though -- there's no need to spend 46 minutes and 20 seconds with this before you kick the divine bucket. I started writing more (something about 'This Is What She's Like' being a kind of a Springsteen/Brian Wilson crossover) but it was honestly pretty boring. The best part of the album is their sense of style with the cover. 2/5 -- better than Tank Battles but I'd sooner listen to Kid Rock. Edit: having read the community's reviews, I think this may be The List's most controversial band. Look, I can hear the competence and the compositional skill that's involved in this record but that doesn't make it any fun to listen to. Rowland's vocals, *at least* let the whole side down (they sound some combination of drugged-out, apathetic or pretentiously lackadaisical). I love a long song, I love being challenged by music -- I don't like this. The changes are too subtle to be impressive -- they're difficult to remember and perform, no doubt, but the effect is just *more song*, not multiple lovely songs all together. This album's insistence on complicating itself in small, imperceptible ways is like cleaning your windows with Dom Perignon: very expensive and nobody will ever know (and, honestly, if they notice, they might think less of you).

Somewhat forgettable- appreciated the novelty and attempt at a cool felt album but with the offputting voice and lack of catchiness, it didn’t land at all for me.

5/10 - This reminded me of a British Hall & Oates meets Prog Rock length songs. This was not for me.

This album bores me. The sound hasn't aged well and there isn't a whole lot going for it. I like that they experimented with the structures of the songs though. 4/10

Þetta var nú ekkert spes albúm og mikið hrikalega var söngvarinn leiðinlegur. Ég skemmti mér bara alls ekki við að hlusta á þetta og beið eftir því að platan kláraðist.

lmao this fucking sucked

ANOTHER one? and there’s a third i’ll have to suffer through? i’m convinced that dexy and co. paid off some critics that contributed to this list.

why??? why? they had one good song. don't subject me to THREE of their albums.

woof. it's all downhill after too rye ay, isn't it? this was just boring, unnecessary drivel. the 12 minute song where they're just 'avin' a bi' of a chat? why. the only reason i'm giving this two stars and not one is because one of those things inspired me to finally create a playlist of all the songs i've found that sound like sweet home alabama/werewolves of london favorites: one of those things

I see why this album broke up the band, as it was that rough of an album. Lead vocals are bad and who wants to hear someone whisper for about 10 minutes in a song.

Everyone listen close. I am going to talk soft for a lot of the song

musically it's is.....interesting. but his vocals are rough. why is this on here???

Where was Come on Eileen? That's the only song that I knew about and was pretty disappointed with this album.

sometimes i'm listening to an album on the list with someone else and they say the most accurate thing ever and i'm like "i gotta steal this". so this album, kinda filler stuff, which is insane to be on the 1001, like this ain't meant to be here. my father's like "oh this sounds like an album which they were forced to make to be able to go on a tour" and i'm like... OMG YEAH THAT'S IT. there's the random good song on here but it's almost pointless.

I don't mind this album, however, even if I haven't listened to any of albums by them that they should have only put "Too Rye Ay" on it. Other than that, it's really a waste of space with lackluster songs that don't do much and pointless talking parts that were really dull.

Dexy went to the future and watched Get Back. Thought it was a great idea so he recorded everything good and mundane in the studio. But Dexy is not the Beatles so there would be no documentary and all that stuff got dumped on the album to make a 46 minute runtime. Ride, Dexy, ride.

Too much chatting at the start of a song, dont wanna hear your life story mate

Why is every song like 10 minutes long and full of farting around? Why do we even need more than one album by this mediocre band? I can't stand this dude's voice. If there's a third album by them on here I will riot. (Oh god just saw in the reviews there IS a third! Getting my Molotov cocktail ready...)

I’m not sure exactly what’s going on on this album but I can barely hear any of the lyrics. I think it could be kind of cool and interesting if Dexy wasn’t so convinced they were super cool and interesting. Completely ripping off Werewolves of London for a song about everything on the radio sounding the same is a perfect example. It’s kind of clever but not nearly as clever as they think it is. Also, really a second Dexy’s midnight runners album without come on Eileen?

was a lot of talking and the affected singing grated. It wasnt horrendous but equally unremarkable to me. The Wikipedia section on reception at release was pretty harsh "a torpid snore that denies entertainment on every level". My spotify rolled onto Searching for the Young Soul Rebels we previously had, which i had downloaded to listen on a plane. To me it was far more interesting and better energy. I think i gave that album a 4

Felt like the whole album was them simultaneously trying not to sound like while also just enough sounding like Come on Aileen to not totally alienate the fanbase. Didn’t enjoy this one.

I listened to this album and... I've completely forgotten it! Nothing exceptional, no personality either... nothing to dislike and unfortunately nothing to like!! In short, yet another album that shouldn't be on this list of 1001 albums; there are so many others that should be there instead.

It seems like maybe this is a cult classic, for some people? I can almost understand it, but it's really just okay for me, and dragged down by soooo many talking bits during tracks. Why is "This Is What She's Like" 12 minutes?

Neither fun nor interesting. Not even good background music. This list is pushing its luck.

Really just didnt feel it

Listening to this, I kept confusing Kevin Rowland with Bob Geldof. They aren’t the same person. Some interesting bits here, but nothing that caught my attention for any extended period. This is the “Come On Eileen” band as far as I’m concerned, no need for any more, thank you.

Fun listen but no real standout tracks to me, wouldn't be mad if they came on but nothing that made me want to listen again.

This is one of those albums that feels like a chore to get through. The longest track, "This Is What She's Like" is so long and all over the place. I have no idea what the artist is trying to make me feel or interpret. Sometimes, I feel like this should be just an instrumental album. But still, I wouldn't listen to it. Favorite track: Listen To Me

Very underwhelming and a shit album cover. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆ (4/10)

I'm good with just Come On Eileen.

Not my cup of tea for a multitude of reasons: 1. Half of it sounds like "Lalala Britain hates Ireland long live British tea" ok we get it 2. Why is there so much speech over the tune? Distracting 3. I liked the instrumental of The Waltz, not entirely sure what to think of the rest

Tried to look for the "underrated" and "forgotten" good, couldn't really find it.

The other album is better, this one is the same thing except with the craziness and more cba attitude

Interesting voice and music, but not my style

Didn't enjoy

Absolute CEO of yapping right here. Best song on this entire album is just Werewolves of London, but not as good. Album would have been much better if half the runtime wasn’t just this bloke talking over the instrumentals.

Nu Wave operatic pub, Beach Springsteen Boys. This is why you wait until an album ends to score. 2nd half wore me out.

This was tough to get through. I wasn’t even rewarded with come on Eileen

This album was fine. Nothing as good as Come on Eileen

i know they eventually credited him but good lord the rip off of Warren Zevon is almost unbelievably egregious. everything else is just a listless reprise of Too-Rye-Ay

Mercifully short

10 seconds in I was worried and by 2 minutes into the second song I was ready for this album to be over. There were just enough fun elements through the rest to keep it from one star, but just barely.

Fun beats but "it all sounded the same"

Why are there three Dexy’s Midnight Runners albums on this list? This just sounds like a very slow windup to Come One Eileen, the only album that should have been included. I think about other exceptional albums that aren’t on the list because of this crap and I get mad

time waster of the year

Ignore it.

Well, this is disappointing. I had no idea when I listened to "Too Rye Ay" that there could possibly be more Dexys Midnight Runners in our future, largely because it seemed like a novelty-esque album and not much there (but still a fun enough album). I'm not really sure they count as a one-hit wonder band, but this album only reinforces that they had only so much to share with the world, and I'm kind of dreading listening to their debut album some future day from now. On *this* album, though, the (relative) high points were probably "One of those things" (despite blatantly stealing Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" riff, and only attributing it much later in an album re-release) and the closing "The waltz", while the unending meander of "This is what she's like"--trying to be a quasi-Bohemian-Rhapsody--is (hopefully) their cumulative nadir, an unintentionally melancholy version of something from "Too Rye Ay". It's not their fault that the "1001 albums" editors chose to include Dexys' entire discography (at least from the 80s), but that doesn't mean we have to enjoy everything they throw at us. And despite the glowing review in the "1001 Albums" book, and however much Kevin Rowland agonized over pointless details across the many months of recording this, I'm very comfortable in opining that this album doesn't belong in the collection, sadly.

I'd like a little less talk and a little more rock.

< the Beatles As many people have pointed out already, why the fuck are there THREE DMR albums on this list. The first one was enough to show that they were more than one hit wonders. This is the biggest evidence yet of the extreme English/UK/Ireland bias this list has.

Alright, nothing stood out but nothing offensively bad

Kinda boring in my opinion. Wasn’t a super big fan

Favorite Track: One Of Those Things

These songs are not good enough to be this damn long

The only moment that stood out was the obvious lift of the “Werewolves of London” riff on "One Of Those Things." Beyond that, this is an incredibly dull and forgettable album with nothing worth revisiting.

3/10 Aside from the hits, Dexys is a band that I’ve never spent much time with. Looking at the history of this album, I suspect this wasn’t the best place to start. It wasn’t well received, happened after the band had shed over half its members, and they ended up splitting not long after its release. In all honesty, I can see why. There are some real indicators of quality that bubble along under the surface here, and the band are clearly skilled players, with some really great bass playing a particular highlight. But they spend a lot of their time getting in their own way, particularly when it comes to the vocals and spoken word sections. Kevin Rowland has a very particular way of singing, but it also seems to be delivered in levels, so sometimes the affectation is fairly mild and works really well and others, like the opening track, he sings with the slurring mispronunciation of a deaf person who is speaking based on a life of lip-reading rather than hearing speech. At least it’s tuneful for the most part. They also seem determined to make every song as long as they possibly can. You could probably make a pretty good version of some of these tracks by trimming them to 3-4 minutes, but having to hear compositions that don’t offer vast variation over a 12 minute period is just hard work. The spoken word sections are seemingly intended to evoke some sort of concept or narrative across the album, but either the message didn’t really get to me, or they never really committed to the process, because they often just felt tacked on and unnecessary. All in all, this was a bit of a jumble that could probably have been made into something decent with another round of studio time and a good producer, but unfortunately it ended up being a swing and a miss. The Occasional Flicker - This is kind of plodding and Kevin Rowland seems determined to sing in his most extremely affected way. The actual track is pretty good. There are some great piano lines in particular, but it all drags on too much and spends too much time being hidden by the warbling vocal that descends into having a chat for a good chunk of the song. There’s a good song in there somewhere, but they didn’t find it. This Is What She's Like - A minute of inane chatter from one paranoid friend to another. Ok. Then another minute of very drawn out intro. When they bother starting the track, it’s not bad. When singing like this, Rowland’s vocal style is a bit less annoying. The vocal melody is pretty meandering though, but the chorus hook is pretty good. The breakdown section in the middle is quite nice and there are some good harmonies as things build back in, before things kick up a gear, which is pretty good, before another inexplicable pause. I feel like this could have been a really good 4-6 minute track, but it’s a meandering 12 minute epic without enough ideas or range to justify it. Knowledge Of Beauty - This is nice enough, I just don’t feel they’ve done enough to earn the patience for a track like this. It’s fairly pretty and has a nice little country twist, but the vocal is way too loud in the mix, and it’s way too long and it sounds a bit like Kevin’s been drinking quite a lot as the song goes on and he’s had too much by the end. One Of Those Things - There’s a bit of cool swagger to this track. The spoken vocal actually kind of works here as part of the intro. The track has a good vibe, but it just doesn’t really go anywhere. There’s some really good playing in there. Solid bass playing in particular, and the band are doing good work to add musical variety, but the core structure just keeps on plodding. It all sounded the same indeed. Reminisce Part Two - Another rambling spoken intro. Only it’s not just the intro, it’s the whole song. The music in the background is nice enough, but this just feels a bit of a jumbled, directionless record at this point. Listen To This - Here comes something better! There’s more structure, the vocal works better with the track and it feels altogether more coherent. It’s not a brilliant track, but it’s pretty good. There’s a bit of urgency to things and there are some nice little riffs here and there, and there’s a bit of dynamic and variety too. The Waltz - Another meandering, country tinged track. Again, nice touches here and there, the piano playing being a highlight, but it’s just a bit rambling and WAY TOO LONG. If you’re going to write songs this long, they have to offer something to justify the length. This does build, drop and build again, but it takes too long doing it and it just drags because of that.

pretty good for easy listening type shit. but nothing fabulous

Dexy Music? This band is like a B-Rate Roxy Music with all of the worst excesses of that great group amplified to the max. Why do we need so much unintelligible muttering over 12 minutes of a same and unchanging dance groove? I'm glad this band didn't really make any more records.

4/10. No termino de entenderlo porque no le he hecho mucho caso (la mayor parte del disco he ido conduciendo). Estoy seguro de que si lo escucho atentamente, me va a gustar, porque recuerdo partes que me han sonado a Queen o a la ELO, así que por semejanza, seguro que me gusta, pero me da pereza volver a escucharlo.

hmm boring, maybe just wrong time and place cause i like their other albums on this list

eh wtf.

british people do not make good music

There are pieces that could have been a hit in the album, but any cohesion was out of their minds when they were doing the album recording. Music from other countries should be more represented than a repeated artist that failed to seize the zeigest.

Best Song: Listen to Me I wish I could understand this, we get one James Brown album but the "C'mon Eileen" band we get three albums from. And, they are NOT anywhere near worthy of three albums on here. Sad and a waste of my time. 2/5.

Sounds like the music that would play in the background of an 80s comedy

For the most part couldn't understand lyrics. It sounded like a lot of mumbles and I didn't understand why I was listening to it

My final Dexy's Midnight Runners album! When I went in I was like "oh, it's only 7 songs, that's not so bad" but then somehow every one of those 7 songs was 10 minutes long, which is honestly so detrimental to the album as a whole. I don't hate this music style, but we've had better examples of it already on this list (and on other DMR albums), so at the end of the day this just feels like unnecessary filler.

This was a bit of an odd album. Seemed to blend into the background for the most part. It hints at being interesting but never really delivers it. I was only familiar with their singles previously, so had higher hopes. It is executed well enough (aside from the pretentious talking sections) but overall, it was just a bit dull.

This reminds me of Roxy Music, without any of the pathos or art.

54/1089 This isn’t for me, especially because of the vocal styling, i’m really not a fan of when it feels like a singer sounds like they’re forcing their voice to sound “quirky” or kinda warbly and deepened, which is already quite prominent on The Occasional Flicker The instrumentation is fine though, i could see myself enjoying that more with a different vocal. I love the conversational start of This Is What She’s Like but it would be better if it were turned up a little. i like the change ups for the second half of This is what she’s like One of Those Things is a classic and an easy standout, it has such an easy going vibe and the chatting over the music is pretty effective here 2 stars or 48/100 it’s a fine album not to my tastes, the score would move up to a 3 star if it had vocals that i found less irritating

Just meh

Come On Eileen is a medley of their greatest hit. Every other song is blah.

Meh

På pappret borde jag älska det här albumet. Älskar ju soul och brittisk musik, men det låter lite väl plastigt och rent röstmässigt ganska svagt. Mellansnacken mellan och i låtarna blir för långa och förstör rytmen i skivan också. Tyvärr alltså. Musiken är ju fortfarande bra dock!

Yikes. There was a reason these guys were a 1 hit wonder.

Very bland.. Like a vegan meal.

I really don't like saxophone in songs, lol.

There was The Occasional Flicker of something good with this album, but overall, I don’t think I would Listen to This again.

Wasn't a fan of this, and I think this was the worst of the Dexys albums we had to listen to.

One hit wonders for a reason.

The best moments are mediocre pub rock that sound very similar to that other song that’s on the top of your tongue but you just can’t place. Then there are the talky bits that kill whatever English Dad Rock groove you were about to settle into. This didn’t need to be on this list… and astonishingly there are 2 more Dexy’s albums to come apparently.

Meh

Absolutely no reason for them to have THREE albums on this list. I do really like them, but their first two were much better. Seriously, why is this here?

I don't know how anyone can fight the urge to listen to come on Eileen and Geno within a few seconds of starting this album.

I was pleasantly surprised but this one but the talky interludes and quite starts got in the way for me.

The extent of my knowledge of Dexys Midnight Runners is "Come on Eileen" - so this exposure is something else, opening up the doors to what they were beyond the hit. But it's like… this was the last album before the broke up, and it's fitting, because it just doesn't feel like a solid album, but more of a dying rattle.

Today I learned why I did not hear anything from Dexys Midnight Runners after the release of their homage to bukkake, Come On Eileen, went to #1 in the US and was an early MTV staple. They committed commercial suicide with the release of their follow-up album Don't Stand Me Down. Of course, just like The Cure is Robert Smith. Dexys, as they came to be known, is Kevin Rowland. And Kevin Rowland's voice on this album could be related to Robert Smith's voice. Maybe not in the higher register, but definitely mid to low. Like, if their voices are not brothers on this album, then cousins. Aside from the citation of Warren Zevon on One of Those Things in the 1997 re-release, I was also picking up Lou Reed's Satellite of Love vibes on Knowledge of Beauty. I might have even heard a hint of Fleetwood Mac's That's All for Everyone somewhere, but I could not be bothered to listen again to find out. Though not completely without artistic merit, I found this album bland with the conversational elements bringing it down further. Recommended tracks: Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London, Lou Reed's Satellite of Love, Fleetwood Mac's That's All for Everyone and The Cure's A Strange Day.

How does a band that is a one-hit wonder get three albums on this list? Even more important, How does a band that is a one-hit wonder get three albums on this list AND WHO'S WIKIPEDIA PAGE FOR THIS ALBUM SAY: "The album was a commercial failure upon release, and its rejection by both critics and the public resulted in the group's disbandment in 1987." I like Dexy's. I don't love them and even I can say this album does not belong here. 2/5

It has some nice tunes which are cool but it’s not that great if you listen to the whole record.

I liked some of the music. But not enough to think it deserved to be on this list.

A Dexys Midnight Runners' album *without* Come On Eileen? All in all, not bad, but not great.

Maybe this is one of those albums that you have to listen to loads of times to really get it, and listen intently. On a couple of listens across one day I get the sense there is something interesting there, but I am not investing a lot of time to concentrate on it. I had not heard dexys much before, but I was a fan of Dogs Die in Hot Cars and now I realise how much they were inspired by dexys

Nice bass, cliche lyrics, weird lead singer, is it pop? But really can’t say it is rock.

Meh

a great singing voice horribly wasted on the british. the instrumentals set a good chill vibe but it's constantly ruined by the vocals. how do you have that voice and that vocal control and you use it to do... whatever this was? and is making albums of casual conversation over nonoffensive backing music what men did before they invented podcasts? normally i'm all for experimental music and concept albums, but i wouldn't count this among the "must listens".

Listened whilst cleaning bathroom and doing chores on 11th August. Interesting album at times, but a bit of a snooze fest. Lead singers voice started to grate on me.

Miksi välillä piti kuiskia, olisiko ne pitänyt kuulla ymmärtääkseen kokonaisuuden? Nyt meni muuten ohi, heräsin vain kun kuulosti kumman hiljaiselta. Efekti sekin.

I can understand why they disbanded after this album.

Really dull.

Once you realise Kevin Rowland sounds like Vic Reeves club singer you’ll never go back!

This is a little bit of a meh playlist, nothing really too exciting but it was alright just having it in the background and it was relatively enjoyable. I assume this was pretty normal music back in the day when it came out, even though there were definitely more exciting things.

It's "experimental" in the way I don't like. I don't know what I'm supposed to think about "music" that is a whole lot of nothing or so quiet it might as well be nothing. This isn't hyperbole, the record started with mostly nothing, then went back to even more nothing, and then wanted me to give a shit, and I couldn't. Outside of the "art," it's actually pretty consistent with their hit. It's never as fun, but it's the closest rednecks will get to being culturally appropriated.

why is this here

Also boring

J - 2/5 Best Track - "Listen To This" F - 1/5

I do not care for Dexy’s Midnight Runners. There is no fucking way they deserve 3 !!!! spots on this list

Het eerdere album (met daarop wel een hit...) kreeg 4 sterren van mij. Dus benieuwd wat we nu weer krijgen. Toch begin ik te kijken hoelang ik nog te gaan heb. Nooit een heel goed teken. Hoe lang nog dan? We zitten blijkbaar pas aan het begin van nummer 3. Pfff... Niet dat er nooit iets gebeurt op de schijf. Het begint vaak saai, maar gaat nog wel ergens naar toe. Dat merk ik vooral als ik me los kan trekken van die rare stem, het grootste minpunt van dit album. Nu ik dit schrijf heb ik steeds de oorwurm All Summer Long van Kid Rock in mijn hoofd. De boosdoener: One of those things. Ik kan dit de band niet kwalijk nemen. Ze waren een paar decennia eerder. Maar tja...wat moet ik anders over dit album schrijven? Het is verder zó irrelevant.

Dexys Midnight Runners, huh? Die hebben toch 1 oorwurm van een hit en dat album hebben we al gehad. Ik ga uiteraard checken, blijken ze er met alle 3 hun albums in te staan. Wat. Da. Fak. Dan ben ik eigenlijk al gelijk boos, ondanks dat ik me niet meer wilde opwinden over de snobkeuzes. Maar het is toch van de zotte dat er 3 albums van deze one-hit-'wonders' in staan? Het positieve op dit album is dat de zeikerige stem van de zangert, wat meer ingetogen is. Ik zeg ingetogen, want het is niet zo dat hij minder prominent is. Maar het zeikerige komt minder naar voren. Het album heeft veel minder tempo dan hun succesalbum, de nummers zijn veel rustiger en wederom meer ingetogen. Eigenlijk zijn het betere liedjes, minder oorwurmen. Knowledge of Beauty vind ik stiekem best goed. Daarna volgen wel gewoon weer een paar enooooorrrrme kutnummers, dus ik kan alsnog een hekel hebben aan dit album gelukkig. 2 sterren, omdat het te weinig is voor 1 ster. Al doet de zanger nog ongelooflijk zijn best op Listen to This. Valser kan bijna niet.

It's Dexys Midnight Runners, but not as we remember them - what happening to the energy? A truly boring album that doesn't merit its place in this list.