Reviews (page 6 of 7)
I enjoyed the songs “Listen To This”, “The Waltz”, “One of Those Things” and “Knowledge of Beauty”. The album was decent, but there was just a lot of rambling.
To me this album has vibes of “ we’ve had some success so let’s experiment a bit” which I have no problem with. What I don’t get is why some artists create lovely tunes which they have here and then spend half the album just talking over it. I am definitely not a fan of this style of album.
Stopped listening 🤷♀️
4.0
I would have been pissed off if I spent money on this. It's basically a non-album
I am not the purveyor and judge of all great music but I do know quite a few individual songs. The fact I knew of just one Dexys Midnight Runners song and they have three albums on this list is just incredible to me. I don't know what could have moti--- Ah yes, they an English band. That explains it. This list has 1001 albums you must hear before you die but also contains 40-50 albums by English artists who the panel of selectors decided we all had to hear even though they are not really an album you must hear before you die. It's like when your friend has a band he/she really likes and forces you to listen to their material on repeat. No, I don't need to hear every album by Dexys Midnight Runners. They aren't that important. I am open to hearing new bands and albums, but please do not make me suffer through a mediocre album because an insufferable music critic likes hearing the music in his local pub. Every single song goes on too long, as you can tell they were VERY impressed with themselves and their ability to make "meaningful" music. They even rip off Warren Zevon and that doesn't work. The only reason this album gets retrospective accolades is for the same reason past Presidents are seen in a better light. Time and space make it seem not as bad as it was. But have no worries, this album is as bad as it seemed. A lot of talking on "One of Those Things" and I don't even know what "This is What She's Like" is about, as it changes sound 3-4 times along the way. "Listen to This" is the only song that is worthy of being hard. Stop putting mediocre albums by English artists on this list. Maybe the album isn't that bad but the mere inclusion annoys me to the point I can't give it a high star rating. Also, the irony of the lead singer bitching music "all sounded the same" while ripping off a riff from a popular song on the radio is just (chef's kiss).
Really easy to listen, I like it a lot.
Who knew Dexy had songs and albums other than Come On Eileen?!?! This album had a distinctly 80’s feel that reminded me of Talking Heads. I liked that it had the feel but it was also distinctly original. Key tracks for me were the OccasionalFlicker and This Os What She Likes, though the 1960’s-esque Listen to This and it’s Motown bridges was a bop. I have to come back to this one this weekend!
Some poor record executive definitely got fired for this album. They were expecting Come On Eileen the sequel and they got this. Wow! It’s not a train wreck but there is nothing pop sounding on this album. Except maybe One of Those Things which is a total ripoff of Werewolves of London. I hope Warren Zevon got royalties for that song. I’m convinced that the record executive that greenlighted this release also started the "this is a hidden gem” noise. And then I end up listening to this a few times in 2024.
"Commercial failure" figa ci credo 😭
An album so bad it literally killed the band
3.5
This verged between boring me to tears and actively upsetting me. It can take its two and be grateful.
A sound only the British could love. And I had sorta high hopes for this, as I understand they aren’t a one hit wonder over there. Makes sense why they were one in the U.S. though.
I can't really explain why but I quite enjoyed that. I would only know Dexys from the hits and I can't say I'm a massive fan of his voice. But the confidence to give this the space they have, the still strong pop hooks and melodies and the overall feel sucked me in. A surprising treat.
Not something I would normally listen too but quite enjoyable
Quitew boring but the music is ok. also, an 85 album without those awful synths is always a win
I like Dexys, but I'd never heard this before. I believe Searching for the Young Soul Rebels and Too-Rye-Ay are also on this list, so I'm saving my 5s for them. This is a solid 4 though.
Underligt album med helt fina melodier men jätte forgettable låtar. Konstig sweet home Alabama låt också :S
frekar áhugavert popp. önnur, 3,5.
A bit chatty are we lads? I actually really enjoyed the looseness of the songs, there was just a bit too much chatter and that took me out of it. Can definitely see how this music would have a place in lively pubs. 3.5 stars
I think I missed a lot of the charm of this album by not really being able to hear the band interplay. Still 3⭐️
Way too much DMR on here.
The musicians play really well (+2 stars). That becomes less impressive when they play the same chord structure for 10 mins (-1 star). They lack that certain je ne sais quoi (-1 star). The music closely resembles the album cover (+2 stars).
I am immediately annoyed by this guy's voice. The music is alright, so I'll slog through the rest of it. One of Those Things, I mean Werewolves of London also gets on my nerves. I can't get past all the talking and the vocals. The music is ok, but this album shouldn't be on this list. Thankfully, after several needlessly long songs, I was able to Waltz my way out of this and into a different album.
I've always held "Come On Eileen" as one of the three quintessential one-hit-wonder songs of the 80's. It is perfect, and so I'm very curious to see what else is going on under the hood. What?! This song isn't even on this album?? Now I'm REALLY curious what they got going on on this album. "This Is What She's Like" is half-sung, half-spoken in the fashion of a lounge singer's approach while conversing with the audience, though the music is less "dark basement" and more "department store overhead speakers," specifically in the furniture section, until the throwback to Come On Eileen at the end where you exit the store to the overly glossy white floor tiles reflecting all of the neon lights of the mall food court as you make your way to get a you-so-deserve-this ice cream shake. I keep hearing "Come On Eileen" in these songs, even the "Werewolves of London" chord patterns of "One Of Those Things". There's something rollicking and simultaneously 50's and 80's in their sound. Though I only know the one song, The Boomtown Rats come to mind. I seriously had to look up if this was some sort artistic attempt to deconstruct "Come On Eileen" and re-write it into other songs. That's when I learned that the once 10-piece band was a four-piece by this, their third album, and that those other members left the group after recording the album. Maybe that influences my headspace some, but Don't Stand Me Down does seem to take the approach of a band who has one last thing to say, not really striving for a 3-minute radio hit or caring to capitulate to marketers or producers, and just doing whatever they feel like. "The Waltz" follows suit as the final swansong, a band's last brilliant flash before accepting their own demise. Passionate, heroic, proud in the face of being ignored, and beautifully sad. I believe it.
This was…kinda rough. I wish I could see whatever quality landed this on the list in the first place. As it is, I think the author of the book figured out a brilliant way to subject the world to his peculiar music taste. Or maybe he's just having a laugh. Look, I can overlook a lot of non-traditional, quirky vocal performances. Billy Corgan, Geddy Lee, Kate Bush, Björk. What are often viewed as flaws, I can see as adding unique qualities. But I can't get past this guy's vocals. I remember years ago seeing by chance a video on YouTube of this band performing. It was one of the most painful musical performances I've ever seen. The singer was struggling, bombing, dying out there. I could barely watch it. I thought it was a one-off bad night. But that memory came flooding back listening to this album. I think the band is perfectly cromulent, and this would probably be a three from me if not for the singer. Apparently there are two more albums on the list from this band. Sigh.
Well I had high hopes for this one but found it very disappointing. I found the album to be disjointed and not having good flow. The singer has a decent voice but it isn't really showcased much on this album. I felt like he overdid it and was generally mismatched to what was going with the music. I found a lot of the album to be perplexing, like the random muttering. One song sounded like a cover of Werewolf of London. Really surprising considering how much I like 'Come On Eileen'. Another album that I am not sure needs to be on this list.
The people that call this a "hidden gem" just want to act like they're some kind of music reviewing gods. This is an average 80's album.
WT actual F?
Three is too many albums from these guys on the list, but I did like this one the best out of them. They're better mellow instead of hyper.
It's a puzzling album... I'm genuinely not sure if I like it or not? Didn't expect Bearwood to be mentioned.
I am strongly of the opinion that any track over 4 minutes long should be banned. Who writes a 12-minute song that sounds the same throughout!? 'Listen to This' and sections of 'The Waltz' were enjoyable enough to earn it an extra star but it still leaves this as a 2.5-star album.
Lots of talking but it's OK
Like... this isn't worth hearing. It's fine musically but not worth the list.
I really enjoyed this album as well. I don't know why I was so late in learning more about this band, I think Come On Eileen stereotyped them in my mind back then. Learning more about Dexys Midnight Runners really drives home the benefit of participating in this club to me. :)
I didn't enjoy this one as much as their other album in the list, it just didn't have any songs that grabbed me like that one did.
Incredibly dull and awful.
#289. This is bad. Real bad. Borderline unlistenable. We are once again blessed with a one hit wonder's album that wasn't the one with said hit, and this time the results are atrocious. Please stop. 1/5: terrible. Song added to playlist: Listen To This I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Irgendwie unerwartet cool - macht einfach Spaß zu hören!
Not my cup of tea but this is why I got into the project. To explore areas I was completely blind to.
I was pleasantly surprised by the non "Come On Eileen" songs on the first Dexys Midnight Runners album I encountered on this list, but this is not good. Thought I liked one song but then it turns out it was just a ripoff of "Werewolves of London".
Definitely quite inconsistent, but on the whole this album is interesting and pretty groovy, with some very high highs, but also some equally low lows.
First song was decent. Or so I thought, can't agree with myself after finishing the album. The songs get slower and slower, and I get more and more bored
Listened to it with my dad. "It's bad but at least Come On Eileen is coming up soon" By the end of the album I checked to see how many songs were left. There was 1 song remaining and there was no trace of their single recognisable song. What is the point of this album being on the list when this band is a one hit wonder with a singer who can't sing?
I don't understand why it's on the list. It was not a hit record. It was not influential. It's not even very good.
3 albums from essentially a one-hit wonder!? DNF
Ganske chill
The singular genius of Kevin Rowland - I love how he interrupts himself, gives commentary on what he is singing about, lays himself bare. I love the muttered asides, and love that his reach exceeds his grasp - who could possibly achieve everything he has set out to do ? A deep listen.
Dexys Midnight Runners again? Sadly, this was a real dud. No one needs a mostly spoken word album with a song that's over twelve minutes long. I was also disappointed that Werewolves of London was sampled and used poorly.
Sometimes I wonder why an album appears on this list when it really really shouldn't. This is one of those albums.
Bah. Come direbbe una qualsiasi professoressa delle medie a dei ragazzini che parlano troppo, “le chiacchiere potete farvele al bar” (non nel bel mezzo della canzone).
“Commercial failure” figa ci credo😭
I don’t get it. Even after reading about the album it escapes me.
I don’t like this album of Dexys. The production is too smooth and every Dexys quality (being an organized mess with a lot of instruments and energy) has been cut down. It’s ok, nothing more.
I get it, I’m not avant garde enough, I lack the ear for more refined music. That’s all well and good, but it the mumbling singing and oddly composed nature of this music just isn’t appealing. At moments I could catch pieces that were enjoyable, and Listen To This seemed to be a solid effort, otherwise this is just colors thrown on a canvas and labeled as art.
Kevin Rowland ditches the ragamuffin chic and half the band members with it. Though the music keeps that Northen Soul thing the constant interruptions of people having conversations throughout multiple songs gets simply annoying. There's a good album in here somewhere... Best Tracks: The Occasional Flicker; One of Those Things; Listen To This
really not for me. too meandering and doesn’t seem to have a purpose to me
Terrible stuff really, why is there so much talking!? It's crazy someone decided that was a good idea. They recorded it, listened back to it and said "yeah, love it leave it all on the album". So fucking annoying. Why is this on this list?! 1.5*
I really dislike the smug voice of this ass muppet
Clearly not their best work (come on Eileen isn't on this one) but I still enjoyed it
I should pay attention to lyrics now, but I ain't a literary critic
I reviewed this but it is gone (I clicked save). Said something about soul creeping in but not enough and that I actually liked northern soul (usually more than this). It was okay.
More enjoyable than expected, and much more mellow. a lot of spoken word.
I’m not sure I was ever a big Dexys fan. Their songs were a bit Novelty for me. Come on Eileen and Jackie Wilson said our fun party songs but nothing that enriches my soul. Seeing that Dexys are on this list I presumed it would only be Too-Ray-Aye because that’s the famous one. I’d never even heard of this one but I actually prefer it to their 80s bouncy poppy shenanigans. Kevin Rowlands has a voice that is divisive but it worked here and it wasn’t overlong. I did hear the distinctive horn section at first and thought they were returning to form and then I’m sure I heard a Steve Winwood sample… at least they tried to break some boundaries.
I did not make it to the end of any of the songs. Come on Eileen is the only DMR song I need in my life.
I think Dexy's mom is on the board of the 1001 curators as there are three albums from the band on the list. WTF? This really wasn't good. I mean, dig 'em if you like, but a must listen? What? Just to prove they recorded more than one song? Musically uninteresting, certainly not enough to support drawn out material like this. Dude's got a strange, and by that I mean annoying (unconventional?), voice. I'm at a loss.
Complaining that music "all sounds the same," while you're ripping off Warren Zevon is pretty shameless. The rest of it was OK, I guess, though his singing really got the best of me at times. This was my first Dexys album, and after reading about it, I was excited to enjoy a previously overlooked gem. Sadly, that was not the case.
Just like track 2, "This is What She's Like"...I have nothing meaningful to say about this album. Boring.
Not sure why this is on this list. It's a fine album, but I don't get what's so special about it. Also, maybe it's just me, but this album can get super quiet at times.
Not surprised it was a failure when released
One dexys album was more than enough for a list of albums to hear before you die. The editor of this list has a hardon for british one hit wonders, and its a bit obvious. 1/5
It's chill. This is a hard one for me to get a read on. Were they trying to make a commercial failure? It seems like a personal album, introspective.
Absolutely not.
A strange, unique and wonderful album. Glad I finally managed to listen to it.
one good song
Até agora, mesmo se eu não gostei das músicas, eu pude entender PORQUE elas estavam aqui. Esse álbum é simplesmente... Esquecível.
This is a one listen album for me. Dexys Midnight Runners are just not a band I connect with much. Some great Irish vibes, but not something I’ll come back to. 2/5
What an odd album. I kept waiting for one of the tracks to resolve into Werewolves in London but it never did. Not an enjoyable listen for me.
This was never fun
This was boring. Why did they feel the need to speak so often? I was disappointed in this because I enjoy "Come On Eileen" so I was expecting more from this band.
extensively sampling werewolves of london: hell yeah. enjoyed this a normal amount 👍
Me loading up this album: "man I wonder if this one has Come On Eileen what a fun song that makes me think about roller rinks" The album synopsis in my player: "this album was loathed by critics and other people of poor taste because everyone wanted another Come On Eileen hit because they were stupid, but this album came out instead and was better in every way, " I thought the second song was three different songs, one of which I liked, except it was actually one twelve minute song.
- it’s funny when they talk in songs - jumpscare in this is what she’s like!! bangin though - dude i thought the song had changed so i went to add it to my liked songs… nope it’s just a point at like 7:30. it’s damn good though! - the repetition of ‘it all sounds the same’ - an experience of an album for sure
Didn’t love this music. They have some really good piano parts that I liked, but a lot of the songs were just long for no reason. Some songs I liked, but for the most part they were a bit boring
Not their best
See! Not everything from the 80s has to be tacky and synth drenched. Some of it could be the soundtrack to Withnail and I. One of Those Things would've been better if they'd switched up with other familiar melodies. Reminiscence Pt. 2 was quite beautiful. Good exam of the list showing a deeper side to a previous surface level one hit wonder knowledge
At least the production on this DMR record is better than 'Too Rye Ay'. I still cannot stand this lead singer's voice, I still think their compositions are either boring or grating, and the 12-minute song almost put me over the edge. Unlike 'Too Rye Ay', this album has the audacity to have spoken introductions and interjections; unbearably pretentious in this context. I said "Are you kidding me" out loud when "Reminisce - Pt. 2" got going. I tried to keep the hater hat off for my second DMR album, but I can't. It's adhered to my scalp. I think there's one more of theirs on this list. I'll live in trepidation and fear until it has passed. Who knows, maybe third time's the charm. Highlight: Ironically, I did come pretty close to enjoying "Listen To This". Nadir: Reminisce - Pt.2
I feel like some of the albums on this list are here because someone is playing a joke, like, “this is so niche it would never appeal to the masses, let’s put it on the list and see how many people will listen to this crap.” Jokes on me I guess.
Whopper
And we all laughed when Homer Simpson said we haven't heard the last of Dexys Midnight Runners. So here we are! And it's an interesting album. I can see both why people didn't take to it right away and why some people find it something special. Mind you, I didn't really love it at first, but I found something compelling about it, and it definitely didn't sound like everything else on the radio.
For the first ~30 seconds I was up for a listen. But once the wailing and talking started, it was such a drudgery for me that I really started to resent the album.
Did not particularly enjoy this. Interesting as a curiosity.
Three albums from Dexys Midnight Runners? That doesn’t seem appropriate considering there is so much music that hasn’t yet gotten a nod. Still, this may be the best one yet so… open mind… It’s not. It’s my least favorite of the three we’ve heard. I’m scratching my head. Not bad but very meh.
nah not for me
Just ok, not much fun to listen.
They're trying to look 60s with that album cover
Listen To This musiquita parecida a LHR.
Again wrong album
Hard one this. I like the reinvention again it the tracks are often too long and outstanding their welcome. It bombed on release but does have a vision. Mixed bag.
I respect the swing, and I am admittedly not all that well-versed in the Dexys Midnight Runners canon, but listening to this I can’t help but wonder why they felt the need to strip their music of all the stuff that makes the songs on Too Rye Ay so explosive and fun. I’m not so sure I buy the forgotten masterpiece narrative around this one. Really felt like a lot of half-baked thoughts that sort of just meander around, bumping into each other. Werewolves of London Light was a little confounding as well.
I enjoyed the music, but the singer pulled me out of it. I couldn’t help but think how much better the tunes would have been if Bruce or Byrne were singing the lead.
Already wasn't looking forward to this one, and y'alls reviews aren't helping the matter. Welp, here we go... Amazing the band had any success given the frontman's voice. The Birmingham accent unto itself is pretty off-putting, but he doesn't do much to counteract it with talent. I guess it worked for the romp that was Come on Eileen, but it really doesn't translate well outside of that setting. Knowledge of Beauty is a high point on the album so far, but I can't shake the feeling that it is a poor mans rendition of Lou Reed's Satellite of Love. Followed up immediately by One of Those Things which basically is Warren Zevon's Warewolves of London in the backing. I'm really confused how they are getting away with these blatant rips? Apparently they admitted to stealing it and gave writing credits to Zevon. Lol, welp on that I'm pretty much out on this album. Not going to bother to finish it. An argument could be made for a 2 because the music isn't terrible; however, the blatant theft of other popular songs is a big turn off and the vocals don't do anything at all for me. Therefore, this earns a much coveted 1 from me.
pretty boring album. Not much to note for me. Seems like a slow boring version of a talking heads album. 2 stars
idk if I'm in a slump, but all of these albums are sounding so mid to me lately.
First impression is that this singer has a very weird voice. The outro of This Is What She's Like really had me going, that sax section had me foot tapping like a mad man in my cubicle. Weird album, it was almost like not a lot was happening but then there was also so much happening at the same time. It is a very unique way that every song starts with a few minute long talking intro then ends with some catchy dance beats. There were parts of that album that I really liked and also parts that I didn't. Pretty much dead smack in the middle 3
This dude sings weird. It's really pissing me off a few songs in. Not digging the talking throughout every song. Who tf came up with that creative decision? Dexys Midnight Runners is not for me.
Los Dexy´s son un grupo esencial en los 80, tanto por sus 3 excelentes discos como por sus éxitos: Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (con Geno como punta de lanza pero otros temas my buenos), Too-Rye-Ay (que incluye su tema más conocido, el genial Come on Eileen y también está lleno de grandes temas) y este controvertido Don´t stand me down. Dexy´s combinaban con exquisita elegancia Soul, pop, punk, folk... también es cierto que la voz de Kevin Rowland es muy particular, parece que le falta aire, aunque tiene su encanto. Una de las razones del fracaso de este álbum siempre se ha atribuido a que no se editaran singles del mismo y a su nula promoción. El cambio de imagen, pasando de ropa harapienta a elegantes trajes, tampoco ayudó. Empieza al ralentí con The ocasional flicker para ir subiendo el nivel hasta la preciosa This Is What She's Like, que se lleva más de 10 minutos, algo poco radiable. Hubiera sido un gran sencillo, de hecho lo fue, pero demasiado tarde. Sin embargo es una maravilla. Knowledge of the beauty, suena a sedosa balada con base country, pero se lleva 7 minutos, a pesar de un violín que le queda inmaculado. Listen to this (I love en posteriores ediciones), surge del empeño de Rowland en la problemática producción del disco. Es un temazo, potente y elegante como pocos. One of Those Things se basa en el Werewolves of London de Warren Zevon, autoría que se corregiría en posteriores ediciones del álbum (hubo 3, con cambio de canciones y para bien de portada). Es una maravilla, que hubiera sido otro éxito/homenaje. Reminisce Pt.2 incluye un diálogo, en lo que parece una acústica sesión de ensayo. Sin embargo no pierde su encanto. The waltz, cierra el disco con 8 excelsos minutos. 1985 es el año del C85, Psychocandy, This is the sea, Low-life, Once upon a time, Brothers in arms, Hounds of love, Steve McQueen, Love not money, This nation´s saving grace, Fables of the reconstruction, Around the world in a day, Rain dogs, Meat is murder, Slave to the rithym, Songs form the big chair, What Does Anything Mean? Basically , Rum, sodomy and the lash y Picture book.
This album has no personality. It is very flat and unassuming, with stale and simple songs. Cohesion was missing across the album. Some tracks were ok (the finale was pretty good) but other than that not impressed. 2/5.
A good album, I liked This Is What She's Like, Knowledge Of Beauty and One of Those Things.
It's fine
I went into this knowing one track by Dexys Midnight Runners, and not entirely convinced I liked the track that I knew. I honestly don’t know what to make of this. The talking between band members' gimmick is just absolute rubbish. The music is fine-ish when they stick to the upbeat (possibly strings driven) basics, but they seem to want to create a different album than what their strengths would play to - maybe to ape Dire Straits. I really do like parts of this, but it’s drowned out by so much pretentious art wank that a 2 is generous. I’m still sticking to no skips, but this album was the closest to breaking that.
I really liked the violin and keys instrumentals in this album. Vocals didn't super do it for me, but I'm going to come back to this album as I try to improve my keys work
Never heard this album and only knew their cheesy hits from Top of the Pops and wedding discos! I didn’t recognise any of these tracks which was a blessing. Really pleasantly surprised. His vocals slightly annoying at times and I’m not sure about the talky bits, but the music made up for it. The Irish music shone through. A very high 3 stars that could grow into a 4 with a few more listens.
Boring Boring Boring. I am in a foul mood and this isn't improving it at all. Betrer mood this morning and having another go. I liked 'Knowledge of Beauty' the rest plods on in a reasonably pleasant way. But I do think the songs could have been a bit shorter, for example I went to make a cup of tea during 'One of those Things' and when I came back, it sounded like the same bit when I left the room. Pleasant and annoying in equal measure, too much odd talky bits (Understandable as Kevin Rowland is a bit odd anyway) It's going to get a 2 star.
This ain't it chief. 2/5
There are some great moments of music here, buried among a ton of boring droning and talking
Stand down.
not so much an album as someone leaving the mike on while they got a round in down the dog & duck
Meh it's inoffensive but just kinda standard fair pop songs? Just doesn't really do much for me. The production is very clean.
This is an interesting one, I was under the impression that this band was a one-hit wonder ("Come On Eileen"), so I didn't expect to see an album of theirs without that song on here. I guess this was considered to be a major flop when it was released, but it's gained some critical acclaim over time. I generally like it enough overall. It definitely has some New Wave sound in the vocals, but the instrumentation feels less-so. It actually has some fairly unique spots with horns and string instruments and things. I feel like some of the best moments are just instrumental stretches (like some spots on "The Occasional Flicker" or the end of the last song "The Waltz"). The downsides are a few really long songs that drag on a bit, a lack of a real standout song, a few spoken word parts that I don't love, and vocals that aren't really my favorite style. It's generally solid and I can see why people like it, just a bit unexceptional to me. Favorite song: Listen To This Other: The Occasional Flicker, Knowledge Of Beauty, One Of Those Things, The Waltz 5/26/24
2.2/5 listened 1x
beetje vaag, heel zacht soms, come on eilieen
Prima albumpie hoor
Their prior album is much more famous. Let's see if this one is tolerable.
Occasionally catchy, but way to much talking. Standout song: The Waltz
hard album cover This Is What She’s Like is pretty funny
Did not appreciate man singing that way. Would’ve loved some adlibs if he was going to try to sound mentally challenged. 2 stars.
Main guys voice is WILD. Every time I see this band they're running like 12 dudes deep... How many ppl are in this? I like the album cover. "One of Those Things" sampling Werewolves of London was a nice surprise. Nothing special in particular but enjoyed parts of it, didn't really find myself wanting to skip at any time - also a relatively short album with an upbeat pace which helps make it an easier listen.
Is a pretty decent listen but not awfully memorable
I just kept waiting for it to end which is not the sign of a good album… Oddly enough though I did sort of enjoy “One of Those Things” as I could sing the lyrics to “Sweet Home Alabama” to it.
I think one or more of those 6 people cut from the band was needed. 10 people is too many, but there are few actual songs here. Just a lot of fixing around.
Nothing really stands out as special about it. It's OK.
After the stellar rating for Too Rye Aye, this was a real comedown for the Dexy gang. It was too clean and polished for me. Apparently they went from an 11 piece to a 4 piece for this album, and I think they've lost some of that loveable chaos that epitomised their earlier work. Felt extremely 80s, in a bad way.
2/10 Like Dexys midnight runners, I too wish they were Warren Zevon. 5-15-2024
I had never heard this one. Pretty good sound all the way through. Pretty clearly a Warren Zevon riff used in one of the songs.
All pretty enjoyable to listen to with a vibe similar to Come On Eileen. I enjoy the vocals!
Absolutely hate this guys voice. Sounds like Kermit the Frog on acid.
Boring and derivative! I cannot understand how this makes the list!
I have never heard a single song from this album, so I went in completely blind. I didn't mind this, but it didn't feel that cohesive. Sometimes I was bored, and sometimes I was jamming, but mostly just a little underwhelmed?
I had fun with this one. Like Elvis if he were a British hipster who took a bunch of psycadelics. End of That is What She’s Like rocked
The music is okay but I didn't like the singing.
Couldnt get too excited by this some òk pop but nothing special.
Better than expected but dragged down by the irritating spoken word mutterings.
I can't listening to this without hearing Vic Reeves lounge singer. Even Spotify wasn't sure of the lyrics. But, hey, if you give a thousand monkeys typewriters one might shit something in the shape of a letter onto one.
I didn't think much of this, too slow, too long, nonsensical mutterings, warbly vocals, no thanks! Searching For The Young Soul Rebels was a better album.
Seriously? Second Dexys Midnight Runners' album and still no "come on Eileen"? So there will be another album from them on this list, making it at least three? Did Dexy create this list?
Searching for the young soul rebels is the only Dexy’s album that truly belongs on this list But I enjoyed this far more than expected Loses a whole star though for railing against everything on the radio sounding the same whilst pilfering from Warren Zevon
Nice
Ok and somewhat interesting but nothing special here, they wanted to swing jam just do it
New wave. No me gusta cuando hablan en vez de cantar... Un 2.
This is very good music, not much more to say!
Really 3.5. Could do with out the skits.
I didn’t really get this album at all. With so many incredible albums in here, how did this one get added to the list?
Not sure why this is on the list
I was already biased as I cannot stand come on Eileen. But I tried to remain impartial. Not my cup of tea though
5/1/24. Just an okay album for me, not much to say unfortunately.
Disappointing. The music was good, but there was too much talking. No, I don’t want to listen to an English guy talk over “Sweet Home Alabama” for 6 minutes.
This is one of the worst albums I've heard in my life.
Dexys Midnight Runners is one of those bands that seems like a quirky one-hit wonder at first blush, but has a very interesting history. This album is the followup to the album that birthed their smash hit Come On Eileen. Most of the band had left, and this album ends up being a much more subdued synthy album. It's well worth the listen 4/5
That was rough.
1.5
No idea why this is getting pelters from some folks on here. Album 754 & I've listened to literally hundreds worse than this.
Come on Eileen authors but Album didn’t liked
Not terrible. Not something I'd repeat. 3
Some nice songs on here!
Quite short. I enjoyed it, but wouldn’t listen to it again on my own.
Call me old-fashioned, but 40+ minutes of rambling and wailing is not my idea of a good time. I prefer songs. With hooks. That aren't mediocre, self-referential, half-assed money grabs. I know. So old-fashioned.
"Dexys Midnight Runners," a band known for their distinctive blend of soul, pop, and Celtic folk influences, released "Don't Stand Me Down" in 1985. This album marked a departure from their previous hits like "Come On Eileen," embracing a more experimental and introspective direction. Here's an in-depth review of the album, focusing on lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence. ### Lyrics: The lyrics of "Don't Stand Me Down" are deeply introspective and poetic, reflecting frontman Kevin Rowland's personal journey and philosophical musings. Tracks like "The Occasional Flicker" and "One of Those Things" delve into themes of love, identity, and self-reflection with profound sincerity. Rowland's lyrical prowess shines through in his ability to convey complex emotions with vivid imagery and introspective storytelling. ### Music: Musically, "Don't Stand Me Down" is a departure from the band's previous work, incorporating elements of jazz, soul, and folk into their signature sound. The album features intricate arrangements, with layers of horns, strings, and keyboards weaving together to create a rich tapestry of sound. Tracks like "This Is What She's Like" and "Knowledge of Beauty" showcase the band's versatility, blending genres seamlessly to create a sound that is both unique and compelling. ### Production: The production of "Don't Stand Me Down" is polished and sophisticated, with meticulous attention to detail evident throughout the album. Producer Alan Winstanley masterfully captures the band's dynamic performances, allowing each instrument to shine while maintaining a cohesive sound. The lush arrangements and intricate production techniques contribute to the album's overall sense of depth and complexity, elevating it beyond mere pop music into the realm of artistry. ### Themes: Thematically, "Don't Stand Me Down" explores a wide range of topics, from love and relationships to existentialism and spirituality. The album's title track, "Don't Stand Me Down," confronts issues of identity and self-worth, while songs like "The Waltz" and "Reminisce Part Two" reflect on the passage of time and the nature of memory. Throughout the album, there is a sense of searching and introspection, as Rowland grapples with life's big questions in his quest for meaning and understanding. ### Influence: "Don't Stand Me Down" had a significant influence on subsequent generations of musicians, inspiring artists across genres with its bold experimentation and emotional depth. The album's eclectic blend of musical styles and its willingness to push boundaries paved the way for alternative and indie artists in the years to come. Additionally, Rowland's introspective lyrics and passionate delivery have left an indelible mark on the singer-songwriter tradition, influencing artists from Jeff Buckley to Florence Welch. ### Pros: 1. **Lyrical Depth:** The album's introspective lyrics are thought-provoking and emotionally resonant, inviting listeners to delve into the complexities of the human experience. 2. **Musical Versatility:** "Don't Stand Me Down" showcases the band's ability to seamlessly blend genres, resulting in a sound that is both unique and compelling. 3. **Sophisticated Production:** The album's polished production and meticulous attention to detail contribute to its overall sense of depth and complexity, elevating it beyond mere pop music into the realm of artistry. ### Cons: 1. **Challenging Listen:** The album's experimental nature and introspective themes may be off-putting to listeners expecting more straightforward pop hits. 2. **Lengthy Tracks:** Some tracks on the album, such as the 12-minute "This Is What She's Like," may test the patience of more casual listeners. 3. **Limited Commercial Success:** Despite critical acclaim, "Don't Stand Me Down" did not achieve the same level of commercial success as the band's previous albums, which may have limited its impact at the time of its release. In conclusion, "Don't Stand Me Down" is a bold and ambitious album that showcases Dexys Midnight Runners at the peak of their creative powers. With its introspective lyrics, innovative musical arrangements, and sophisticated production, the album remains a testament to the band's artistic vision and enduring influence. While it may not have achieved the same level of commercial success as their previous work, its impact on subsequent generations of musicians is undeniable, cementing its status as a classic of the genre.
Downbeat. Not so good as the early stuff
Really enjoyed this. Better than people give it credit for
Too much talking.
-his voice reminds me of someone I can’t place but it’s so whiney, I don’t like -the musicality of the occasional flicker -one of those things is giving werewolves of London / all summer long right??? -I really love the instruments, from the strings to the keys, both piano and organ, and the occasional brass -it’s giving a little bit of talking heads vocal wise -the guitar is understated and I love it
I wanted to hate this one. I think the general affect of the people in the band is that they think they're better than you and that they couldn't be bothered to stop their sidebar conversation to record an album. I don't think I could stand to be in a room with these people for more than five minutes before wanting to smash my head against a wall. Unfortunately for me, they're really talented and damn good musicians. I said out loud 'Oh you fuckers' half way through This is What She's Like when I realized how good they were. I hate it.
A revelation. I would never have spent the time to listen, or expected what I got. I hope they are all making the music they always wanted to make.
At first listen I was sure I was going to give this 2 stars. I know a little about Dexys Midnight Runners and how Kevin Rowland would constantly change their sound and their look seemingly every other month. I also knew they were more popular across the pond in their native land but they’re just a one hit wonder to me. As it turns out I was out and about for work in my car a lot and absentmindedly listened to the album 3 times in a row and it grew on me. “Knowledge of Beauty”, “One of Those Things”, “Reminisce Part 2”, and especially “The Waltz” have ended up on my Spotify Liked List.
Absolute Gold
Really average, didn't enjoy too much. At times the intros to the songs were really quiet and a few times I thought the player was down. Turns out the song took about a minute to kick in. I can see why it was a commercial failure when it debuted but not sure how it ended up being a "lost treasure" to end up on this list. Best: Listen To This Worst: This Is What She's Like
This band being a one-hit wonder band is starting to make more sense
Listen To This musiquita parecida a LHR.
Why is this album on this list? At least it very clearly explains why they are a one-hit wonder. Dexys Midnight Runners don’t seem to know how to start a song, let alone finish one. After 12 minutes I still have no idea what she’s like. And what is with all the mumbling? Does Warren Zevon know they ripped off Werewolves of London? This album raises so many questions that I don’t even care enough to know the answers to. I fully expected them to pull off three stars, or at least a very solid two, but found I disliked it more with every unnecessary minute.
"Come On Eileen" this isn't. I have no idea what it is, actually. There's a lot of talking -- maybe channeling their inner Moody Blues -- and just general weirdness.
4/10 Terrible
Doesn’t quite have the heft of Rowland’s previous albums but enjoyable nevertheless. I’m fond of his idiosyncrasies but even I couldn’t quite overcome the volume of chit chat sections.
Another great DMR album. I like it just as much as the first two DMR albums. score: 10/10.
Mixed feelings about this one: there are some weaker parts between fine songs.
Terrible
Kevin Rowland is a genius. Instead of just writing shitty songs, he wrote long shitty songs
A very strong bold underlined flashing glowing 1.
Strange album, strange band. They’re kind of all over the place and I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not. I didn’t hate it, though.
Sadly I agreed with the critics at the time of release.
I can understand why this flopped at the time: there’s no Come on Eileen 2 (or anything remotely resembling a hit), the songs are too long and dare I say it all sounds a bit self-indulgent. On the other hand I think I can see why I made the list: it’s got its own unique, whimsical personality, mostly formed by the lyrics and the humorous conversational asides between Kevin and Billy, which I personally found quite charming. Is that enough to make it a must-hear? Probably not, but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. 2.5 / 3
This album takes it's time. "This is What She's Like" doesn't sound like a drag even at 12 minutes in length. Includes a variety of genres and elements. A pleasant surprise for an album from right in the middle of the 80s.
Very mid, did not really enjoy
Such a middle of the road album. Nothing extraordinary
Very good. First time and I loved it.
THREE albums from Dexy's Midnight Runners on this list? No. I was there for "Come On Eileen." No. Fuck off. fuckin' Anglophile listmaker wankers.
3/10 very boring album
Can we not with that stupid voice. Stop talking and make some music please. Really nothing special to me.
Great single, but not so bothered about the rest of the album
I hated it
Enjoyed my first listen to the "Come on Eileen" band. Had some 'Pulp' potential and some good tunes: Knowledge of Beauty and Listen to This had good sounds, just wish they chatted less during the songs. Shame they had to disband after this.
The album wasn't the worst music I've ever heard, but why tf did I need to hear this? There was nothing interesting, new, or groundbreaking about this.
En Spotify la describen como: blue-eyed soul. Creo que es una descripción que lo dice todo.
I agree with the other reviewers who say that Dexy's Midnight Runners didn't need three spots on this list. Sometimes it really feels like the author is just inserting his personal preferences to fill up space. Having said that, it's a better album that I expected. The band are talented songwriters and performers who did well in the UK, if not so much in the US. They have real talent. Despite that, it's just not the most exciting album in my opinion. It has its moments, but it's hard to stay excited when they keep switching to long passages of very quiet spoken word sections in the middle of songs. They are really trying to make you pay attention. For the dedicated fans who are willing to shut out the world and pay strict attention to every lyric, the pay off is probably great. But not everyone wants to devote so much energy to Dexy's Midnight Runners.
Decent, listenable new wave pop, but not something I’ll revisit. One of many Talking Heads copies.
Absolutely brilliant!!! Definitely worth the 3 stars I’m giving it. OK, some music is subjective and he’s ratings are relative. I thought the first Dixie’s album that I got on this list was practically unlistenable. I believe I said it was like a “bad Madness“ album. in comparison, I thought this was world’s better. Even though I’m still only going to give it a three, it was so much better than the first one that I would have to give them a most improved player award if one was available. That being said, I’ll likely never listen to this album again.
One hit wonders and that one hit wasn’t on here
Ok very 80’s
I put this on 4 times to try to see how that one critic could call it the "Pet Sounds" of the 80s. It's quite funny and insulting to be honest. I'm not saying this is bad, but comparing dry humor on top of purposely repetitive improvisations to dense, emotional lush pieces in Pet Sounds is just outrageous to me. So that critic must instead be making a shallow judgment of how impressive or well put-together this record is. To which I am also left unimpressed. I can see how it's a step forward from their previous two albums. It's still distinctively New Wave with British folk instruments, but it's less dance and pop-oriented, and more on jazz-like improvisations and spoken word. For some reason, the folk strings almost give off American country vibes. It's theatrical, even in short songs like "Listen to This" where the volume and tempo are constantly changing to match the vocals. My biggest complaint with their other 2 albums is that most of the songs were just sensory overload. Very messy and craze fueled. That's resolved here, and is appreciated with just 6 songs. There's some good diversity in here, but I did find it all to be dull. It tries to be bigger than it is, but the tracks don't meet the expectations. The pay-offs aren't that exciting. I was especially disappointed by the 13-minute "This is What She's Like". I did enjoy putting this on, and several of the tracks were memorable. There aren't any tracks I'd revisit, and I was bored by most of it, but I'm sure I'd have a more fun time seeing it live. I do think this is better than their previous 2 albums even though it lacks the creativity, energy, and hits.
3.1/5 Best Track: One of Those Things
I'm not a fan of the singer's style. It borders on melancholy whining. The music is reasonably good. I can listen to this but wouldn't seek it out.
nothing stood out to me, didn’t enjoy it that much but it wasn’t that bad, i don’t have any major issues with it, 6-7/10
There’s probably a reason they were one hit wonders.
Back to back 50 min albums that just make me want to eat a can of paint bro This band has 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, so either I’m clearly missing something here, or this is one of their weaker works? To me this is just as cringe as the Elvis Costello record from the other day, in that this feels almost like a parody. “One of those things” sent me over the edge by copying the melody of sweet home Alabama. From that point forward I cringed myself into a coma and everything went blurry, I don’t even know what happened man. Can this guy QUIT TALKING AND JUST SING?!
If I get one more bad album this week I will be upset. This gets a 2 solely for the second song on the album which is amazing after the first 2 minutes IMO. This is a forgettable and mediocre record in this whole list another one i did not have to hear before my death. Please be better 3/10 closer to a 2/10 but you know what I am giving it a 1 forget it
J'ai aimé ça.
Huh? Why this?
The lead singer sounds like he's making a bowel movement on most notes. 2.
Not what I was expecting.
I really like the general style and vibe. Not as good as some of their other albums to me.
What the fuck is this and why is it on the list? There are 2 more albums of theirs I have to listen to. Shoot me now.
Not bad, they clearly stole "Werewolves of London" for one song. 3 stars.
Not awful but definitely boring. Hate the album cover with a passion
Do not like the vocals in the opener. Weird spoken interludes too. Some good moments in the surprisingly long This Is What She's Like, especially the second half. Next track is slow and not sure it needs to be 7 minutes long either. Closes with a bizarre 8 minute folk song. Is the singer deaf? If so, this is very impressive. The parts with an established groove are better but I can't get past the vocals and there's too many parts of the album that don't make sense to me.
OK, it's alright once you get used to the low, mush-mouth vocal style the singer sometimes employs. Too bad "Come On Eileen" isn't on here. Does "One of Those Things" straight-up rip off "Werewolves of London" or is it an homage or ironic sound-alike?
Pretty good. I expected it to be a drag as I only really know one hit from this band, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Meh
Three? THREE albums from this band? That's... a bit much. The album after the big hit is always hard. You want to show you're more than just a one-hit wonder. You try something different. And this album is... very different than the previous album. First off, a number of members left the band. So it was down to 4. Second off, this was not something that had "catchy" pop songs. But I liked things like "The Waltz" and "The Occasional Flicker". I was bothered by "One Of Those Things" and how blatantly it ripped off Zevon. But it was still not a bad song. It's a pretty solid album, and definitely a departure from "Come On Eileen," I just don't see why it was something I _NEEDED_ to hear. Perhaps the author is a DMR fan? Look, I have a lot of albums of one-hit wonders and their follow-ups which I think are better than the one-hit wonders. (Tracy Bonham, Living Colour, Extreme). They really progressed up from there. And maybe that's the point for this one. I guess I would have to listen to it again to "get it." But how many times do you have to do that for an album to hit you before you're just being hypnotized by the album itself? That's why I only try to do one or two listens to get my initial impressions. And my impression here is that it's good, but I don't see why THIS is on the list. Or why THREE of their albums are, to be honest.
I didn't hate it. But I didn't really get was so special about it either. Honestly, seeing a second album from Dexys had me scratching my head and reading up to see why they are not the one hit wonder I think they are (and that one hit was on the album I already rated). Apparently this album was panned on release. So why bother with it on this list? If Dexys did something cool with adding soul and horns to punk on their first album, fine...and then continued going soul to produce a big hit with added strings, fine. I guess. But recognizing this album (their third and final) is a bit much. Much ado about nothing more than average.
This was a hard one to get through. I get what they were going for but for me, it missed the mark. One of the songs ripped off Werewolves of London. I don't know how this made the list.
Cet album m’a ennuyée profondément. Beaucoup de blabla et la voix du chanteur ne me revient pas
Where 'Searching For The Young Soil Rebels' was damn near perfect, this album struggled to gain my full attention. 'Don't Stand Me Down' is musically accomplished but overall feels pretentious and a little bit jaggy.
Meh.
cool
Fucking awful. Mumbling and nondescript twiddling.
I am kind of surprised this isn't more famous album. I like it better than their previous work, but had not heard anything off it.
What an interesting voice lol "this is what she's like" has such an odd intro it's wild lol (I'm so drunk and forgot to write this when i listenedd to it lolol) I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 because It's not awful, but I don't think I'd pick it very often lol One of those things gives me "werewolves of london" vibes because it's literally the same chrod progression lol
Substandard arrangements/instrumentals can’t do much to lessen the blow of some cloying vocals here. There’s even a few interpolations of much more popular hits (including this band’s one massive track) that suggests they were trying to lazily recapture the magic and net at least one smash single. Another one for the British favoritism pile, which is unfortunately quite a large fraction of the 1001+ LPs on the project.
Not really my jam!
Cant go beyond a 3.5, but enjoyed more than I thought I would when it started
Not hard to understand why this band is a one hit wonder.
What's up with the random mumbling and talking? Has some musically fun moments, but nothing outstanding. 2* One of these things : sweet home alabama
Solid album but nothing really grabbed me.
This one was just okay. They definitely have an interesting vibe, but that's about it.
Terrible
6.5/10 - 3/5 It's alright. After the hit that was Come On Eileen, they really went in a weird direction. Too much talking and rambling, not enough energy or MUSIC, really.
i think i just hate 80s music
The kind of thing I'd be stoked to hear in a bar somewhere...
Songs with talking are blech, and one of these was a rip off of werewolves of London.
Meh
The most enjoyable 3 3
I tend to agree with the interviews calling it a bore…
2.5
Not good
eltrapeze est un tricheur
Aujourd'hui, je découvre avec horreur que j'ai fauté dans cette aventure des 1001. En effet, j'ai acheté le vinyle de cet album il y a deux ans de cela, et l'ai donc écouté avant qu'il soit officiellement débloqué par Robert... J'avais pourtant pris soin avant l'achat de vérifier la liste des 1001, et cet album ne semblait pas y figurer... J'assume les conséquences de mes actes, et suis prêt à m'exposer à la sanction que je mérite.
Why is this so goddamn boring. I love that they tried to do something completely different but it didn’t really work for me. Kevin Rowland is a really good songwriter but here I feel like no one told him no enough with this one. Bloated and far too pretentious for me.
It has something. In the end, it seems to have something, but it's hard to get. Was it the format? The second song that starts with a chat, followed by a song, silence, and then another song? Slow song after song? Was it that what wasn't understood back in 85? and maybe it's not too straight-forward today? I will give it another try, maybe in 3 years.
Never heard of them, the cover is intriguing and can't wait I guess to listen to it. First song, slow start, but his voice made it less slow. I like new waveness here. His way of singing is weird, in a good way I suppose. He has vocals, not good, but still. He's talking now with others, it's somehow fun. Background melody is nostalgic because of that instrument. Why did he talk so much. Back to his vocals. He's so British while saying "burning". Instrumental break is funky to me. Long outro, however, fun in a way. Ohh a transition. Second song, it's talking, but no music behind it, also 12 MINUTES? Better not be talking all this time. The talking was a intro to the song, he has a soft Elvis Presley voice now. I'm loving this song better than the last one. I think it'll get faster at some point. YES I WAS RIGHT, beat instruments and melody came back fast. He's vocalising a lot and I like that. The overall vibe is veery interesting and makes me love the genre even more. He's just vocaling now, but harder. Talking came back, idk if it has a meaning, I just know it's about a girl. Beat stopped and I'm halfway through. Piano playing, choir like singing, it got slow basically, OOH the beat drop was unexpected. It's even faster now and he sings like that too, the choir is in the background now. Another sudden stop, violin like thing was playing, and THEN BEAT DROPPED AGAIN AND NOW PIANO IS PLAYING WITH OTHER INSTRUMENTS. This is not one song tbh. Talking came back, and the melody behind it is sooo fun. It's not repetitive at the end, I thought at first, but it changes the constant beat instrument in between. Outro is long, but necessarily long. LOVEED EVERYTHING HERE. Third song, slow piano start, the beat came in, a guitar I hear(not sure), some more instruments, and lastly his soft voice. I thought there would be beat drop, but it's better this way, slow and steady. Gibberish singing now. This is the kind of song to slow-dance with someone. Slow violin came in now. The overall vibe is veeery different from the last song, and that makes it better tbh, the diversity. Outro is mostly piano, basically loved this as much as possible. 4th song, it's guitar and the beat, and him talking for now. It's monotonous and the same vibe at the start, and he mixes singing and talking, one after the other. Vibe stayed the same, so I didn't like the repetitiveness, but it was okay song, second one is unmatched I guess. Outro was loud, otherwise nothing much. 5th song, talkiiing. There are different instruments here, don't know that names of, a piano I hear now. It's a rather short song. Only talking it will be I guess. Vocals came in. I'm low key bored by this, beat got louder and he's vocalising more. Not bad, outro made it better. 6th song, finallyyy some fast music. This one is short too compared to others. Much better than the last two songs I think. It got slow and fast in a second. The constant beat makes it better. I hear jazz too in the background, and the piano is pianoing. Outro was nice too. 7th song, 8 fucking minutes. The name suggests some goodness. It's slow and soft for now. There is a violin, and a tu tu TU beat. It's annoyingly slow rn, must be progressive. It's still slow(I don't like labelling songs like this, but it's what it's). Another instrument came in, which I weirdly like. It is slower now I think, I do like it a little tho, it just shouldn't be this long. I'm kinda bored, but I also would use this vibe to be chill and not think about anything, so that's something. Outro is jazzy and I guess that's it, Imma review it not all together. Second song was veeery good and because of that I was gonna rate it 4 stars, but then I thought 3 stars would be better, however this is a grower album I think, so I'll stick with 4 stats, dunno if I would listen to this again, but it's giving in its way.
Meh…I was ready to give it a 3, but by the end, it was starting to annoy me. It reminds me of Elvis Costello, though for the most part not quite as irritating.
A Dexy's album without Cine On Eileen? Pffft
Described as a neglected masterpiece. Not my bag.
I wanted to write something witty about the an album of a band who's only claim to fame is Come On Eileen, but I couldn't come up with anything remotely interesting. Which is fitting, somehow. 2/5
This comes off as a joke more than anything, especially if you've listened to thier prior album(s). Its as if they were spooked by the overwhelming success of Come On Eileen and decided that fame was not for them, and did everything in their power to ensure they did not have a successful follow-up. That all culminates in an album that shows signs of the same fun found before; there's great violin work here, and when it does decide to pick up its feet, it can be just as fun, even if that fun is packed into a needlessly long track. However, even if they are in on the joke of the silliness of being a down-tempo, almost country-like band, that doesn't mean its all that funny. His voice seems worse here for no real reason, and the amount of rambling is insane. You could cut this album down a solid ten minutes were we to remove the talking bits, and him singing doesn't tend to feel all that more strenuous. Overall its just a huge step down, and as someone who for some reason has listened to some of their most recent albums, this "joke" seems like its what they really wanted to do, and good for them, I guess, but I understand why this didn't take off.
Pretty jaunty and fun. Kinda halfway between the Springsteen and the Magnetic Fields. Liked it a lot more than I thought I would.
Great
A fun album! I can imagine that a lot of people probably won't find it as enjoyable as I did, but I don't know, it kept a smile on my face... it kept my head nodding to the beat... it sampled Werewolves of London.... what else could I want
why is this in here hjahahahaha the most one hit wonder band of all time. Strange dudes tho so the album was fun I guess
I can’t even pretend that I finished this one.
Niks voor mij
Where has this album been all my life? It’s brilliant. I’ll dock it a little for that one song that goes on too long, but even that has enough turns in it that you think you’ve gone on to a new song when surprise! it’s still the same one.
I didn't want to have to say this, but...come on, Eileen. This album did not need to be on here.
Oof, a third from Dexys. I'm pulling the bias card because I maintain that they are a one-hit wonder. No, I'm not British, so I don't know if their music goes off in pubs or whatever, but hearing it some forty years later on a list of some of the greatest albums ever made, it's nonessential. I'd definitely keep the album with Come On, Eileen, but come on, list man, we don't need more than the one to get the picture. Also, of note here, this is the fourth album in a row for me that I would cut or replace on this list, not a good look, here's hoping things improve. Favorite tracks: One of the Those Things. Album art: Dexys wear their sunday best (in the voice from that song "Our House"). Framing is cool, not much else to say. 2/5
I have a long-standing love for '80s alt and Come On Eileen was a fave (Dexys but not on this album). This album, however, was not for me.
How was this on the list
I found out this was by the come on eileen people and i could not stop hearing come one eileen after
These guys are pretty annoying. I liked the trumpets in The Waltz though.
Soooooooooooo boring. One hit wonder ns
Not bad, but when it's all said and done, I have a hard time believing this is a must hear album...
My first thought listening to this album is they tried to mimic the success of a large band similar to Chicago from the 70s forward. Unfortunately neither their "sound", vocals, nor their songs were particular inspiring. Easy to see that why they were not very successful which in no way says they weren't talented. I suspect they are talented musicians but beyond playing their instruments they lack the vision to create a uniqueness that could differentiate themselves from the rest of the wanna-bes.
Why does it take 2 minutes to start the song, every song.... Kinda annoying, other than that not bad
I am not sure why this album was included. Unremarkable. Musicians were fine, his voice is good and unique, songs were meh at best. One Hit Wonder band for a reason.
De loim le meilleur album des trois que j'ai eu de DMR à date. Ça sonne trop comme si quelqu'un avait pris les 2 albums d'avant et en avait fait une version expérimentale manquée. Considérant le manque total de succès de cet album, il y a ici un immense biais personnel de l'auteur. 3/10
pub rock from a remote countryside pub where the band knows half the audience and just chats to them.
It was pretty good. It didn't make me jump up and down with excitement to listen to it, but my ears weren't offended.
Hate the low volume level mixes on parts. Takes you out of the album.
He sure has a sound and really just one lol
Nah
Only knew Come on Eileen by these guys. This album is pretty long and drags on with quite a bit of talking, but it did grow on me. The longer I listened to more I liked it, good stuff.
ужасная нуднота, гнусавый голос, невнятные аранжировки, расплывчатая мелодия и адски долгие треки, я не смогла это слушать
Not too bad. There were a few songs I really liked.
About as boring as the cover photo.
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.
Recordings of scripted dialogue. Pretentious and tedious. I have no issue with prententious behaviour, but please make it interesting. Have a cat play the keyboard, record a song underwater. Don't be dull. Stand Down Rowland
This was an underwhelming album. No singles that I had heard of. Several of the tracks were long, with 60-90 seconds of faint speaking at the start (faint enough that I could not hear in the car). Not overly impressed, and the band folded after this album. I give it 2 stars.
Why is this album on here? It was bad enough that it caused them to split up. Minutes and minutes of them chatting. Scripted chatting. Not poetry. Not lyrical or whimsical. Just banal chatter. Who cares??? Only good thing in this is the hook in One of Those Things which isn't even theirs, it's a sample. Then they sing about it all sounding the same, the irony. It's not appallingly bad which is the only thing saving it from a 1. That, and some come on eileen good will.
1.6 - I groaned the entire time I was listening to this awful record. I hate the constant use of unfunny spoken dialogue. I hate that they made the 2nd song a 12-minute epic slog. But the biggest offense was hearing Kevin Rowland complain on “…One of Those Things” that all modern rock “sounds the same.” That’s a bold statement coming on an album in which every song sounds like it could play either over the opening sequence or the end credits of the 1988 comedy “Big”, starring Tom Hanks. Here’s a band that should’ve known when to calm it quits, releasing a record that should’ve been drowned in a bathtub.
Pop-rock elegante con buenas voces e instrumentación. No destaca especialmente en nada, pero puede escuchar