Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners: Too-Rye-Ay (West German ''Atomic'' Pressing) CD Track Listing

A list by checkmate

Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners Too-Rye-Ay (West German ''Atomic'' Pressing) (1982)
Too-Rye-Ay (West German ''Atomic'' Pressing)\n1986 Mercury Records, Inc.\n\nOriginally Released August 1982\nCD Edition Released ??\nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released March 25, 1996, February 5, 2002 \n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: For one brief moment, Dexy's exploded into America's consciousness -- and what a song to do it with! "Come on Eileen" combines ramalama rock & roll, soul delivery, and Celtic/country flavor into a perfect musical fusion and an irresistible U.K. and U.S. number one hit. Both the song and its video were such hits that years later, ska/punk band Save Ferris made a minor splash with its own version of the tune, while Garth Brooks appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit dressed as the capering, bedraggled Rowland. The rest of the album is nearly as successful, with quite a few numbers that should have matched "Come on Eileen"'s fame. Given that song's obvious debt to Van Morrison's similar fusions, it's no surprise that Dexy's tipped their hat with a great cover of Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said," another big British single. Throughout the album, Rowland's distinct, unique voice takes the fore, but the revamped Dexy's lineup proves it was the original version's equal, if not better. Given that only trombonist Big Jimmy Patterson remained, and even then only for two tracks, recruiting a new band able to create the "Celtic soul" Rowland dreamed about turned out to be exactly the right move. Excellently produced by Rowland and the legendary Clive Langer/Alan Winstanley production team, Too-Rye-Ay sounds like an old soul revue recorded on stage, no doubt an intentional goal. Other highlights include the opening jaunt "The Celtic Soul Brothers," which just about says it all both in title and delivery; the slow swirl of "All in All"; and the vicious ballad "Liars A to E." 1996's reissue is recommended, with eight extra tracks, including some fantastic live cuts like a seven-minute "Come on Eileen," and an appreciative and thorough essay. -- Ned Raggett\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLet's Make This Precious, April 15, 2007 \nBy Thomas Karl Emnauel "Music Fan & a Half" (Deadwood, SD USA)\nIf you know Dexy's Midnight Runners, it's probably from their 1982 smash "Come On Eileen". And why not? It's brilliant, a perfectly incandescent gem of a song simply bursting at the seams with new wave rock n' roll energy, Celtic conviviality, and blue-eyed soul fervour. That pretty much describes the album from which that one-hit-wonder was drawn, TOO-RYE-AY. \n\nWhat is the most identifiable element of Dexy's Midnight Runners' sound? Is it the Stax-like horns that bolster these cuts with their taut R&B charts? Is it the Irish gypsy fiddle of Steve Brennan and Helen O'Hara? How about Billy Adams' sprightly banjo? Their bedraggled, dungareed street image is certainly distinctive as hell. Or it could very possibly be bandleader and songwriter Kevin Rowland's off-kilter vocals that sound like the common ground between Ric Ocasek, Joe Strummer, and Van Morrison (wherever that may be). \n\nSpeaking of Van Morrison, Dexy's fusion of rock, soul, and Irish folk certainly owes much to the Man's work - they cover his "Jackie Wilson Said" on TOO-RYE-AY as a matter of fact. But especially toward the end of the album as the songs start to get longer and blend into one another, that same indefinable, searching quality emerges in Rowland's songwriting as he emulates Van's incantory talk-singing. This is especially evident in the album's shortest ("I'll Show You") and longest ("Until I Believe in My Soul") songs, the latter of which is probably the best song on the album this side of "Come On Eileen". Combined with the prominent fiddle alongside the R&B elements TOO-RYE-AY actually reminds me of Morrison's INTO THE MUSIC, and that's compliment, since INTO THE MUSIC happens to be one of my favourite albums ever. But that's not to say that Dexy's Midnight Runners are derivative. They have a sound all their own, and make no mistake - you'd never mistake a song like "The Celtic Soul Brothers" or "Plan B" for anything but Dexy's. \n\nEvidently, Dexy's Midnight Runners only have two other albums: SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOUL REBELS and DON'T STAND ME DOWN. And if they're anywhere near as good as TOO-RYE-AY (and everything I've heard, in terms of reviews and listening both, has been indicative of the affirmative) I'll be going after them in the not-too-distant future. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFunky celtic-soul from Ireland, October 29, 1998 \nReviewer: A music fan\n\n"Too-Rye-Ay" was bandleader/songwriter Kevin Rowlands finest moment in a brief, underappreciated career. His blending of celtic melodies, soul rhythms and pop music manifests itself best in the 1982 hit "Come On Eileen". Though no other track on this disc matches the energy or catchiness of this 80's classic, heartfelt love songs like "Let's Make it Precious" make this more than a one-song album. Covers of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" and Aretha Franklin's "Respect" also add soul and a sense of joy to the sessions. A look back at a familiar hit will uncover new and unfamiliar sounds for the first time listener. \n\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nDexy's Midnight Runners include: Kevin Rowland (vocals); Billy Adams (guitar, banjo); Paul Speare (flute, whistle, saxophone); Micky Billingham (accordion, piano, organ); Brian Maurice (saxophone); Big Jim Patterson (trombone); Giorgio Kilkenny (bass); Seb Shelton (drums).\n\nAdditional personnel includes: Helen O'Hara, Steve Brennan (fiddle); The Sisters Of Scarlett (background vocals).\n\nProducers: Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley, Kevin Rowland.\n\nReissue producers: Tim Chacksfield, Bill Levenson.\nIncludes liner notes by Ted Kessler.\nAll tracks have been digitally remastered.\n\nThought of as one-hit wonders in the US for "Come on Eileen," Dexy's Midnight Runners were already stars in Europe (especially their homeland, Britain) before that 1982 single topped charts worldwide. Their influential 1980 debut, SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOUL REBELS, was an uncommonly heartfelt blend of punk and soul sensibilities. However, disagreement over musical direction led to the departure of much of the band, leaving only vocalist Kevin Rowland and trombonist Big Jim Paterson. The duo carried on with new recruits, and the result was TOO-RYE-AY, an album that infuses the group's prior sound with Celtic elements, creating a working-class vibe made explicit by the ensemble's Depression-era street-urchin clothes.\n\nMusically, the record shows an obvious maturation, with songs that demonstrate less concern with urgency and anger than romance and nostalgia. "Come on Eileen," a joyous evocation of adolescent lust, became the band's signature song, but the other riches here are plentiful. The rollicking opener, "The Celtic Soul Brothers," is essentially an explanation of their new image, while "Let's Make This Precious" could be seen as a statement of purpose. They even pump considerable fire into Van Morrison's ebullient "Jackie Wilson Said." This strong, career-defining album would remain one of the key statements in 1980s pop music.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n7 out of 10 - ...An attractive raggle-taggle, dungareed take on urban soul...\nNME (09/16/2000)\n\nBloody Essential - ...That a man so brave should have channelled such raw humanity into [one of] the greatest soul albums ever made is something for which we should all feel privileged....the kind of band that could sigificantly change your life...\nMelody Maker (04/06/1996)\n\n4 stars out of 5 - ...An inspired set of blue-eyed soul celebrationals, topped by Rowland's yodelling, hyper-passionate vocals. Fabulous stuff...\nQ (11/01/2000)\n\nRanked #4 in NME's Top 5 Reissues Of The Year.\nNME (12/30/2000)\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nArmed with a folio of hearty Stax/Volt-style tunes and enough pretensions to poetic spirituality to sink a shipful of Solomon Burkes, singer-writer Kevin Rowland took Dexys Midnight Runners on a desperate hunt for a mythic tribe of bold new British youth on 1980's Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. That same anthemic breast-beating and soapbox arrogance also scuttle the band's second album, Too-Rye-Ay, an otherwise ambitious fusion of folky Irish jigs and Sixties Memphis soul blasts.\n\nThis time, it's not Rowland's lack of sincerity that rings hollow; rather, it's the self-important swagger of his lyrics and imperial ranting in his voice. "First let's hear somebody sing me a record/That cries pure and true/No not those guitars, they're too noisy and crude," he bawls in the brassy "Let's Make This Precious." As a singer, Rowland still mistakes knee-bending histrionics for real conviction. The canny integration of wheezing barroom accordion and the sunny sawing of Celtic fiddles with honky horns suggests there may indeed be a connection between traditional Irish music and American R&B. That connection was first explored by Van Morrison, whose "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" is covered here. And the recent British hit "Come On Eileen," a spirited, unpretentious romp in the hay with a shy lass, brings the LP to an exuberant pop climax with Rowland's pleading chorus and the jaunty pluck of a banjo. But the rude smugness and narcissistic flaunting of songs like "The Celtic Soul Brothers" ("I've seen what's on show and now there's no more to know...So step aside, now your time's up") show Rowland is still too busy studying himself in the mirror to find the young soul rebels right under his nose. (RS 389 -- Feb 17, 1983) -- DAVID FRICKE
This rock cd contains 10 tracks and runs 43min 28sec.
Freedb: 760a2e0a
Buy: from Amazon.com

Categories

Latest lists

Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners: Too-Rye-Ay (West German ''Atomic'' Pressing) CD Track Listing

Category

Tags

cyList

Legal