1. Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Tracks -
1. Burn It Down 2. Tell Me When My Light Turns Green 3. The Teams That Meet In Caffs 4. I'm Just Looking 5. Geno 6. Seven Days Too Long 7. I Couldn't Help If I Tried 8. Thankfully Not Living In Yorkshire It Doesn't Apply 9. Keep It 10. Love Part One 11. There, There, My Dear
Label - Parlophone catalogue no. - PCS 7213
Released - July 1980 UK chart position - 6 (10 weeks in chart)
What the UK music press said - 'Sometimes it's difficult to separate a group from its music - they both mean the same thing. Not so with Dexy's (sic) Midnight Runners. Their songs are warm, rousing and emotional while they as people are cold and arrogant verging on the pretentious.
Which is why their first album SFTYSR is a mite confusing. I'm not sure what they're trying to achieve, and I get the impression they don't know either..................' - Record Mirror
Known variations -
a. The original CD release is on EMI, catalogue no. - CDP 7 46448 2
b. A 20th anniversary remastered and enhanced CD was released on EMI, catalogue no. - 525 6000 in 2000. It contains the videos for Geno and There There My Dear as extras. The CD booklet and rear sleeve contain biography info and cool previously unseen photos. The disc itself has a green tinted picture of Kevin Rowland.
c. A promo of the above CD came in a plain cardboard slipcase. Catalogue no. - ECD DEXYS 20. The CD itself has the old Late Night Feelings logo on it. The back of the sleeve is red rather than the usual green.
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2. Too Rye Ay
Tracks -
1. The Celtic Soul Brothers 2. Let's Make This Precious 3. All In All (This One Last WIld Waltz) 4. Jackie Wilson Said 5. Old 6. Plan B 7. I'll Show You 8. Liars A To E 9. Until I Believe In My Soul 10. Come On Eileen
Notes - Old contains a reprise of Let's Make This Precious in the outro. Plan B has the track Soon as an intro. Neither are mentioned on the sleeve or label.
Label - Mercury/Phonogram Catalogue no. - MERS 5
Released - July 1982 UK chart position - 2 (46 weeks in chart)
What the UK music press said - So It's all back to Birmingham New Street for a fresh bunch of Runners to bow before Mr Rowland's latest whims of change. As all but the sleepiest will be aware, this time it's folk and fiddles but no intentional influences, he claims. Just unconcious ones, y'understand, ranging from Otis Redding whistling to the Sergeant Pepper-style call to arms of 'The Celtic Soul Brothers'........ Record Mirror
Known variations -
a. The U.S. version of the L.P. featured Come On Eileen as the first track on side two and also omitted the reprise of Let's Make This Precious at the end of side one.
b. The CD release is on Mercury/Phonogram, catalogue no. - 810 054-2.
c. A digitally remastered CD was released in 1996 on Mercury. The booklet includes some biography info but omits the original content. The front cover is the original LP sleeve but in a green frame. This CD is worth finding for the 8 extra tracks it contains. 1. The Celtic Soul Brothers (US mix) 2. Jackie Wilson Said (live) 3. Come On Eileen (live) 4. Marguerita Time 5. Respect (live) 6. Dubious 7. Love Part 3* 8. TSOP (* "Love Part 3" is actually a mis-print, as the track is really "Love Part 2")
d. Another CD version was released in 2000 on Mercury, catalogue no. - 542 961-2. This CD omits the extra tracks but includes videos for Come On Eileen and Celtic Soul Brothers. The disc itself contains a cool picture of Kev in concert. The booklet contains an interview with Billy Adams and a mixture of new photos and scans from the original LP inner sleeve. The cover of the booklet is a facsimile of the original LP sleeve while the CD back has a photo from the Come On Eileen video session. The track listing credits Come On Eileen to Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express. Strangely, the version of Jackie Wilson Said is considerably shorter than other versions.
e. A US version was released in 2002 on Mercury, catalogue no. - 314 548 115-2. This CD omits the videos but includes the following bonus tracks: 11 Show Me; 12 Dubious; 13 TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia); 14 Let's Get This Straight (from the start); 15 Reminisce Part One. Unusually, Come On Eileen includes both the fiddle intro and the "believe me if all those endearing young charms" tag.
f. Between the release of Searching For The Young Souls Rebels and Too Rye Ay some album sleeves were circulated for an album to be called "Hey, Where You Going With That Suitcase?". This planned release never saw the light of day and as far as we know no actual albums were pressed. It was to contain many of the tracks that finally appeared on Too Rye Ay but also had differences, for example Come On Eileen was titled Yes Let's which was the title of the song in an early version that was played live but sounded quite different. If anybody has any scans of the artwork, please let us know.
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3. Geno
Tracks - 1. Geno 2. Plan B 3. Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache 4. Dance Stance 5. The Horse 6. There, There My Dear 7. Keep It (Part Two) 8. One Way Love 9. I'm Just Looking 10. Soul Finger
Label - EMI Catalogue no. - EMS 1007
Released - March 1983 UK chart position - 79 (2 weeks in chart)
Notes - Keep It (Part Two) is incorrectly listed as Keep It (which is a completely different track as featured on Searching For The Young Soul Rebels) on the sleeve of both LP and CD.
Known variations -
a. This album was re-released on EMI's Fame budget label and via this received a CD release, catalogue no. - CD-FA 3189.
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4. Don't Stand Me Down
Tracks - 1. The Occasional Flicker 2. This Is What She's Like 3. Knowledge Of Beauty 4. One Of Those Things 5. Reminisce Part Two 6. Listen To This 7. The Waltz
Label - Mercury/Phonogram Catalogue no. - MERH 56
Released - September 1985 UK chart position - 22 (6 weeks in chart)
What the UK music press said - 'You'd think that three years silence might have dimmed the man's burning rage, but no, Kevin Rowland is back with a resharpened axe to grind. Chapter three of the Dexys story unfolds with Rowland as self-obsessed, as unapologetically out to lunch as ever. If the quest for the Young Soul Rebels was a Stax induced dream from a burgeoning obsessive and the follow up a mish-mash of Celtic gypsy romance dressed up in rags and tatters, what should we make of this weird, wilfully obscure landscape?......................' - NME
Known variations -
a. The CD release is on Mercury/Phonogram, catalogue no. - 822 989-2. It contains the extra track This Is What She's Like (instrumental).
b. Initial quantities of the vinyl album came with a fold out insert with B&W band photos and lyrics.
c.
A second release, digitally remastered for the CD age.
Tracks - this release contains the extra tracks Reminisce (Part One) and The Way You Look Tonight. Knowledge Of Beauty is retitled My National Pride and Listen To This is retitled I Love You (Listen To This).
Label - Creation Catalogue no. - CRECD 154
Released - 1997
The CD booklet and CD back are completely re-vamped with new photos and comments on each track by Kev. The disc features a picture of Kev and Billy similar to the front cover.
d.
A second re-release but this time retitled Don't Stand Me Down The Director's Cut. This edition is a different remaster as Kev was unhappy with the sound on the Creation release. This edition comes as a double disc set. Disc one is an audio CD and contains the extra track Kevin Rowland's 13th Time. This is a retitle of the track Kevin Rowland's Band which appeared on the Tonight single. The song first saw the light of day as long ago as The Bridge tour and a version, with very different words, is featured on The Bridge video. The extra tracks on the Creation CD are omitted. Disc two is a DVD and features videos for This Is What She's Like, My National Pride and I Love You (Listen To This). The booklet contains extensive notes written by Kev and numerous new photos.
Label - EMI Catalogue no. - 537 0130
Released - 1st April 2002
What the UK music press said - 'Don't Stand Me Down is one of the best albums ever made. It was released in 1985, during an era when the disposable pop single had become king. It was a collection of wonderful, surprising tunes about love, loss, the state of UK radio, the middle classes, sweet warm nights on London's Edgware Road and Irish Nationalism. It came wrapped in a maroon cover displaying the four group members in business suits.............' Record Collector
e. There is a promo release of the above which was a single audio CD. It came in a plain soft paper wrap-around sleeve. A promo video cassette of the videos also did the rounds. Anyone got a copy?
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5. The Wanderer
Tracks - 1. Young Man 2. Walk Away 3. You'll Be The One For Me 4. Heartaches By The Number 5. I Am The Wanderer 6. Tonight 7. When You Walk Alone 8. Age Can't Wither You 9. I Want 10. Remember Me
Label - Mercury/Phonogram Catalogue no. - MERH 121
Released - May 1988
What the UK music press said - Kevin Rowland, 34, is back with a more tradionally-structured solo record 'The Wanderer'. It doesn't redefine the margins, students. It looks over at them, sneers, and goes on crooning. It's songs, sung with gusto and sensitivity, ranging from the sentimental to the lusty. Now that I've got over the shock that there's nothing shocking about it, it moves me with natural ease.' - Melody Maker
Known variations -
a. The CD release is on Mercury/Phonogram, catalogue no. - 834 488-2.
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Forward to: Dexys / Kevin Rowland albums discography - part 2
