The Album Review Club - Week #195 (page 1310) - A New World Record - ELO

Searching for the Young Soul Rebels – Dexys Midnight Runners

I have tried this week on this, but I'm afraid the three things that were most pronounced about this album are falling flat with me. And stop me if you've heard this before: the horns, the vocals, and the organ touches.

And yes, like Pink Floyd I'd like to say that switching the radio channel makes to an iconic opening, but I'm afraid that the music afterwards has to measure up, and for the most part, this is one I'm not getting. The solos are on the horns, and even the instrumental track can't save it for me as it didn't move me musically like others who have complimented it, though it was a welcome pause overall.

I think I like my horns and keys from the likes of the E Street Band, and what I heard here doesn't hit me or move me to the strong backing sound that was prominently featured from that backing band.

The track I enjoyed the most was the extra B-side of "I'm Just Looking" that wasn't on the original album, but this version seemed to have a better delivered sound.

While there is an appreciation for the uniqueness that this band brings, I don't think this is what I'm a fan of listening to overall. I'm at a mixed 4/10 on this. I think I liked this band better as a later one hit outfit, even if the sound of that track made me sometimes wonder what else I was missing over the years. I think I'm good with answering that here.
 
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An album that I really enjoyed when it first came out but one that I have listened to for many years now. Seeing it named as the album choice for this week motivated me to give it another listen. Ultimately I found that I still liked it the same.

A solid 8 from me.
 
Started writing an alternative reality where KR gets the firm hand he needs from someone legendary enough for him to actually put down his sense of grievance and hubris long enough to make fully good on his ideas. However it soon got a bit Vic and Bob, in the vein of their Slade all living in the same house sketches. So instead I'll just say..

It's important to remember the timing and context of this slbum. Post punk had gone in a variety of different directions but no one had tried what Rowland did here. To anglicise and urbanise soul in a post punk style rather than the archetypal blue eyed soul approach of yore was something quite different. I think the main issue is that there's some inherent contradictions in what Rowland was trying to achieve melding together very different sensibilities.

For example, the horn stabs at times have an almost parping quality; not because the players are bad but because of what they're being asked to do to create the overall sound.

He's also hamstrung by his own abilities versus ambition. His vocal uses a crying style of the type reminiscent of General Johnson but Johnson was using it to sound both raw and vulnerable. Roland though is going for raw and something quite different from vulnerable, but he doesn't have the level of voice to pull it off so instead just becomes more declaratory and ragged. The raggedness works for a bit but not for prolonged periods.

I think the nearest anyone has come to making 'angry' (rather than righteous or justified) soul is Curtis Mayfield and he did it in a very different way to Rowland and with all due respect to Roland he ain't Curtis Mayfield. In fact I'm fairly convinced that only one artist could have achieved what KR was trying on this record and even that's an act of faith on the basis that I think if he put his mind to it he could pretty much have fronted any band he wanted, and that would have been Otis Redding.

So how do you judge something like this? Vainglorious failure or enjoyable near miss?

Firstly credit for the idea being sufficiently visible in the music to see what he was getting at. Secondly there's plenty of moments along the way when it can stand on its own merits. Rowland is a talented songwriter in my opinion. Thirdly he might have been a bit of a dick for trying in the first place but as Roosevelt said 'the man in the arena' and all that.

So those things lift it from a 6 based soley on execution to an 8/10 boosted there by the conception and willingness to try something new which in fairness to him, knob or not, has been a hallmark of his career.
 
Well this nomination drew a high of 18 reviews, including a couple welcome new as well as returning names. A total of 96.4 due to a large number of 8s, and an average of 5.36 with a few 1s and 2s as well. With good wider discussion again.

Next up doogle at some point whenever ready.
 
Out on blue 6 said:
I believe the artist Rowland admired and I think you can hear it in his work is Van Morrison. There is definitely shades of that on the first 3 albums
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Indeed. When people started referring to Celtic Soul when the second album came out, to the extent that such a genre exists, Van the grumpy Man had already been there and got the t-shirt. And of course the infamous TOTP picture swap was when they were covering his song.
 
threespires said:
Indeed. When people started referring to Celtic Soul when the second album came out, to the extent that such a genre exists, Van the grumpy Man had already been there and got the t-shirt. And of course the infamous TOTP picture swap was when they were covering his song.
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Of course now Rowland claims that was his idea all along but I'm still not convinced
 
Mancitydoogle said:
Ok first clue
Band name
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I don't think it's either of the bands out there called Acne and I'd be surprised if you were nominating Discharge. Eruption weren't big enough to warrant a nomination I think.

Is disease relevant or does it allude to something broader like the youthfulness of the spotty person?
 
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