Although Dexys began preparing material for a new album in late 1983, once the touring stopped, the band was reduced to a nucleus of Rowland, Adams, O'Hara and Gatfield. [6] Rowland wanted to explore different songwriting, and Dexys Midnight Runners began recording more "introspective, mournful" music. [19] Recording and mixing the new album took almost two years and spread across Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S; [7] at various times, Tom Dowd, Jimmy Miller, and John Porter were attached as producers. [20] Some seasoned performers, ex-Dexys members, and session musicians made up the rest of the band, including Vincent Crane (ex- Atomic Rooster) on piano, Julian Littman on mandolin, Tim Dancy (who had been Al Green's drummer) on drums, Tommy Evans on steel guitar, and former Dexys members "Big" Jim Paterson on trombone, Robert Noble on organ and synthesizer, and John "Rhino" Edwards on bass. Near the end of these sessions, Rowland and O'Hara's personal relationship broke up, although they continued to work together. [20] He pauses, not wanting to dismiss the producers who’d had huge success with Madness and Elvis Costello. “Those producers were great. I’m not putting them down, there was just a pop approach at the time.” a b c d e f g h i j Reynolds, Simon (2005) Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984, Faber & Faber, ISBN 0-571-21570-X, p. 293–296

Archer (and Leek) eventually formed The Blue Ox Babes, while the other departing members—Blythe, Spooner, Williams, "Stoker", and Talbot—formed The Bureau, which Wingfield continued to produce. It’s perhaps telling when you consider the answers to asking him to sum up himself and Dexys in just the one word. On Kevin: “Trying.” On Dexys: “Powerful.” A psychologist would have a field day with that; trying. No ego there folks. There’s a new documentary about the band coming out soon. “Nowhere Is Home,” filmed on tour in 2012. Probably destined for a cinema and DVD release, and due to be premiered at London’s NFT on 9th May. There are plans for more shows later in the year too, if the film is well received. That sense of soul is everywhere on this album: in the peppering of northern soul on I’m Going to Get Free, with its beautiful organ and orchestration; in the darker rendering of soul on the louche title song, where Rowland seems to channel the spirit of Serge Gainsbourg; and in the funkier end of soul apparent on My Goddess, with its slow-burning raggedy looseness, which brings to mind George Clinton – and complements the slinkiness of Dance with Me. The album entered the UK Official Albums Chart Top 100 at number 10 and remained there for one week. [48] Too-Rye-Ay As It Could Have Sounded and cancelled 2022 tour [ edit ]Jim says Kevin has asked him to go through the pile of songs he’s written since getting sober. They might revisit unreleased Dexys demos, too. Helen will play in the band if Kevin asks. The Celtic Soul Brothers is about Kevin and Jim’s friendship, though Jim smiles: “Kevin never told me that until a few years ago.” Couldn’t Kevin have explained his worries about the mix while it was happening? “I wasn’t able to express it,” he sighs. there was never a time when I didn’t regret listening to somebody and went against what I felt in my heart.” So today you do it your way or not at all? “Yeah, we mostly did it our way in the 80s, but occasionally we would compromise and I am still haunted by little things like that. Ohh, that could have been better if I’d have not listened to so and so. It is totally our way today and it is just not worth doing it any other way.

Still, Brad’s job looked in jeopardy when Come On Eileen initially moped about the lower reaches of the Top 50. In despair, Kevin told his manager: “I can’t write any better songs than that.” Women’s Aid CEO, Farah Nazeer said of the event “it’s great to see Dexys supporting the mission of Women’s Aid for their upcoming album launch. As a charity with the mission to build a future where domestic abuse is not tolerated, we understand how gender stereotypes can perpetuate harmful behaviour which undermines positive progress. We welcome and encourage all chances to flip the script.” a b c d Kinney, Fergal (26 October 2014). "Dexy's: Nowhere is Home – Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson in depth interview". Louder Than War. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016 . Retrieved 1 April 2016. Dexys play the following UK and Ireland dates with a fan presale going on-sale April 12th and general sale from April 14th here.Dexys Midnight Runners released the aforementioned follow-up album Don't Stand Me Down in 1985; not only was it an about-face musically from Too-Rye-Ay, but the album’s cover presented the band members in business-like preppie attire. While it didn't fare well commercially compared to its predecessor, Don’t Stand Me Down has since garnered acclaim over time. “I think we've done that with every record,” Rowland explains about not following a musical formula. “The first one is completely different than the second one. We're still doing the same thing now. I literally do not repeat myself, I can't do it.” Documentary Nowhere is Home – a Film about Dexys". walesartreview.com. 22 May 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015 . Retrieved 9 November 2015. a b Smith, Adam (16 March 2022). "Dexy's cancel 40th anniversary Come On Eileen tour due to motorbike accident". Express & Star. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022 . Retrieved 16 March 2022.

Cooper, Leonie (10 February 2012). "Dexys Midnight Runners to release first new album in 27 years". NME.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020 . Retrieved 30 January 2020. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "Dexys Biography". dexysonline.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016 . Retrieved 29 January 2016. There is a thread of formal dialogue running between songs, folding in saxophonist Sean Read, keyboardist Michael Timothy and violinist Claudia Chopek, the latter acting as a female foil to Rowland’s male protagonist, who begins entrenched in an oppressive sense of masculinity before moving to somewhere more vulnerable and beautiful, perhaps most persuasively rendered in torch song My Submission, which soars. I’m Going to Get Free is gorgeous, and the louche nature of My Goddess Is conjures up a little George Clinton, and a little early Prince, with Rowland flying across the stage like Nureyev, conveying an infectious sense of renewed wonder and inspiration.

Things You Didn't Know: "Come On Eileen" By Dexys Midnight Runners". WCBS-FM. 29 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016 . Retrieved 12 February 2016. gave me confidence when I was going into the studio, because I was nervous, I hadn’t recorded for however many years. 26 years between albums.” Kevin seems to be a fairly complex guy. One minute uber defensive and ready to verbally slap you down, and the next ultra revealing, brutally honest, baring his soul and pretty vulnerable. I think maybe he is much misunderstood and just wants to make good music, have the support to do it his way, and above all else; to be taken seriously and focus on today and not be thought of yesterday’s man. He is not that at all. I doubt his brain ever switches off and that maybe contributes to him being frustrated at not being able to do every thing he wants to do, and EXACTLY the way he hears this glorious music in his head. By the middle of 1979, Bobby "Jnr" Ward had replaced Jay on drums. [7] Clash manager Bernard Rhodes then signed them and sent them into the studio to record a Rowland-penned single, "Burn It Down", which Rhodes renamed " Dance Stance". [5] [6] In response to Rhodes' criticism of Rowland's singing style, Rowland developed a "more emotional" sound influenced by General Norman Johnson of the Holland–Dozier–Holland band Chairmen of the Board [8] and the theatricality of Bryan Ferry. [2]

Dexys announce new album". New Musical Express. 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016 . Retrieved 19 March 2016. So it is all about today, not yesterday then? “Totally mate, totally. Even if we do the old songs, and we do some of them, we change them to make them relevant to us now and our audience gets it. They get it. Not just because we are bored and think, let’s just change it and play this. Everyone has a scripted part. They improvise, but we have carefully thought it all out. Add a new section, change the tempo…. Keep it fresh. It’s all about today really. Even the lyrics; In ‘Too-Rye-Ay,’ there’s a lyric about old people and we change it and talk about ourselves getting old in that song now.” So was the name change to Dexys to show you are not wishing to bask in past glories? “Definitely. That was us saying its’ us, but we are different now. We are not like we were and not trying to trade on our past. We are us and we can’t deny who we are. We are Dexys, but it’s different now."

# 10 – Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)

Kevin doesn’t rule out revisiting that album, too, but insists legendary soul producer Tom Dowd’s sessions should stay unreleased, noting, “Tom Dowd was wrong for us. He was an old guy by that point and his version just wasn’t very good.”