ABCs of My Vinyl Collection (Letter D, Part 12)

I'm going to skip ahead just a bit from last post and hit the B-sides from the 'Too-Rye-Ay' era. If you were an early fan of 'Searching for the Young Soul Rebels,' you might have felt let down by this metamorphosis in the sound and look of Dexys Midnight Runners. Trouble is, in the UK alone, in terms of sales, you would have been outnumbered about 5 to 1 as 'Too-Rye-Aye' was an absolute smash. In 1982, it was the UK's No. 11 selling album, and the band's success even crossed the pond as the single "Come on Eileen" made it to No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. Unfortunately, that single cemented Dexys Midnight Runners as one-hit wonders in America. Sometimes, the label fits, and the charts don't lie, but man, do I hate it in this case. There is so much more to love.

If the aesthetics of donkey jackets to track suits to dungarees made your eyes spin, and the sounds of horn-heavy soul with just a hint of punk attitude morphing into banjo, fiddle and accordion hurt your delicate ears, then stick around. The third and final post on Dexys Midnight Runners will feature yet another reinvention to business suits, preppy pastel plaids and laid-back ramblings that, although brilliant, didn't stand a chance.

I was a child of the '80s and, as such, had an infatuation with the 12" single. To this day there is something so simple and so beautiful about holding a 7" single, but the lure of two B-sides was often too much back then. If you're pressed for time, I highly recommend the cover of MFSB's "T.S.O.P." and the live version of the one-off hit single "Show Me."

From "Come on Eileen" 12" (1982)
"Liars A to E" (New Version)
"Dubious"

From "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" 12" (1982)
"T.S.O.P."
"Let's Make This Precious"

From "Let's Get This Straight From the Start" 12" (1982)
"Old" (Live)
"Live Respect"

From "The Celtic Soul Brothers (More, Please, Thank You)" 12" (1983)
"Reminisce Part One"
"Show Me" (Live)