Sunday, February 20, 2022

1982 Singles Post Script - Dexys Midnight Runners

 



A Post Script for this series of how wonderful 1982 was in terms of  music and especially singles wise. I imagine I could have chosen 60 songs fairly easily. Perhaps even 75, to describe how special it was. But I do know that I have a tendency to go on and on here.

But it was a special year. A cusp year before Thatcherism and Reaganism encroached rather too much, the charts became rather more American and by definition rather brash as it was mostly AOR and MTV America. The great stuff came from there mostly, and it was truly great, was coming from the underground. R.E.M. Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Replacements, Violent Femmes, Dream Syndicate. You could go on and on. You should go on and on.

But Dexys should certainly be mentioned when it comes to talking about 1982. Dexys came back from nowhere really, when they'd gone underground for a while and you were beginning to wonder if Kevin Rowland, who was beginning to come across as slightly unhinged in terms of his righteous and destructive fervour. They release Celtic Soul Brothers early in 1982 to introduce there new fiddles, dungarees and dirt look, and it was a relative flop. Only making it to # 45 in the singles charts in the UK first time.

They should have unleashed Come on Eileen straight away. They did so next and the world cracked open for them almost immediately, it was a quite unstoppable song. It was Number One in The UK, it seemed forever, and also got to Number One where they are oddly labelled as One Hit Wonders. America's loss. This band had any number of genius songs that they missed out on.

Anyhow Celtic Soul Brothers was re-released the following year and made the Top Twenty. in the UK Quite rightly. It deserved its moment. Pretty soon afterwards Rowland decided he wanted to rip it all up and start again. Again. He had form in this respect.He wouldn't be seen again for another couple of years and when he did return he would surprise us all again. Most of all his own record company who had no idea at all how to market another utterly wonderful third album.

Rowland was one of the true great mavericks and 1982 was probably the last year when the maverick figures of British Pop Music were firmly wher they belonged. High in the singles charts. it was a wonderful year to come of age. I ditched my NHS specs, got some much cooler John Lennon or Leon 
Trotsky ones, went from Secondary school to college and, music and self-construction wise, awaited the arrival and my discovery of R.E.M's Murmur and everything that came to be from that.




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