Don't Stand Me Down

The Occasional Flicker gets straight to the point,"No, I don't want sympathy/I just want somewhere for these sins to go/Compromise is the devil talking...I was right the first time/I'll put it right with thirst now". Here the Van Morrison-influences most apparent on a track like Until I Believe in My Soul are advanced on; Rowland & co veer off into soulful abandon. Next up is the pearl of the album, the epic This is What She's Like- which is somewhere around 15 minutes in duration, not a second wasted. It opens with a droll conversation between Billy Adams & Rowland (sort of Mike Leigh does Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, with a hint of absurdity) & the song bursts into life as Rowland attempts the impossible taske of putting into words what she's like. Rowland, like Mark E Smith, Morrissey & Elvis Costello lays into certain kinds of people in our country: "Well you know how the English upper classes are thick & ignorant?...You're familiar with the scum from Notting Hill and Moseley, the CND?...you know the new wealthy peasants with their homebars and hifis?...You know the ones who parade all their possessions & put fabulous and super in each sentence?"- the lyrics are English Scheme, the music It's Too Late to Stop Now. The song drifts off into Brian Wilson territory, prior to a canny reference to Rowland's own Come on Eileen, as Rowland quotes lines from The Godfather & the impossibility of defining what she's like becomes apparent. This is purity, by the way!

Knowledge of beauty is something that informs the album, and KOB was the original title of My National Pride, another of the album's highlights. Here Rowland deals with his Irish roots & national identity, but not in the dubious manner which Morrissey executed similar themes on Your Arsenal/Vauxhall & I. It's a wonderful ballad with country inflections (courtesy of a steel guitar) & has a harmonic reference to the "bum-bum-bum" backing harmonics Bowie & Ronson did on Lou Reed's Satellite of Love. Rowland attempts to reconcile his national roots with his personal self and the world around him, concluding "My national pride is a personal pride"...

The latter half of the album is One of Those Things, which has a piano-motif reminiscent of Warren Zevon's classic hit Werewolves of London. It objects to the contemporary music of the 80s "it was Radio One/Sid Jenkins on the air/He had synthesisers and soulful guises...I'm not lodging any complaints or anything/there was just one problem (what was that?)/It all sounded the same!". This ties in with Dexys individuality and passion, but could come across as that trad notion of what passes for genuine as defined by trad-heads like Manics, Weller & Oasis. Rowland then amusingly contrasts the uniform synth music of the time with right on views regarding "Sandinista, Cuba's militia, the PLO..." with a direct reference to the Irish troubles. The responses...you guessed it!- all sounded the same!!! Again, this recalls facets of The Fall's English Scheme...

Reminiscence Part Two continues the kind of sequel to the Love-series of songs Dexys had produced, focusing on the Proustian-properties of The Kinks' Lola & Aretha's Respect. A great interlude before I Love You (Listen to This- Listen to This being the original song title and also the original title of Miles Davis revolutionary Bitches Brew from 1970)- a pulsing blast of soul that is even more centred than prior tracks like Burn It Down & Let's Make This Precious. Finally we get the epic ballad, The Waltz- a sublime song that builds up to a soulful symphony finally Rowland revealing "Here is a protest". This is up there with Springsteen's Tenth Avenue Freeze Out or Otis' Try a Little Tenderness; plus it features Mick Woodmansey from the Spiders from Mars!

Don't Stand Me Down is one of the peaks of the 1980s and the best of Dexys three great albums; it wipes the floor with an album like The Stone Roses- which often gets in the Top 10 albums of all time. At this price, it would be rude not to...so...listen to this!

For those who have already purchased the Creation edition - there are some benefits to investing again. Rowland has removed the 'stereo-enhancer' used in remastering the Creation edition, claiming that it resulted in a sound unfaithful to that of the original recordings. The difference is notable, the sound being more dry and less polished that on the Creation counterpart, but unless you're a real sound buff, you probably won't care. The real return here comes with the additional opening track 'Kevin Rowland's 13th time', at least as passionate and humorous as anything else on the record and set to a driving, soulful groove. This package also takes full advantage of recent technological developments, offering three videos in addition to the album itself. It is a shame that Rowland's awesome reading of Jerome Kern's 'The Way You Look Tonight' (a bonus track on the Creation edition) is not included here as it is an absolute treat, but there are more than enough extras to compensate and the CD is presented with equal care and attention to detail.

As for the music, it's as challenging, rewarding and powerful as ever. Rowland assembled a mighty ensemble for these recordings. Helen O'Hara's violin adds warmth and charm whilst some of the best session players have space of their own, rather than fading into the background. In fact, the Memphis rock-solid drumming of Tim Dancy and the wonderfully rhythmic piano of Vincent Crane help to define the sound, which seems partially indebted to soul and the way in which pop musicians adapted the soul sound to their own styles. Rowland namechecks 'The Wedding Bell Blues' on 'Reminisce' and the remarkable early singles of Laura Nyron do seem to be an obvious reference point. More literally, 'One of Those Things' is a direct steal from Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London', at Rowland's own admisson.

Yet, this is an outstanding and utterly unique record in its own right. The music floats and grooves with effortless clarity and style. It makes highly effective use of both melody and speech. The epic 'This Is What She's Like' begins with Rowland and Billy Adams talking, Adams trying to get Rowland to describe his latest love. He tries, but concedes that she is just too beautiful for words. 'Reminisce (part two)' is one of the most sentimental and whimsical vocals ever laid to record, Rowland narrating an account of an old girlfriend. In anyone else's hands, it could easily have been cloying and grating - here, it sounds honest and genuine. On the bulk of this astounding record, Rowland is at the height of his vocal performances, delivering virtuosic yet resoundingly unpretentious performances, varying dynamics and tone with unswerving commitment. If he'd only had more self-confidence in this talent and ability, he may have been recognised as one of the best singers this country has produced.

This is an uncompromising record, from the length of the songs to the prevalent Irish nationalist political agenda. It is also rampantly indulgent, Rowland giving away far more of his personal character here than on any other Dexys release. Despite, arguably even because of this, it remains a triumph - a record of manifest honesty, dignity and integrity. The latter two characteristics are probably things that Rowland abandoned forever with his extraordinary Reading Festival Performance in women's clothing surrounding the release of 'My Beauty'. This is a genuine tragedy. It's great to have these masterful recordings unearthed and restored again, especially for those who have missed out on them for so long. If compromise really is the devil talking, then maybe the devil doesn't have the best tunes after all....