Searching For The Young Soul Rebels (30th Anniversary Edition) [Original recording remastered, Extra tracks]

While never questioning the brilliance of the surge of artists that came out of the two tone movement there was at one time in the early 80s when the ska bandwagon so big it could have rivalled Eddie Stobbart. Not that Dexys Midnight Runners ever fully jumped on it, as Kevin Rowland announced in 1980 "we didn't want to become part of anyone else's movement. We'd rather be our own movement". Over a career characterised by risk taking on a epic scale this band produced a range of brilliant albums and mutated through images ranging from "on the waterfront chic" - this album, the raggle taggle gypsy look - "Too Rye Aye" to an American preppy college assemblage - "Don't stand me down" (Rowland's outfit on "My Beauty" will pass without comment here!). The music changed with the look and was on occasions wilfully perverse yet never dull or safe.

Dexys were a music collective subject to the exercise of almost totalitarian discipline and control by Rowland that paid off in terms of commitment and passion. Dexys missionary zeal for what they did was only matched by the Clash. This was a band that effortlessly took the raw energy and fury of punk rock and stirred it in a very large pot containing everything from ska to Caledonian soul, from rootsy R & B to rock and punk to Irish folk. In this sense the iconic album cover acknowledged Rowland's Irish roots by setting out a photo of a young boy carrying his belongings in a suitcase as a result of the Belfast evictions in 1969.

Was it 30 years ago that that blast of British soul assaulted us and left us wanting more? Still today the sheer brazen confidence of "Burn it down" (formerly Dance Stance) starting with a scan across a crackling radio station playing respectively Deep Purple, The Sex Pistols and then the Specials is inspiring. As those horns blast and the chorus kicks in "never heard about Oscar Wilde/don't want know about Brendan Behan/ don't think about Shaun O'Casey/ don't care about George Bernard Shaw/won't talk about Gene O'Neil/ won't know about Edna O'Brian/won't think about Laurence Sterne" its sets out a new soul vision in the dreary context of Thatcherism and was a scathing attack on the anti-Irish jokes which seemed to be everywhere at the time. This is reinforced by the stunning last song "There, There my dear" where Rowland stops and highlights his search for the young soul rebels. Frankly he needn't have bothered looking since he had found them in this band particularly with his deeply troubled relationship with soul mate 'Al'' Archer.

In between these two songs there are the huge highs of "Tell me when my light turns green", a nice bit of poetry "Love Part 1" and possibly the greatest soul song ever recorded by a British band "I couldn't help it if I tried" which mixes Al Green influences with Otis Redding and somehow comes out sounding totally original (The Manchester Square demo on the extras disc is amazingly good). Ok "Geno" still seems to soundtrack every crap disco and drunken wedding but at the time it sounded great, while there is more emotion and feeling ploughed into the instrumental "Team who meet in Caffs" than the average band can muster on a whole LP.

The extras here are also good although the Peel and Jensen sessions have been around a while and whatever version it comes in I still hate "Thankfully not living in Yorkshire it doesn't apply" with a vengeance. But minor gripes overall, indeed what a joy in addition to have "Plan B" included here since more than any Dexys song it captures the sheer intensity and power of the band and reduces this reviewer to a wreck everytime it plays. The remaster on this album is immaculate thus for the modest price of this album you get feast of music from one of the most important British bands of any decade. Once in a classic episode Homer Simpson predicted that "you haven't heard the last of Dexys Midnight Runners"; what a visionary that man is.

If like me you bought this album in the summer of 1980 and have loved it ever since, even if you have splashed out on reissues, compilations of the Mk1/Mk2 line ups and the excellent "Projected Passion Review", this is still in my opinion an essential addition. I knew what to expect with disc 1 and the first half of disc 2, so its the demo and session cuts that steal the show for me here.

It is great hearing different versions of such classics all these years later. My only gripe is that I wish they had laid down "There There My Dear" and "Seven Days Too Long" instead of the double dose of "The Horse" which we have here. That track, I feel, is quite a weak instrumental, and not a patch on the superb "The Teams That Meet In Caffs" that rounds off this great collection.

For years now I have classed "Searching For The Young Soul Rebels" as No 2 in my personal albums of all time list, and in another 30 years, if I am still around, I am certain it will still be there, wedged safely in between "Closer" by Joy Division at No 3 and "From The Lions Mouth" by The Sound at No 1.

What can one say about one of the best debut albums ever that has not been said already - it simply oozes with passion, cool and energy.Kevin Rowland ranks up there with other great british songwriters- Weller/Townsend/Drake/McAloon/Costello/Bowie. Don't think twice on this release-buy it and enjoy what we have been missing since it's initial release.