Dexy's Midnight Runners were ...

[ColinJ]

I went to see the band at Warwick University in '79 or '80. Before anybody had heard of them anyway...

So, knowing nothing about the band, I decided that I'd go off to the union bar instead of watching the gig. I had a few pints and promptly fell asleep. My mates turned up about 2 hours later and woke me up. They were drenched in sweat and bright-eyed with excitement. They told me I'd missed one of the best gigs they'd ever seen. Ho hum...

 

[Fnaar]

Not forgetting the theme for Brush strokes

b-b-b...b-because of you-oo-oo, I'll see it through...
I love that, I sing it in the shower, to this day!

 

[Abitrary]

Never listened to too much, but have had serious muso friends who are mad into them, and yes it is good. For some reason people who like them also seem to like Van Morrison a lot as well.

Also, very difficult to get commercial success almost bordering on novelty, and yet be a serious respected band. Not many bands can do that.

 

[col]

I like them,it represented an era to me,great times,they were one of the few groups,that got us all up on the floor.

 

[Renard]

Young Soul Rebels was great, Too Rye Ay wasn't. They weren't exactly prolific enough to form much of an opinion either way so not crap.

 

[Maverick Goose]

How can anyone diss the mighty Dexys?

 

[Keith Oates]

Well, am I the only one that's never even heard of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Abitrary]

On a purely top trumps basis, in categories such as novelty hits, decent hits. ability to be taken seriously by musos, fashions started, TV soundtracks, funny moments...

Dexys are going to be a hard act to beat whichever way you look at it.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Well, am I the only one that's never even heard of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, Keith. You must - surely - have heard "Come on Eileen" at some point in the last thirty years.

 

[Fnaar]

On a purely top trumps basis, in categories such as novelty hits, decent hits. ability to be taken seriously by musos, fashions started, TV soundtracks, funny moments...

Dexys are going to be a hard act to beat whichever way you look at it.

Good point, Abmeister...

 

[simon l& and a half]

just said goodbye to the last fifteen year old attendee of a 'Anti-Valentine's Party'. The music included Dexy's and the Beach Boys.

Bizarre.

 

[Dave5N]

Sing if you're glad

Sing if you're happy that way, hey!

Tom always said he could tell all the straight guys when the band did that.

They were the ones singing.

 

[Dave5N]

Nobody seems to have got to the point though.

It isn't about Come on Eileen, it's about 'I love you (listen to this)' and 'Knowledge of Beauty' and the such like.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

yes. Come on Eileen is good, but it's a long way from being their best song.

 

[mondobongo]

Come on Eileen is much maligned but its not a bad record, remember hearing it for the first time and realising that it was not gonna get any faster, despite that build up at the end. But god almighty that was a bad set of stage clothes after the Soul Rebel image.
Saw them in 82/83 during the Radio 1 on Merseyside week at the Royal Court only thing to come close was U2 on the War Tour same venue.