Searching for the Young Soul Rebels

Huh, I found this album to be more interesting than the other two that I’ve had here - it’s rougher, a little more to the punk or soul, and less to the Irish pub band. The horn section is very enthusiastic. Still not really exciting, but I’m glad at least that I had this last rather than first, since the others would have been a bit of a letdown.

nice, the voice reminds me of someone else, like a band, but i dont remember which

I enjoy brass. His voice could be annoying/over the top at times. 3*
Highlights: i'm just looking

I've quite enjoyed the other albums by them on here, but how on earth are there 3 albums represented in this list? Were they ticking some kind of quota? It's very strange. Maybe I just didn't realise they were as popular as they were...?

I've not gone back and re-listened to those other two albums, but it hasn't seemed like this album is massively different. Maybe some slightly more prominent brass...? That's always welcome from me, but it's still kind of the same thing. It's quite good overall, but not hugely inspiring.

First time hearing this, but I really don’t like horns in songs so this very isn’t for me.

Good instrumentals, but insufferable vocals

A bit of a boring, whiny album. Very prominent brass section, not a huge fan
❄️❄️

The radio snippets from much better tracks by much better bands at the start of the album was as good as it got. I'm not sure I've ever thought that an album had too much trombone on it, but alas today's the day with this one. Also what the fuck are those vocals?

Admittedly I was only familiar with "Come On Eileen" and thats a great song. Having never delved deeper into the discography I was excited to get into this.
While cueing this up I looked to see that Dexy is represented on this 1001 album journeys 3 times. 3 times! Considering the omission of countless artists I feel should have at least one album on here I figured I was in for a real treat here.
Turns out I was wrong.
These are the moments I wonder why I keep sludging through this damn project. Granted and all due credit to the Midnight Runners this is no where close to the worst album I have encountered on this list.

This is so bad. So muddy. The horns sound out of tune. It plods along. I’m so upset that anything this poorly made is on the list. Suppose it could get two stars but they have other albums on the list and this put me in a bad mood so I’m not going to be generous.

I love Dexys, so I was really looking forward to giving Searching for the Young Soul Rebels a proper listen today.

The first thing that stands out is just how brilliantly put together this album is. The brass is superb throughout and gives the whole record so much energy and personality. Kevin Rowland’s vocals are instantly recognisable as well. They’re raw and passionate and work perfectly with that mixture of soul, pop and punk running through the album.

There are some cracking tunes on here. “Seven Days Too Long”, “Burn It Down” and “I Couldn’t Help It If I Tried” are all great, but the showstopper has to be “Geno”. What a brilliant song. That brass opening is instantly recognisable and the whole track is an absolute classic.

What I really like about this album is how much energy it has. It takes the sound of classic soul and mixes it with something much rougher and more British. There’s loads going on musically, but underneath it all are simply some really well written and catchy songs.

I really enjoyed this today. Dexys are such a distinctive band and Searching for the Young Soul Rebels captures everything I love about them. Great songs, brilliant brass and loads of character. Definitely one I’ll be listening to again.

Favourite tracks: “Geno” is the obvious standout and an absolute classic. I also loved “Seven Days Too Long”, “Burn It Down” and “I Couldn’t Help It If I Tried”.

Least favourite tracks: Nothing. It’s a really consistent album and everything is worth a listen.

Album artwork: Love it. A great photograph and a really distinctive cover that suits the album perfectly.

Not for me. 2/5.

When I learned that these guys had more than the one song everybody knows I was amazed. I’m much more amazed that most of this album is better to me than Eileen.

Geno and seven days are too long are alright but it just sounds like come on Eileen and I don't know how I feel about it. This is way better than that other album of theirs I had that was just dreadful. I was worried when I saw these guys come up again but I am surprised. It's still not great but it's not unlistenable.

Pretty entertaining throughout, will probably come back to this at some point

3.5

3 dexys on this list? Fuck me. Should probably only be this one.

Another one from this band? Ugh. Even one is debatable.

𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘴 is a solid debut, but I never found it quite as extraordinary as its reputation suggests. Despite the title, I wouldn’t really call it a soul album. To my ears, it’s much closer to post-punk with strong R&B influences than to soul itself.

The album is full of passion, urgency, and energetic performances, and it’s easy to hear why Dexys Midnight Runners quickly developed such a devoted following. Yet, for all its strengths, the songs rarely stayed with me once the album had finished.

More than anything, I felt the album was missing that one defining track — the song that instantly lodges itself in your memory and makes you want to come back. 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘴 is certainly a good record, but for me it remains more admirable than unforgettable.

I think 'one-hit wonder' is the most apt way to describe Dexys Midnight Runners. This album had nothing that could stand on its own merits or provide a pleasant experience. Also, those fucking horns.

kitsch