Rowland became a solo singer with the release of 1988's poorly received album, The Wanderer. [7] Rowland suffered from financial problems, drug addiction and depression. [29] Rowland said: "I'd been too confident, too arrogant. I thought everyone would hear our new music and go: 'Wow.'" [19] When he went to sign on for a jobseeker's allowance, another unemployed person recognised him and sang "Come On Eileen". [19]

Note: The Feminine Divine set was presented in three acts: I: ‘Getting Honest’, II: ‘Attitude to Women’, III: ‘The Relationship’ who say it is only about the music, to me that is only half of it. I loved Roxy Music when I was 18, 19 and thought they looked amazing. It’s daft not to use that side of it. Your album cover; you may as well make that really good, why not? To cut off a dimension, I don’t understand that, it’s not an option for me. All the soul singers always used to look great.” In September 1985, Dexys released their first new album in three years, Don't Stand Me Down. [7] Production was originally credited to Alan Winstanley and Rowland, although reissues also credit Adams and O'Hara. [21] The four remaining members were pictured on the album cover in the band's fourth look, an Ivy League, Brooks Brothers look, [7] wearing ties and pin-striped suits (except for O'Hara, who wore a grey women's business suit), and with neatly combed hair. Rowland described Dexys' new look as "so clean and simple; it's a much more adult approach now". [9] With Paterson and Billingham's departures, the core of Dexys became Rowland, Adams, and O'Hara. In September, touring behind the hit album, Dexys embarked on The Bridge tour. [7] On 10 October 1982, the Dexys performance at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London was recorded by Steve Barron and then released on videodisk and videocassette (and later DVD) as an edited 9-song set also entitled The Bridge. Dexys made its only two live appearances of 2016 to support this release: one at a private reception at the Embassy of Ireland in London on 6 June and one at Rough Trade East in London on 3 June. [46] They also performed two songs on the ITV program Weekend on 11 June. [47] For these three performances, O'Hara temporarily rejoined Dexys in place of Morgan, who was unavailable. [46]Dexys returned to the charts that year with the greatest-hits TV compilation The Very Best of Dexys Midnight Runners, which featured a number of songs that had never been released on CD, reached #12 on the charts, and was certified "Gold". Consequently, Rowland "spent most of my time in rehab" in 1993 and 1994. [8] As part of that, Rowland made plans to reform Dexys together with Big Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, although these plans resulted in little more than a solitary TV performance in 1993. [7] [30] Rowland then went on the dole; as he put it in 1999, "Insanity is no fun, mate. People try to romanticize the idea of the suffering artist. At my lowest ebbs there was no romance to it at all." [8] He also says: ““Eileen”—I'm grateful for it. I'm a little bit frustrated that by most, certainly in the U.S., Dexys is seen as a one-hit wonder. It's frustrating, but I'd probably be a lot more frustrated if I lived there and I'm not there that often. But you know, one hit than no hit, right?” Brad, the plugger, was Roger’s mate,” Kevin explains. “They were so tight, I thought I had no chance of Brad siding with me. Then Roger played Come On Eileen first, and I thought, ‘That’s sealed it, Brad will remember the last song more.’ But then Brad said, ‘Play that first song again’ and, halfway through, he went, ‘That one.’”

Chiu, David (10 July 2015). "Goodbye Is Forever: Duran Duran, Live Aid & the End of the Second British Invasion". Medium. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017 . Retrieved 15 January 2017. A mildly "snarling" Kevin: “I dunno, what do you think? I don’t really think about that stuff, that’s intuitive. It’s for an audience to say or for a journalist to say. If you want me to do your job, I’ll charge you. Have you heard the new album?” I tell Kevin I have indeed heard the new album and I found it to be built upon a theatrical core, relevant to today with a nod to yesterday. You can hear the Celtic and soul influences they are famous for, but it is far more than that and in no way treading old ground. Dexys have grown up and this is a very mature album, with some great ideas within it. It’s basically Kev doing just what he wants to do, without having the pressure of having to chase singles radio plays. “That’s exactly what it was,” he says. So he’s a bit calmer now and we carry on……………. In September 2021, Dexys announced both an upcoming 40th-anniversary remix of Too-Rye-Ay, to be done by Rowland, O'Hara, and longtime Dexys engineer Pete Schwier and tentatively entitled Too-Rye-Ay As It Could Have Sounded, and a September/October 2022 tour to support the reissue. [49] The publicity photo for the tour, which would have played the album in its entirety along with other Dexys material, shows, from left to right, Read, Rowland, O'Hara, and Paterson. [49] [50] Rowland stated, "There is no way on earth I would be doing this tour or even promoting a normal 40th anniversary re-issue, if it wasn't for the opportunity to remix it and present it how it could have sounded. This is like a new album for me." [49] The Too-Rye-Ay 40th anniversary tour was cancelled in March 2022 after Rowland was injured in a motorcycle accident and needed time to recover from this and other health issues. [51] Although the tour would not move forward, the band promised material from the Too-Rye-Ay As It Could Have Sounded project would be performed the next time they tour. [51] The Feminine Divine [ edit ] The final word should go to Big Jim Paterson, the only other member of Dexys to play on every album. How has he stayed the course with Kevin’s intensity and passion since 1978? “Love,” he replies simply. “Love for music, love for Dexys, love for Kevin.”gave me confidence when I was going into the studio, because I was nervous, I hadn’t recorded for however many years. 26 years between albums.” Kevin seems to be a fairly complex guy. One minute uber defensive and ready to verbally slap you down, and the next ultra revealing, brutally honest, baring his soul and pretty vulnerable. I think maybe he is much misunderstood and just wants to make good music, have the support to do it his way, and above all else; to be taken seriously and focus on today and not be thought of yesterday’s man. He is not that at all. I doubt his brain ever switches off and that maybe contributes to him being frustrated at not being able to do every thing he wants to do, and EXACTLY the way he hears this glorious music in his head. Helen guested on Women Of Ireland for covers album Let The Record Show a few years later, having initially been persuaded to return to live music by Tanita Tikaram, also the last musician Helen had played with before her new life. O’Hara says her friendship with Kevin is based on honesty, citing the fact he made her audition for Women Of Ireland. Ewing, Tom (13 June 2012). "Dexys: One Day I'm Going to Soar". Pitchfork.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016 . Retrieved 12 February 2016. a b c d e f g h i j Reynolds, Simon (2005) Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984, Faber & Faber, ISBN 0-571-21570-X, p. 293–296 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "Dexys Biography". dexysonline.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016 . Retrieved 29 January 2016.

Despite his reservations over the album, Kevin also relished being a pop star. “I enjoyed success for what it was,” he considers. “You get carried along with the euphoria of having hits. There were moments of doubt, doing interviews in America and thinking, ‘No, this should have been better.’ But the pop thing was fun. I liked doing photo sessions for the teenage magazines, because it was bright and positive. Read more: Making Talking Heads’ Remain In Light Read more: Making Blondie’s Parallel Lines In an interview with HitQuarters Gatfield later described the recording process as "very long and painful", [22] and he left the group after a short tour of France and the UK. The album's most controversial feature was its use of conversational dialogue in the songs; [23] Rowland said, "The idea of a conversation in a song is interesting to me." [24] Commenting on this, O'Hara said that "we had to keep going ahead with what we believed" despite the length of time that the production took. [25] Most contemporaneous reviewers strongly disliked this latest incarnation of Dexys, comparing the new look to "double glazing salesmen" and condemning the album as "a mess" and "truly awful". [21] [26] [27] Only a few reviewers were supportive; for example, writing in the Melody Maker, Colin Irwin described it as "quite the most challenging, absorbing, moving, uplifting and ultimately triumphant album of the year". [28] Jim’s post-Dexys life was initially troubled. Having played in a band as passionate as Dexys, he didn’t enjoy session musicianship. The drinking which had spurred his departure took hold. “I was smoking a lot of dope, too,” he says. “I got fat and lazy. I’d watch Neighbours and Home And Away, the dinnertime and night-time repeats. It was horrible.” The record’s first half is full of music hall-esque swagger, much of it written with original Dexys’ trombonist Big Jim Paterson (a non-touring band member). The second side of the record is like nothing Dexys have done before. A saucy, synth-heavy cabaret, written in collaboration with Sean Read and Mike Timothy. It’s steamy, fizzing and sultry, at times doom-laden and heavy and at other times raunchy and funky. Quite a heady mix. a b c d Kinney, Fergal (26 October 2014). "Dexy's: Nowhere is Home – Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson in depth interview". Louder Than War. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016 . Retrieved 1 April 2016.

# 5 – Tell Me When My Light Turns Green

There is a thread of formal dialogue running between songs, folding in saxophonist Sean Read, keyboardist Michael Timothy and violinist Claudia Chopek, the latter acting as a female foil to Rowland’s male protagonist, who begins entrenched in an oppressive sense of masculinity before moving to somewhere more vulnerable and beautiful, perhaps most persuasively rendered in torch song My Submission, which soars. I’m Going to Get Free is gorgeous, and the louche nature of My Goddess Is conjures up a little George Clinton, and a little early Prince, with Rowland flying across the stage like Nureyev, conveying an infectious sense of renewed wonder and inspiration. Recommended to Kevin by recently departed guitarist Kevin Archer, Helen began rehearsing with Dexys during her final term. “I could do both because of the energy of youth,” laughs Helen, who was joined by fellow violin student Steve Shaw. “We couldn’t ask the college if we could play with this pop group, as we knew we wouldn’t get permission.”

I can safely say that a good night was had by all. Kevin Rowland has lost none of his unique soulful vocal power and the band were top notch tonight. Dexys show no signs of slowing down though, as they play the London Palladium on Wednesday followed by a European tour, plus their first U.S tour in 40 years! Long may the Young Soul Rebels continue…. Dexys at Brighton Dome 19.9.23 (pic Sara-Louise Bowrey) By the middle of 1979, Bobby "Jnr" Ward had replaced Jay on drums. [7] Clash manager Bernard Rhodes then signed them and sent them into the studio to record a Rowland-penned single, "Burn It Down", which Rhodes renamed " Dance Stance". [5] [6] In response to Rhodes' criticism of Rowland's singing style, Rowland developed a "more emotional" sound influenced by General Norman Johnson of the Holland–Dozier–Holland band Chairmen of the Board [8] and the theatricality of Bryan Ferry. [2] During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dexys went through numerous personnel changes over the course of three albums and 13 singles, with only singer/songwriter/co-founder Kevin Rowland remaining in the band through all of the transitions and only Rowland and "Big" Jim Paterson (trombone) appearing on all of the albums. By 1985, the band consisted only of Rowland and long-standing members Helen O'Hara (violin) and Billy Adams (guitar). The band broke up in 1987, with Rowland becoming a solo artist. After two failed restart attempts, Dexys was reformed by Rowland in 2003 with new members, as well as a few returning members from the band's original lineup (known as Dexys Mark I). Dexys released their fourth album in 2012 and a fifth followed in 2016. The song "It's Alright Kevin (Manhood 2023)" is a re-recorded version of the song "Manhood" which was released before on the 2003 compilation album Let's Make This Precious: The Best of Dexys Midnight Runners and on the live album At The Royal Court 2003.We got into the venue just before showtime, and of course the place was already choc-a-bloc full of loyal and expectant Dexys fans (some of which had been travelling the country, taking in every date of the tour). You could feel the buzz in the air as people took to their seats, ready for the night’s entertainment to unfold. As the 8pm bells chimed, the lights dimmed as the band took to the stage, and Kevin commented to the crowd on how dark it was. Dexys at Brighton Dome 19.9.23 (pic Sara-Louise Bowrey) a b "Dexys announce special London performances". The Irish World. 25 May 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2016 . Retrieved 30 June 2016.