Messrrs Rowland et al have remixed the Too-Rye-Ay to remove “Clanger” & Winstanley’s 40-year-old production.
First track, Old, has, er, dropped. To be honest, it’s not that radical a reworking.
Dexys (As It Should Have Sounded Remix 2022)
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Here’s the old, um, Old, for comparison:
So new Old?
Granted I’m just listening on my laptop, but I honestly can’t tell a difference. It must be very slight.
That is what concerns me that the album will not be radical at all but I will fork out because of the bonus live album and an album of b sides etc.It has already been put back 2 months according to an email from Amazon and there are no rearranged dates nor any update on Kevin Rowlands health/recovery.
Quite worrying.
It doesn’t sound like a radical ‘reimagining’ like the Giles Martin Sgt Pepper from a few years ago, but the version on Spotify of the new Old oddly restates the a cappella intro at the end, instead of just playing out like the old Old.
It looks like the release date for the 3CD set is now 14 October 2022.
If they were to release the Shaftesbury Theatre live album on disc 3 on its own, I’d definitely get that.
Seems a bit of a weird move from Kevin Rowland, I was hoping for more of a radical retweaking. It’s a great album but a little too full of the Madness type sheen that Langer and Winstanley were known for.
Decent interview in the new Mojo for those wanting some more background though.
“I don’t believe you really like Van Morrison”
Kev’s latest remixing / re-working project a la Don’t Stand Me Down.
Expect a couple more versions in the next few years.
How many albums has he actually written and completed in the last 42 years, I am thinking 5? 3 Dexys MR, 1 solo and 1 “Dexys”? That might make Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush seem (almost) prolific.
2 solo (including the “Cocaine” album he’d rather forget), 2 “Dexys” (including the covers album), 3 if you include the live album & DVD.
Plus loads of live/best ofs – I’m a bit of a Dexys completist and it’s a ruddy minefield.
The Wanderer doesn’t seem to be all that available these days.
Any downloads * ahem* available that anyone knows of .
I love “the cocaine album”
Hope Kevin is recovering well from the accident
I can ‘help’. Watch out for PMs.
As I said self-written songs so cover albums don’t count nor compilations or live albums. Still 5?
There’s apparently been something of a pre-release run on dungarees and baker’s boy caps at Primark
We’re past the anniversary so should be OK, but I just hope KR doesn’t start finding fault with Searching For The Young Soul Rebels – it’s just perfick as it is thank you Mr Rowland
+1
It’s taken 40 years for people to cotton on that the production of dire 1980s records was… erm… dire.
OK.
Could have told them that in the dire itself.
What, all of them? every single one? You’ve heard ’em all? Really?
If we didn’t know you better, we’d be thinking you were talking shite.
While I’m curious to hear “what it should have sounded like”, I’ve always liked the L&W production on Too Rye Ay. They do a great job of giving the brass, the strings and piano their space and, where required, their emphasis.
It’s great that the three albums have their own distinct production sound in as well as an individual style..
Generally speaking though he does have a point doesn’t he? I mean, Tight Fit? Really?
@deramdaze
Joke would have been funnier if your closing words were
“told them that back in the dire”
I think 80s production was certainly a break with the past, and is instantly recognisable. A combination of synthesised instruments, the dread gated reverb and in general a huge overuse of treble over bass and warmth, and cleanliness over humanness. I find it very difficult to listen to 80s music side by side with 60s or 70s as it just sounds a bit “plastic” (?) in comparison. It doesn’t help that 80s vinyl was so poor (every record was a free wobble board), although (contrary to audiophile opinion) I quite like the quality of 80s CDs.
So overall, I see where you are coming from, deram, even if you are a teeny bit black/white/right/wrong about it.
However, when my ears are in the right mood for it, the better 80s productions (Blue Nile, Pet Shop Boys, U2, Dire Straits, Tom Waits, Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush) sound pretty fine to me. Some club/dance music from the 80s can also blow you away on the kind of big sound system it is designed for. Then going back to the 60s can sound a bit small and muddy.
I can’t decide if the 90s were better or worse. I think mainstream rock, indie and pop sounded dire in the 90s. (Two records I can hardly bear based on sound alone are Nevermind and Be Here Now). But then again some of the more electronic/sample based 90s music like DJ Shadow, Screamadelica, The Orb, Portishead, are among the “best sounding” records I’ve heard.
Sorry, have I wondered off into Steve Hoffman territory? Nurse, is it time for my lunch yet?
A lot of eighties production stuff is dreadful mainly the drums, too many keyboards and too much sax. Ironically some of the worst offenders were 60s heritage acts like Dylan (Empire Burlesque), Macca (Press to Play) and Neil Young (Life). As you say loads of other acts had great production or in some cases non production, would add (most of) The Smiths and REM to your list. amongst many others Also Van Morrison, he made great records in the 80s.
Oh god, yes, Press to Play sounds awful!
I hate the Smiths and all they stand for, but I take your point on that one.
On a slight tangent, I would say Paul Simon was one of the few “60s heritage acts” to forge significant new ground in the 80s. Even talking solely sound/production, I think Graceland is a stunning record. So successful I would say he resoundingly shook off the “60s heritage act” label (repeating the same feat he achieved in the 70s).
You hate The Smiths and all they stand for? I can understand dislike, but why hate? And what do you mean everything they stood for? Even the superb guitar playing? Is it because of what a cock Mozzer is these days or did you always feel the same?
Ah the old question, “Why do you hate the group/artist I like?”
I wonder if this time we’ll finally get a definitive answer to this which will satisfy everybody once and for all.
I wonder….. I wonder…
*harp glissando*
Not at all, I can definitely handle people disliking bands/artists I like…I can’t cope with listening to Queen, Joni Mitchell, Yes, Eric Clapton, Take That or Ed Sheerin. But “hate everything they stand for” is putting it really strongly indeed so I was just mildly interested to know a bit more.
I wrote that in a hurry and i accept it was a bit strong! Hyperbole I think it’s called. I must stop doing that.
So OK I don’t HATE them, but just don’t like the Smiths. I always failed to see what people see in them. I suppose there’s a bit of that reverse feeling: ‘why does everyone seem to love this band that I can’t see anything special in? ‘
To break it down, they sound tuneless for a start: melodies that go nowhere hung on some admittedly witty lyrics. To me they sound floppy and fey, and I also resent that they seem to have started a wave of floppy and fey indie acts that followed them (Stone Roses primarily). Finally, no I don’t like Johnny Marr’s guitar playing, I just never understood the appeal. It doesn’t sound like he has any chunkiness or body to his style.
It might make sense if I list my top five guitarists (off the top of my head, usual disclaimers apply!) :
– Hendrix
– Paul Simon
– Steve Howe
– Jansch
– Robert Fripp
So no real room for that jangly, indie style that the Smiths pioneered. Just doesn’t do it for me.
Johnny is a huge Jansch fan and has worked with him. And I’d suggest the ‘feyness’ is a narrow view of their music; they could also ‘rock’ like a beast.
Those ghastly Fairlight synthesizer washes and Bob Clearmountain production credits
I like that bit in “Until I believe in my Soul” when Rowland sings:
“And I’m on the train from New Street
To Euston. I’m going out to Harrow again
And I’m trying to get the feeling
That I had in nineteen seventy two….”
Good stuff.
I’ll always be interested in whatever Dexys do, but I wish he’d just focus on doing a new album really. The Mojo feature says he’s doing that now but the process seems like pulling teeth for him these days. I remember when the three year wait for Don’t Stand Me Down seemed an unhealthily long gap.
Gah! You want the moon on a stick, you lot.
Here’s Van and his verbal diarrhoea over the same refried boop-de-doop on triple lp when you’ve only just got the plastic wrapping off the last dismal “his own sh*t tribute band” offering and you’re all “It’s too late! MAKE IT STOP, NOW!”.
Then someone comes along who’s clearly at the one-good-idea-a-decade stage and you’re all “Make more records we won’t like, you workshy fop!”
Over on the Euro 22 thread, when folk were comparing Georgia Stanway’s goal to Bobby Charlton’s, no-one was giving out that Bobby’s not finding the net nearly as often as he used to..
He’s done five (proper) albums. Three of them are very very good and two of them are quite good (and very good in places). In that order. That’s a decent ratio for any artiste. And he’s had a lot of trouble in his life – some of it self-inflicted of course, but glass houses and all that.
Which is what I wrote above, and only 2 self written (I believe) in 37 years!
I think Gerry Rafferty has managed more than that.
I didn’t know Bobby Charlton had released any albums.
He didn’t – unlike his brother.
“Jackie Charlton said – it was reet petite…”
I’ll get me junk shop tinker’s cap…
@sewer-robot
That’s because “Our kid” finally embraced his baldness, cut off that absurd 3-foot strip of hair he he used to comb up and over his pate and no longer needs to find his hair net
They think it’s combover, it is now
(56 years of hurt….and that joke, probably)
Sir Bob was Elton before Elton..
Little bit of politics there … double seat, double seat, gotta get a double seat
(wrong Elton?)
Tell you what, I feel sorry for Ralph Coates – almost exactly the same glorious hair ‘style’, but Bobby bloody Charlton gets all the AW glory.
Not sure what’s Deutsch for comb over and we might never know what with the passing of Uwe Seeler.
Until I believe in my soul is my favourite Dexy’s song by some distance – perfection.
I am looking forward to hearing this new release because I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the original production which I didn’t think had an 80’s sound at all.
The 80’s album I cannot listen to because of the production is Costello’s Punch the Clock.
Nothing wrong with the songs – its the sound, man.
Good point about Punch The Clock. Goodbye Cruel World hasn’t aged well either, although Costello himself admits that.
Largely agree but it made sense at the time – Imperial Bedroom had been quite pricey to make and hadn’t sold well or produced a hit single. “Let’s get those two fellers who produce Madness, they’ve had a few hits I believe!” Bang, straight away he’s back on TotP with Every Day I Write the Book (which I think is a bloody good single).
And it soared to number 28! Making it pretty clear his “hits” days were rapidly coming to an end
Oh I thought it was a bigger hit than that. Was certainly on the wireless a lot.
Unlike Man out of TIme and You Little Fool (until just now I didn’t even know the latter had been a single, which tells you something)
I have those CD singles box sets from 20 years ago. Three volumes, which end at the singles from Blood & Chocolate.
I doubt there would be enough singles to fill a fourth.
Agree on both counts
Yes, fair point about Everyday I Write The Book, which is great single and one of his best. But for me the rest of the album just seems a bit, well, summer 83. You could make the point that it’s pop music, it’s supposed to reflect its time, but studio sounds and current technology can date.
Kev seems to have a problem letting his old stuff go. I seem to recall a Lennon interview somewhere, where he said he doesn’t like a lot of the recordings – not the songs – of Beatles songs he wrote.
Another songwriter, whose name escapes my drink-addled Hippocampus, said that records never sound like they do in your head: all you can do is get as close as you can.
I have the remastered Don’t Stand Me Down on CD; my good lady has the original on Vinyl. The latter gets more of an airing than the former.
Lennon told George Martin when they met up during the Lost Weekend period that he’d do all the EMI stuff all over again as it wasn’t any good. Typically gracious of him – “That eight years of graft you did for us was a load of shit. Cheers!”
The Drink-Addled Hippocampus – TMFTL
GM probably couldn’t hear JL over the loud and guffaw he let
loose upon seeing the Kotex sanitary towel Mr Toppermost of
The Poppermost had recently to wearing as a hat.
Amazing that they managed to sustain any conversation considering they were leaping between moving cars at the time. GM’s RAF training on this occasion proved a boon, as did JL being totally mullered.
Hey, that’s like a haiku, man.
I think he thought Martin got too much credit for their records and that he and Macca were also effectively producers or co-producers. I think subsequent output showed McCartney was a decent arranger/producer, Lennon less so
There’s a problem with the drainage in the lower field, sir.
Is there, Ted?
Yessir. It be them drink-addled hippocampus. They’ve gone and put their tent up over the outlet drain, and they be wallowing in the mud.
There are two remastered DSMD CDs, the Loudness Wars mastering and the later Director’s Cut. The DC is one of the best-sounding CDs I know.
Always loved DSMD and agree with you re the director’s cut CD.
Weird videos on the bonus disc, but lovely to see Vincent Crane
in the oddly antiseptic studio-set videos
SDE says there’s a signed version, too.
Did anyone, apart from me, get a “deluxe” signed copy of
Dexy’s does Irish and Country/Soul from Amazon? I’ll try and
dig mine out and post tomorrow
Nope, I was wary and got a very standard edition (Izal brand?) cheap a few weeks after it was released. Played once on the school run, I think, to much deflation.
Offspring The Younger is a massive fan of the first three, and of the 22-minute versh of This Is What She’s Like on the live DVD/CD.
I got a signed version and it was the worst squiggle I have ever seen. Could be anybody
I think that is a great album – didn’t know about a deluxe edition. Does it have extra tracks?
Come On Eileen gets the 2022 ‘as it should have sounded’ remix. At first glance, I can’t tell what’s changed. The fiddle intro is present, the a cappella coda from the 12″ single is not.
Thanks for listening to it for us as I never want to hear that song again
Aw, come on, Daileen…
It seems to be a remix in the sense of “the original multitrack mixed a bit differently” rather than a remix in the sense of “completely buggered about with, losing most of the original tracks that gave it its charm and bolting on a bunch of unnecessary new ones”. A bit of a buff-up rather than a full refurb, then.