Customer Reviews

Let's Make This Precious: The Best of Dexys Midnight Runners

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I can't believe that no one has reviewed this album yet, because it really is one of the top 5 albums listed on Amazon. This is a great Dexy's compilation, with a few great new tracks, which still have the spark, but are missing the complexities of Don't Stand Me Down. My Life In England is very catchy and strong, and given a chance might have climbed the charts as a second Eileen. Manhood is a very emotionally charged song that really captures what we all feel about Kevin Rowland, and all of the Dexy fans and I are honored that he is still going. I am a novice Dexy's fan, so I'm a little confused about the new line up, which on the album looks like this: "Rowland/Pateson/Ditchfield" compared to the "Rowland/Adams/O'Hara" of Don't Stand Me Down. All in all, a must have for the true and semi Dexy fan, but is not quite up to par with Don't Stand Me Down

They just don't make music like this any more, and some would argue that Dexy's Midnight Runners really were in a class of their own. Kevin Rowlands whiny, heavily-accented British vocals are bearly understandable but if you treat it as part of the music and don't worry about comprehension, that's no problem. Several of the tunes feature a lively violin, notably their only U.S. hit, "Come On Eileen", a Billboard chart-topper in 1983 that displaced Michael Jackson's, "Billie Jean". Most of the others downplay the violin in favor of lots of loud brass... trumpets and trombones. The common denominator is a driving rhythm that will have you stomping you feet. Some of the tunes are great, my favorite being "Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache" which the CD liner advises is a cover of a 1960's song. The whole CD needs to be listened to several times to be appreciated, but trust me, this one IS precious.

Usually referenced as 'one hit wonders' I took a shot at this CD for the love of that one hit. Not disappointed. Definitely have a different slant on musical presentation. They can even out Van Morrison Van Morrison. Take that, critics.

Look closer at the product description: not only does this CD contain the 12 songs you can sample on Amazon, but This is What She's Like and I Love You (Listen to This), two songs I'm just crazy about and what just ecstatic to find were on the album upon receiving it in the mail. But it's so difficult to say which ones are my favorite on this CD... they're all incredible. The only one I am surprised is not on here is Burn It Down, or even just Dance Stance. With that, it truly would have been a definitive Best Of collection for me (all except for the BBC version of Let's Make This Precious... maybe it's because I'd gotten used to a live version. It just fell way short of my expectations after that, which is such a shame, because I adored that live performance.)