Taking Sides: Don't Stand Me Down vs Too-Rye-Ay

Too-Rye-Ay = brilliant, of course. Hurrah for the remastered/ extra track copy I found a couple of years back. But I don't really listen to it much, only twice or so so far. Truly grand whenever I do give it an ear -- it always intrigues me from my hemisphere's distance how it seems for many the Jam are loved, the Clash are adored but Dexy's are just plain idolized to the nth degree.

And its for all of the well-documented reasons, really: the ambition, the heartbreak, the heartache, the singularity, the bravery, the honesty. I can't think of another record that is so earnest and really seems so pure and true. It's probably one of my favorite albums. I can't wait for the (re)re-released version. A more well-reasoned post tomorrow perhaps, but now I need to sleep.

So, it has to be 'Don't Stand Me Down'.

You'd have to ask folks like Andy K about that -- as a freelancer I have no involvement with the scanning/record part of the database.

It's still not possible for me to be true friends with someone who doesn't love "Don't Stand Me Down". Yes, music IS that important. I'd refer you to my review of the album via the Domino website, but the bastards still haven't put it up, nine months on. So you'll have to wait for the new issue of Careless Talk for that.

This is She's Like

Aw shit, This is WHAT she's like.

Loving the stockbroker chic they adopted around the time of "Don't Stand Me Down".

I searched for aaaaages for the version of "DSMD" with the DVD of the three films.

And then I got one, and I knew I was right to wait.

Yeah, I'd love to see the films. There's only edited versions on youtube.

Look at this thread! Such eminent contributors, such a failure to catch fire. I'm reviving it for nerdery purposes.

Today I saw a 2005 post by Nag! Nag! Nag! on the "first singles which are the last tracks on the album" thread, someone said some copies of "Too Rye Aye" have "Come On Eileen" at the START of side 2! The wikipedia page says "some copies have "Come On Eileen" at the end of side 2". when the last track on the album is the first single

I rewckon I've owned 5 copies of "Too Rye Aye" over the years and every copy has had "Come On EIleen" at the end of side two. Have any of you had a copy with "COE" at the start? Is it a USA thing? Or a pressing thing? What's going on?

Too Rye Aye, cause it has "Old" on it. Such a delicious chord sequence

COE is at the end of mine. It makes sense.

I know - COE has a sense of release at the end of the LP there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too-Rye-Ay

Wikip has it that the "start of side 2" is the natural one, like the LP everyone has here is the abberation.

Discogs has it the other way.

Totally. It's like "Sorry for heartache and yelping, let's boogie!"

Everything Rowland's ever done, obviously, but sweet god the sass and the snap of "Don't Stand Me Down", the bitter, bitten lols, the punch of the drums, the zazz of the horns, the fucking perfection of this record's soundworld and the mental space it draws out for you

I mean it's not arson but

- Well, you know how the English upper classes are thick and ignorant?
- That's true

It's Reminisce Part 2 that gets stuck in my mind though.

Dexys have to be one of the very best bands whose entire LP discography you can pick up for pennies in North America.

Very true. (other dollar-bin staples that i'd put in the same category: Squeeze, Prefab Sprout, and the Colour Field)

I can't help but feel that the DSMD partisans are all "you don't appreciate Dexys like I do".
Too-Rye-Aye is so obviously the choice here. Mostly because the singles are simply the band at their peak (was Plan B a single? I hope so). But also because even the deep cuts are littered with moments of brilliance, like the jerky violin riff on "All In All" or the segue into "I'll Show You".

Searching For the Young Soul Rebels is better than both of them, of course.

"Plan B" was a single but really belongs to the transition period between "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels" and "Too Rye Ay", sounds much more like the former tbh.

Yeah, it was on EMI

The single version of "Plan B" is really quite different to the "Too-Rye-Aye" version, both have their merits.

I can't help but feel that the DSMD partisans are all "you don't appreciate Dexys like I do".

You're right, in my heart I don't really like DSMD the best of the three, but I have convinced myself I do in order to distinguish myself from lesser Dexys fans. This has the double benefit of making me feel bad and making other people feel bad. And I would have got away with it if it hadn't been for you meddling kids.

I don't rank my passions into hierarchies but it should be pretty obvious what's so wonderful about DSMD, and what a unique thing it is

I thought a little joke might be a good idea…

Shit, Kevin Rowland's 13th time not on Spotify. Such a jaw-dropping heart-lifting thrill when that turned up opening the re-release.

That period between Searching and Too Rye Ay is incredible - wish there were a studio album of the Projected Passion Revue sound.

And yeah crazy talk from Enoch.

I had the CD reissue of DSMD with '13th Time' on it but sold it when I needed the cash (it became OOP so I think I got quite a lot for it) which I kind of regret - even though it's a bonus track it's probably my favourite song on there and I loved the story behind it in the sleevenotes.

I haven't played Too-Rye-Ay in ages but I listened to it really heavily at one point so it's very much ingrained in my memory, there are definitely days when I think it could be Rowland's peak (not to mention Langer & Winstanley's as producers).

All three of the original Dexys albums are so brilliant in very different ways. When I first got into them properly (20 years ago this summer) I went back and forth on Don't Stand Me Down vs Searching For The Young Soul Rebels as my favourite. Too Rye-Ay was always in third place, but that doesn't take anything way from how much I adore that album. Let's Take This Precious is probably my favourite song of theirs now.

Totally with you woof on how exciting it was to hear Kevin Rowland's 13th Time for the first time. The section where he tells his joke brings me so much joy. My friends and I would quote it all the time. Such a great performance from everyone involved. The whole of DSMD is so perfectly executed, especially This Is What She's Like. The timing and chemistry between Kevin and Bill is a wonderful thing.

Seeing them at their reunion tour in 2003 is still the best gig I've ever been to.