Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels

Decade - 1980s


Label - Parlophone
Producer - Pete Wingfield
Country - UK
Genre - Rock

1	Burn It Down
2	Tell Me When My Light Turns Green
3	The Teams That Meet in Caffs
4	I'm Just Looking
5	Geno
6	Seven Days Too Long
7	I Couldn't Help If I Tried
8	Thankfully Not Living in Yorkshire it Doesn't Apply
9	Keep It
10	Love Part One
11	There, There, My Dear

Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (1980)


Who the heck are Dexys Midnight Runners? The band who sang "C'mon Eilleen". Ohhhhhhhh.

That's how it goes really. They appear on one hit wonder countdowns!

DMR's was formed by the two Kevins from punk act, The Killjoys. Formed in 1978, they performed quite a few gigs with The Specials, who we've already established earlier, I can't stand. That didn't bode well.

Surprise though, it's really not THAT bad. Fairly middle of the road in quality, it's still quite pleasant and the lead singer's voice at least has some personality to it. It's just "good" though, which again really means they should not be on this list. Even worse, so is their second album.

Surely there were better 80s albums than this that could have been included?

Score - 6/10

Recommended - No.

Air - The Virgin Suicides

Decade - 2000s


Label - Astralwerks
Producer - Air
Country - France
Genre - Electronic/Ambient pop

1	Playground Love	3:32
2	Clouds Up	1:30
3	Bathroom Girl	2:25
4	Cemetary Party	2:36
5	Dark Messages	2:28
6	The Word 'Hurricane'	2:33
7	Dirty Trip	6:12
8	Highschool Lover	2:42
9	Afternoon Sister	2:24
10	Ghost Song	2:16
11	Empty House	2:58
12	Dead Bodies	2:59
13	Suicide Underground	5:56

Air - The Virgin Suicides (Soundtrack)

Why oh why is this on the list? It's a nice soundtrack for a great movie that doesn't work at all as an album unless you want to go for a nap. Nice, moody electronica with pop influences for 40 minutes is basically what you get. This is a score that works great in the movie, but without the visual images, it simply goes nowhere.

Quite a few amazing albums are not in this book so it always bugs me when undeserving albums make it on (See Britney Spears!). A french duo, Air's previous album "Moon Safari" was well received in a critical sense so I imagine this is why this particular album made it through.

Some scores work well outside the movie, but I don't think this does. It's like getting half a story and spending the rest of the time squinting, trying to figure out what the rest of the pieces of the puzzle are trying to say.

Bad choice and it is certainly not an album anyone needs to hear before they die!


Score - 5/10 as an album (8/10 as the actual movie score)

Recommended? No

Battle of the Decades #9

Wht a lacklustre bunch of albums. Nothing amazing here. Unfortunately Joan Baez did a runner and I couldn't find her album anywhere.


2000's - Doves - Lost Souls - 8.5/10

1990's - Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas - 7.5/10

1980's - Adam & The Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier - 6.5/10

1970's - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 7/10

1960's - N/A

1950's - Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours - 5/10

WINNER - DOVES - LOST SOULS - 2000s

o Presley, Elvis – Elvis Presley (1956)
o Presley, Elvis – Elvis is Back!
o Derek & the Dominos – Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
o Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
o Shamen – En-Tact
o Air – Virgin Suicides: Original Motion Picture Score

Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours

Decade - 1950's


Label - Capitol
Producer - Voyle Gilmore
Country - US
Genre - Traditional Pop/Big Band/Crooner

A1	In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning	3:00
A2	Mood Indigo	3:30
A3	Glad to Be Unhappy	2:35
A4	I Get Along Without You Very Well	3:42
A5	Deep in a Dream	2:49
A6	I See Your Face Before Me	3:24
A7	Can't We Be Friends?	2:48
A8	When Your Lover Has Gone	3:10
B1	What Is This Thing Called Love	2:35
B2	Last Night When We Were Young	3:17
B3	I'll Be Around	2:59
B4	Ill Wind	3:46
B5	It Never Entered My Mind	2:42
B6	Dancing on the Ceiling	2:57
B7	I'll Never Be the Same	3:05
B8	This Love of Mine	3:33

Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours (1955)

Having grown up in the era where the songwriter part of the singer/songwriter is what brings respect, it is difficult for me to really like someone like Sinatra, who is a performer singing other people's songs and compositions.

Then I realised I'd done the same thing with Ray Charles and really enjoyed him, so now I just blame Sinatra. Big reputation, this doesn't show me why.

This is a looooong (ok well, it felt long) collection of melancholy, sad love songs, sung by Sinatra, arranged by Nelson Riddle. The problem is that every single track has the exact same feel and the exact same vocal performance and the exact same...well you get the idea. As everyone probably figured out when I reviewed Time Out, I HATE background music and yet this is all this is.

It's not that it's particularly bad or unpleasant, but it drags and drags relentlessly without offering much of substance. I don't get any genuine feelings of sadness in his voice - I get 'entertainer pretending to be sad'.

I guess some music isn't quite as timeless for erm...me.


Score - 5/10

Recommended - No

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory

Decade - 1970s



Label - Fantasy
Producer - John Fogerty
Country - US
Genre - Rock n Roll

A1	Ramble Tamble	7:09
A2	Before You Accuse Me	3:24
A3	Travelin' Band	2:07
A4	Ooby Dooby	2:05
A5	Lookin' Out My Back Door	2:31
A6	Run Through the Jungle	3:09
B1	Up Around the Bend	2:40
B2	My Baby Left Me	2:17
B3	Who'll Stop the Rain	2:28
B4	I Heard It Through the Grapevine	11:05
B5	Long as I Can See the Light	3:33

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory (1970)


It's hard not to like this album - it's straight up fun, swamp boogie rock n roll and John Fogerty's very cool and growly voice!

There's really not too much for me to say about it - the jams are fun (even for me), but the whole album is very much at the same level and every track at the same energy level, so it can get tiring after 5 songs. Fogerty's voice is also always the same, so this is probably heard better within a mix cd than a full album really.

Still, this version of I heard it Through the Grapevine is excellent and you should buy it just for that.


Score - 7/10

Recommended - Yes

Adam & The Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier

Decade - 1980s


Producer - Chris Hughes
Label - CBS
Country - UK
Genre - Post Punk/Pop

A1	Dog Eat Dog	3:05
A2	'Antmusic'	3:26
A3	Feed Me to the Lions	2:53
A4	Los Rancheros	3:22
A5	Ants Invasion	3:13
A6	Killer in the Home	4:06
B1	Kings of the Wild Frontier	3:53
B2	The Magnificent Five	3:00
B3	Don't Be Square (Be There)	3:28
B4	Jolly Roger	2:06
B5	Making History	2:52
B6	The Human Beings	4:00

Adam & The Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980)

The original band of "Ants" Adam put together jumped ship to form "Bow Wow Wow" with Malcolm McLaren. Showing that he was determined though, Adam put together a new band, lead by his friend/guitarist Marco Pirroni and came up with this album. Considering "Antmusic" topped the charts and Adam became hugely famous, I guess it all worked out for the best!

Basically this is a bunch of quirky, theatrical, catchy post-punk/pop tunes with a kind of tribal drum feel to it. The tracks are fun, but I'm just not into theatrical music, so unfortunately "It's just not my thing".


Score - 6.5/10

Recommended - Sure