Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
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''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' is the debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by English pop group
Dexys Midnight Runners Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid-1980s. They a ...
, released on 11 July 1980, through
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
and
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
. Led by
Kevin Rowland Kevin Rowland (born 17 August 1953) is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called ''Dexys''). The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" an ...
, the group formed in 1978 in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England, and formed a strong live reputation before recording their first material. Recorded during April 1980, the album combines the aggressiveness of punk rock with
soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
, particularly influenced by the Northern soul movement. The album was preceded by and contains the hit-single "
Geno Geno may refer to: __NOTOC__ People *Geno (given name), including a list of people with the name *Marián Geňo (born 1984), Czech footballer *Evgeni Malkin (born 1986), Russian ice hockey player nicknamed Geno Art and entertainment *Geno (son ...
", which topped the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. It also contains two other charting singles: " Dance Stance" (re-recorded as "Burn It Down") and "
There, There, My Dear "There, There, My Dear" is a song by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners, released in June 1980 as the second and final single from their debut album ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels''. It peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. Ly ...
" (which included the lyrics "I've been searching for the young soul rebels" that inspired the album's title). The album reached number 6 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
and is certified Silver by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
. It has been widely acclaimed by music critics since its release and is included in ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...
''.


Background

In 1976
Kevin Rowland Kevin Rowland (born 17 August 1953) is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called ''Dexys''). The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" an ...
formed a
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band called The Killjoys, based in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England, which gained minor success with the release of their single "Johnny Won't Get to Heaven"/"Naïve" in 1977. Kevin "Al" Archer joined in early 1978, but due to internal arguments and tension between Rowland and the rest of the group the band dissolved. On "a hot night in July 1978" Rowland decided to form a new band, which would eventually become Dexys Midnight Runners, telling Archer "I'm going to do what I really want to do: form a great group. We'll wear great clothes and make soulful music." Throughout July Rowland and Archer auditioned 30–40 people to join the group, the eventual band consisting of 8 members. Later that summer the band would create their name, after the drug
Dexedrine Dextroamphetamine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and an amphetamine enantiomer that is prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It is also used as an athletic performance and c ...
which was used by fans of Northern soul, and began a rigorous rehearsing and writing schedule, practising for about 9 hours every day. In November 1978 the band entered the UK live circuit and gained a reputation for their strong performances, which included covers of classic
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
songs and originals. Rowland and Archer employed a strict code of conduct, ruling out drinking or drug use before performances, and introduced many of the band members to activities such as
shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...
expeditions and bumping trains. In 1979 Rowland turned down an offer to join
Jerry Dammers Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers GCOT (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry-based ska band The Specials (also known as The Special A.K.A.) and later The Spatial AKA Orches ...
'
2 Tone Records 2 Tone Records was an English independent record label that mostly released ska and reggae-influenced music with a punk rock and pop music overtone. It was founded by Jerry Dammers of the Specials and backed by Chrysalis Records. History ...
after supporting his band
The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
and signed to Oddball Records instead. In November that year the band adopted their
signature look Trademark look or signature look is the characteristic clothes or other distinguishing signs used by a certain character or performer, making the person more recognizable by the audience. Politicians may also have trademark signs, such as the sui ...
for their early recordings, consisting of
donkey jacket A donkey jacket is a medium-length workwear jacket, typically made of unlined black or dark blue thick Melton woollen fabric, with the shoulders back and front reinforced and protected from rain with leather or PVC panels. Originating in the ...
s and watch caps. It was inspired by
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
dockworkers A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
, such as in the film ''
On The Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. ...
''. After the release of their first single " Dance Stance" in December, which entered the charts and led to the band signing to
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
, the band underwent a nationwide tour titled Straight To The Heart in 1980. Their lineup would change slightly at this point, with John Jay being replaced by Bobby Ward who was later replaced by
Andy "Stoker" Growcott Andrew Growcott (a.k.a. Stoker) is a former member of the pop rock band Dexys Midnight Runners. After the Dexys broke up, he and another bandmate, Mickey Billingham, joined new wave band General Public. Growcott also played with Stephen Tin Ti ...
on drums and
Pete Saunders Peter Saunders (born 1960) is an English keyboard player. Early life Saunders was born in Hammersmith in West London. When he was 14, his family moved to Birmingham. At the age of 16, he joined Pub Theatre and wrote songs and performed with th ...
being replaced by
Andy Leek Andy Leek (born 1958) is a singer/songwriter, poet and musician, known for his work with Dexys Midnight Runners and Sir George Martin. He is an original member of Dexys Midnight Runners and played on the number one single "Geno". He has also wri ...
on organ. The band released their next single, "
Geno Geno may refer to: __NOTOC__ People *Geno (given name), including a list of people with the name *Marián Geňo (born 1984), Czech footballer *Evgeni Malkin (born 1986), Russian ice hockey player nicknamed Geno Art and entertainment *Geno (son ...
", on March 15, 1980, which peaked at number 1 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.


Recording

The band recorded ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' over 12 days at
Chipping Norton Recording Studios Chipping Norton Recording Studios was a residential recording studio in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, which operated from 1971 until October 1999. The studios were created by Mike and Richard Vernon as the in-house studio for Mike Ver ...
in
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
, England. It was produced by
Pete Wingfield William Peter Wingfield (born 7 May 1948) is an English record producer, keyboard player, songwriter, singer and music journalist. Career Whilst at Sussex University Wingfield and three other students formed the group Jellybread. In 1969, he ...
, who had previously recorded the hit single " Eighteen with a Bullet", of which Rowland was a fan. Organist Andy Leek left the group during the sessions, only appearing on two songs ("Geno", which was previously recorded, and "Thankfully Not Living in Yorkshire It Doesn't Apply"), leading to the return of Pete Saunders. "There, There, My Dear" features Rowland singing the main chorus of
Lee Dorsey Irving Lee Dorsey (December 24, 1924 – December 1, 1986) was an American pop and R&B singer during the 1960s. His biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and " Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with ...
's "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" at the end of the track.


Theft

During their time with
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
the band consistently experienced troubles with their contract: upon their initial negotiations only three members of the group (Rowland, Archer and Geoffrey "Jeff" Blythe), called the "nucleus", were signed to the label, which caused a stir within the group. They were also only being paid 6% of the royalties, whereas most bands receive 10–12%. This led to Rowland threatening to steal the album from the studio and hold it ransom until their pay was increased, which EMI laughed at. However, on the last day of mixing the record, while Wingfield was out of the studio to get a cup of coffee, the members of the group locked the door to the studio, each taking a carton of magnetic tape and ran through the building to their getaway vehicle, a
Morris Minor The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in th ...
which belonged to Saunders' girlfriend, and drove to Rowland's parents' house in Birmingham. EMI demanded the tapes back but the band had already set off on their sell-out UK tour. The band gave the tapes back when EMI raised their pay to 9%, but they almost destroyed them by travelling through the
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
, which could have demagnetized them and wiped everything.


Composition

''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' opens with the sound of
radio static Radio is the technology of signaling and telecommunication, communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device ...
, from which snippets of "
Smoke on the Water "Smoke on the Water" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, first released from the band's sixth studio album ''Machine Head'' (1972), which chronicles the 1971 fire at Montreux Casino. In a 2004 publication by ''Rolling Stone'' magaz ...
" by
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
, "
Holidays in the Sun Holiday(s) in the Sun may refer to: * ''Holidays in the Sun'' (album), by Yui * ''Holidays in the Sun'' (EP), by Cornelius * ''Holiday in the Sun'' (film), starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen * "Holidays in the Sun" (song), by the Sex Pistols * ...
" by
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
and "
Rat Race A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely. The term is ...
" by
The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
can be heard. This is then cut off by shouts by Rowland and "Big" Jim Paterson, which are followed by "Burn It Down", a re-working of the band's first single "Dance Stance". ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...
'' summed up the sound of the album as "an energetic mix of pop, Northern soul and punkish attitude." The band intended to create a brassy sound mixed with the aggression and intensity of punk rock. The music mainly consists of up-beat
soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
("Tell Me When My Light Turns Green", "Geno", "Seven Days Too Long") inspired by labels such as
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
and
Stax Streaming API for XML (StAX) is an application programming interface (API) to read and write XML documents, originating from the Java programming language community. Traditionally, XML APIs are either: * DOM based - the entire document is read in ...
, and downbeat
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
-
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
tunes ("I'm Just Looking", "I Couldn't Help It If I Tried", "Keep It"). "Seven Days Too Long" is a cover of the "Northern soul classic", originally recorded by Chuck Wood. Rowland's lyrics have been described as "a mixture of punchy bravado, deep disgust and a rather heroic flaunting of his insecurities, sobbed rather than sung," and concern subjects such as ignorance towards
Irish people The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been c ...
("Burn It Down"), an open letter to the dishonest music scene ("There, There, My Dear") and a tribute to the soul singer
Geno Washington Geno Washington (born William Francis Washington; December 1943, in Evansville, Indiana) is an American R&B singer who released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976. Music career 19 ...
("Geno").


Release

The album was released on 11 July 1980. It reached number 6 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
. It also charted on the New Zealand Music Chart for 21 weeks, peaking at number 11, and the
Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...
for 4 weeks, peaking at number 31. Two weeks after its release the album was certified Silver by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
. Three singles were released prior to the album: " Dance Stance" (originally through Oddball Records, re-recorded for the album as "Burn It Down") was released in November 1979 and reached number 40 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. "
Geno Geno may refer to: __NOTOC__ People *Geno (given name), including a list of people with the name *Marián Geňo (born 1984), Czech footballer *Evgeni Malkin (born 1986), Russian ice hockey player nicknamed Geno Art and entertainment *Geno (son ...
" was released on March 15, 1980, and reached number 1 on the UK charts and number 2 on the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
. "There, There, My Dear" was released in June 1980 and reached number 7 on the UK chart. Just before the release of the album the band underwent a sell-out UK tour titled Intense Emotions Review, with support from comedian Keith Allen. After the album's release, a new Dexys single titled "Keep It Part Two (Inferiority Part One)", which was a reworking of the album track "Keep It" with new lyrics written by Rowland, was released in October 1980 but didn't chart.


Reissues

''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' has been reissued with bonus tracks three times. First, in 1996, the eleven tracks plus seven tracks from singles that Dexys had released on EMI were issued as part of an 18-song collection entitled ''It Was Like This''; however, the two sides of Dexys' first single ("Dance Stance" b/w "I'm Just Looking") were included in the original,
Bernie Rhodes Bernard Rhodes is a designer, band manager, studio owner, record producer and songwriter who was integral to the development of the punk rock scene in the United Kingdom from the middle 1970s. He is most associated with two of the UK's best kn ...
-produced versions (with Bobby Ward on drums), not the re-recorded Wingfield-produced versions on the album. Then, a remastered edition of the album was released in 2000 for its 20th Anniversary, including two additional tracks: the music videos for "Geno" and "There, There, My Dear". Most recently, a deluxe 30th Anniversary Special Edition was released in 2010 including a bonus disc of outtakes and demos, which includes all of the bonus tracks issued with ''It Was Like This'' (tracks 3–8 and 19 on the bonus disk) as well as additional BBC live and demo recordings.


Packaging

The album cover features a photograph of a 13-year-old
Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...
boy carrying his belongings after being forced from his home in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
because of
civil unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficulty m ...
in 1971. The photo was included in the ''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'' the next day and was picked up by the band nine years later. The boy later identified himself as Anthony O'Shaughnessy. He stated that "There were tensions simmering for about three days. People did not know what was going to happen. I thought it was a dream and in the morning everything would be okay, I don't even remember the photographer doing the picture." Upon the choice of the image Rowland explained "I wanted a picture of unrest. It could have been from anywhere but I was secretly glad that it was from Ireland." The original sleeve also contained an account of the band's history along with various phrases printed with the song titles, including quotes from
Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...
's book ''
Borstal Boy ''Borstal Boy'' is a 1958 autobiographical book by Brendan Behan. The story depicts a young, fervently idealistic Behan, who loses his naïveté over the three years of his sentence to a juvenile borstal, softening his radical Irish republican ...
'' and the
Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
. The figure on the left-hand side (with the long hair) is reputed to be Robert Bates, later a member of the
Shankill Butchers The Shankill Butchers were an Ulster loyalist gang—many of whom were members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)—that was active between 1975 and 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was based in the Shankill area and was responsible for t ...
.


Reception

''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' was released to positive reviews from music critics. In ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'',
Danny Baker Danny Baker (born 22 June 1957) is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Throughout his career he has largely presented for London's regional radio and television. Baker was born in Deptford to a working-class fam ...
deemed it one of the "finest" albums of its era, while in ''
Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'', Alan Lewis applauded Dexys Midnight Runners for offering a modern spin on 1960s soul music. At the end of 1980, ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' listed ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' as one of the year's best albums, while ''NME'' ranked it the tenth best album of the year. ''
Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
'' reviewer
David Hepworth David Hepworth (born 27 July 1950) is a British music journalist, writer and publishing industry analyst who was instrumental in the foundation of a number of popular magazines in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Along with the journalist, editor and b ...
, however, was dismissive of the record and stated that "potentially good songs are dragged down by mannered vocals and would-be epic arrangements", while in the United States,
David Fricke David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...
of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' found the band's take on soul music subpar and marred by Rowland's excessive "affectations". American critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
was somewhat more enthusiastic, writing, "There are horn interjections that make me laugh out loud at their perfectly timed wrong rightness, and with Kevin Rowland quavering through his deeply felt poesy and everybody else blaring away, I enjoy it in much the same way I enjoy a no wave band on a good night". In the years following its release, ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' has been widely acclaimed by critics.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
critic Ned Raggett remarked that on the album, Rowland "takes a role that
Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...
would have in 1985 and
Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following P ...
in 1995 – the unexpected but perfect voice to capture a time and moment in the U.K – the return of 'soul' to English rock music at the dawn of
Thatcherism Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and general style of manag ...
." Daryl Easlea of
BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...
wrote that "''Young Soul Rebels'' – fierce, raging and passionate – remains one of the greatest debut albums of all time". In a retrospective review following the album's 2010 reissue, Graeme Thomson of ''
Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
'' concluded that "ultimately, the myth-making around Kevin Rowland tends to obscure the fact that he's been responsible for some truly soul-scorching music", and that "at 30 years of age, ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' continues to burn." Tom Ewing, writing in ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'', praised it as Dexys Midnight Runners' "tightest and most consistent" record, while ''
Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...
''s Neil Ashman called it "damned near perfect." In ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...
'',
Johnny Rogan John Rogan (14 February 1953 – 21 January 2021) was a British author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He wrote influential biographies of the Byrds, Neil Young, the Smiths, Van Morrison and Ray Davies. ...
called ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' "the most incandescent and refreshing record" of 1980. ''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels'' has since been included on numerous critics' lists and reference books, including ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
s list of the "100 Best Albums Ever" (#93), ''Melody Maker''s list of the "All Time Top 100 Albums" (#42), ''NME''s list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever" (#16) and ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...
''.


Track listing


Charts


Personnel

;Dexys Midnight Runners *
Kevin Rowland Kevin Rowland (born 17 August 1953) is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called ''Dexys''). The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" an ...
– vocals * Kevin "Al" Archer – guitar, vocals, liner notes * "Big" Jim Paterson – trombone * Pete Williams – bass, vocals * Geoffrey "Jeff" Blythe – saxophone * Steve "Babyface" Spooner – alto saxophone *
Pete Saunders Peter Saunders (born 1960) is an English keyboard player. Early life Saunders was born in Hammersmith in West London. When he was 14, his family moved to Birmingham. At the age of 16, he joined Pub Theatre and wrote songs and performed with th ...
– organ, piano *
Andy "Stoker" Growcott Andrew Growcott (a.k.a. Stoker) is a former member of the pop rock band Dexys Midnight Runners. After the Dexys broke up, he and another bandmate, Mickey Billingham, joined new wave band General Public. Growcott also played with Stephen Tin Ti ...
– drums *
Andy Leek Andy Leek (born 1958) is a singer/songwriter, poet and musician, known for his work with Dexys Midnight Runners and Sir George Martin. He is an original member of Dexys Midnight Runners and played on the number one single "Geno". He has also wri ...
– organ on "Geno" plus 30th Anniversary bonus tracks "Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache" and "Respect" ;Production *
Pete Wingfield William Peter Wingfield (born 7 May 1948) is an English record producer, keyboard player, songwriter, singer and music journalist. Career Whilst at Sussex University Wingfield and three other students formed the group Jellybread. In 1969, he ...
– producer * Barry Hammond – engineer * Peter Barrett – artwork * Tony Cousins – remastering (2000 re-release) * Nigel Reeve – enhanced CD Design (2000 re-release)


References


External links


''Searching for the Young Soul Rebels''
(
Adobe Flash Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia Computing platform, software platform used for production of Flash animation, animations, rich web applications, application software, desktop applications, mobile apps, mo ...
) at
Radio3Net Radio 3 net is the former ''Radio România Tineret'' (or Radio 3). More than 20,000 albums are stored on Radio 3 net. A few of the prominent features available on the website are "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and "Search & Play". ...
(streamed copy where licensed)
www.petewilliamsmusic.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Searching For The Young Soul Rebels Dexys Midnight Runners albums 1980 debut albums EMI Records albums