What many round these parts consider to be one of the finest, most influential albums of the Eighties gets a welcome 20th anniversary re-release, remastered and complete with an enhanced CD featuring original videos.
In 1980 punk had given way to new wave, the mighty ska of Two Tone was skanking its way across the nation from the midlands and the mod revival was in full swing. Ah great and glorious days indeed!
Striding purposefully into those energetic, passionate times came eight headstrong young men from Birmingham. They sported the spartan New York dockers look like De Niro in Mean Streets and immersed themselves in the Sixties soul sounds of the Atlantic and Stax labels, of Sam & Dave, Geno Washington, Aretha Franklin and The Chairmen Of The Board.
They shunned drugs and alcohol, went running together (legend has it) every morning and played their respective instruments til their lips and fingers bled.
Fronted by the huge ego and heartrending soul yelp of Kevin Rowland and imbued with a vast sense of self-belief, Dexys created one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
'Searching' still stands the test of time twenty years on. The sheer intensity, the excitement, the fat, punchy brass, Rowland's poetry and the fact that they every man Jack of them meant it, made this a spirtually moving and inspirational affair.
The gritty defiance of rousing opener 'Burn It Down', the frustration and yearning of 'Tell Me When My Light Turns Green', the sheer celebration of the chart-topping 'Geno', the gorgeously reflective 'I Couldn't Help It If I Tried' and the sax-backed spoken word of 'Love Part One' are classics all.
Having just finished recording this album, the band -in protest at being ripped off by EMI- pinched the master tapes from the studio in a commando style raid and burned rubber on the motorway back up to Birmingham, the police in hot pursuit.
Hard to imagine Steps doing that. But perhaps music used to mean a lot more back then. Ask any thirtysomething worth their salt about 'Searching' and see them go all misty-eyed for those lost years. For they were marvellous times, yes indeed.
Last seen, Kevin Rowland was wearing a dress and doing cover versions but he still had that voice. How about an album of new material sir! The "new soul vision" would be most welcome round here.
