Too-Rye-Ay | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 July 1982 | |||
Recorded | December 1981 – March 1982 | |||
Studio | Genetic, Streatley, Berkshire [1] | |||
Genre | New wave [2] Celtic folk [3] pop [3] blue-eyed soul [3] | |||
Length | 40:37 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Producer | ||||
Dexys Midnight Runners chronology | ||||
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Singles from Too-Rye-Ay | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Blender | [5] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
NME | 8/10 [7] |
Q | [8] |
Record Collector | [9] |
The Village Voice | B+ [10] |
Too-Rye-Ay is the second studio album by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners. It was released in July 1982 by Mercury Records. The album is best known for the hit single "Come On Eileen", which included the refrain that inspired the album's title. It was the band's most successful album, debuting at number two on the UK Albums Chart. [11]
Shortly before recording this album, Dexys' bandleader Kevin Rowland had decided to add a violin section to the band's existing horn section, which had contributed strings (viola and cello) to the band's previous single, "Liars A to E". However, after violinists Helen O'Hara and Steve Brennan joined the band, the three members of the horn section, including Dexys' co-leader and album co-composer "Big" Jim Paterson, decided to leave Dexys and become an independent horn band (ultimately known as The TKO Horns). Rowland convinced them to stay with the band long enough to record the album and to perform in a kick-off concert debuting the album on BBC Radio One in June 1982.
All the songs on the album were rearranged to add strings, which caused Dexys to re-record the 1981 singles "Plan B", "Liars A to E", and "Soon". During the rearrangement process, "Soon" was revised into the opening section of "Plan B"; since both songs were written by Rowland and Paterson, the merged songs are credited on the album simply as "Plan B".
The album's "Come On Eileen" became a number one hit in both the UK and the US. Dexys Midnight Runners are best known as a one-hit wonder in the US ("Come On Eileen" was also the first US single release by Dexys), but in the UK, "Geno" had previously reached number one, and "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" and "The Celtic Soul Brothers" were also UK hits.
Before "Come On Eileen", Dexys' only North American single was the Northern Soul classic "Seven Days Too Long", which Dexys' previous label EMI America had released only in Canada (with "Geno" as the B-side). However, on the strength of "Come On Eileen", Too-Rye-Ay reached number 14 in the US. [12] Dexys' success in US was not maintained; the best performer of the band's follow-up singles in the US was "The Celtic Soul Brothers", which peaked at number 86. [12]
Different releases of Too-Rye-Ay featured different versions of "Come On Eileen". Certain editions of the album featured a version beginning with a solo fiddle playing the first line of the folk song "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms" and ending with a simple fadeout (length: 4:12). This version of the song is the one featured on the single release. However, many other versions of the album omit this fiddle solo, beginning directly with the bassline (length 4:07). Other editions of the album (including many of the "re-releases") featured a version without the violin intro and including a tag of Kevin Rowland singing "Young Charms" at the end (length: approximately 4:32), while the digital version offered by Spotify and the 2002 US CD reissue includes both front and end "Young Charms" tags. (length: approximately 4:47, or 4:19 without the ending tag). In addition, the most common release of the album features "Come On Eileen" as the final track, while the original US release features the tune as the opening track on Side 2.
The album was re-released in 1996 on CD with eight bonus tracks. In 2000 an enhanced edition was released with the music videos for "Come On Eileen" and "Jackie Wilson Said" as bonus material. In 2002 a US edition with bonus tracks was released. Marking its 25th anniversary, a 2007 two-CD deluxe edition was released, which included the entire 14-song album kickoff performance on BBC Radio 1 that had previously been released (without "I'll Show You") as BBC Radio One Live in Concert .
In August 2022 the album was again re-released with three CDs with the bonus tracks from 1996 plus five more and a live show from 1982. The studio album was also remixed; thus, it is called Too-Rye-Ay 'As It Should Have Sounded.' Rowland said about the remixes, "The songs and performances are great, but I always felt the mixes could be better. It's my most successful album, but it doesn't sound as good as the others." [13] It was also released on vinyl.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "The Celtic Soul Brothers (More, Please, Thank You)" | Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson, Mickey Billingham | 3:07 |
2. | "Let's Make This Precious" | Rowland, Paterson | 4:03 |
3. | "All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz)" | Rowland, Paterson | 4:08 |
4. | "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" | Van Morrison | 3:06 |
5. | "Old" | Rowland, Paterson | 5:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Plan B" | Rowland, Paterson | 5:04 |
7. | "I'll Show You" | Rowland, Paterson | 2:41 |
8. | "Liars A to E" | Rowland, Paterson, Steve Torch | 4:10 |
9. | "Until I Believe in My Soul" | Rowland, Paterson | 7:00 |
10. | "Come On Eileen" | Rowland, Paterson, Billy Adams | 4:32 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "The Celtic Soul Brothers" (US mix) | Rowland, Jim Paterson, Billingham | 3:05 |
12. | "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" (live) | Morrison | 2:48 |
13. | "Come On Eileen" (live) | Rowland, Paterson, Adams | 7:16 |
14. | "Marguerita Time" ("This Is What She's Like" B-side) | Francis Rossi, Bernie Frost | 4:50 |
15. | "Respect" (live) | Otis Redding | 7:45 |
16. | "Dubious" ("Come On Eileen" B-side) | Rowland, Paterson | 2:38 |
17. | "Love Part Two" ("The Celtic Soul Brothers" B-side) | Rowland, Billingham | 1:43 |
18. | "T.S.O.P." ("Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" 12 inch B-side) | Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff | 3:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Show Me" (single) | Rowland, Paterson | 3:24 |
12. | "Dubious" ("Come On Eileen" B-side) | Rowland, Paterson | 2:50 |
13. | "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" ("Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" 12 inch B-side) | Gamble, Huff | 3:42 |
14. | "Let's Get This Straight (From the Start)" (Single) | Rowland, Adams, Helen O'Hara | 3:36 |
15. | "Reminisce Part One" ("The Celtic Soul Brothers" reissue B-side) | Rowland | 5:47 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "Love Part Two" ("The Celtic Soul Brothers" B-side) | Rowland, Billingham | 1:43 |
12. | "Dubious" ("Come On Eileen" B-side) | Rowland, Paterson | 2:50 |
13. | "T.S.O.P." ("Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" 12 inch B-side) | Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff | 3:45 |
14. | "Let's Get This Straight (From the Start)" (Single) | Rowland, Adams, O'Hara | 3:36 |
15. | "Old" (Live at Shaftsbury Theatre, London) | Rowland, Paterson | 4:55 |
16. | "Respect" (Live at Shaftsbury Theatre, London) | Redding | 7:42 |
17. | "Let's Make This Precious" (original version) | Rowland, Paterson | 3:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "T.S.O.P." (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Gamble, Huff | 4:15 |
2. | "Burn It Down" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland | 4:01 |
3. | "Let's Make This Precious" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson | 4:05 |
4. | "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Morrison | 3:16 |
5. | "Come On Eileen" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson, Adams | 6:33 |
6. | "Soon" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson | 1:27 |
7. | "Plan B" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson | 4:05 |
8. | "Geno" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Kevin Archer | 3:33 |
9. | "Respect" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Redding | 6:59 |
10. | "Old" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson | 4:27 |
11. | "The Celtic Soul Brothers (More, Please, Thank You)" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson, Billingham | 2:46 |
12. | "There There, My Dear" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Archer | 4:55 |
13. | "Show Me" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson | 3:25 |
14. | "I'll Show You" (BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, Newcastle) | Rowland, Paterson | 3:03 |
15. | "Let's Make This Precious" (BBC Session with David Jensen) | Rowland, Paterson | 3:41 |
16. | "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" (BBC Session with David Jensen) | Morrison | 3:05 |
17. | "All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz)" (BBC Session with David Jensen) | Rowland, Paterson | 3:52 |
18. | "Old" (BBC Session with David Jensen) | Rowland, Paterson | 4:40 |
19. | "Reminisce Part One" ("The Celtic Soul Brothers" reissue B-side) | Rowland | 5:47 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [24] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [25] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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Dexys Midnight Runners are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid- 1980s. They are best known in the UK for their songs "Geno" and "Come On Eileen", both of which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved six other top-20 singles. "Come On Eileen" also topped the US Billboard Hot 100, and, with extensive airplay on MTV, they are associated with the Second British Invasion.
Kevin Rowland is a British singer and musician best known as the frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners. The band had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" and "Come On Eileen", both of which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.
"Come On Eileen" is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners, released in the United Kingdom in June 1982 as a single from their second studio album Too-Rye-Ay. It reached number one in the United States and was their second number one hit in the UK, following 1980's "Geno". The song was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley and was initially claimed to be written by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, although Rowland later stated that the essence of the tune should be attributed to Kevin Archer.
Kevin "Al" Archer is an English guitarist and songwriter.
Helen O'Hara is a British musician. She was a member and violinist of Dexys Midnight Runners from 1982 to 1987, including performing on songs such as "Come on Eileen", and in 2021 rejoined the band.
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels is the debut studio album by English band Dexys Midnight Runners, released on 11 July 1980, through Parlophone and EMI Records. Led by Kevin Rowland, the band formed in 1978 in Birmingham, 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, particularly influenced by the Northern soul movement.
Don't Stand Me Down is the third studio album by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners, released in September 1985 by Mercury Records. The title of the album was inspired by a line in the album's song "The Waltz".
BBC Radio One Live in Concert was a live album by Dexys Midnight Runners, recorded for the BBC in 1982 and released in 1995. It was the group's first official live album and remained their only official live album until the release of The Projected Passion Revue in 2007. The album is unique as it is Dexys' only live recording where the members of The Projected Passion Revue horn section are present alongside the Too-Rye-Ay strings. Immediately after this concert, the horn section left the group and formed The TKO Horns.
"Geno" is a song by Dexys Midnight Runners, released in 1980 as the lead single from their debut album Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. Written by Kevin Archer and Kevin Rowland, it was the band's second overall single and their first UK number one, staying at the top of the singles chart for two weeks. In Ireland, the song charted at number two.
"Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral " is a classic American song that was written in 1913 by composer James Royce Shannon (1881–1946) for the Tin Pan Alley musical Shameen Dhu. The original recording of the song, by Chauncey Olcott, peaked at #1 on the music charts. The song was brought back to prominence by Bing Crosby's performance in 1944's Going My Way. Crosby's single sold over a million copies and peaked at #4 on the Billboard music charts.
Paul George Speare is an English composer, producer, freelance saxophonist and flute player, formerly a member of Dexys Midnight Runners and The TKO Horns.
"Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" is a song written and performed by Van Morrison and featured as the opening track on his sixth studio album, Saint Dominic's Preview. It was released by Warner Bros. in July 1972 as the first of three singles from the album and charted at number sixty-one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Both the music and lyrics are inspired by rhythm and blues singer Jackie Wilson and his song "Reet Petite", which is directly quoted in the song.
The Projected Passion Revue is a compilation album by the group Dexys Midnight Runners, comprising recordings made in 1981, between the group's first album Searching for the Young Soul Rebels and its second, Too-Rye-Ay. The album represents a stage in the group's development which built upon the blue-eyed soul sound of the original line-up, but came before the group's adoption of a significant folk influence.
"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.
"The Celtic Soul Brothers" is a song by Dexys Midnight Runners, written by band members Mickey Billingham, Jimmy Paterson and Kevin Rowland.
"Marguerita Time" is a 1983 song by the British rock band Status Quo. It was the third track to be released as a single from their 1983 album Back to Back. The single was also issued as a limited edition picture disc, and in a Christmas double pack that included "Caroline"/"Joanne". The single became one of the band's biggest hits, peaking at no. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and was later certified Silver by the BPI for sales in excess of 250,000 copies.
Let's Make This Precious: The Best of Dexys Midnight Runners is a best-of compilation album by Dexys Midnight Runners, which also contained two newly recorded songs by the group, "Manhood" and "My Life in England ". Dexys had broken up in early 1987, and these two songs, recorded in 2003, were the first new Dexys material since the single "Because of You" in 1986. Nevertheless, the album was similar to the 1991 compilation The Very Best of Dexys Midnight Runners, as eleven of the sixteen older Dexys songs on it had also been included on that album. However, to record the two new songs, Rowland put together a new version of Dexys that featured prior members Pete Williams and Mick Talbot (keyboards) plus new members such as Lucy Morgan (viola) and Neil Hubbard (guitar), and the reformed band played a series of live concerts later in 2003.
This is the discography of British pop rock band Dexys Midnight Runners, currently known officially as Dexys.
"This Is What She's Like" is a song by Dexys Midnight Runners, released on their third studio album Don't Stand Me Down in September 1985 by Mercury Records, and in November 1985 as a single. The song is credited to Kevin Rowland, Billy Adams, and Helen O'Hara, with production by Rowland and Alan Winstanley. The song, inspired by Rowland's relationship with O'Hara, includes spoken conversations between Rowland and Adams. Rather than answering Adams's repeated in-song question about what "she" is like, Rowland contrasts the "she" of the title with people who irritate him, for example those who put creases in their jeans, and members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
The Feminine Divine is the sixth studio album by the English band Dexys, released on 28 July 2023 by 100% Records. The tracks were written by Kevin Rowland, Sean Read, Mike Timothy and Jim Paterson, and the album was produced by Pete Schwier and Toby Chapman. It was the group's first album of original songs since One Day I'm Going to Soar (2012) and their first album in seven years since Let the Record Show (2016). It is a concept album themed around Rowland's progress across three decades from being sexist to becoming a champion for women.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)"Come on Eileen," a distinctive fusion of '80s pop, Celtic folk, and blue-eyed soul.