LOVE Dexys Midnight Runners

• 1 My Life In England Pt. 1 05:06
• 2 You've Got The Love 03:04
• 3 Once A Man, Twice A Child 03:46
• 4 You're Alright 04:18
• 5 I Want To Be Holding You Next Christmas 05:42
• 6 I'll Always Love You 04:07
• 7 Strange Feelin 05:29
• 8 It's Over Now 03:47
• 9 Old Love 04:13
• 10 My Life In England Pt. 2 05:55
• Total Runtime 45:27

Info for LOVE

LOVE, Dexys Midnight Runners latest, possibly last ever album, is a luminous collection of scenes and reckonings. Stories of family and friends, tales from past and present. All drawn from Kevin Rowland’s life, each an individual jewel, threaded together with love. Songs begun three decades ago sit alongside those written in the last year. A vivid depiction of Rowland's Irish immigrant childhood [‘My Life in England Pt 1’]; a moving letter to his grandchildren [‘You’re Alright’]; a wistful moment at the start of a love affair [‘I Want To Be Holding You Next Christmas’]; a pin-perfect portrait of time spent with a dying parent [‘Once A Man, Twice A Child’]; the difficulties of relationships when you're older [‘Old Love’]. All deeply personal, all true, all here; the full human span of relationships, family and intimate emotion.

The theme of this album - Kevin's ninth, Dexys' seventh - gradually emerged as the songs progressed. "I don’t remember when it happened, but I just thought, 'Hang on, these are all love songs, of different kinds',” he says. "I knew then: Call it LOVE." These are love songs, but not of the usual pop style. Not will-she-won't-she romance, but something more emotional and all-encompassing. Those small moments that illustrate a rollercoaster sweep. "Everyone came at this project with love," he says. To tell a lifetime of different loves. A love life.

LOVE is also their first album under the Dexys Midnight Runners name since 1985’s Don’t Stand Me Down. “We realised a couple of years ago that some young people know Dexys Midnight Runners from ‘Geno’ and ‘Come On Eileen,’ but some that we spoke to, were confused by the name, Dexys. And some, thought Dexys was a different outfit to Dexys Midnight Runners.,” says Kevin. “Since Dexys returned in 2012, we’ve always felt what we do is worthy of a young audience, so it was a no brainer to revert to Dexys Midnight Runners”.

Those familiar with Kevin’s wonderful autobiography, Bless Me Father, will recognise some of the people in these songs: his dad, his brother, his first love, more recent romances. But this is a Dexys Midnight Runners album, the group of players where Kevin began his music career, and where he works best. So his lyrics are explored and highlighted, lifted to greater heights by the songwriting and creativity of long-time collaborators Sean Read, Mike Timothy and Jim Paterson. There are strings, too, arranged by Brian Irving, originally from Belfast.

Fellow Belfast man, DJ and musician David Holmes, is the album's producer, with additional contributions from long-time collaborators Sean Read, Mike Timothy, Jim Paterson and string arranger Brian Irving. Holmes had long wanted to work with Kevin and Dexys: “They were the first act I was ever truly obsessed with, the first I saw live”. David's older sister bought him a Walkman when he was 11, and his first cassette was Searching For the Young Soul Rebels. When Kevin sent him a demo of ‘Once A Man, Twice a Child’ (written with Sean soon after Dexys' triumphant 2024 Glastonbury appearance), David was captivated. "His song writing is so strong," he says.

Dexys Midnight Runners

Dexys Midnight Runners
(currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop band with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid-1980s.

They are best known in the UK for their songs “Come On Eileen” and “Geno”, both of which peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as 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.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dexys went through numerous personnel changes over the course of three albums and 13 singles, with only singer/songwriter/co-founder Kevin Rowland remaining in the band through all of the transitions and only Rowland and “Big” Jim Paterson (trombone) appearing on all of the albums. By 1985, the band consisted only of Rowland and long-standing members Helen O’Hara (violin) and Billy Adams (guitar). The band broke up in 1987, with Rowland becoming a solo artist. After two failed restart attempts, Dexys was reformed by Rowland in 2003 with new members, as well as a few returning members from the band’s original lineup (known as Dexys Mark I).

Alongside Rowland and former Midnight Runners, Mick Talbot and Pete Williams (this time featuring as a joint lead vocalist), violinist Lucy Morgan, guitarist Neil Hubbard, bass player Julian Crampton, drummer Crispin Taylor, keyboard man Volker Janssen and ex-Bureau trombonist Paul Taylor made up the latest incarnation of Dexys Midnight Runners. An almost inevitable hiatus followed this flurry of activity with constant rumours that new material was in the pipe-line which would see Dexys return once more. These rumours seemed to be confirmed when Kevin Rowland announced on Radio 2 that Dexys were back in the studio working on a new album in June 2005 but all that emerged at the time was a demo entitled “It’s OK, Johanna” which featured on Kevin Rowland’s ‘My Space’ webpage.

Finally – after another delay lasting longer than the career of most groups – a Dexys line-up featuring Kevin Rowland, Pete Williams, Mick Talbot, Lucy Morgan and Big Jimmy Paterson returned in May 2012 with a series of live shows previewing material from their new album “One Day I’m Going To Soar”. The shows, which introduced new recruit Madeleine Hyland as co-vocalist and Kevin Rowland’s “love interest” on several songs, were greeted by standing ovations and five-star reviews. The subsequent album, including reworkings of songs created for Dexys’ aborted return in the early 90s alongside more recent compositions, received a similarly enthusiastic response from fans and critics upon its release on June 4th. Improbably or inevitably – but undeniably – Dexys were back!

For once Dexys didn’t “do a runner” after this latest return and followed the album’s release with extensive touring and festival appearances – including their debut at Glastonbury. The theatrical live performances were subsequently captured for release on the album and DVD, “Nowhere Is Home”. A film of the same name was also produced and was screened at Vue Cinemas around the country before gaining its television premiere on the BBC. Eventually in June 2016 a newly recorded selection of cover versions, “Let The Record Show Dexys Do Irish And Country Soul” was released. This album, based on an abandoned plan from the mid-Eighties to release a collection of Celtic compositions called “Irish”, became a commercial hit, reaching the top-ten of the album charts and gaining wide-spread air-play and coverage in the media. This time it seems as though Dexys might actually be back to stay!

This album contains no booklet.