Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The Other One: Dexys Midnight Runners, "Geno"



Before they were the "Come On Eileen" band, Dexy's Midnight Runners were, at least in the UK, dangerously close to being the "Geno" band, because their first hit there was with this catchy-ass tune about soul singer Geno Washington. I actually read where a lot of contemporary reviews hated the band, and I guess they got the last laugh in the end, but fair's fair because this song has something to it, and in hindsight, is just as rocking as the later hit (which is objectively one of the best songs ever written, says I.) Like the later hit, it depends on certain elements of character which might not have jived with the times, but mark it as distinct from its influences, as does Kevin Rowland's always completely impossible vocals. What survives is the groove and spirit of it, which I dig.

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