Despite the memorable Celtic fiddles of Dexys Midnight Runners’ hit single "Come On Eileen", it’s taken the band more than 30 years to return to their Irish roots. After reactivating the Dexys name in 2012, frontman Kevin Rowland’s latest project is Let The Record Show: Dexys Do Irish And Country Soul. As well as traditional Celtic tunes such as "The Town I Loved So Well" and "Curragh Of Kildare", Rowland throws in renditions of more contemporary songs such as Joni Mitchell’s "Both Sides Now", Rod Stewart’s "You Wear It Well" and the Bee Gees’ "To Love Somebody".
“What a song that is!” Rowland says. “When The Bee Gees first came out from Australia I was still a kid at school. You’d hear The Bee Gees on the radio a lot in the morning when [BBC radio DJ] Tony Blackburn and that would play them, but I wasn’t really into it. What was being played on the radio was generally considered a bit naff compared to the ska, reggae, rocksteady and soul music my friends were into. My mind was a bit closed to what was on the radio because of ridiculous teenage snobbery, but great songs stay in your consciousness. To me it has a country feel to it, really.”
Rowland’s passion for his chosen songs is palpable throughout Let The Record Show: Dexys Do Irish And Country Soul, tenderly and soulfully recrafting these standards. For Rod Stewart’s "You Wear It Well" Rowland considered updating the song’s reference to ‘Madame Onassis’, but eventually opted against it.
“It’s interesting you should ask, because I did think about changing it, then I decided I’d just leave it. I did a method acting course in the ‘90s and during one class I asked the director if I could change a word in the script. He said, ‘Don’t change the script – the script is always perfect’.”
Altering another artist’s lyrics has caused Rowland headaches in the past. Rowland’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road was blocked from release in 1999 due to the fact his altered verses weren’t approved by Springsteen’s camp.
“A year or so before we released that album [My Beauty] I had said to one of the label bosses I wanted to change the lyrics on Thunder Road and asked him to get a letter to Bruce Springsteen. It was a very sincere interpretation, I just wanted to remove some of the Americanisms that didn’t fit me. The boss said okay, but he didn’t [get the letter to Springsteen]. About a week before it was due to come out someone raised the issue of lyric changes. I said, ‘Hang on, I wrote to Bruce about this’. A fax was sent to Bruce Springsteen’s lawyer and they said no point blank. So Bruce never even got to hear the song.”
For new single "Both Sides Now", Rowlands and the current Dexys line-up are filmed patrolling the cobblestone streets of East London. Rowlands walks with the gait of a man who is instilled with local pride.
“Well I haven’t really thought of it in that way, but I think you’re right. It’s a good point. It was intuitive - instead of making up a story we wanted to go with the real story. They are our local hang-outs – the vintage shop, our local café - those are our streets. Those are our friends, too. They are; like me, just people who like music, like clothes and like enjoying themselves. That’s who we are and what we do.”
Resplendent in a pink suit, the style-loving Rowland looks calm and happy in the "Both Sides Now" video. After experiencing his fair share of life’s hurdles, does Rowland feel a good outfit is like a suit of armour when it comes to taking on the world?
“It’s an interesting psychological observation, but I have no idea, mate. I wouldn’t want to be thinking about that kind of stuff. It’s too deep for me at 10 o’clock in the morning. It could be just that I like nice clothes, do you know what I mean?”
Dexys Midnight Runners’ 1981 single Plan B opened with the line “You’ve always been searching for something”. Some 35 years later, has Kevin Rowland finally found his something?
“Sometimes,” Rowland laughs. “Life’s not bad, you know? I’m still doing what I like to do after a long lay-off, so I’m very lucky. That’s the truth.”
Let The Record Show: Dexys Do Irish And Country Soul is out now on Warner Music. Find out more here.
- Scott McLennan
