— Steve Bush
It was far from common practice at this early stage so Steve Bush shouldn't be faulted for failing to pick a Single of the Fortnight in this issue of Smash Hits. He's hardly the first but he stands above his contemporaries in not even managing to hint at having a favourite in the batch. There are a handful that he certainly seems to have enjoyed — Kid Creole sideman Coati Mundi's "Me No Pop I" has "some of this year's finest lyrics", a reissue of Can's sole Top 30 hit "I Want More" is a "refreshing 'instrumental'" with "tinges of the Oriental and some great hammy organ bits" (though the three-and-a-half minute single does "go on too long"), Nautyculture's "Someday Sunday" mixes "reggae influences with Undertones' poppyness" — without really going too far in his praise. Oh, what I am to do?
I considered half-a-dozen singles before settling on the one I initially had in mind way back when I drew up a list of early SOTF. The Bureau's second (and final, as it would turn out) 45 seems to be the one that gave the most pleasure to Bush and I feel confident in stating that he's probably listened to it at least a handful of times in the forty years since. Can't necessarily say the same for the others so that seals it!
Dexys Midnight Runners had been a group whose lineup would not stop changing. Their well-known penchant radically altering their look (from dockside gangsters to boxing sparring partners to grubby urchins in dungarees and, finally, to preppies on the golf course — and so on into Kevin Rowland's solo career) was only matched by the shifting number of Runners that, er, ran with them. They had only just had the faintest glimpse of success with debut single "Dance Stance" (aka "Burn It Down") and two of their original members were gone. Good on them to get into the swing of constant firings and resignations right from the off.
Weathering the changes, Dexys enjoyed a strong 1980. "Geno" was a surprise chart topping single in the UK, "There, There My Dear" was an exceptional hit in its own right and album Searching for the Young Soul Rebels was a solid candidate for album of the year. Did this bring about a period of stability? Not with Kevin Rowland was charge. The only thing that remained the same was their state of flux.
It was at this point that The Bureau emerged — and with it inevitable comparisons to Dexys themselves. Rowland's voice lent character to their best work but he was never the best singer. As Bush suggests, Archie Brown's vocals are much easier on the ear, even if it still may not be to everyone's tastes. (Their first single "Only for Sheep" is musically more interesting than "Let Him Have It" but it struggles behind the singing which sounds better suited to an oddball mix of Rowland, Mark E. Smith and Mick Jagger; Daniela Soave, writing in that week's Record Mirror, prefers their second single much more in part due to giving Brown something that worked well with his vocal chops) With four former members of Dexys spearheading this new group, including sax players Geoff Blythe and Steve Spooner, it was inevitable that the two acts would have their similarities; it's just a pity there isn't much to differentiate them.
Effortlessness could be one difference though. The Bureau were solid. They were all very good at what they did. You'd enjoy seeing them play at a small club. But there's nothing remotely compelling about them. Rowland had that facility as a frontman. He could alienate his bandmates but fans were captivated by him. They were soon to return with the Top 20 hit "Show Me". It borrowed liberally from Motown and Northern Soul yet seemed fresh; "Let Him Have It" sounds too much like a throwback and not simply to sixties' black pop. It also has a little too much of new wave and pub rock about it. And where's the humour? Rowland's Young Soul Rebels/Projected Passion shtick could get tired but at least there's irony hidden away in some of his songs.
British blue-eyed soul tended to take itself seriously and it was only those who were able to get around the earnestness who ended up either getting somewhere creatively or making a splash with the public (or, ideally, both). The rest were mostly left behind, no matter the band's competence. To wit. "Let Him Have It" is a perfectly good single that one can enjoy in the moment, even if nothing of it stays with the listener once it has stopped. The finest Dexys records (some had already been released, others would be on their way within the year) managed to stick with people. Bush isn't wrong, The Bureau could be "gritty, tuneful and fun" But affecting, intriguing and memorable? I'll take the guy who wanted to "Burn It Down", thank you so much.
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
Pigbag: "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag"
Yet another new release that Bush doesn't like quite enough to gush over but I will. The young lions of UK soul ran in parallel with the brief jazz/samba boom and Pigbag came close to bridging to the two together. That earworm refrain obscures the fact that there were some crazy good soloists in this unit, the sort of players who revered Ornette Coleman and Stan Getz in equal messure. The likes of Blue Rondo à la Turk and Modern Romance could get overly slick but it's avoided here. It took time for "Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag" to catch on but Paul Weller must've been listening at this stage because he had borrowed the tune for use on the underrated Jam song "Precious" prior to this single's long overdue chart run. Pigbag weren't technically one-hit wonders but this is the only thing they're remembered for. A novelty hit but one that had plenty more to offer.
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