"I Couldn't Help It If I Tried"

Being a child of the 80’s, I knew Dexy’s Midnight Runners from their 1982 smash “Come On Eileen,” a song that I probably heard at almost every Bar Mitzvah I ever attended. However, that was where my knowledge of the band ended; I figured they were just another in a long line of one hit wonders.

I was wrong. Thanks to my friend Lewis, I recently got turned on to Dexy’s 1980 debut album, Searching For The Young Soul Rebels, a wonderful Northern Soul (that’s British soul for you folks unfamiliar with the term) album that I’ve been getting more and more into over the past month or so. It’s unmistakably the work of British boys infatuated with American soul, but it’s remarkable for the fact that it stands as much more than homage – the band’s personality shines through.

Check out this video of “I Couldn’t Help It If I Tried.” Notice the impeccably arranged horn lines as well as the interplay between the bassist and the drummer – these guys were really good!