Too-Rye-Ay, as it should have sounded

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The 2002 US CD reissue features the single version of "Come On Eileen" instead of the album version (which removes the fiddle intro).

We regret to inform you that the Dexys show at The London Palladium on …. is no longer going ahead. There is no way on earth I would be doing this tour or even promoting a normal 40th anniversary re-issue, if it wasn’t for the opportunity to remix it and present it how it could have sounded.

Beaumont, Mark (20 September 2007). "Dexys Midnight Runners: Too Rye Ay". NME. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016 . Retrieved 15 June 2016. To tie in with the 40th anniversary of the multi-platinum selling album, we present 'Too-Rye-Ay, as it should have sounded'. Kevin Rowland was never happy with the final mix of the album, despite its huge commercial success. So with Helen O'Hara, and Pete Schwier they decided to mix it again. In recent interviews Kevin has stated: 'The songs and performances are great, but I always felt the mixes could be better. It's my most successful album, but it doesn't sound as good as the others... This is the director's cut and it's how it should have sounded'. The album's cover has also been re-modelled, using the preferred image from the 'Come On Eileen' single sleeve. The trailblazing Birmingham-based band, led by the singular Kevin Rowland, released Too-Rye-Ay in July 1982. It came out in the wake of their transatlantic chart-topping hit, “Come On Eileen” (it outsold Irene Cara’s omnipresent “Fame” to become the UK’s biggest hit of 1982), so it arrived bearing the weight of expectation. I never want to repeat the same thing, because ultimately, you’ve got to be true to the music and the inspiration behind it,” Rowland says today. “It’s your job to honor the music, wherever it comes from. It’s not something where you should put it before a committee, and they decide how it should sound, though if you don’t do that, you probably won’t enjoy sustained success.”

And of course, the irony was, it was by far our most successful Dexys album, because of the worldwide success of ‘Come On Eileen’. Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners is recovering from a motorcycle accident but not as fast as was expected. Therefore Dexys Midnight Runners are cancelling their upcoming tour. However, Too-Rye-Ay wowed the critics (“On this record, Rowland does the impossible – makes me believe he’s found some young soul rebels,” gushed The Village Voice’s Robert Christgau) and it tore up the charts – peaking at No. 2 in the UK and No. 14 on the Billboard 200, with platinum discs to follow. In fact, in 1982, you’d have been hard-pressed to find anyone who wasn’t deliriously happy with Too-Rye-Ay – except for Kevin Rowland himself. The songs and performances are great, but I always felt the mixes could be better. It’s my most successful album, but it doesn’t sound as good as the others. This is the director’s cut and it’s how it should have sounded…“ The Quietus - Features - Reissue Of The Week - Reissue Of The Week: Dexys' Too-Rye-Ay, As It Should Have Sounded". The Quietus . Retrieved 19 October 2022.

When all is said and done, the changes are largely cosmetic. The original release, produced by Rowland with hitmakers supreme Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, was a triumphant return for a band whose previous few singles had failed to make much of a noise, its pristine sound perfectly attuned to a summer that had already served up such elegant sonic pleasures as Elvis Costello’s Imperial Bedroom and ABC’s The Lexicon Of Love. One Too-Rye-Ay song that Kevin Rowland could live with, however, was the album’s worldwide smash, “ Come On Eileen.” The story of how Dexys were transformed from the gritty, soul-tinged post-punk outfit of their debut album, Searching For The Young Soul Rebels to the more rustic-sounding, dungaree-clad stars of Too-Rye-Ay has already been well-documented elsewhere, but the process begs the question of how much Rowland’s own Irish heritage influenced the album’s overall sound. Dexys Midnight Runners were heading out on the “Too Rye Ay as it should have sounded” UK Tour in September and October 2022. Rowland was expected to have healed by then but the recovery is taking longer than expected. Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. Staunton, Terry (November 2007). "Dexys Midnight Runners – Too Rye Ay". Record Collector (342) . Retrieved 15 June 2016.

Before "Come On Eileen", Dexys' only North American single was the Northern Soul classic "Seven Days Too Long", which Dexys' previous label EMI America had released only in Canada (with "Geno" as the B-side). However, on the strength of "Come On Eileen", Too-Rye-Ay reached number 14 in the US. [12] Dexys' success in US was not maintained; the best performer of the band's follow-up singles in the US was "The Celtic Soul Brothers", which peaked at number 86. [12] What hasn’t changed a jot is the album’s ability to floor the listener with its passion, its articulacy and its wealth of ideas. Rowland’s blend of the confessional and the keenly observed is couched in a musical palette of striking ambition, a work where every note earns its place in the bigger picture. Kevin Rowland was never happy with the final mix of the album, which was first released by Mercury Records in July 1982, despite its huge commercial success. So with Helen O’Hara, and Pete Schwier they decided to mix it again. I’m so into doing this album, that we are doing shows to promote it, next year, where we will play the whole of the album from start to finish, as well as other Dexys favourites.Want to be the first to know all things live music, comedy and entertainment? Want to get the latest news, updates and presales? Sign up to our mailing list and never miss a beat. Dutchcharts.nl – Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners – Too-Rye-Ay" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022. So, I was absolutely delighted to get this opportunity to remix the album with the masterful Pete Schwier who has worked with Dexys since 1985 and Helen O’ Hara {Original violinist on the album}, is also helping. She was really good when it came to correcting the balance of the strings on stuff like Liars A To E, turning the organ down so that the violins came to life more. Basically, she helped rectify my mistakes. To make Too-Rye-Ay sound as it should, Dexys turned to a close associate, their long-time producer/engineer Pete Schwier who re-evaluated all the songs and made some cogent suggestions for sonic improvements.