Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Robert Christgau | B |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.9/10 |
| Drowned In Sound | 9/10 |
| Melody Maker | |
| Mojo | |
| Uncut | |
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels has been widely acclaimed by music critics. In 2008 the BBC stated that "Young Soul Rebels - fierce, raging and passionate - remains one of the greatest debut albums of all time" and later commented "this was the sound of a soul released from a straitjacket still blazes as poetry." Pitchfork Media and Drowned In Sound gave the album 8.9/10 and 9/10 respectively, both calling it their most coherent and consistent record, Drowned In Sound adding "in fact it’s damned near perfect." Allmusic gave the album 4 and a half stars, explaining its importance as "Rowland takes a role that Morrissey would have in 1985 and Jarvis Cocker in 1995 - the unexpected but perfect voice to capture a time and moment in the U.K - the return of "soul" to English rock music at the dawn of Thatcherism." In a lengthy retrospective review Uncut gave the album 5 stars, concluding with "ultimately, the myth-making around Kevin Rowland tends to obscure the fact that he’s been responsible for some truly soul-scorching music. At 30 years of age, Young Soul Rebels continues to burn." Melody Maker gave the album 5 stars, calling Dexys "the best white soul band of all time. This album is still new testament in truth and communication, clear ideas finding their perfect expression," while Mojo gave it 4 stars, calling it "the most incandescent and refreshing record of the year " Robert Christgau expressed more of a mixed opinion, giving the album a B, explaining "this is not a soul record. It is a weird record - There are horn interjections that make me laugh out loud at their perfectly timed wrong rightness, and with Kevin Rowland quavering through his deeply felt poesy and everybody else blaring away, I enjoy it in much the same way I enjoy a no wave band."
The album was included in the 1980 "Albums of the Year" lists for Melody Maker, which was in no particular order, and NME, being placed at #10. It has since been included on numerous critics' lists and reference books, including The Guardian's list of the 100 Best Albums Ever (#93), Melody Maker's of the All Time Top 100 Albums (#42), NME's list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever (#16) and a place in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
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Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied modestly. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.””
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“He’s leaving Germany by special request of the Nazi government. First he sends a dispatch about Danzig and how 10,000 German tourists are pouring into the city every day with butterfly nets in their hands and submachine guns in their knapsacks. They warn him right then. What does he do next? Goes to a reception at von Ribbentropf’s and keeps yelling for gefilte fish!”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)
“But in the reception of metaphysical formula, all depends, as regards their actual and ulterior result, on the pre-existent qualities of that soil of human nature into which they fall—the company they find already present there, on their admission into the house of thought.”
—Walter Pater (1839–1894)