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They were surly. They were serious. They were ambitious, but success had to come on their terms. They were a disciplined outfit, a gang with a defined purpose: to make music so pure that it couldn't fail to elicit a deep emotional response from anyone within earshot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd they managed it. This motley crew - in woolly hats and donkey jackets for their first coming; all dungarees and copious body hair for the second - gate-crashed the charts, scoring number-one hits around the globe. But being in Dexys wasn't all sunshine and roses. Many members came, many members went. Some returned unexpectedly as being part of this particular gang was a way of life; it was everything.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEsteemed journalist and author \u003cem\u003eNige Tassell\u003c\/em\u003e employs his skills of detection to go off in search of the dozens of members who - for however brief a period, and to whatever level of success - have been a part of \u003cstrong\u003eDexys Midnight Runners\u003c\/strong\u003e. These are the people who gave the band its sound, its soul, its substance. But whatever happened to them?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nine Eight Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardback | Signed Copy","offer_id":50424578834763,"sku":"2192824","price":7.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/image001_16_df7ba655_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726780229"},{"product_id":"truly-gifted-kids-a-book-about-a-band-called-prefab-sprouts","title":"Truly Gifted Kids: A Book About A Band Called Prefab Sprout","description":"\u003cp\u003eA celebration of a much-cherished pop group and a long-overdue companion to their unique musical output.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRolling Stone called him ‘the last pop genius’, while Richard Osman claimed he is ‘the most unfairly overlooked lyricist of his generation’.\u003cbr\u003ePaddy McAloon is undoubtedly one of the great songwriters of the last half-century. As the leader of Prefab Sprout, he’s overseen ten heavily praised albums,\u003cbr\u003eincluding the classic Steve McQueen, along with a trail of hit singles, among them ‘When Love Breaks Down’ and ‘The King of Rock ’n’ Roll’. His songs have\u003cbr\u003ebeen sung by Kylie and Cher. Others were written for Madonna, Sinatra and Streisand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut despite the commercial success and abundant critical acclaim, McAloon remains an enigmatic figure within the bright, brash world of pop. The semi-\u003cbr\u003ereclusive Prefab Sprout have seldom followed paths trod by others. They rarely toured. They took their time to make records. They always danced to their own drum.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA lifelong fan of the band, acclaimed writer Nige Tassell attempts to illuminate the mystery, to uncloak the enigma. Truly Gifted Kids is the deepest dive ever made into McAloon’s craft, exploring the motivations and methods of a man who, 13 years since the band’s last album, still obsessively marries melody to words on a daily basis, in the process building up an enormous stockpile of songs that no one will hear. Occasionally esoteric and freeform, and always original, Truly Gifted Kids pulls together stories, interviews, analysis, history and travelogue to fashion a fulsome portrait of the band, with its chief creative force at the very centre. 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