by William Ruhlmann Geno is a compilation album containing the A- and B-sides of the first five singles released by Dexy's Midnight Runners in the U.K. between 1979 and 1981. Four of these singles made the British charts, three hit the Top 40, two the Top Ten, and one, "Geno," and a tribute to American expatriate soul singer Geno Washington, went to number one. The first four singles, "Dance Stance," "Geno," "There There My Dear," and "Keep It," were made by the original Dexys lineup, which featured three horns and sported what in England was called a "northern soul" sound, i.e., the gutbucket R&B style of Booker T. & the MG's. But instead of a gritty soul singer up front, there was the adenoidal Kevin Rowland, who sang with a theatrical passion that was moving despite its pretentiousness. By the time of "Keep It," Rowland seemed to have nothing but posturing on his mind, after which the band split. Rowland reorganized a new unit to make a fi...