The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
As i was only a nipper in the late 70s/early 80s,i've oftentimes wondered about the dramatic change that came over Paul Brady during this period.One minute he was singing in a Strabane accent all about whacking fellas over the head with shillelaghs & next he's goin on about girls sipping Pernod in nightclubs in his finest mid-Atlantic twang.Ive never come across any accounts from the time - Was he dis-illusioned with the folk scene? or what?
It must have come as a shock to his fans at the time.Did he get booed like Dylan or did they just not show up?By the way ive always liked him in both guises,he has written some fine songs although i wouldn't be gone on all of them.I just find it such a drastic change.
I must admit I find it hard to listen to his pop/rock stuff, but he does have a great voice for sure. Infact I remember reading a long article around the time of the liberty tapes, that he had got sick of constant touring, he had got married, kid on the way, new house and decided to take a rest for a while. Not sure how long the rest was but I do remember that he said that when he returned to the music he had forgotten how to sing!!
I think his ablum with Irvine and his Welcome here kind stranger album ( now deleted I think ) is definately him at his best !
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
He still plays mandolin, and backs trad, but I heard him quoted once as saying he'd played nothing but ITM for 10 years and wanted to try something different.
Fair play to him for following his instincts but I wouldn't be a huge fan of his later stuff!
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
I think he's written some well structured songs like 'Blue world' and 'Crazy Dreams'.Some of the others i can take or leave.
What puzzles me is he had a wonderful fluid fingerstyle technique on guitar evident on songs like 'mcbride' & 'lakes of ponchatrain', yet when he stopped playing folk he seemed to abandon that style as well.His guitar playing has never really been evident in his later recordings.Shame cos he's one of the best.
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Thats right Cunnla
Those two tracks and nobody knows Are musically nice, but much harder to appreciate!!
Hes still a great musician you cant take that away!
I guess maybe he left that behind, because originally back in the day I HEARD - (not saying this is true but only heard) - that he used get a real hard time from the purists - being from the north an all that, an also his arrangement of tunes etc, an the fact he played guitar wasnt appreciated etc...
if u listen to some songs - for example mcbride & mary an the soldier are exactly the same shapes- just differently arranged - maybe he wanted to get away from that - maybe he just got bored?
never know although I wish he got back to it!ps - notcie that other post went missing there yesterday - perhaps guitars are a touchy subject????!!!
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Yeah he musta been put off by the mention of 20 guitars to a session.Had him reaching for the exterminate button i bet.
Thanks for recommending the peoples/molloy/brady one.im quite into the one peoples did with daithi sproule.great solid backing on that one.im listening a lot to unaccompanied stuff at the moment,carefully picking out notes and chords on the guitar/zouk.it's fairly slow going.im working througha cd of sliabh luachra music called 'kerry fiddles' right now.
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Know it - i quite like it - i did that too for ages - play along to the album - its great practice...especially when one of the tunes - uve been practicing comes up in a session!!!
No probs - I enjoy recommending good albums....
For me anyway cunnla - I love the strings - its in the sessions I enjoy playing in most and sound so well sometimes - thats why i quote the same albums and artists alot...
Irvine, Lunny, Brady....
keep studyin - theres something new every time i hear that stuff!
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
The problem for me is that with albums featuring great back-up,my ear naturally tends to listen to the guitar or whatever over the tune.That has hindered my own playing i think because im not listening to the tune.
That's why i'm focusing a lot on the unaccompanied stuff.trying hard to engage with the tunes
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Put on the Brady/ Molloy/ Peoples last night and that is some of the best backing and lead I've ever heard in ITM. His guitar just seems to fit so naturally with music even when playing the leads in unison. Makes me want to play more guitar now....
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
hahaha thats right Glenn - but some think the guitar parts are a little over the top!
I love it though - we had a very similar thread recently, so before I get scolded im signing out !!!!
The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
As i was only a nipper in the late 70s/early 80s,i've oftentimes wondered about the dramatic change that came over Paul Brady during this period.One minute he was singing in a Strabane accent all about whacking fellas over the head with shillelaghs & next he's goin on about girls sipping Pernod in nightclubs in his finest mid-Atlantic twang.Ive never come across any accounts from the time - Was he dis-illusioned with the folk scene? or what?
It must have come as a shock to his fans at the time.Did he get booed like Dylan or did they just not show up?By the way ive always liked him in both guises,he has written some fine songs although i wouldn't be gone on all of them.I just find it such a drastic change.
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by cunnla
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
I believe he found he couldn't make a living singing trad, and he'd been writing songs all along.
And he probably got tired of singing "Arthur McBride" day after day after day.
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by s1m0n
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Aw, but who could get tired of poor old Arthur? ;)g
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by sara g
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Paul still playes the mandolin as far as I know, and here is a few Pictures of him playing it Aug 2004.
http://www.paulbrady.com/gallery/default.asp
I must admit I find it hard to listen to his pop/rock stuff, but he does have a great voice for sure. Infact I remember reading a long article around the time of the liberty tapes, that he had got sick of constant touring, he had got married, kid on the way, new house and decided to take a rest for a while. Not sure how long the rest was but I do remember that he said that when he returned to the music he had forgotten how to sing!!
I think his ablum with Irvine and his Welcome here kind stranger album ( now deleted I think ) is definately him at his best !
KS
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by KS
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
He still plays mandolin, and backs trad, but I heard him quoted once as saying he'd played nothing but ITM for 10 years and wanted to try something different.
Fair play to him for following his instincts but I wouldn't be a huge fan of his later stuff!
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by Hugo Chavez
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
I think he's written some well structured songs like 'Blue world' and 'Crazy Dreams'.Some of the others i can take or leave.
What puzzles me is he had a wonderful fluid fingerstyle technique on guitar evident on songs like 'mcbride' & 'lakes of ponchatrain', yet when he stopped playing folk he seemed to abandon that style as well.His guitar playing has never really been evident in his later recordings.Shame cos he's one of the best.
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by cunnla
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Thats right Cunnla
Those two tracks and nobody knows Are musically nice, but much harder to appreciate!!
Hes still a great musician you cant take that away!
I guess maybe he left that behind, because originally back in the day I HEARD - (not saying this is true but only heard) - that he used get a real hard time from the purists - being from the north an all that, an also his arrangement of tunes etc, an the fact he played guitar wasnt appreciated etc...
if u listen to some songs - for example mcbride & mary an the soldier are exactly the same shapes- just differently arranged - maybe he wanted to get away from that - maybe he just got bored?
never know although I wish he got back to it!ps - notcie that other post went missing there yesterday - perhaps guitars are a touchy subject????!!!
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by Hugo Chavez
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Yeah he musta been put off by the mention of 20 guitars to a session.Had him reaching for the exterminate button i bet.
Thanks for recommending the peoples/molloy/brady one.im quite into the one peoples did with daithi sproule.great solid backing on that one.im listening a lot to unaccompanied stuff at the moment,carefully picking out notes and chords on the guitar/zouk.it's fairly slow going.im working througha cd of sliabh luachra music called 'kerry fiddles' right now.
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by cunnla
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Know it - i quite like it - i did that too for ages - play along to the album - its great practice...especially when one of the tunes - uve been practicing comes up in a session!!!
No probs - I enjoy recommending good albums....
For me anyway cunnla - I love the strings - its in the sessions I enjoy playing in most and sound so well sometimes - thats why i quote the same albums and artists alot...
Irvine, Lunny, Brady....
keep studyin - theres something new every time i hear that stuff!
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by Hugo Chavez
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
The problem for me is that with albums featuring great back-up,my ear naturally tends to listen to the guitar or whatever over the tune.That has hindered my own playing i think because im not listening to the tune.
That's why i'm focusing a lot on the unaccompanied stuff.trying hard to engage with the tunes
# Posted on January 13th 2005 by cunnla
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
Put on the Brady/ Molloy/ Peoples last night and that is some of the best backing and lead I've ever heard in ITM. His guitar just seems to fit so naturally with music even when playing the leads in unison. Makes me want to play more guitar now....
# Posted on January 14th 2005 by glennP
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
hahaha thats right Glenn - but some think the guitar parts are a little over the top!
I love it though - we had a very similar thread recently, so before I get scolded im signing out !!!!
# Posted on January 14th 2005 by Hugo Chavez
Re: The mystery of paul brady & the disappearing mandolin!!!
BTW - Paul has a new CD out. Mike Harding played a track from it which I did not find very convincing:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/harding/playlist.shtml
# Posted on January 14th 2005 by kuec