This is a recording by a group of annymous artists. They are reproducing the feel of an Irish pub session by playing con brio a number of the well-known Irish Traditional tunes and some lesser known ones. They create a "Wall of Sound" with all the soloists playing together simultaneously. Backup is provided by a rhythm guitar. This is a good opportunity for those musicians with no access to sessions to have a private one in their own home by playing along. The tune selections are sets of reels and jigs with an occasional air and mazurka thrown in to vary the tempo and feel. The airs are played on solo instruments accompanied only by the guitar. The rhythm guitar gives guitar, bazouki, and mandolin players the chance to get ideas on how to accompany these various dance beats. My only gripe--I sure miss having someone flailing away at a bodhran during all of this (this is a terrific Music Minus One CD for bodhran). Otherwise, the recording is quite traditional sounding and energetic. A must get CD.
Paddy and Kevin Glackin: fiddles
Sean Og Potts: uilleann pipes, tinwhistle
John Regan: accordion
John Wynne: flute
Tom McDonagh: bouzouki
Mark Kelly: guitar
In my mind this is one of the best recordings of traditional Irish music ever made. There isn't a single duff track!
Thier follow up album is at the top of my Christmas list!
I got this on e-bay last week, but my initial reaction is different from the views expressed above. I’ll listen again. But in the meantime:
3rd reel on track 1 is :
I think I got this recording on my first visit to Ireland some years ago. It was cheap, but I found it rather boring and sold it to the local second-hand cd shop for nothing. There are actually some nice sets of tunes, but I remember the entire recording sounded a little bit "celtic" rather than "traditional Irish." It doesn't reproduce the feel of an Irish pub session at all.
Track 10 is the air of the song that's given the band its name.(see http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/8998/naconnerys.html for lyrics, translation and notes to which I add for those who don't know; Dungarvan is a town situated in/by today's Waterford gaeltacht-)
I'm just after buying this album today for a friend. I was looking, for him, for that elusive 'authentic' or 'as experienced before' sound.. Which prompts the following remark;
I'm sure slainte knows that there are no two sessions the same, therefore no two similar 'feel' of what it is/supposed to be... 'reproduce' is right: how could one reproduce that sort of sound (let alone experience /feel)? Having said that, I agree; this is not the sound of a pub session (with busy background noise say, as captured perhaps by a Martian ethnomusicologist ) but neither is it an air-brushed celtic session (with crashing celtic ocean waves and electronic howling banshees in the back-no: fore-ground) We don't know in what conditions the album was recorded but there is a nice untouched, diy, live edge to it. (definitely pre-celtic to me! )
Listeners might want to compare this with the 'Matt Molloy's (pub) session cd or Lunasa's one-take live 'session' at the...(co. offaly hotel gig -can't member the name) ...
For those who are after the 'real' sound, nothing beats your own 'bootleg' takes of course (-Do you mean the ones where the sound of music is covered over by that of your own big mouth cracking some stupid joke at a random neighbour? -Mm...)
Celtic Session
This is a recording by a group of annymous artists. They are reproducing the feel of an Irish pub session by playing con brio a number of the well-known Irish Traditional tunes and some lesser known ones. They create a "Wall of Sound" with all the soloists playing together simultaneously. Backup is provided by a rhythm guitar. This is a good opportunity for those musicians with no access to sessions to have a private one in their own home by playing along. The tune selections are sets of reels and jigs with an occasional air and mazurka thrown in to vary the tempo and feel. The airs are played on solo instruments accompanied only by the guitar. The rhythm guitar gives guitar, bazouki, and mandolin players the chance to get ideas on how to accompany these various dance beats. My only gripe--I sure miss having someone flailing away at a bodhran during all of this (this is a terrific Music Minus One CD for bodhran). Otherwise, the recording is quite traditional sounding and energetic. A must get CD.
# Posted on February 20th 2002 by dmperry24
Buy this one...
An absolutely amazing CD. Quality throughout. A must-purchase...
# Posted on March 5th 2003 by Schy
Help, help...
Anybody know another name for the tune on the 8th track, marked as Burke's Reel?
# Posted on September 24th 2003 by Zina Lee
Who they are
An internet search rendered:
Paddy and Kevin Glackin: fiddles
Sean Og Potts: uilleann pipes, tinwhistle
John Regan: accordion
John Wynne: flute
Tom McDonagh: bouzouki
Mark Kelly: guitar
In my mind this is one of the best recordings of traditional Irish music ever made. There isn't a single duff track!
Thier follow up album is at the top of my Christmas list!
# Posted on December 14th 2003 by timbrooks
Very good CD!
The reel named as "Casey's" is "tuttle's" Or "the mills are grinding".
# Posted on March 7th 2004 by Washoo
Hmmm.......
I got this on e-bay last week, but my initial reaction is different from the views expressed above. I’ll listen again. But in the meantime:
3rd reel on track 1 is :
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/477
Not “The Man of The House”
3rd reel on track 2 is :
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/222
Not “Crossing The Shannon”
The reel Zina asks about [ although she maybe knows this by now] is this :
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1148
# Posted on May 2nd 2006 by Kenny
I think I got this recording on my first visit to Ireland some years ago. It was cheap, but I found it rather boring and sold it to the local second-hand cd shop for nothing. There are actually some nice sets of tunes, but I remember the entire recording sounded a little bit "celtic" rather than "traditional Irish." It doesn't reproduce the feel of an Irish pub session at all.
# Posted on May 2nd 2006 by slainte
Track 10 is the air of the song that's given the band its name.(see http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/8998/naconnerys.html for lyrics, translation and notes to which I add for those who don't know; Dungarvan is a town situated in/by today's Waterford gaeltacht-)
)
I'm just after buying this album today for a friend. I was looking, for him, for that elusive 'authentic' or 'as experienced before' sound.. Which prompts the following remark;
I'm sure slainte knows that there are no two sessions the same, therefore no two similar 'feel' of what it is/supposed to be... 'reproduce' is right: how could one reproduce that sort of sound (let alone experience /feel)? Having said that, I agree; this is not the sound of a pub session (with busy background noise say, as captured perhaps by a Martian ethnomusicologist ) but neither is it an air-brushed celtic session (with crashing celtic ocean waves and electronic howling banshees in the back-no: fore-ground) We don't know in what conditions the album was recorded but there is a nice untouched, diy, live edge to it. (definitely pre-celtic to me!
Listeners might want to compare this with the 'Matt Molloy's (pub) session cd or Lunasa's one-take live 'session' at the...(co. offaly hotel gig -can't member the name) ...
For those who are after the 'real' sound, nothing beats your own 'bootleg' takes of course (-Do you mean the ones where the sound of music is covered over by that of your own big mouth cracking some stupid joke at a random neighbour? -Mm...)
# Posted on September 4th 2007 by birlibirdie