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Re: (TV) (OT) Top 100 Irish albums



Horslips? Wow, Keith, that's a blast from the distant past. They had real talent, but I feel that somehow they didn't find the groove they were seeking, straddling the worlds of rock and folk. So I doubt that any of their albums are worth tracking down, even if there were gems here and there...

Keith wrote:
Ah, too much bloody U2 and no That Petrol Emotion or Horslips in the first 50?

I think it's fair to say that most of the Irish musical talent went into folk music and stayed there, which meant generally no fame or fortune. A few of the folkies got into the Hot Press list, notably Planxty, who were brilliant and very influential.

Talking of no fame or fortune, I've been listening recently to Townes Van Zandt (a fine compilation called "Drama Falls Like Teardrops"). You're reminded in turn of Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Neil Young. Great voice and guitar, and a lyrical sensibility that was all his own. Townes once said that the blues was always the biggest influence on him, and he cited Lightnin Hopkins in particular. You might recall that Tom Verlaine (in the Jutta Koether interview) also said he liked Lightnin Hopkins.

I also think of The Water Boys, who were partly Irish, though more Scottish and English. They fully embraced Irish folk music for some years but they were certainly a great rock band (maybe still are). Of course they were admirers of Patti Smith and Tom Verlaine. Didn't Verlaine guest with them sometime? And Jay Dee Daugherty is the drummer on a few Water Boys recordings.

By the way, another good thing that Hot Press did was that 1984 Verlaine interview by Liam Mackey... See: http://www.obbard.com/tvlist-archive/0306/msg00161.html

--JoeT





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