Has anyone heard Mick O’Brien’s latest CD? If so what are your thoughts? Is it the same high standard as Kitty Lie Over?
Thanks
Hamish
The album was released in 1999.
The word “cheesy” has been used on this forum to describe it, but despite the overwrought accompaniment and production, Mick’s playing is lovely. It’s all airs, with nary a jig, reel, or hornpipe in earshot.
Thanks Jonathan. I hadn’t heard of it until I saw it on the web some where and it said it was released in 2005 so I didn’t realise it has been around so long.
So does heavy on production also mean the album has those bad new age synthesiser sounds?
..and one other question..
would the tunes on this cd be suitable for a beginner to learn? I would like to learn some airs but I am new to learning by ear.
Thanks
H
Yes, but I think a few tunes are played on a C chanter.
Lovely playing of common song airs, but synthesiser washes galore. Some low whistle on it too if I remember correctly.
Andrew
It’s really started to bother me when I hear accoustic instruments(pipes in particular) combined with new agey hacknyed synth chords. Some really great music has gotten ruined with such hogwash.
I don’t think the CD is aimed at the [low volume] uilleann piper market…more aimed at touristy/musak market for people that like the atmosphere and mood but know nothing about Irish Trad…and I’m sure Mick was paid OK for it…don’t think it was his idea or solo project or whatever.
If theyda asked me [or you! … or whoever] I think the main logic to apply would have been “well if I don’t do it, someone will” 
Boyd
I had an elevator installed in my terraced 2up 2down especially to listen to that CD.
First floor din dins and poohs, second floor nookies and sleepies… going up!
Regards,
Harry.
Amazon.com had this cd listed on its site. Although it’s unavailable, there are samples of the 11 tracks for the curious. I guess I’ll have to go back to the favorite cd thread and revise my comments about liking “any” Mick O’Brien recording. I didn’t know this one was out there, honest!
Some call that schmaltzzak
t
Musak indeed
If I was asked and would be able to play on this level, I would refuse
If you’re looking for a companion to “Kitty Lie Over” you’ll be much better off getting Mick’s “May Morning Dew.”
No E
Exactly right! It’s been out for a while. These 2 Mick O’Brien recordings were the only ones I was aware of.
I was listening to MOB and COR on the Late Session in July 2003 (Click here.) Very nice stuff. I particularly like the Silver Spear.
What Patrick said:
I have a strong suspicion that Mick was pitched the job, hired, given a list of tunes to play, and recorded, and later all of the cheesy stuff was overdubbed.
If this is the case, then he had no control over the resulting schmuzak. But I imagine he asks more questions now before agreeing to such a project.
Don’t say that. You might make Donald Shaw and Donal Lunny cry…
I haven’t heard this album of Mick’s, although I suspect he saw a bit more money come out of it than he got for “May Morning Dew” or “Kitty Lie Over.” Didn’t he also record some schmaltzy solos for that New Agey Norweigian group Secret Garden?
As for the recording itself, yeah, the cheesy bits probably got added in later. This also is what happened with Con Durham, a piper I spent a lot of time with when I was spending a summer in Dingle. 10 years ago or something, he got paid a flat fee of 500 pounds or so to cut some tracks in a studio in Dublin. There were hardly any retakes and the whole recording process didn’t take more than five hours. The tapes sat around on a shelf somewhere for more than five years or something and then the owner of some small record label went in and added a bunch of cheesy synth stuff and and some totally out of place electric guitar (and also took credit for “arranging” all the tracks on the album) and released it under the title “Champions of Ireland-Uilleann Pipes.” Listening to it, the added-on synths and stuff are excruciatingly bad and you can tell that Con recorded the tunes in a bit of a rush job, but if you can get past all that, there are actually some pretty nice tunes on it–some airs but also dance music as well. He did a nice version of “The Pure Drop” and a couple of tracks of polkas & slides.