How to wreck a Traditional song :(

Trad Irish Music
1

I was watching Transatlantic Sessions 4 and wanted to strangle Allison Moorer et alia for the wrecking job they did on Carrickfergus

Then I came across Ishna performing Raglan Road, while trawling for uilleann piping vids - which caused the same desires

It is amazing how good players and musicians can destroy a perfectly good song for you. :puppyeyes: :sniffle: :swear:

David

2

I’d agree with your opinion of Raglan Road, but I thought the Carrickfergus rendition was lovely. It may be a little slower than I’m used to, but I really liked it. The steel guitar gives a nice counterpoint to the pipes, too. Diff’rent strokes, I guess…

Pat

3

As Martin Carthy once observed, the worst thing you can do to a traditional song is not sing it.

4

Mention of the Carthy dynasty reminds me of the worst travesty of a great song ever committed. Listen to Nic Jones’ sublime singing of “Ten Thousand Miles” (if you can get hold of a copy of the album “Noah’s Ark Trap,” and, if you can’t, write a very nasty letter to a certain Mr Dave Bulmer), then listen to Eliza Carthy’s absolute murdering of the song. You really do need to hear both before judging the latter, to be fair to Ms Carthy, otherwise you won’t know what you’re missing.

5

To be honest, I frequently find something missing from Ms Carthy’s music. I regularly find myself impressed by her talent and underwhelmed by her taste, but she does have her fans, I suppose.

6

so did the Monkees :smiling_imp:

7

it went on for ever! we were fast-forwarding it on i-player hoping they would do somthing a little more up-beat after it and then the credits rolled :frowning:
Then again - our house has a bit of a hate-hate relationship with that song.

8

I only ever want to hear Luke Kelly singing Raglan Road, just like I only ever want to hear Shane McGowan singing Pair of Brown Eyes (sorry, Christy) and like I only ever want to hear Jacqueline Du Pré playing the Elgar cello concerto. Purely subjective notions I know!

9

Hi Steve

I liked Luke Kelly’s version too, but for me the singer that I most enjoyed performing Raglan Road has to be Ronnie Drew.

David

10

Good, but not Luke.

11

Well Steve

How about a more contemporary Irish singer singing Raglan Road Maurice Dickson singing Raglan Road - to show a nice version as against the Ishna one.

David

12

I really like Sinead O’Connor’s version of Raglan Road. It is beautifully sung, and she keeps it simple. I really like the version of the Chieftains album, Tears of Stone. I don’t know who the singer is, but it is a beautiful rendition.

13

Nah. Neither of those. Where’s the grit, the soul, the scorned lover’s anger and arrogance! The angel and the clay! The delusion!

14

I know what you mean about Du Pre and the Elgar, Steve. But I would just put a mention in for Casals’ version - very different, but also beautiful.

15

Got to hear that in person last night :heart:

16

David, see if maybe this puts you back to rights with “Carrickfergus.”

Knowing that taste is a very subjective thing, I apologize if I just made things worse for you. I enjoyed it, in any event. :pint:

17

Hi Mike

No problem with this one - the song sung simply in a relaxed contemplative style is how I like it sung.

David

18

I get REALLY sick of Whiskey in the Jar. Hell, I hate the fact my Irish rock band plays it. Great traditional storytelling via lyrics BUT if I hear the Thin Lizzy version one more time… :swear:

Matt

19

I briefly downloaded someone’s collection of something like 70 covers of Whiskey in the Kilgary mush-a-ring dum-a-doo. Ouch.

20

Yikes! How random is that for a collection? :boggle:

Matt