I just received their CD “Kitty Lie Over” today, and have listened to it for the first time.
This is an outstanding collection of tunes and played, in the words of Peter Browne’s sleeve notes,
“with enjoyment and ease, yet with the right amount of respect, bringing out its essential good nature.”
This CD will get loads of playing time in my home, my car, and on the portable player as well.
Simply outstanding music here. Thank you, Mick and Caoimhín!
BrianC
I’ve heard good things about this one. It’s slated to be on my next CD wastrel run (like I need to spend more money already)!
Hi Everyone,
I haven’t posted here before, but was just about to post about Mick’s new CD and saw someone had already done so.
This is the pure Drop and some of the best piping you will ever hear. Mick is a genius on the Regs and elegant is his style. Great fiddling and whistle tracks too and one track where the pipes and fiddle are just awesome together. Don’t miss this one.
Just got in a case of them if you can’t find them locally, I will keep them in stock along with his wonderful first CD- May Morning Dew.
I notice OssianUSA have this listed on their website, for all us Yanks. Mick O’s a really amazing, flowing player, lots of droning single regulator notes, and bends and slides on the chanter. Very unique style. If any of yas need any more convincing! I hope this CD tops his solo one, nice as that was.
Kevin correctly states that Ossian has the CD for purchase here in the USA.
Oddly, though - I noticed that when I opened the shipping box, that both of the CDs that I’d ordered were not shrink-wrapped. Ossian apparently opens them and places their own sticker inside the jewel case, on the sleeve notes. I thought this rather odd…
BrianC
Say, has anybody noticed that the regs on Mick’s flat set sound uncannily like human voices? Shades of Paganini… 
I wholeheartedly agree that this is a marvelous album-I reckon it’s my ITM album of the year,so far.BUY IT! 
Hey, my cat definitely likes this CD! Typical of cats, she seems to like music in general, and of course most of what she hears under this roof is ITM (surprise). But I’ll load it into the laptop, and she’ll make a point of being nearby if not on my lap while it plays. She’s usually not so present when I’m at the computer. Endorsed by cats: Kitty Lie Over is aptly named. Mine’s lying over my knees purring like a flat set.
Oh, I like the CD, too. Bunches.
Also see the current issue of The Piper’s Review, the Rt Hon P D’arcy did a review there as well; its on my list to buy as well as Brendan Ring
I would like to second Nano’s comment on Mick’s B set regs sounding like human voices (esp. on the Cuckoo’s Nest hornpipe set on “May Morning Dew”). What is going on there? What is the nature of Froment’s reg reeds?
t
I was actually going to comment on the B set. It’s actually a little flat of B . . . and the drone sound seems a little harsh to me. I guess I’m more a Wooffer than a Fermenter. 
But that album is a wonderful set of tunes, is it not?
Stuart
He used a Bflat for most tracks, it’s definitely and very much sounding like a Froment. I actually played it during the time they were recording and it a world apart from a Wooff, I almost couldn’t believe how different the approach actually is.
I edit in a photgraph taken by Mick at the time, a bit of a reversal of roles as I had been pointing the lenses at the lads all weekend, when we weren’t playing tunes that is. Personally I would have moved the chair so you could see a bit more of the pipes.
Peter, could you talk more about your impression of that set vs. a Wooff set?
t
Thanks, Peter! I thought I was going mad. I knew that he had a B set, but most of those tracks sounded in Bb to me.
And yes, it is quite striking to realize how different Froment and Wooff sets are.
Start
Mick O’ Brien also play the Alain Forment B flat set of pipes on the Boys of the lough CD “the west of ireland” (Lough Records 007CD 1999) he is jioned by Cathal McConnell on B flat flute..
Mick plays My Bonnie Blue-Eyed Lassie slow air (solo) and then Cathal joins in for the reels The Boys of the Twenty-Five/The Strokestown.
Just for clarification - there are two different sets here by Alain Froment - one in B and one in B flat.
That’s clear to me. I just didn’t realize he also had a Bb set. I thought the B was downtuned quite a bit.
Stuart
Different in what way? Harder reeds, different sound?
I think the sound is quite different, just from the sets in B that I’ve heard from both makers. I’m quite partial to the Wooff drone sound, which I think is more like a gentle foundation of sound. Froment drones are throatier, like a sports car with a minimal muffler. Just different.
I haven’t played both kinds, though.
Stuart
I just got this from a friend and it’s one lovely record.
Nice photos from a “Peter Leban.” Friend of yours, Peter? They get it right later in the liner notes, though.
Willie Clancy played a rather different version of the Fairy Reel, which he called the Jolly Bangers. It’s in CRE 3, and you can hear him play it on Seoda Ceoil 1, a sixties LP which is up for sale on Ebay right now. Mick and Caoimhin play it ala Tommy Reck and others, the “standard” version. The Dillon Brown they play is in the new Leo Rowsome book, right out of O’Neill’s. I’d imagine it was a tune Leo picked up from the “Bible” (what they used to call O’Neill’s) and played with Willie in the piping quartet. Willie had a good few “Leo” tunes, perhaps. At least they’re tunes I’ve only ever heard the two of them play: High Road to Galway, Dillon’s Fancy, like that. Leo was said to be a very popular musician in his time.
You can really hear the B to Bb transition from tracks 14 to 15. Sounds like the motor’s winding down! I’m listening to it for the first time here…nice schtuff, lads!