I went on a bit of a cd-buying spree yesterday, for the first time in a while, and ran across a cd of Matt Molloy (flute), Tommy Peoples (fiddle), and Paul Brady (guitar/bouzouki/vocals) which is a re-release by Mulligan of the 1978 record. This is an incredible cd - in mono, I think, but no less impressive for that. Anyone who wants either an introduction to the musical skills of these three legends, or to add to their collection, should probably get their hands on this.
I like it anyway! 
Deirdre
Paul Brady is awesome. Not mentioned as much as Peoples and Molloy here.
My exposure to Paul Brady was as a singer/songwriter who did some Irish-y songs; it’s only in the last few months that I’ve realised that he’s also a great Irish traditional musician and accompanist. His backing on this cd is wonderful & worth hearing. I think he plays mostly bouzouki, and there’s one track with a bouzouki solo from him - it’s amazing. A really nice version of The Rainy Day, followed by The Grand Canal. If you haven’t heard him a lot or at all, try to listen to some of his stuff! He was a member of Planxty in the '70s… See http://www.paulbrady.com/ for more info. At the moment, he’s also doing a series (complete with book and cd/dvd) with/for RTE, The Paul Brady Songbook. More info on that at http://www.paulbrady.com/discog/songbookcd2.asp
You should all get this cd!
Hi Dierdre,
I got a Molloy/Brady/Peoples album on an ebay haul, but it’s from Green Linnet, copyright 1985, although the recordings are from 1977. I agree Brady is a wonder. I couldn’t get his singing of “Shamrock shore” out of my head for a long time the first time I heard it. I like the no-frills production, and the way Mr. Molloy lays a big sharp note starting off on the first cut. Paul Brady only plays guitar on this CD.
Cara
The Mulligan version of this cd is entirely devoid of any in-depth sleeve notes. There’s an intro by Tony MacMahon, the set list on the back cover, and a brief section by Paul Brady on the background to Shamrock Shore. That’s it! It does mention that PB plays guitar; for some reason, the instrument he’s playing sounds more like bouzouki than guitar to me, on most of the tracks. Oh well - I stand corrected! 
I did a quick search last night, and I think GL [ 
] is the US distributor for this cd - same dates as you mention.
The Mulligan version of this cd is entirely devoid of any in-depth sleeve notes. There’s an intro by Tony MacMahon, the set list on the back cover, and a brief section by Paul Brady on the background to Shamrock Shore. That’s it! It does mention that PB plays guitar; for some reason, the instrument he’s playing sounds more like bouzouki than guitar to me, on most of the tracks. Oh well - I stand corrected!
I did a quick search last night, and I think GL [ ] is the US distributor for this cd - same dates as you mention.
So we’re enjoying the same album! 
Another CD I got in the same ebay frenzy was “Good Friends-- Good Music,” by the Boys of the Lough, with guest artists. Similar plain production values, but the variety! On one track, it’s just 3 flute players in unison. On another, it’s old-timey (American) dulcimer & bouzouki. There’s a great Canadian waltz, some Gaelic mouth music, and marches, reels, hornpipes, and jigs. And best of all, it’s easy to learn from. I’ve been able to pick up most of the tunes straight from the CD, no slow-downer required!
C.
I love this CD. Even now i can hear Paul Brady’s guitar solo track. Amazing.
Also try: Music at Matt Molloy’s for the same kind of rough energy and craic.
Interesting. I found this CD a disappointment and I am a big Tommy Peoples fan and very fond of Matt Molloy too. I’d call the production muddy not plain. I actually thought there were balance problems in places too.
I do need to listen again a few times though. I might simply have been in the wrong mood on the occasions when I listened to it. Sometimes when I hear a CD again I have absolutely no idea why it didn’t blow me away first time around.
Amen. It’s one of my overall favorites, and with stunning musicianship throughout. The liner notes alone are half the fun! Great CD.
I have to agree that the production values are less than stellar. It’s not a cd to listen to with headphones. Even on a computer sound system there are a couple of spots where the entire track shifts noticeably to one side or the other. But if you can get past that, the whole thing’s just so musical. Even if it is in Eb poor defenseless flute player ducks as the fiddlers etc throw things at her. And there are some really great tunes on there. The combination of MM’s and TP’s virtuosity is something to hear. I don’t think I could deal with playing with someone else doing as much as that!
Hope that last bit there makes sense… :roll:
D
Well all of this makes a lot of sense to me. As I recall I did listen to the CD on very high-end, unforgiving, earphones. I also noticed—how could you miss it?—that weird phasing effect. I’ll give it a go soon through ordinary speakers.
I think two other factors might have been at work. First, most Peoples and Molloy I have is so well recorded you can hear them breathe. Second, the record came to me so highly recommended that I was expecting too much.
Ahh, would this be the song Paul sings on the River of Sound series? That is a great song that is still in my head years after seeing it. If thats the one I will be over the moon, I have been hoping to fing it on a record/CD for ages!
I may have to joint Wombat in the ranks of the heretics here. I like the album but I think it is sub-par for each of the three: Peoples, Molloy and particularly Brady. If you want to hear what Paul Brady can do on guitar, get the Andy Irivine & Paul Brady CD (it has Paul Brady doing “Arthur MacBride” in a version common in America, which is perhaps Brady’s most famous trad track). Or check out Andy McGann & Paul Brady (It’s a Hard Road to Travel). Also fabulous stuff. After listening to those you might agree with me that Brady was a having a bad day when they taped Peoples/Molloy/Brady. Mind you, that album is still nothing to sneer at, and I put in on every now and then.
Brady, btw, went mainstream and recorded several rock albums. He is also an accomplished song writer, and one of his songs was recorded by Tina Turner.
I’m w/ bloomfield. I get a kick out of the Graf Spey. Even the likes of Tommy & Matt screw up a little sometimes, just suprises me that they still used that track on the record. I still think this is a pretty good record though, I can think of worse things to listen to.
No one’s probably paying much attention to this thread anymore, but I thought I’d add something. I could be wrong, but I think this recording was done under less than ideal conditions and equipment. This would probably explain the quality. I’m not sure it was a session initially planned for release. Demo perhaps? Also, they’re playing in Eb, which certainly can’t help much (at that time Tommy P. loved playing in Eb). Also, knowing Tommy, Many pints probably preceded the recording session. The sound quality may not be great, and there might be some goofs, but you can’t beat them as far a style goes. I’ll take style over technical perfection anyday.
Corin
I bought this as a vinyl LP when it first came out all those years ago…I’ve played it so many times since I reckon it’s so thin now that you can play both sides at once!
Back then it was the bees knees…everyone had to have a copy…but the fact that it was in Eflat did everyone’s head in. It was actually believed by many that they deliberately sped it up so that no one could copy them (not true of course). In the days before computers we had to use a reel to reel tape recorder to slow it down to D so as to learn the tunes. I played in a session once with Paul Brady on guitar (in London I think…too long ago)…man, he was something else.
If you want to hear him in Rock mode, get a copy of “Hard Station” (21 Records/Polydor 1982)…it may not be trad but he has one hell of a voice! (by the way, my wife thinks he’s a total hunk 
)
That album is flat out amazing. I have the CD. I wore out the LP years ago, the cassette too. I learned many a tune off that album over the years. I always suspected that they sped up the recording during mixdown to give it more excitement…making it sound like Eb. I rerecorded it to drop it down to standard pitch…slowing it down slightly, even though I knew Matt’s flute tended to go sharp after getting warmed up.
Funny how the trend is to slow tunes down now, and drop the pitch. I mostly listen to a lot of flat pipes, whistle, and flutes, with even the fiddle dropped down to match (like Kitty Lie Over). It’s just so much more pleasant, all the tension is gone, and the intrinsic beauty of the tune comes shining through.
It’s possible that they sped up the recording I suppose. I assumed that they recorded it in E flat though, because Tommy P. loved playing in E flat, as have many other fiddlers. The increased responsiveness from the fiddle makes fast playing and ornamentation easier. Molloy had his E flat flute at the time as well. He and Tommy used to play a lot together in E flat. I believe even recently, at some impromtu gettogethers, that they’ve done so.
At least there are no pipes in E flat! Yecchh. I Hear you about flatter pitch being nice. My friend, session mate and pipe teacher has a C set. We keep talking about getting together and playing the C set, and my fiddle tuned down. Wouldn’t work for the sessions, but could be nice for gigs, little more listener friendly perhaps.
Corin
I’ve had this as a vinyl album for around 20 years or more, and I agree that it’s a bit crude in terms of sound-quality, even allowing for its age (maybe it was remastered for the CD but it doesn’t sound as if it’s improved much in that respect from what people are saying). But the more you play it the more it grows on you - they do play everything a bit on the fast side in the dance tunes, but they are good enough to pull it off I think. It’s all a bit kind of “in the raw” and unarranged, but I feel that what it loses in subtlety it gains in excitement. I love it!
When I transferred it to CD via my computer I had a bit of trouble working out whether the guys were always playing in the “traditional” keys for the tune or a semitone up, or a mixture. The problem was that my record deck was playing slow, and I got a bit confused when doing the correction on my computer. I want to get the pitches spot-on so I can play along on harmonica. Can any CD owner give me the keys?
Steve Shaw