I am learning the jig, “The Wheels of the World”, and I would like to hear a recorded version of it.
Can anyone suggest a recording of this tune that I could listen to? If so, let me know the album title and the artist and I will look into purchasing it.
Or, if anyone has a file of it that they could send, that also would be appreciated.
Many thanks as always to the UP community for your help.
Cheers! Richard
There are actually two tune names: Wheels of the World and Old Wheels of the World.
You can find them on:
Wheels - Planxty - After the Break - Track 8 (mislabeled as Lord McDonald)
Old Wheels - Planxty - Words and Music - Track 6
For more see: http://www.irishtune.info/search.php
djm
Hi Richard ! There was a whole LP album (1973) with the title “Wheels of the World” by Rich Nevins’ Morning Star" record company of Trenton, New Jersey. Yes it has the tune “Wheels” on it. It was re-mastered from 78 rpm.s on to a 33 1/3rd rpm. LP. Maybe there’s a newer media version out there. I just ran through my vinyl record collection and I can’t find my copy…oh brother! The archives…the archives…! I remember Dan Sullivan, Tighe Reidy, and Pat Kellagher playing the tune on their 3 melodians, in Dan’s basement up on Laguna Honda (a section of San Francisco). They were using the version of "Wheels"printed in O’Brien’s Accordion Tutor,(2 volumes) published in the 1940s at Roxbury, Mass. (a section of Boston). It was out of print by the time I arrived on the scene, but all the San Franciscans had those music books, along with many other titles, I just never got around to photocopying the “Tutor”. Ah the missed opportunities! Sean Folsom
I used to play that one, probably still can. I lifted it off Mary Bergin’s first, when that was new. The guys above are all talking about reels 
There is, its been published on CD now as I have it…actually I think there are multiple volumes cuz if I remember right, the one I have is vol 2.
Its a good one for the historical value or finding a specific version of a tune, but not one I’d recommend buying for ‘easy listening’ as the quality of the recording is not up to current standards. Understandable when you consider WHEN the recordings were made.
-gary
Some folks call the jig Moll Roe, The Wheels of the World after the aforementioned tune was used for the aftermentioned song. Make sense?
T
A great version of the jig on ‘Playing With Fire’ by Dervish.
Richard’s after the jig, the Session.org will have the tune and list all the recordings it’s on - well, all the records with that title - it likely will list a bunch that have the reel on them without making a distinction.
The reel is more of a fiddler’s tune, since it begins on D and immediately “modulates” to C. I have a home tape of Robbie Hannon where he plays the tune and sends the low C’s up an octave. The “Old” Wheels of the World was Willie Clancy’s name for a similiar tune in A, Liam Walsh recorded it on a 78, perhaps Willie picked it up from Liam. I think in O’Neill’s it’s called Rolling Down the Hill. This is the tune Planxty recorded.
A long while back I cooked up a setting of the fiddle tune in A, complete with high Cnats in the first part and high C#s in the second. I also begin the second part on a high G instead of a high A, which is a little easier to manage - on the fiddle the standard setting would have you start on middle D, then modulate to C. The equivalent of my setting you’d begin on first octave C and then go to D. I’ve only heard one person play it that way on the fiddle, the late Tipperary fiddler Sean Ryan. The Wheels of the World LP had Sligo fiddler James Morrison’s medley of Rakish Paddy/Wheels of the World, which lots of people have emulated over the years. He also had two extra parts to Rakish Pat, which are also very fiddlish. Shanachie’s Wheels CDs are rather poor audio in of themselves - listen to Rounder’s From Galway to Dublin to hear some well-remastered vintage recordings.
My vinyl copy doesn’t have this track, must have been an add on when released as a CD. Perhaps Lord McD is another name for it?
I just looked up the Old Wheels on seesion.org and it came up with a tune which if I remember rightly is Planxty’s ‘The Lady in the Island’ - first reel, track 4 After the Break - vinyl version - if not the Lady then another Planxty tune I’ve heard but can’t place. Maybe I heard it on Wrods and Music - another one I no longer have.
DavidG
I think they did add those tracks for the CD version. They were outtakes from the ‘After the Break’ period but were at the time released on a sampler lp of the Tara label : ‘The High Kings of Tara’. The two tracks on that lp are: ‘First Slip, Hardiman the Fiddler A&B, Yellow Wattle’ and ‘Lord McDonald (which is Lord McDonald proper no mislabeling there), Chattering Magpie’.
The ‘Old’ Wheels of the World’ as Planxty recorded it has associations with Sonny Brogan. Flynn recorded it also with Keane/Molloy but with a different-ish first part (with a prominent C natural). Browne/O’Loughlin have it on their second as well. Planxty did play it but on The Woman I loved so well as far as I remember. In my mind I hear Spike Island lasses after it but that may be from a Flynn tape I made in 1983 and learned all the tunes off.
Len Graham recorded a fine version of this song on his CD Do me Justice
http://www.musicinscotland.com/acatalog/Len_Graham_CDs.html
Otherwise, search for it as Moll Roe or Moll Rua.
I have The Woman I Loved on vinyl too but no mention of Wheels, although it may be under a different name - and my turntable is without stylus at the moment so I can’t check. I do know that somewhere, on an album - maybe even his first ‘solo’ album I have heard Liam O’Flynn playing the same tune as ‘Wheels’ according to the dots at Session. org. but under a different name.
DavidG
You’re right, it’s on Words and music, but it goes into The Spike Island Lasses. I had that right.