Grew up in Limerick in the70s listening to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Groundhogs, Cream, John Mayall and more. My father was always giving out to me about it. For two reasons, they were loud and they were English. One day I’m in my bedroom listening to Planxty, the ould fella pops his head around the door. “Who’s dat? “He says. “Planxty,” says I. “A quare name for a band, “he says and fecks off up to the pub. He never complained about my music again after that. God rest your soul Dad.
I grew up exposed to irish music in our house,Philadelphia ...my parents liking the familiar irish american stuff like the clancy bros, tommy makem, the wolfe tones but also the traditional stuff and were hip to lesser known but highly respected by their peer artists like Danny Doyle...... and way before i was 21 i would go to Brittinghams pub to see acts, notably Timlin and Kane, who were doing the popular, the lesser known, some traditional and even non irish songs which fit perfectly on that stage> it was a cross generational gathering place from Toddler to Grandparent......the pub, though mockingly used w its inferences to alcohol in St Paddys day advertising, was and is an important part of that society...although i do not identify w the term "irish" which to me is ...or should be...a nationality thing, i do identify as a Celt.....My grandfather was from Belfast(left in 29 at age 17), my great grandparents were from Tyrone, Antrim, Mayo , Donegal. Like you i was a classic rock kid, wound up playing and teaching music professionally for decades in both Philadelphia and San Francisco...my introductionto playing this music was when i joined a band in 1995 from Philly called Blackthorn for a year or so.....they were after 2 or 3 years few years established and already quite popular all over the city....church parishes, mummers clubs, irish culture and dance get togethers, the pub circuit , jersey shore mega bars, even holiday shows at old theaters like the Keswick were what i remember.....and injected a sort of pete townsend boost ....(im on their 2nd record Here We Go Again, playing bass guitar and mandolin), although i was very unfamiliar w some of the music alot of it i was already aware of.... the jigs, reels, stuff i played on the mando and the button accordion player john mcgroary was world class, another band i was in the Danny Boys had johns cousin John mcgillian also playing at top tier level.....there were gigs where half the night was accompanying irish dance competitions or presentations...the truth is, these guys had it in their blood from youth , whereas i was stepping into it with technical ability, and a cultural head start, but....despite taking to Irish music and Bluegrass with an almost dna like instinct, its only now that ive arrived at a place where im comfortable w it, where i feel ive picked up the nuances, the inflections that separate the authentic from someone simply playing the right notes, and that is because it takes years even for the fully committed......and i was way too scatterbrained stylistically, creatively, to give it the time needed, or for it to hold my interest.......when you spend many hours each and every day doing , studying....... living and breathing something...... there are exponential rewards and leaps that occur; If you chip away at it you can get there, it just takes alot longer......it is no joke, the jazz like approach that these guys can play , w the best being recognized by a singular style or "voice". In every tradition stemming from oppression....think gospel soloists, rappers, bluegrass and trad irish/celtic, jazz instrumentalists...even boxing is a perfect example... there is a gunslinger/play for your life element at work which leads to a highly competitive drive to stand out, and although terms like greatest and best---music as sport-- are used way too frequently in reqards to music, these terms are more accurate when used in that arena..... inspired in no small way by a chance to escape a life of life crushing labor. We cant say why the Beatles or MIles, or Jimi Hendrix or Jaco pastorious or Led Zeppelin or Joni Mitchell were the greatest, but they have what Pirsig in Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance called a Quality...undefineable. Irish music and its source, Celtic Music, to me is simple harmonically, or vertically, but horizontal.....extremely complex--ornamanted--melodically, much like classical indian music. I prefer the latter the Horizontal, because you can coast and zone and groove much more easily. Dense chord terrain is rocky.....think Giant Steps, Or Steely Dan....but My favorite things is pedal to the metal , switch off mind modal freedom bliss....to not have to think when playing.....that is where i enjoy playing and where i can find my own voice . I do remember the Blackthorn guys telling me to checkout Planxty. Now, i see why. Planxty to me was/is the perfect mix of the traditional but w an early 70s counter culture aesthetic, and they and alot of guys from both Ireland and the states have kept the legacy not only alive but fresh and vital. Sometimes the stars align and a "newcomer" like Billy Strings is perfectly timed to carry on the tradition in stylistic offshoots which introduce a new generation a new world of possibilities for listening and music history, the way the British Rockers did w Delta and Chicago blues, or the way Old and in the Way or Oh Brother where art thou did for Bluegrass did almost 50 and 20 years before Billy, which has Celtic music as its source. Gerard Patrick McWilliams
It was in 1974 "my" recordshop told me he had something special for me. I listended to the first notes and I still know the feeling I had when I went home with "Cold blow and a rainy night". It was a treasure and Irish music has never left me during the rest of my life. Everythime I hear Planxty, the same feeling overwhelms me. You've done a great job, showing people to the right music. Thanks a million!
I was introduced to Planxty by an Irish friend of mine around the same time. I was already in to the Chieftains but he pointed me to other Irish music as well as Alan Stivell. I remain eternally grateful!
There must be the soul of an Irishman in this Englishman because their music is more important to me than any other, and Liam O Flynn's placid expression whilst producing his music never ceases to amaze.
They are transcending, I didn't want the music to stop. If I ever doubted I was Irish, I just found out that I truly am. Listening to them play is the music i hear in my heart of hearts. God Bless ya!!!
@@tossiegough The last one's not a slip jig, but nobody can decide if the title refers to the Tasmanian bird or the Australian flower, so still kinda slippery.
A proper introduction. my most favorite folk band of all time, God bless them all with the most brilliant musical talents which have cost me over 76 pairs of fine leather shoes dancing to their music over those many years
Well to my knowledge There never had and maybe never will be an Irish traditional or folk callm what you will ever assembled again as collectively talented as planxyy .Christ almighty they were special 👏👏👏🇨🇮🇨🇮
OK I don't fully understand it, but I'm a Cuban American, and I love this. Perhaps it's because I grew up in River Edge, NJ surrounded by by Irish folk, or perhaps it's because I married a girl whose last name was Sullivan, but either way I find this incredibly enjoyable. Happy St. Pat's!!
This music is absolutely amazing, but I have to admit that my favorite part was the introduction: "When traveling the motorway between here and Dublin, they come across a sign that says 'KILL'... which is a strange sign to have on a motorway." Great entertainers all around.
I first heard these musicians and their fantastic band PLANXTY in Mt Isa, Queensland in 1975 and it was a total revelation with "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" on the black album and of course their adaptation of Romanian folk songs that absolutely took my mind and liberated that genre of music forever. Unbelievably beautiful "Baneasa"s Green Glade" and "Mominski Horo". When will these blokes shine again? You have already gained immortality and we will never forget you and with a parting glass ( I am still vertical) will toast to you now. There's too few of us , more would be like us , but all the good ones are dead. ronald douglas johnson, AUSTRALIA
Your a lucky man! What a night that must have been! Some legends are still with us. I heard Andy Irvine being interviewed on the ABC back in December, as he's touring Australia in Dec/Jan. I immediately bought tickets and saw him at the Petersham Bowling Club in Sydney. A great night, great music. I actually spoke with him in the break! An Irish legend!
Christy here looks like every Irish lad I ever worked with on building sites from America to Australia to Netherlands. 🤣 Some boyos. Piping on that 2nd/3rd jig blend is magical.
what a mesmerizing group planxty is. for anyone who is new to them, i suggest taking a listen to their studio album called words and music. to this day i have never heard anything quite like it. it both opened and blew my mind back in the 80s.
If anyone is looking for a studio version, the closest thing is Ride a Mile/Hardiman the Fiddler/The Yellow Wattle off Planxty's album One Night in Bremen.
These guys were the best of the best back in the day. 3 of the 4 went off to have very successful solo careers, don't know the piper so I'm not sure about him. Anyway, I'm sure that has something to do with why you enjoyed it so much, Planxty were very, very good!
The piper Liam O’Flynn also had a hugely successful career afterwards. He played with Mark Knopfler, Kate Bush, the poet Seamus Heaney and many others. Also played with orchestras. See ‘The Brendan Voyage’.
What kind of instruments are these? I've never seen bagpipes played with bellows or what looks like something related to the Irish Bouzouki but with a flat back and 10 strings rather than 8.
Uilleann (or elbow) pipes. Flat back ‘Irish’ bouzouki, specifically designed with an extra row of strings to give a deep bass sound. Irish musicians adopted the Greek instrument but gave it a flat back for more comfort.
people only want a blanket when its cold that's why people never stop to admire talent no more unless it benefits them like a friends dress on facebook so so sad I just hate that I am tuned to authenticity small or big ugly or beautiful but never for my own gain just to relax enjoy and admire God Bless you all.
