Top 40 Irish Albums (in honour of the Top 50 British thread)
In honour of the ongoing debate about the validity of such polls and in keeping with the sentiment of laughing at them and taking them apart, I thought I'd post the results of a poll of the 40 best Irish albums ever made conducted by the usually excellent Irish Times and published in its entertainment supplement last Friday. It was - laughably I might add - collated from a list of selected by each of the four (!) main music journalists from the newspaper. Anyway, at least the selections are contrary enough to warrant a look and provide an interesting counterpoint to Q's list of 50 British albums. Where else would Microdisney be in the top ten and streets ahead of the Joshua Tree?
The full list (from http://www.ireland.com/theticket/articles/2008/0229/1204194975369.html):
1 MY BLOODY VALENTINE: LOVELESS
2 U2: ACHTUNG BABY (1991)
3a A HOUSE: I AM THE GREATEST (1991)
3b THE RADIATORS: GHOSTOWN (1979)
5 VAN MORRISON: ASTRAL WEEKS (1968)
6 MICRODISNEY: THE CLOCK COMES DOWN THE STAIRS (1985)
7 ROLLERSKATE SKINNY: HORSEDRAWN WISHES (1996)
8 THE POGUES: RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH (1986)
9 THE UNDERTONES: THE UNDERTONES (1979)
10 WHIPPING BOY: HEARTWORM (1995)
11 ASH: 1977 (1996)
12 THE BLADES: RAYTOWN REVISITED (1985)
13 THIN LIZZY: LIVE AND DANGEROUS (1978)
14 U2: THE JOSHUA TREE (1987)
15 THERAPY? TROUBLEGUM (1994)
16 PLANXTY: PLANXTY (1973)
17 DAVID HOLMES: LETS GET KILLED (1997)
18 THE STARS OF HEAVEN: SPEAK SLOWLY (1988)
19 STIFF LITTLE FINGERS: INFLAMMABLE MATERIAL (1979)
20a THE REVENANTS: HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR
20b THE STARS OF HEAVEN: SACRED HEART HOTEL
22 U2: BOY (1980)
23 THE BLADES: LAST MAN IN EUROPE (1984)
24 MY BLOODY VALENTINE: ISN'T ANYTHING (1988)
25 SINÉAD O'CONNOR: I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN'T GOT (1990)
26 VAN MORRISON: MOONDANCE
27 SNOW PATROL: EYES OPEN (2006)
28a THE DIVINE COMEDY: PROMENADE (1994)
28b RORY GALLAGHER: LIVE IN EUROPE (1972)
30 VAN MORRISON: IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW (1974) Recorded at 1973
31a BELL X1: MUSIC IN MOUTH (2003)
31b THE CRANBERRIES: EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT, SO WHY CAN'T WE (1993)
33a THE FRAMES: FOR THE BIRDS (2001)
33b SOMETHING HAPPENS: STUCK TOGETHER WITH GOD'S GLUE (1990)
35a MARTIN HAYES & DENIS CAHILL: LIVE IN SEATTLE (1999)
35b THE HIGH LLAMAS: HAWAII (1996) Long before The Thrills were doing their
35c THE UNDERTONES: HYPNOTISED (1980)
38 DAMIEN RICE: O (2002)
39 THE POGUES: IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD (1988)
40 MICRODISNEY: CROOKED MILE (1987)
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Missing in Action
Not that I'm a fan, but I'm surprised The Waterboys didn't make it. Perhaps they're not considered Irish enough.
No place for The Nolans either.
Irish?
I suppose it's because the Waterboys are Scottish that they were discounted, even though Fisherman's Blues owes a huge amount to their time in Galway. Not including it on those grounds does, of course, raise questions about including the Pogues and the concept of Irishness, and whether they should be included.
I wondered about that too
Can you be non-Irish and make an Irish album?
the Van conumdrum
I noticed from the recent BBC4 music programmes that the BBC couldn't quite place van Morrison, was he Britianian or Hibernian (not wanting to get sectarian about this by the way)? That's before they didn't mention him in the rock, pop, soul or even jazz shows to any extent.
Therein lies the problem
If you can be non-Irish and make an Irish album, then where does it stop in definition terms? Achtung Baby doesn't sound particularly Irish, for example, and the Pogues, though including Irish players and making an Irish sound, are the channel for a man who is English (if with Irish roots). It's an unsolvable one, me thinks.
No Sultans of Ping?!
'Casual Sex In The Cineplex' is a classic.
Call that a list?
Where's "Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently" then?
Glad to see "Astral Weeks"
afforded its rightful place in the top 5, contrary to the comments elsewhere in here by the soul-less and cloth eared.
:)
A House are not often mentioned in the English press; I have their album "I Am The Greatest" from vinyl days, and it's excellent.
Conspicuously absent are Horslips, which surprises me, as I love their albums "The Tain", "Book Of Invasions" and "Happy To Meet...".
Checking In and Checking Out
I'm surprised that "Hawaii" gets the High Llamas slot; I'm a huge fan, but it's not their best IMHO, I much prefer "Beet Maize and Corn".
I would have gone for...
Gideon Gaye. Hawaii is overlong and frequently dovetails into the kind of 'hearing paint dry', easy listening instrumental that accompanies BBC2's inexplicable early morning broadcasts of random pages from their teletext service.
O dear, I can't help thinking,
that Damien Rice's occupation of position 38 is a waste; it could have gone to another Rory album.
And whither Paul Brady?
I would personally cite Hard Station, his first non traditional, as being his best.
Van Morrison outdoes Mark Ronson
By apparently qualifying for not two but three Best Insert-Nationality-Here Albums polls.
3?
Have I missed something?
Isn't he claimed...
by the Irish because he's from the "North of Ireland", by the British because he was born a British Citizen in "Northern Ireland", and by the Americans because that's where he emigrated to make Astral Weeks and Moondance, with American musicians?
Didn't know...
....the yanks wanted him. I suppose, continuing this vein, they will have already claimed that other sometime irish, now american resident, Elvis Costello. Given his charming remarks about his erstwhile home, UK, pre-either, I suppose they can have him....
I note he failed to be claimed by the irish, without irony.
No claims bonus
Maybe the Irish failed to claim him because they felt he's not as good as Microdisney.
Rollerskate Skinny?
I'm obviously not as in touch as I thought I was.
I dread to think what they actually sound like.
If you picked Irish Bands
Like Jack Charlton picked his Irish teams, The Queen is Dead would be number 2, (Stephen Patrick Morrissey parents Irish, Johnny Marr (Maher) parents from Kildare, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce can't be more Irish names in Manchester.
Definitely Maybe in somewhere in the Top 10, The Gallaghers Mother from County Mayo and Dad from County Meath
The Beatles would also have to have place in there. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison still have family alive and well in Ireland. So Revolver in at No.1.
They would have have been in a stronger position than some who put on the green. No names!
And without them no great debates on the Word Blog!
Horslips
should definitely have been in there with both The Tain and Book on Invasions - Vulpes, we agree on something!!!
Fisherman's Blues
should definitely be in the top 10. Okay, Mike Scott is Scottish, but almost everyone else on the album is Irish, lots of the songs were co-written, others are traditional Irish themes, it has Van Morrison's Sweet Thing on it, it was recorded in Dublin and Spiddal, it has a green sleeve(!) ... how could it be any more Irish?
And of course it's absolutely wonderful.
Controversial
Thats where the rot set in I feel. Can't stand that Raggle Taggle Knees Up. And I'm Irish. Hothouse Flowers, The Sawdoctors etc., and any amount of complete dross that came after. Put back Irish music for years with Record Comapanies chasing Oirish "Celtic Soul" bands. All because of too many magic mushrooms in Spiddal.
Great list
I wonder how many are still available...? I know you can't get hold of the Microdisney albums anymore.
Daunt Square to elsewhere
Good Microdisney compilation released last year.....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Daunt-Square-Elsewhere-Anthology-1982-1988/dp/B0...
And apart from Planxty
no place for Christy Moore, Jaysus wept!
U2
Aren't U2 a Dutch band now, for tax efficiency purposes?
Saw Doctors
I have an abiding love of "All the way from Tuam" by the Saw Doctors, not least because my wife once put "The green and red of Mayo" on the jukebox in an Irish pub in San Francisco, and the (Irish) barman then plied us with stonking G&Ts all night on the house as a result! We may even have had gratis cod and chips but frankly the evening by that stage is just a blur!
"I took off me clothes in the audience when I saw the Woodstock film - oh me heart is living in the 60s still". Marvellous.
I think you have to be there.
I'm with Twangers, as the Saw Doctors, whilst on the surface mere twiddle-dee dee-ers, are anything but. Live they can blow the socks off many mightier acts, with their Beatley/Squeezy tunes, that just happen to be mainly mandolin led. True, the lyrics get sometimes a bit Oi'm a simple oirish farmers boy, where's the craic, but on a summers day outside in a field, say Pilton farm or Cropredy way, it's the ticket.
Interested whether the Irish-American posings (choice of word deliberate) of Dropkick Murphies and/or Flogging Molly are ever considered irish for the purposes of such lists. I guess it doesn't relly matter, as, by and large, the racket made is unholy and rank by either, give or take the odd slower tune. Imagine Sham 69 or 999 play the Pogues.......
quite so.
And you've not lived until you've bawled out 'Get that wasp off my sangwidge' at the top of your voice and almost shed a tear as the 'Wests Awake' solo kicks in...
U2 SHOULDNT BE ON THERE
Because they are crap and the lead singer is stuck up his own arse. Okay they used to be great but their relevance disappeared as fast as their talent.
Saw Doctors is a great shout - in fact The green and red of Mayo appeared in my playlist when I won the Word radio contest a while back. Strangely no-one plied me with G&T's!!!
Microdisney
Thanks for the link to the Microdisney compilation, I've been looking for reissues on CD for ages. I had to resort to MP3 conversions from the old scratchy vinyl, apart that is from a Peel Sessions CD I already had.
I think there should be something from The Fatima Mansions in there too, apart from oddities "Berties Brochures" had some good stuff on it, though later releases became more and more scabrous and difficult.
I've gond all this way through life without realising My Bloody Valentine were Irish too!
Dubliners
Surely the Dubliners should be in there somewhere? Good to see the Radiators (from space) prominent in the list. No place for U2's War when there's room for Boy and Actung Baby?
Yay for Therapy? and Whipping Boy
Shame no Kerbdog though.