Michael B's top 28 Irish albums

Virgin Prunes 4eva

Voted Microdisney for sentimental reasons.

Were you ever into Stars of Heaven, Tom?

I could've picked Everybody is Fantastic too for Microdisney. Dissolute elevator muzak.

Never heard them.

Kind of a REM/country/college rock thing, dunno if that's yr bag

Member Stan Erraught (Son of Stan) used to post here occasionally

(xp) It might have been back in the day if I'd heard it!

I keep forgetting Róisín Murphy is Irish, I always think of her as Swedish.

With a name like Róisín Murphy?

Didn't know Shit Robot was Irish. One of the best music to worst name ratios out there.

With a name like Róisín Murphy?

― Saxophone Of Futility (Michael B)

I know it doesn’t make sense for me to think such thing. I think it’s her looks, she’s this super tall blonde woman that reminds me of a Swedish friend I have.

tbf Thomas Delaney has been a crucial member of Denmark's national side for the best part of a decade.

threw a vote to Brigid Mae Power, who is excellent.

POGUES baby

Before I even opened this I said to myself, this has to be Rum Sodomy and the Lash, right?

It is,of course.

Write In for Compulsion 1st album

Landfill

Number of albums heard: 8

Favourite: Veedon Fleece

Least-favourite: Cranberries (I like a few songs on their 2nd album)

Nicest surprise: Virgin Prunes

Unheard, but most want to hear: Microdisney

Ive heard 11 of these

I think you'd like Mellow Candle and Stars of Heaven if you haven't them already

Christ, Sinéad vs. the Pogues.

I think you'd like Mellow Candle and Stars of Heaven if you haven't them already

― Saxophone Of Futility (Michael B), Thursday, 24 August 2023 22:37 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Aye, I love that Mellow Candle album. Dunno Stars Of Heaven. What are they like?

Nostalgic vote for the Virgin Prunes
Also write-in for Mary O'Hara

Agree with Roisin Murphy's Swedish vibe btw. Maybe some unconscious association with The Knife / Fever Ray in the mid 00s.

No s/t by The Woods Band? would think that pretty essential.

Also really like the Proper Farewell TO Ireland set which is some of the earliest Irish trad recorded. Played by ex pats in Police and Fire Brigade bands in the states known as New England in the US in the 1920s and 30s. 4cds in pretty decent sound.
& Martin Hayes has done some great stuff in various groups, duos and under his own name. I think he same may be true of Martin O'Connor.

I actually don't know The Woods Band, Stevo! I'll have to check that out.

A couple of other albums I forgot about:

Bothy Band - Old Hag You Have Killed Me
A House - I Am The Greatest

Woods Band got a really nice remaster a couple of years ago. I'd had it on Edsel where they used a dodgy tape to master it and it sounded like it wad stretched.
The next thing Gaye and Terry Woods did after leaving the initial line up of Steeleye Span. Pretty sublime now it'sback to correct sound.
Sweeney's Men who Terry Woods had been with in the late 60s are also pretty great. Do love the spaciousness of the sound on their 2nd l.p. which is carried over to that Woods Band quite a bit too.

No Horslips, Mushroom, Skid Row or Whipping Boy either.

Shame Female Hercules never recorded a longform set. Or Groundswell as far as I can remember. There were several interesting bands around Dublin in the mid 90s that I might listen to now given a chance. The Idiots were quite good too.

& 10 or 15 years later a band like Puget Sound should have been captured. They were very good live at least.

Mushroom! Damn, I forgot about them. I should have included them too. Ive definitely heard a few Horslips albums but I generally only like their well known tunes. I never liked Whipping Boy really. I always found them overrated. I hated that edgy domestic abuse lyric in "we dont need nobody else".

I shouldve mentioned The Wormholes who were a pretty cool US indie influenced band out of Dublin in the mid-90s.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-wormholes-you-never-see-the-stars-when-it-rains-one-of-ireland-s-greatest-bands-1.4723035

Dead uncool probably, but I'm nostalgically fond of 'Stuck Together With God's Glue' by Something Happens

Voted Mellow Candle but Tír na nÓg deserve a brief mention too

Just got reminded of them by reading the Acme linernotes to the Mellow Candle l.p. I just listened to. I should have more by them. Was turned into them by the bassist of a Galway band called Garland Sun back in 90. They recorded something in the studio in Spidall that The Waterboys had done Fisherman's Blues in. Which wound up with me spending the night there. Garland Sun that is but not sure what they released.

Dr Strangely Strange were interesting too and mentioned in the same linernotes.

Dr Strangely Strange were like an Irish versh of Incredible String Band iirc

It sounds like a cartoon!

Hard choice between Mellow Candle and Virgin Prunes, had to ultimately go with the latter, have been binging lately. If it had been Fovea Hex rather than MC then that would have taken this by a big margin.

Dunno Stars Of Heaven. What are they like?

― Toshirō Nofune (The Seventh ILXorai), Friday, August 25, 2023 8:37 AM (four hours ago)

Kind of a country rock thing. with a bit of REM and Go Betweens in there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ycjvU8wb4

I saw whipping boy once at t in the park on the main stage. I was in a queue for a burger van. They were quite good (as were Whipping Boy).

I had to miss Compulsion as I wanted to see Jesus Lizard (who were also on the main stage)

Dr Strangely Strange were like an Irish versh of Incredible String Band iirc

They had connections with ISB. I never thought they were very good but they were a favourite of Genesis P-Orridge's!

The opening track of Woods Band is actually a bit Stones-y. I was expecting diddly aye lol... OK 2nd track is more like expected. Nice

I think I far prefer the Whipping Boy that I first encountered in the Bull & Gate in Kentish Town a heavy shoegaze band with manic lead singer to the band that became really well known. Really regretting losing the tape of them live just before the time Heartworm was released cos they were still doing a bit of that live and extended versions of songs from the 1st lp Submarine.
They were still good live when Heartworm came out. They released a few singles that I think had b-sides based on songs from that tape with some ovberdubs. The bassist duplicated the tape from my master. Then I left teh tape behind when I moved out of a flat. Shame think that would have been something I would have listened to a lot more, a gig done for a freshers do for one of the Dublin universities. Direct from soundboard.

I've not heard the 1st Whipping Boy. I should rectify that.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Who's gonna win?

Sinead

Shame Female Hercules never recorded a longform set.

Female Hercules were deadly! I once heard them blasting out the window of the top floor of that pub across from the Abbey Theatre, the one opposite The Flowing Tide, while I was waiting for a bus. I finally got to ‘see’ them in Whelan’s one time, I think supporting the New Bomb Turks?

Also, Thirtysixstrings by The Redneck Manifesto deserved to be an option here but howandever.

andy irvine/paul brady album and planxty self-titled are very high on my all-time favs, plus big fan of high llamas
sweeney's men (basically proto-planxty)and gay & terry woods also up there for me

voted for the hidden option: That Petrol Emotion - Manic Pop Thrill

Well said.

have consulted an irish person, who has rather annoyingly affirmed that you've covered most of the bases. i however, a scholar, will write in luke kelly's 'the performer', which was personally recommended to me by ILM's biggest hater, proving that he does actually like music really

Luke Kelly, fair enough. I mean he's always just THERE as this titan of Irish folk music that you never even consider that he made actual albums

Chemicrazy by That Petrol Emotion should be on the list. My bad

Is everyone called Kelly a musician in Ireland?

There's a Kelly family though I think they relocated to Germany where thye came to fame.
I have semi known an ex member who now lives somewhere down near Cork I think and keeps bees down there.
He sometimes turns up in Galway busking with a Hurdy Gurdy

Is everyone called Kelly a musician in Ireland?

Lunasa - The Merry Sisters of Fate
and
U2 - Achtung Baby (or Zooropa)

xps

oh the kelly family are notorious on olde ilm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSjWbO89d6o

I voted Therapy? in the end

I thought the Kelly Family were American?

Write-in vote for Desert Hearts - "Let's Get Worse". Or if compilations count then Tunic - "Without Love Where Would You Be Now" and/or Donnacha Costello - Colorseries.

(This post might be a distraction while I sneak in and vote for Troublegum and deny all knowledge. Maybe Isn't Anything will talk me out of it.)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

(This post might be a distraction while I sneak in and vote for Troublegum and deny all knowledge.

Therapy? - Troublegum 4

hmmmm

A few tardy nominations.

Decal's beautiful '404 not found'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9BftyIKrVs

Sunken Foals 'Fallen Arches'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idTU_dW4Wkw

Ambulance 'the curse of vale de lobo'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj8RTUFPzM4

I remember decal

A few others that skipped my mind:

Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory and Injury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W5qip25sTg

Boa Morte -Soon It Will Come To Face The World Outside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn8eAmQANp8

The Harvest Ministers - Little Dark Mansion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm0xW9NKU0Q

Would have voted for Altar Of Plagues

You should check out Boa Morte, Kerr. I think you'd like them, its slowcore.

I've never heard them.

Are you going to do a beszt Cork albums poll now?

I didn't realise Stars of Heaven were Irish, for some reason I thought they were American! I only heard them recently then found Sacred Heart Hotel in a second hand shop almost immediately afterwards for £5 which I was v pleased about

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article29350085.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200c/1_MAIN-GRABS-Roy-Keane-angry-at-Man-Utd-performance-and-slams-players-getting-awards-for-anythin.jpg

That was in response to Toshiro btw

ha it could easily have been to me

Who else voted for Fatima Mansions along with me? God I love that band.