"Sometimes it is a spiritual experience, but most of the time it's not...You have to work very hard to get that. But that's okay. There's no free lunch, y'know?" – Van Morrison Leave it to Van Morrison to lend a bit of welcome perspective at the end of From a Whisper to a Scream, a three-hour history of Irish pop music, originally produced for RTE, now available on video. … [Read more...] about Music: From a Whisper to a Scream
Music Archives
Northern Roots Southern Branches
By James W. Flannery, Contributor
Photos Courtesy of U.S. Library of Congress
August / September 2001
Photos Courtesy of U.S. Library of Congress
August / September 2001
Will a re-examining of the Ulster Scots advance the idea of a "pluralist society" or lead to further separation? Southerners like to say they are not like other Americans, and often base that claim on their characteristic ways of talking, storytelling, preaching, dancing and, above all, playing country music. But few of them realize that those very qualities can be … [Read more...] about Northern Roots Southern Branches
Music Roundup
Paul Brady Oh What A World Compass Records Let's all ponder Paul Brady's career for a moment. The man has written songs that have been recorded by the likes of Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, and Cher. He's co-written with Roseanne Cash, Beth Nielsen-Chapman, and Curtis Stigers. "Luck of the Draw," as recorded by Bonnie Raitt, netted a Grammy in 1991. His own work – listen … [Read more...] about Music Roundup
The Greatest Irish Rock Albums of the Last Millennium!!!
By Tom Dunphy
April / May 2000
Gotcha. There was a craze afoot at the end of the last century -- gosh, doesn't that sound strange, especially since it was a mere couple of months ago -- to list things. It seemed like everything -- books, films, plays, albums, inventions, historical events -- got categorized, ranked, compared, collated, crunched, and spat out... The very notion of a "greatest Irish rock … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Rock Albums of the Last Millennium!!!
Music: The Reel Thing
Modern Ireland can boast plenty of pop superstars whose recordings sell in the millions. But if U2, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor and Enya are undeniably Irish musicians, is what they play really Irish music? When listening to the artists whose recordings are reviewed below, you won't have to ponder that interesting philosophical question. There's nothing more genuinely … [Read more...] about Music: The Reel Thing