Favourite Recordings - your personal top ten

Please forgive me if this one has been done before - I did a quick search of the Discussions and it didn’t come up with anything. Anyway, even if it has, for the benefit of us new kids, here goes:

Despite mouthing off and droning on, giving out and taking in, I’ve been paying a fair bit of attention to the requests and wishes of other members and one thing (among many others) comes up quite frequently - ‘where can I hear The Real Thing on a recording?’
I’m aware there are other sites, and other parts to this site which deal with this, but on a more categorical basis, so there’s nothing like the personal touch of the discussion page of ‘thesession’, now, is there?

To that end, would members like to bare their souls (Souls should refrain from baring their members, please, this is a family show) and tell the world what is their own Top Ten Albums/CD’s/Tapes/whatever.

If this proves too cumbersome we could knock it down to 5 - or increase it to 20 - or whatever. In my inimitable (but rigidly formulaic) fashion I’ll get the ball rolling by revealing to the world what I feel (tonight at any rate) are my all time(?) Top Ten Albums/CD’s (in no order of preference):

Seamus Tansey - The Best of
Matt Molloy - Stoney Steps
Paddy O’Brien, Seamus Connolly - The Banks of the Shannon
Across the Water - Irish Traditional Music from England
Altan - Horse With a Heart
Dervish - Midsummer’s Night
De Danann (All Stars) - The Star Spangled Molly
Sean Keane, Matt Molloy, Liam O’ Flynn - The Fire Aflame
The Bothy Band - Old Hag Ye have Killt Me
Heritage - Tell Tae Me
Paddy In the Smoke (various artists)

I’ve got to 11 and there are 100’s more! (Notice the avoidance of Lunasa - whom I love dearly but there are 100’s of other good players/bands doing The Music who need to be mentioned on this site.)

Never mind - it’s only a bit of fun. But hopefully it may prove usefull to those hungry for hearing more tunes/playing styles.

Next please…

Verna Commins and Julie Langan - “Fionnachi”
Paddy Glackin and Paddy Keenan - “Doublin”
Dervish - “Midsummers night”
Noel Hill & Tony McMahon - “(theres the album name on the thread about recording studios vs live recordings - cant remember what it is - sorry)”
The New Siobhan Peoples and Murty Ryan Album
Paul O’Shagunessy and Paul McGrattan - “Within a Mile of Dublin”
Tommy Peoples - “man with the Iron Mask”
Fisher St - “(something to do with the moon or night time)”
Oisin MacDirmada, Michael Rooney and Brian Fitzgerald - “Irish Traditional Music”
And so many more, there is some amazing stuff out there, I like threads like this.

Well, this week they are:

Tribute to Michael Coleman
Matt Molloy - the black album
Chris Norman - Man with the wooden flute
Harry Bradley - As i carelessly did stray
Harry Bradley - Bad Turns & Horseshoe Bends
Bothy - the first album (1975)
Hammy Hamilton - Moneymusk
Kevin Burke - If the cap fits
Geraldine Cotter - Piano+
Wooden flute obsession

Obviously this is heavily weighted towards flute, and doesn’t include all the great albums that i haven’t heard yet. Ask me next week, i’ll have different choices.

g

Well, here’s my vote.

Northern Lights - Seamus & Kevin Glackin
Celtic Mouth Music - Various
My Love Is In America / Boston College Irish Fiddle - Various (Best Irish Fiddlers Living in America)
Music At Matt Molloy - Various
In Concert - Bothy Band
Fiddle Sticks - Irish Traditional Music From Donegal - Various (Donegal Style Fiddling)
The Road to Glenlough - James Byrne
Jody’s Heaven - Jody’s Heaven (Dale Russ plays in this band)
Sweeney’s Dream - Kevin Burke
The Quiet Glen - Tommy Peoples

BTW, ‘Celtic Mouth Music’ really is a must have album for anyone interested in the tunes. Serious!

Sorry for asking a stoopid question, but what’s that? Is it lilting?

glauber,

You got it! Lilting! You’d recognize nearly every tune (or lilt) on the album. The phrasing and the attention to the rhythm are fantastic!

lunasa merry sisters of fate
michael mcgoldrick fused
out of the wind and into the sun.. bothy band
mirella murray and tola custy three sunsets
paul brady and andy irvine (blue album!)
calico songdogs
alan kelly out of the blue
altan island angel
dervish midsummers night
matt molloy stoney steps

Caoimghgin, thanks, i already added that to the list of albums to buy soon.

dervish: midsummer’s night
dervish: live in palma
slide: the flying pig
matt molloy: matt molloy
danu: think before you think
conal o’grada: top of coom
bothy band: live in concert
matt molloy: stony steps
gavin whelan: gavin whelan
james kelly&zan macleod: the ring session

In no particular order:
Danu: think before you think
Beginish: Stormy weather
Kevin Crawford: In good company
Sliabh Notes: Gleantann
Molloy, Brady & Peoples
Altan: Blackwater
Paddy Carty - Traditional Irish Music
Michael McGoldrick & John McSherry - At First Light
Noel Hill & Tony McMahon - I gCnoc na Grai
Music at Matt Molloy’s

Dervish: midsummer’s night
Dervish: boys of Sligo
Dervish: playing with fire
Bothy band: 1975 the first
Bothy band: old hag you’ve killed me
Planxty: the first (raggle taggle ..)
Solas: the first
Arcady: many happy returns
Na Connerys: the session
Chieftains: Bonaparte’s retreat

And we could add De Danann mist covered mountain and Altan Harvest storm

In no order:
Solas: Solas
Solas: Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers
Lunasa: Otherworld
The Chieftains: The Long Black Veil
McGrattan & O’Shaughnessy: Within a Mile From Dublin
Nightingale: Sometimes when the Moon is High
Michael McGoldrick: Fused
Dermot Byrne: Dermot Byrne
Bill Whelan: Riverdance
Brendan Power: The music of Riverdance played with harmonica!

Mary MacNamara: Traditional Music from East Clare
Molloy, Brady & Peoples: Matt Molloy, Paul Brady, and Tommy Peoples
Ceol Aduaidh: Frankie Kennedy and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh
Wrigley Sisters: Mither o’ the Sea
Carmel Gunning: The Lakes of Sligo
Deaf Shepherd: Ae Spark o Nature’s Fire
Davy Spillane and Kevin Glackin: Forgotten Days
Dervish: At the End of the Day
Kevin Crawford: In Good Company
Caligo: Celanova Sq.

I also love Paul McGrattan and Paul O’Shaughnessy’s “Within a Mile From Dublin” and Danu’s “Think before You Think.”

Right now these are the CD’s sitting in my car & home CD players:

Brian Conway- First Through the Gate (awesome new CD!)
Fellow Traveler featuring Anthony Santoro (amazing young piper from VT) - The rough cut CD
Julee Glaub -Fields Far Away (beautiful Irish Trad singing)
John & Alan Kelly - Fourmilehouse
Paddy Carty - Traditional Music of Ireland
Sliabh Notes - Along Blackwater’s Banks
Paul McGrattan - The Frost is All Over
Maple Leaf - Jimmy Noonan (this is always in my CD player as it’s so good that I’m always showing it to my friends)
Music at Matt Molloys

Songbird - Eva Cassidy
The Mountain - Steve Earle w/Del McCoury Band
Demonstration - Landon Pigg (My nephew and at 17 when he recorded this cd…amazing - landonpigg.com)
High Part of the Road/The Ironman - Tommy Peoples(personal CD burned from 2 vinyl LPs)
If Ida Been Here, Ida Been There - Craibh Rua
Sweet Harp of My Land - Robin Huw Bowen(Trad and classical songs on Welsh triple harp)
Gweini Tymor - Sian James(Traditional songs sung in Welsh)
Best of the Bothy Band - Bothy Band
Donegal Rain - Andy M. Stewart(great cd by a master songwriter/interpreter of traditional songs-primary vocalist of Silly Wizard)
Coppers and Brass - Dick Gaughan(traditional instrumentals on guitar)

These are my current listening favorites. The list fluctuates as cds fall in/out of favor, but this is a great thread to get familiar with releases of which we may not have heard. Thank you!

I think it’s difficult to be honest with yourself if you put a list like this together, but I think these are the 10 that that have had most play on my deck in living memory(!)
They are not in any order of favouriteness, though…

1. Lunasa, Merry Sisters of Fate. Am I the only person who prefers this to Otherworld?
2. De Danaan, Song for Ireland. Charlie Harris’ Reels, Collin’s Jig etc etc, What style! I just loved the way they were played and had to play them, and still do, and still play the album regularly, 13 years later. There are other great DeDanaan records, but this is my favourite.
3. From Galway to Dublin — Early Recordings of Irish Music. There are lots of remastered CDs of old recordings around and most of them are excellent, but if I had to choose 1 it would be this. Leo Rowsome, Paddy Killoran, Denis Murphy, Tom Morrison, Michael Coleman, Nellie Boyle … you can’t go wrong really.
4. Paddy Glackin and Paddy Keenan, Doublin. Wow!
5. Live at Matt Molloys — It’s ‘our’ record, isn’t it.
6. Sean Ryan, Take the Air. My favourite Whistle Album of all time.
7. Na Connery’s, Fire In Our Hearts (or The Session.. ). It sounds so easy and unforced (!)
8. Christy Moore, Ride On. Not traditional of course, but I must have backed every song on this album in sessions over the years (apart from ‘Lisdoonvarna’, and I still play the record. I remember buying it when it came out in that little Irish Record shop just off Parkway in Camden Town, and the woman there telling me they were selling like ‘hotcakes’. I wonder if the shop’s still there — I doubt it. (I like ‘This Is The Day’ almost as much, I think it’s his best since Ride On).
9. K

Sorry about all the ‘&#8211’s in the bove posting - it looked ok when I pasted it into the reply box! It’s something to do with smart punctuation on the Mac, so if you imagine that ‘&#8217’ is an apostrophe, and ‘&#8211’ is an m-rule etc, you might be bothered to read it!

fiddle sticks - irish traditional music from donegal (vol 1 + 2)
red rice - eliza carthy
dave swarbrick - dave swarbrick
the fiddle collection (compiled by phil beer)
ten leagues beyond the wild worlds end - blue horses
liege and lief - fairport convention

I’ll stick to my Irish top 10 :-

Bad Turns…… - Harry Bradley
Top Of The Coom - Conal O’Grada
Matt Molloy - 1st solo album(black cover)
Feadog Stain 1 - Mary Bergin
Irish Concertina - Noel Hill
Lost In The Loop - Liz Carroll
The Long, Long Note - Deiseal
Molloy, Peoples, & Brady
Leitrim’s Hidden Treasure - McNamara Family
Fool’s Dream - Pat Crowley & Johnny McCarthy

(….is that 10 ALREADY ??)

Mine change all the time too, currently they’re:

1. Danu - All Things Considered
2. Dervish - Live in Palma
3. Micheal O’Raghallaigh - The Nervous Man
4. Tola Custy & Cyril O’Donoghue - Setting Free
5. Providence - Providence
6. The Lonely Stranded Band - The Lonely Stranded Band
7. Sharon Shannon - Each Little Thing
8. Danu - Think Before You Think
9. Dervish - Harmony Hill
10. John Williams - Steam

This is great - my flabber is totally gasted.

I started this off as a ‘Fun’ thread. Now it’s become an education. And I think I can tell what would be a good CD (either from artists I’ve never heard, or heard OF!) going by the other choices in each person’s top 10 - although just about everyone’s taste is impeccable.

So there are now several CD’s on my ‘to buy’ list. Keep them coming - I’ll try and do a poll of the best, once this thread looks like running out of steam.

From a cursory glance so far, at least one Dervish and one Matt Molloy album could be fighting for top spot, but I’ll certainly let this one run for a fair bit longer….

Incidentally, I liked Ottery’s personalised description of each album (forget about the gliches) - more of that would be nice…

Thanks to all who’ve took the trouble to post their faves.

Hmmmm,

Am I the only one who’s fond of Jeff Wynne’s “With every breath”?

Bart

He’s also known as JOHN Wynne….

Sometimes Im a little dyxcleptic’.

Bart

noce choice…concertina player

This is too difficult! I had to leave so many out but here’s 10 off the top of my head in no particular order.
1. Joe Burke, Andy McGann & Felix Dolan - A Tribute to Michael Coleman
A classic which IMHO should be listened to over and over again by anyone aspiring to play Irish Traditional music
2. Matt Molloy & Sean Keane - Contentment is Wealth
I’m not a great fan of Keane as he often get’s inebriated by his own virtuosity but here he combines with Molloy to produce one of the greatest flute/fiddle duets ever.
3. Frankie Gavin & Paul Brock - A Tribute to Joe Cooley
Frankie can be a bit of a speed merchant but here he plays in the old style. Sweet, sweet music.
4. Tommy Peoples - “an exciting sesssion with one of Ireland’s leading fiddlers”
This is a Comhaltas production (CL 13) probably not available now (sorry!). Recorded live and very exciting. The atmosphere is palpable during Tommy’s rendition of “The Green Fields of Glentown” as you can hear the audience urge Tommy on.
5. Paddy Keenan & Paddy Glackin - Doublin’
The two Paddys breath new life into a bunch of common session tunes. Classic fiddle and pipes duet.
6. Noel Hill & Tony Linnane
Another classic duet recording. Superb renditions of common session tunes. I nearly wore this one out!
7. James Kelly - Capel Street
You’ll have gathered by now that I admire anyone who can take a common tune and make you pick up your ears and listen anew. Here James does just that backed by Daithi Sproule. This only came out on tape which I played incessantly in the car. In true missing sock syndrome the box went missing and eventually the tape also. I really miss this recording.
8. Paddy Carty & Mick O’Connor
The epitome of East Galway style flute playing accompanied by Mick on banjo.
9. John Carty - The Cat that ate the Candle
John demonstrates that it is possible to produce sublime music on the banjo.
10. Brian Rooney - The Godfather
Straight into classic status for Brian’s first album! Sweet fiddle music with a lovely lilt to it. Piano accompaniment by Brian McGrath. Frankie Gavin, Alec Finn and John Carty also guest.

Cheers Downey - where’s your top 10 ?

In no particular order:

- Ronan Browne: The Wynd you Know - Stunning album of piping, and a bit of whistle playing (on the Indian bansuri), with some spookily beautiful harmonium accompaniment by Triona Ni Dhomhnaill. Ronan manages to combine virtuosity and taste with intense emotion, a rare and awesome thing.
- Ronan Browne & Peter O’Loughlin: The South West Wind - really tight duet playing with pipes and fiddle, brilliant tunes.
- Martin Hayes: Under the Moon - it was hard to pick my favourite of his CDs, but I think it’s this one. They’re all stupendous.
- John Carty: Yeh, That’s All It Is - I just got this one, so it’s still at the honeymoon stage, but I’m listening to it on repeat. Fantastic warmth and beautiful tone, very lively stuff. And Arty McGlynn on it as well, he’s the business!
- Frankie Gavin & Paul Brock: Tribute to Joe Cooley - this is an old favourite. Great spirit and great tunes.
- Tommy Potts: The Liffey Banks. I have to be in the right mood for this one, but it’s unique, a whole different angle on the music - very intense and personal.
- Noel Hill & Tony Linnane: like Milesnagopaleen, I’ve nearly worn out my old cassette of this album.

I’m struggling now, (and should do some work…) so I’ll opt also for Martin Hayes other three albums. I’m restricting my self to traditional Irish music, of course. If I was really being sent to a desert island I’d have a few other things I’d want to take as well…

I’ve never added to these threads because they always seem full when I get them. Either the respondents are faster than myself, or I get a delayed version. Anyway, this is too tempting to pass by. My favs in no particular order:

Planxty - Planxty
The Bothy Band - 1975
Dick Gaughan - Handful of Earth
Fiddlehead - Over the Straits
Setanta - Early Rising
Patrick Street - Corner Boys
Cucanandy - he didn’t dance
Silly Wizard - Live Wizardry
DeDannen - Ballroom
Boston College - Gaelic Roots
Open House - Second Story
Mick Moloney - Strings Attached
Eoin O Riabhaigh - tiomnacht
Golden Bough - The Boatman’s Daughter
Blackthorn - Market Town

Oops! I went over ten!

OK I’ve just toted up the results, which are as follows:
Most popular album: Dervish - Misummer’s Night, 5 votes.
2nd most popular album: Music at Matt Molloy’s, 4 votes.
There were several with 3 but the most surprising in my view was Paddy Carty & Mick O’Connor. Mick once told me he never received any payment for that album, just a handfull of the LP’s to sell off to his mates.
Also for me it vindicates the use of the Boehm system flute in The Music.

The most popular Band was, unsurprisingly, Dervish with 10 votes in total.
The most popular artist was Matt Molloy with a total of 7 votes - found this slightly surprising also.
Maybe more flute players participated in the survey because the flute is a more popularly played instrument, I don’t know.
If anyone wants to bother going over the results again, feel free - I’ve probably miscounted a couple.
Once again thanks again to all who participated.

Here Are My Favourites

1. Dervish - Midsummer’s Night
2. McGoldrick Michael - Morning Rory
3. Altan - Island Angel
4. Planxty - After The Break
5. Crawford Kevin - In Good Company
6. Lunasa - Otherworld
7. Kelly Alan & John - Fourmilehouse
8. Matt Molloy - Live At Matt Molloy’s
9. Dervish - Spirit
10. Carty Paddy -Traditional Irish usic

As this discussion’s 15 years old, would it be good to update it with extra “Top 10”suggestions or - maybe better - “Top 5”? I’d say the great majority of the above are Irish, but personal Scottish choices would be very interesting too (at least I’d like them). However, Irish only would mean a less enormous choice.

Bump: My tastes have changed through the years but I’ll give it a go.

1. The Bothy Band - Afterhours (Mulligan Records 1978) (When I first heard this it blew my mind, being a metaller in my early years, when my mate put on Farewell To Erin, when the reel came round again, Michael’s guitar is just perfect and then the whole band kicks in.)
2. Ceiltoiri Laighean - The Crooked Road (1973 Gael Linn Records) There is some beautiful wild ensemble playing on this record and Eamon De Butlear brings a nice imaginative bodhran to the mix, often emulating the set dancer steps. The Kelly’s (father and son), and an excellent mix of great musicians.
3. De Danann (Polydor 1975) Such an influential album for me, especially Johnny in the goatskin helm, personal highlight would be The Duke of Leinster set, simply for the whistle and skin effect. The whole album is amazing and Dolores as the singer that year, magnificent.
4. Matt Molloy - The Heathery Breeze (1981 Polydor Records) Probably my favourite flute album of the lot, but Stoney Steps and his debut are not far behind this one.
5. Paddy Carty & Mick O’Connor (Shanachie Records 1975) - Mentioned numerous times here on this thread, but probably another flute favourite of mine.
6. Planxty - The Well Below the Valley (Polydor Records 1973) Don’t get me wrong, I like all of Planxty, but this album is my favourite. I love O’Flynn’s version of the Humours of Ballyloughlin on this and the title track totally innovative and exciting.
7. The 3rd Irish Folk Festival (Interchord/ Xenophone Records 1976) An unusual choice, but basically for side two of the double album. A rare concert with a young De Danann and Andy Irvine the guest singer and mandolin player, who works really nicely with Finn. Johnny does his hat trick solo with Gavin joining him on whistle and the Boys of Ballisodare. You also get a rare reworking of a De Danann version of the Plains of Kildare. Well worth hearing.
8. Christy Moore - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy (Polydor Records 1975) That seminal period between the two Planxty’s and the Bothy Band. Kevin Burke and Lunny guest on the record among others, probably my favourite Christy album.
9. Paddy Keenan & Paddy Glackin - Doublin (Tara Records 1978) Like a few have posted here an incredible album.
10. Donncha O’Briain - Irish Traditional Music on the Tin Whistle (Gael Linn Records 1979) I love most of the whistle albums, Mary Bergin’s, Sean Ryan’s and Joanie Madden’s albums but Donncha’s is probably my all time favourite.