MY TOP 10 IRISH ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
On average about 350 Irish albums are released each year. In a different month, week or even day, the list might look different but not by much. These are the ones I think are the best and why.
1. VAN MORRISON ASTRAL WEEKS
I disagree with the estimable Mr de Lisle that
Moondance is Morrison’s best. The songs on Astral Weeks almost overwhelm the mind’s eye with beautiful imagery. The subtle musicianship of the players, many improvising from the sometimes cryptic instructions given by the Belfast genius, achieved alchemic miracles at times. Fifty years old and never bettered. Key tracks: Cyprus Avenue and Madame George.
2. STIFF LITTLE FINGERS INFLAMMABLE MATERIAL
This album is perhaps the only one on the list that conceivably saved hundreds of lives. Released in the teeth of the Troubles, Jake Burns implored Ulster’s youth to come together, refuse the entreaties of paramilitaries and called out politicians and preachers whose actions and inaction precipitated the murder and mayhem. Key tracks: Alternative Ulster and Suspect Device.
3. U2 THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE
Again, contrary to conventional wisdom, it is The Unforgettable Fire which is U2’s defining work not The Joshua Tree. Their third album War made them a stadium band, but they bravely took a leftfield turn for their fourth, bringing Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois on board to help plot a new sonic journey that culminated in their most satisfying work. Key tracks: Pride (In The Name
Of Love) and Bad.
4. THE UNDERTONES THE UNDERTONES
The debut album from the Derry band contains 14 punk-informed guitar pop classics. They were as influenced by glam rock bands and the Beach Boys as labelmates The Ramones. All members bar singer Feargal Sharkey contributed to the writing process which lent the album a diversity that isn’t immediately obvious and is maybe why it stands the test of time. Key tracks: Teenage Kicks and True Confessions.
5. HORSLIPS THE BOOK OF INVASIONS
There were other bands in the early Seventies who merged rock, pop and trad but arguably none did it with as much aplomb as Horslips. Their sixth album is their crowning achievement, the distillation of the Celtic Rock sound. Key tracks: Swords Of Light and Trouble With A Capital T.
6. VILLAGERS BECOMING A JACKAL
Conor O’Brien’s departure from previous band The Immediate caused consternation. However, he confounded doubters with a visionary debut album. Lyrically, he is on a par with great Irish wordsmiths such as Van Morrison and Neil Hannon. The album contains some of the most sublime Irish songs of this millennium. Key tracks: I Saw The Dead and The Pact (I’ll Be Your Fever).
7. THE DUCKWORTH LEWIS METHOD THE DUCKWORTH LEWIS METHOD
An Irish album celebrating cricket shouldn’t work but when the songs are penned by the consistently underrated Thomas Walsh of Pugwash and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, it was always going to be exquisite. The upswing in the popularity of
the game isn’t entirely down to this album, but it certainly helped! Key tracks: Gentleman And Players and Jiggery Pokery.
8. MY BLOODY VALENTINE LOVELESS
The Kevin Shields-led quartet have made some of the most sonically challenging, aurally damaging and sometimes stomach-churning music in the past 30 years. Layers upon layers of effects laden guitar merge with incongruously fragile vocals to wrestle with the senses. The songs sometimes have a claustrophobic effect, and other times make one feel as if swimming through clouds. Key tracks: Sometimes and Only Shallow.
9. THE POGUES RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH
It only took Shane MacGowan a little over five years to think of marrying the energy and attitude of punk with folk and trad music. Producer, Elvis Costello worked hard to retain the raw sound and power the band harnessed in a live setting. MacGowan was instantly lauded as a startlingly good lyricist and a iconoclastic interpreter of folk standards. Key tracks: The Sick Bed of
Cúchulainn and A Pair Of Brown Eyes.
10. THE CRANBERRIES EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT SO WHY CAN’T WE
Dolores O’Riordan and Noel Hogan are perhaps the most underrated Irish writing duo in an artistic sense. The late singer’s direct lyrical approach was matched by Hogan’s unerring instinct when it came to composing melodies. The fact that they were still teenagers when they wrote many of the songs makes it all the more remarkable. Key tracks: Linger and Dreams. And some very honourable mentions among literally hundreds of others... Thin Lizzy Jailbreak Sinéad O’Connor The Lion And The Cobra Microdisney The Clock Comes Down The Stairs Damien Rice O The Radiators Ghostown The Boomtown Rats A Tonic For The Troops Fatima Mansions Viva Dead Ponies Rory Gallagher Photo Finish The Fat Lady Sings Twist The Sultans Of Ping FC Casual Sex In The Cineplex