'Movin' Hearts'??

Subject: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Nov 02 - 12:41 AM

On a Christy Moore song,I heard Movin Hearts mentioned. Is that the name of a group?? I have heard the name,but can't place it. Any help? Thanks.

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: alanabit
Date: 10 Nov 02 - 03:06 AM

Keep this thread up Guest. Someone will come along with some more information. It was the name of a band he was in in the seventies or eighties I believe. They had rock and jazz influences and several distinguished Irish musicians played in it. I used to hear the albums often when I was doing the Irish Pub scene here in Germany.

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: belfast
Date: 10 Nov 02 - 09:45 AM

It was a band that Christy himself played in (and possibly formed). As described above and with strong political motivation, anti-nuclear,anti H-blocks etc.

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: belfast
Date: 10 Nov 02 - 09:57 AM

I should have mentioned, you'll get discography and suchlike at this ( Click Here )site

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: michaelr
Date: 10 Nov 02 - 01:11 PM

Moving Hearts was an experiment conducted by Irish music greats Christy Moore and Donal Lunny, and attempt at a -- I hate to say it because it's a misleading term that lots of people hate -- "fusion" between Irish trad tunes and rock'n'roll instrumentation, with a bit of jazz feel thrown in.

With Donal free after the breakup of The Bothy Band, and Christy well enough into his post-Planxty solo career to feel a bit adventurous,
they put together a quite large band, including drums, bass, sax, electric guitar, keyboards, pipes, drums, percussion, and of course Donal on bouzouki.

They recorded a couple of albums with Christy singing, but their best work (IMO) came after the ever-restless bard moved on. "The Storm" (1985) is an all-instrumental album that re-defined the possibilities in Irish music, and set Lunny on the path he's pursuing, with m,ore or less brilliant results, to this day.

If you do a web search for "Donal Lunny", you're bound to come across a famous interview in which he explains a bit about Moving Hearts, and why it was an adventure for him, too.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: Declan
Date: 12 Nov 02 - 07:54 AM

As was said above Moving Hearts was a band put together by Christy Moore Donal Lunny and Declan Sinnot. It started life as a regular jamming session/gig that was held in the Baggot Inn in Dublin called The Mugs Gig - I think this may have started somewhere else, but the Baggot was where Moving Hearts came together. I was a regular attendee and it was fascinating seeing the band evolving. Christy had experimented with an electric band previously and made an album (Whatever tickles your fancy) with a line-up that included Jimmy Faulkner on Electric Guitar (Declan McNeilus on Bass?) and Kevin Burke and Fiddle.

The Moving Hearts sound really came together when Keith Donald on Sax and Davey Spillane on uilean pipes joined them. The Sax/pipes combination hadn't been tried much up to then as far as I know (apart from a band called Scullion who did a track with that combination around the same time (Jimmy O'Brien-Moran played both on the track).

The band got very much caught up in the H-Blocks protest in 1981 and were dubbed by Dublin Comedian Mannix Flynn as "The political wing of the Wolf Tones". Other band members were Eoin O Neill on Bass and Brian Callinan on percussion. Later versions of the band had a full kit drummer and a great percussionist who also played with the RTE symphony orchestra (and who's name I just can't think of at the moment). A second piper (and multi-instrumentalist) Declan Masterson was also added to the sound. Christy and Declan left to do other things and they were replaced on vocals by Mick Hanly and Flo Mc Sweeny. Anto Drennan replaced Declan Sinnot on Guitar.

As Michaelr says above their most popular album was the posthumously released The Storm - all instrumental and great stuff. They've been together for a few gigs since and have been very influential on Donal's subsequent bands (including Coolfinn) and Davy Spillane's later output. I'd also say Bill Whelan listened to Movin' Hearts a lot while he was writing the Riverdance stuff (He may even have been a member of the band in one of its incarnations - I'm not sure).

The Movin' Hearts and Planxty Too was in the Lisdoonvarna song and was a reference to the 1981 festival which featured both bands and if I'm not mistaken The Bothy Band as well. Donal had a busy week-end - I think he was on the sound desk for some of the time as well.

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: GUEST,Geordie
Date: 12 Nov 02 - 10:43 AM

The Storm by Moving Hearts is one the Five Best albums I ever heard..I play it regulalrly and never tire of it..brilliant.

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: selby
Date: 12 Nov 02 - 12:56 PM

I agree, The Storm is certanly in my top 5 albums as well, in fact im off to dig it out of the vinyl collection and blast the old ears out.
Keith

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: GUEST,PJ Curtis.
Date: 12 Nov 02 - 02:24 PM

One of the most exciting LIve gigs I ever witnessed in Ireland was by Moving Hearts at the Olympia in Dublin back in C '82. The sheer energy and instrumental firepower have rarely been equalled by ANY Irish band -Trad , Rock or otherwise!
Has it been mentioned that Mick Hanly also sang with the band in '83?. Van Morrison (a huge fan of the band) used them on some tracks on one of his albums at the time.
I agree with the postings above - their all-instro album 'The Storm' (Tara) is a timeless monument to their unique musical vision. Thanks for the wonderful music, you guys.!!
PJC

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: GUEST,Geordie
Date: 12 Nov 02 - 02:54 PM

Do you recall which Van album they played on ? I have a lot of his stuff and would really like to hear him with some of those guys.
Thanks


Geordie

Subject: RE: 'Movin' Hearts'??
From: Declan
Date: 13 Nov 02 - 11:59 AM

Nice to see you here PJ. I get to hear your program most Sunday nights. Great stuff. Maybe you'd play some Moving Hearts one of these weeks.

For the benefit of non-Irish readers PJ Curtis has a great radio program "Rhythm and Roots" on RTE Radio 1 on Sunday's between 8 and 9pm. Well worth a listen, as is The South Wind Blows presented by Philip King in the same slot on Saturday's. (88.2-90FM 567 KHtz Medium wave and on the web).