Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Teribus
Date: 25 Oct 05 - 02:15 PM

GUEST,[e-mail] - from way back in 30 Mar 04 - 10:49:

"I have only heard this song once."

YOU, LUCKY, LUCKY BASTARD

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: growler
Date: 25 Oct 05 - 04:12 PM

I hate the bloody thing, but when I play it, everyone seems to enjoy it. Is'nt it what it's all about?

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 25 Oct 05 - 09:31 PM

FWIW - as a singer of Celtic folk songs I perform at a good number of pubs and a fair number of festivals around the country. I recently sang "Fields Of Athenry" at a Dallas pub and one of the town's Celtic
purveyors of pub tradition took me aside and said he loved it. I sing it at a tempo somewhere between the Byrds versions of
"Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn,Turn,Turn" - with a slightly punchy folk-rock feel. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,me
Date: 05 Mar 07 - 07:44 PM

What is shouted is "hey baby let the free bird fly" and then they sing "our love was on the way" and you scream "Shin fein"...then they say "we had dreams and songs to sing" and you scream "IRA"

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Jim Lad
Date: 05 Mar 07 - 08:14 PM

Jeeze! Have yous never cheered at a really good funeral?

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: oldhippie
Date: 05 Mar 07 - 09:57 PM

The Dropkick Murphys version is complete with bagpipes; as is their Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace won them an award a few years ago for best adaptation of a traditional tune.
Another band that does uptempo versions of folk is The Real McKenzies.

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 05 Mar 07 - 10:24 PM

Okay, I live pretty far from the road - does this "hey baby let the free bird fly" mean something that renders it hilarious after you've had a dozen stout, or what?

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Scrump
Date: 06 Mar 07 - 04:33 AM

We practiced this last night, as we're always getting requests for it and with St Patrick's Day coming up we thought we'd better be ready
:-)

But I hadn't thought of doing an upbeat version. (It reminds me of last Saturday night at a pub gig, I misunderstood the leader's instructions and started playing chords at a fairly fast speed. The fiddlers then joined in and I realised my mistake and started playing the right chords for the tune but at the same speed (luckily the tune I'd thought we were playing and the one we ended up playing were in the same key!), which was a lot faster than we normally play that particular tune. The fiddlers just played to keep up with me, and we all had a laugh and enjoyed it, and so did the audience. Sometimes a mistake like that can turn into something good!)

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 06 Mar 07 - 06:52 AM

Dear "Guest, Me"---May I say (it"s a free country, just ) how much I would like to see you and your friends doing your version, complete with "Sinn Fein " and " IRA " responses, in front of an audience comprised of members of English cavalry regiments, and Royal Marine bandsmen,with a few relatives of Lord Mountbatten thrown in ?? I feel sure that the resulting carnage would be most gratifying !! Or you might just be asked to leave, as we do not hold, in our hearts,the same twisted,blind hatred for the Irish, that some Irish have for the English ( who are mostly all from other countries now,anyway )

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 06 Mar 07 - 08:24 AM

Up Beat or Dirged , I would rather sing Malcolm Austen's rewrite ! A LOT more fun !

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Mar 07 - 09:40 AM

It's the usual mudcat thing. Getting hot and bothered about the "inner meaning" et al. Sure, it was written during the recent "troubles" and was meant a a serious comment on one aspect of british repression, i.e. transportation to Van Diemans Land for minor offences, back in the 1800's. Presumably, the author, Pete St. John recorded it but the it became a "hit" when recorded by Paddy Reilly. For the information of Mudcatters worldwide most Irish people have outgrown the resentment of the brits and the song has become a rabble rouser rather than a rebel rouser.

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,chloe
Date: 09 Mar 07 - 07:16 PM

but who actually plays the upbeat 1,
i've heard it before but when i've come to search for it all i find is some techno club music crap. if anyone knows, let me know please.
x x x

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 12:26 PM

The Century Steel Band did a version. I googled "steel band fields athenry" and there are a number of articles there naming those who recorded the song.

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,Lauren
Date: 02 May 07 - 02:33 PM

I know what they scream.. After 'Where once I watched the small free birds fly' the crowd screams ' LET THEM FLY LET THEM FREE BIRDS FLY!!!'

was athenry really sang upbeat in Dublin?

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,Sharon Carl
Date: 15 Feb 08 - 10:43 PM

I just listened to David Og play this on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiIkRz_aP8M&feature=related

I'm sure this is what everyone is talking about. The song is sung with a strong background beat, but I wouldn't call it 'upbeat'. I think the intent is to bring out the protest aspect of the song. Trevelyan was responsible for the genocide of 1,300,000 men women and children during the Irish famine.

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Stewie
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 06:05 AM

Here's a clip of Paddy Reilly performing it:

CLICK.

I reckon it still stands up very well indeed.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Nick
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 07:25 AM

Not sure you'll approve of this so don't listen if you like a nice slow acoustic version. This is a very poor recording from an early practice with a band that almost got formed. It's rather more upbeat than some of the versions mentioned on this thread.

Is it in keeping with the song? Is it 'right' to do it this way? Who knows, but I did enjoy playing it :)

Athenrye

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,LOR
Date: 26 Oct 11 - 06:41 AM

WOW that thread was kept up for 7 years and now here i come Three years later WOW

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 26 Oct 11 - 07:52 AM

Yeah but why ?

Dave H

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: GUEST,Quiet Rover
Date: 18 Nov 11 - 10:03 AM

And GuestL'or hasn't the decency to answer you Dave?
So many years later, why? I heard the 'upbeat version' - funny as hell to read that 10 years from the thread-start - and the audience was calling back something different/new. I think it must be a local callback since I find nothing new here. Great as a ballad or dance or rebel piece. FoA is always a great tune, played often round here at festivals and pubs, but best after the 4th pint or 'the 7th glass.'

Subject: RE: Fields of Athenry - performed upbeat?
From: Darowyn
Date: 19 Nov 11 - 03:43 AM

Note to self:-
In the unlikely event that I find myself performing "Fields of Athenry", at the relevant point, I must go into a four minute (at least) electric guitar solo from "Free Bird".
I regularly do "Dirty Old Town" as a Reggae with my rock band - and I sing the correct 'Salford wind' too!
We also do "House of the Rising Sun" with The Animals' arrangement but the original feminine lyric.
In my solo days I used to sing "House Carpenter" to a mighty blues beat.
It's a Rock Band- we're wild, Man! We don't care what folk purists think (if such beings exist in the real world), because none of them come to our gigs anyway.
Cheers
Dave