Clancy Bros.

Subject: Clancy Bros.
From: paddyc
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 02:15 PM

Does anyone else think the Clancys are the best band in da world?

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 02:16 PM

Well we know they're the best LIVE band.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: zander (inactive)
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 02:19 PM

worlds worst irish ? band

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: paddyc
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 03:13 PM

Clancys are better than any Irish band alive!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 03:27 PM

Yeah, and twice so!

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: paddymac
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 03:31 PM

For a group of diverted thespians they surely did a fine job in resurrecting the Irish folk tradition and bringing it to a global audience. They were in the right place at the right time and answered the call. Two of the lads have passed on, but Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem are still with us. I don't know if Liam performas any longer, but Tommy is still active on the circuit.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 03:51 PM

I guess Liam's performances are as long as ever, and lively too.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 04:04 PM

While I don't think of them as being the best band, I agree with paddymac - their contribution was immense.

Jon

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: honestfrankie
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 04:07 PM

No.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Tiger
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 04:36 PM

I'm with Bold Brennan!

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 04:45 PM

G'day all,

I think paddymac summed it up very well. The Clancys were a great phenomenon of the folk revival and they set Irish folk music firmly on the course that led to where it is today. (Whether that is a good or a bad thing is a personal opinion.)

They were quite eclectic in their choice of songs (a good grounding in pub folk, not politically-driven folk) and sang a lot of songs that keep turning up in Mudcat threads headed Is *** ** ****** an Irish Song? but you can't blame them if the next generation didn't bother to find out what they were singing.

However you look at it they were great fun - and dead serious at times. I remember going to one of their concerts in Sydney around 1964. The old Stadium at Rushcutters Bay was packed with wall-to-wall Irish ... navvies, lumpers, clerks, scholars, priests and nuns ... and they (nearly) finished the concert with God Save the Queen.

Nobody stood.

Then they broke into The Soldier's Songs and every single person rose to their feet - if not instantly ... after a short, sharp prompt by the Irish wharkie standing next to them!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: GUEST,Aransweater
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 05:56 PM

Yes Liam Clancy is still performing, nowadays he is often in the company of his son Donal Clancy ( A consumate performer on just about any stringed instrument you care to name- and his nephew, Robbie O'Connell. (Robbie has a career of his own too and has many recordings with Mick Moloney (One time banjo player/singer with "The Johnsons") ) Check out the cds "CLANCY, O'CONNELL, CLANCY" and "Wild & Wasteful Ocean". The new "Clancy" sound is excellent. Don't forget Bobby Clancy either, a truly great folk performer who usually plays the long neck five string banjo and sing, he has recorded with his brothers Paddy and Liam and the aforementioned O'Connell too. In fact they played a spot in that famous Dylan jubilee concert in Madison Square Garden (was it thirtieth, I think ,anniversary of Dylan's debut?). There is a cd called "Older but no wiser" where the newer "sound" had it's first airing G'by

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 06:14 PM

Well Brennan, my whole world of Celtic music started with the Clancy Brothers back in 1998, when I got their greatest hits album out from the library. It was fun when I first listened to it, but the next day, when writing my big technical paper, I kept singing "Roddy McCorley" which I had heard the night before. It was THEN I knew I was hooked. I have that album know, and know all the songs and lyrics by heart, and I play them all all the time! From there I began to discover the beautiful world of Celtic music, the style in which I have chosen now to work. And it's all thanks the the boys from Ireland! CLANCY BROTHERS RULE!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: plange
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 06:27 PM

I need the words to "Whiskey you're the devil" ASAP. can anyone help? Thank you all.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 06:49 PM

Plange- Go to the Lyrics search at the top of the page and enter "Whiskey".

Subject: Lyr Add: WHISKEY, YOU'RE THE DIVIL
From: GUEST,Bud Savoie
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 06:50 PM

Plange, I always loved this one!

Whiskey, you're the divil, you're leadin' me astray
Over hills and mountains and to Amerikay.
You're sweeter, stronger tastin', and you're spunkier nor tay.
Oh, whiskey, you're me darlin' drunk or sober.

Oh, now brave boys, we're on for marchin' up to Portugal and Spain.
Drums are beatin' banners flyin' the divil a home we'll come tonight.
Love, fare thee well, with me tipperyaydledoodleumada
Me tipperyaydledoodleumada
Me roych fol tooral laddie-O, there's whiskey i the jar.

CHORUS: Oh, whiskey, you're the divil, &c.

Said the mother, "Do not wrong me. Don't take me daughter from me.
For if you do, I will torment you and after death me ghost will haunt you."
Love, fare thee well, &c.

CHORUS: Oh, whiskey, you're the divil, &c.

Now the French are fightin' boldly. men are dyin' hot and coldly.
Give every man his flask of powder, his firelock on his shoulder.
Love, fare thee well, &c.

CHORUS: Oh, whiskey, you're the divil, &c.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: bob schwarer
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 07:03 PM

Happened on a Clancy/Makem LP back in 1968 or so. Had heard them on the old Hooteneny show several years before so I bought the two LPs I found. As they say "the rest is history". No turning back after the first exposure. I think I managed to dig up all of their recordings through the years. Even some obscure Audio Fidelity (if my rememberance is correct) disks. Love 'em.

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 07:27 PM

I, too, agree with Paddymac. They pretty much set the trend for the genre. If I had to choose only one Irish group to listen to...it would be The Clancy Bros and Tommy Makem. However, I do think that there are better groups around now...for different types of Celtic/Irish. e.g. for Rebel songs I like the Wolfetones And for instrumentals, I like the Chieftains, Altan, Clannad, etc. And my favorite all around group at the present time is/are the Dublin City Ramblers. I started to say that the Clancys are the Kingston Trio of Irish music...but that might open up a can of worms!

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: fulurum
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 12:20 AM

liam is alive and welland still performing. he does a hilarious rap version of johnny mceldoo. turns his big white hat around dons a pair of sunglasses and goes at it. its great. unfortunatly clancy oconnell and clancy are no longer. robbie oconnell is starting up his own band, doanal is busy in ny with his musical career, and with liam in ireland it was just to hard for them to get together. i don't think the clancys or makem would be considered among the great musicians of our times, but they were, and liam and tommy, still are great performers. and they always gave me my moneys worth.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Mbo
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 12:22 AM

Darn! And I though I came up with the idea of a rap version of "The Spree"! Hey, how come no one is mentioning Aoife Clancy?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: fulurum
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 12:39 AM

ok on the latest cherish the ladies album "at home featuring Aoife Clancy, liam, bobby, finbar, and Aoife(note:mentioned twice) do a great rendition of john o dreams.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Sourdough
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 01:19 AM

In the late '50s, I was living in New York and used to spend a couple evenings a week at the White Horse Tavern. The Clancys and Tommy Makhenm used to drink there and often would sing, just for the hell of it, out of just exuberance. There was a woman who lived upstairs who always omplained when the Clancys sang, I guess because they were really loud. Their voices were so strong and powerful.

People resented her complaints because it kept the Clancys from singing as often as they might have.

This was during a time when the Clancys were getting better known. They were even appearing on television.

One night, the phone rang at the White Horse bar while the Clancys were singing. Sure enough, it was the woman upstairs.

"Are those the young men who were on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' last night?", she asked.

The bartender told her that, indeed, they were, they were the Clancy Brothers, and they had appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show that Sunday. The woman politely thanked him for the information and she never, ever, called to complain again.

The Clancys always liked that story.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Tchaikovsky
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 02:31 AM

That's a great story!! The Clancy's are a great band...and not too bad looking either...well in their younger days....sorry, went off on a tangent. Anyways, their very important in the Irish folk song revival! They also played at Kennedy's inauguration! I even know that and I'm a Canadian...lol.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: NSC
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 03:22 AM

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem made a huge contibution to the Irish song tradition and were extremely important in making it popular.

However, Tchaikovsky, the Irish song tradition, in Ireland, did not need reviving. It has always remained alive and strong and is still strong today. You simply have to look at the number of singing festivals(which cater for unaccompanied Irish traditional songs) and see the hundreds who attend to understand this.

The revival was purely among ethnic Irish communities in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and elsewhwere.

However, my interest in Irish Trad songs developed through listening to Dylan, Guthrie, then Clancy's and Dubliners and McPeakes, so they were wery important to me, and of course there are no better entertainers. I love them.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: Tchaikovsky
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 12:14 PM

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I did mean within North America. ....Here I am living in my own little world again...lol.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 12:32 PM

IMHO, any band succesful enough to make more people interested in a genre I like is a good band, because then the copycats start fishing up all sorts of music out of the genre that I might never otherwise hear. This all goes into my head to send me looking for good songs, or to enrich my listening and playing. I don't bother to rank them-- I just assimilate what's good and keep on the lookout for whatever is good enough to keep in my head or on the shelf. There are a lotta songs I would never have looked at, that are very dear to me now and have gotten out into my listeners' hearts, that would not be there if I hadn't heard someone play the Clancy's stuff. It only takes on memorable line or one stirring phrase of melody to change the whole world. I don't care who it comes from as much as that I stay open to receive it.

Subject: RE: Clancy Bros.
From: zander (inactive)
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 03:13 PM

It is difficult to think of an Irish band past or present who are not better than the Clancy Brothers, here are just a few without thinking too deeply- Dubliners, Chieftains, Planxty, De Dannan, Stockyons Wing Johnstons, Patrick St. Four men and a Dog, Ni Cassidy, Finbar and Eddie Fury, Dervish, Sweeneys Men, Emmet Spiceland and the Matthews Brothers. The trouble with the Clancys, dood singers as they were was that the censored all the songs to make them suitable for middle class audiences who might be offended by a rude word or a rough voice.