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Tune Req: Essential Irish songs?
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Subject: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: PatrickJ Date: 12 Jan 03 - 08:54 PM I've been playing in an Irish folk band for about five years. We know about 150 songs, but we often recieve requests for songs we don't know. Not suprising since there are thousands, but sometimes we're too dumb (Or drunk) to write the name down. Does anyone have what they beleive to be an essential 20 to 30 songs that any Irish music bands should know? I thought this was the best way to pose the question. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks. Patrick |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Joe Offer Date: 12 Jan 03 - 09:04 PM Well, Patrick - I think the trick is that you should know those thirty songs, and then never play them. It's kind of like the controversey surrounding the Rise Up Singing songbook - the songs in the book are good, but they've been sung to death. Unfortunately, those are the songs you get most frequently as requests - the ones that have been sung to death. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: PatrickJ Date: 12 Jan 03 - 09:19 PM Yeah I feel the same way. But I guess I'm thinking more from a performers perspective. Most other performers I've met always have a bunch of songs that are their own favorites. I guess I'm just trying to avoid that strange look people get on their faces when I say I don't know a particular song. We usually play for a younger crowd, so the setlist is changing a lot as we play for older crowds. 100 of the 150 we know are less appropriate for some audiences. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 12 Jan 03 - 09:22 PM Seriously; write down the name of any song you're asked for if you don't recognise it. The titles may bear no relation to the songs meant (which often won't be Irish anyway) but it'll be a start. You can look them up later when you're sober. Asking here will get you a huge number of suggestions which may bear no relation at all to what's expected in whatever part of the world you live in. 150 songs should be more than enough for most practical purposes, but it may be that you're a bit short on the "Oirish" as opposed to Irish repertoire? You need to tell us a bit more about where you are, your existing repertoire, the kind of events you play at and the sort of audiences you play to, really, before anyone can do more than guess at what might be appropriate. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: PatrickJ Date: 12 Jan 03 - 09:45 PM Fair Enough. We play From New York City to Chicago. We play at a lot of pubs and party's. Our audience is split. Half the time we play for a younger crowd 21-35 and the other half we play to an older crowd, sometimes even senior events. We usually play for three to four hours a night. No doubt that 150 songs is plenty and I usually do remember to write requests down. It would just be nice to get a different perspective if for no other reason than to be exposed to some new songs. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: DonMeixner Date: 12 Jan 03 - 10:05 PM What Joe says is true. Those songs have been done to death.......in some parts of the country. In other parts they are never heard. I also think that as a performer it is my job to do the best job I am capable of. If I know "Never Wed an Old Man" dead cold and can only do a mediocre job on something new and deserving of ears, which sould I play? I'll play the request if i know it, even if I hate it. But I won't use sheet music or do a poor job on a worthy tune becuase someone requested it. There is surely a stable of songs, a canon if you will, that deserves learning. But learn everything you can, so what if it isn't Irish. Tom Paxton and Si Kahn are getting nice royalties from Irish bands for songs that are not and never where Irish. Play it good, play it with style, and play what you need to to keep working. $.02 Don |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Cluin Date: 12 Jan 03 - 11:35 PM Well, we ALWAYS got a request for "Fields of Athenry". I knew it but my duet-mate didn't and wouldn't learn it. I played it for him and he thought it too slow and depressing to play for pub gigs. Did it solo a couple of times but I confess it wasn't one of my faves either. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Rapparee Date: 13 Jan 03 - 09:28 AM You also must "know" your audience. By that I mean "reading the vibes" of the crowd. Some listeners, for example, will really get into such things as "Come Out Ye Black And Tans" while others, same age but at different times, will want "Slieve Gallion Brae" sort of music. I wouldn't worry if your stuff is "pure" Irish or not -- the Clancys did fine with an eclectic repetoire, and even Seamus Kennedy does "Waltzing Across Texas." Besides, most of the audience won't know and, as long as the music is good, won't care. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,autopilot Date: 13 Jan 03 - 05:32 PM Having played in an Irish/Celtic band it seems the audience falls into 3 distinct camps 1)Hail Fellow well Met 2)Serious listeners and 3)Regular folks. There's a book/cd compilation called '130 Great Irish Ballads'(of which very few are actually ballads). It was compiled by Robert Grogan and is published by Music Ireland,61 Grosvenor Square,Rathmine,Dublin 6,Ireland. Probably available through any book or music store. Covers quite a bit of ground and most of the 'pub songs' are contained therein. Writing down requests is a good idea, but ask further as far as sources go and you'd be amazed what people will unearth for you. It's difficult to please everyone(you included)all the time, but as the previous post states if the music is played well most people wont know or care if it's an Irish tune or not. You may want to add Loch Lomond, Brown Eyed Girl and Dirty Old Town if you don't already play them. They seem to get a good response no matter what the crowd. Good Luck. |
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Subject: ADD: You're Not Irish From: GUEST Date: 13 Jan 03 - 07:04 PM How about the sentiments in this one written by the one and only Robbie O'Connell You're Not Irish? (Robbie O'Connell) When first I came to the USA with my guitar in hand I was told that I could get a job singing songs from Ireland So I headed up to Boston, I was sure it would be alright But the very first night I got on the stage, I was in for a big surprise They said: CHORUS You're not Irish, you can't be Irish, you don't know "Danny Boy" Or "Toora Loora Loora" or even "Irish Eyes" You've got a hell of a nerve to say you came from Ireland So cut out all the nonsense and sing "McNamara's Band" To tell the truth I got quite a shock and I didn't know what to say So I sang a song in Gaelic, I thought that might win the day But they looked at me suspiciously and I didn't know what was wrong Then all of a sudden they started to shout " Now sing a real Irish song" The next day I was on my way, for Chicago I was bound I was ready to give it another try and not let it get me down From the stage they looked quite friendly but I'd hardly sung one word When a voice called out from the back of the room and what do you think I heard? Now I've travelled all round the country, but it's always been the same From LA to Philedelphia, and from Washington to Maine But sometimes now I wonder if it's a secret society And it doesn't matter wherever I go, they'll be waiting there for me Saying: You're not Irish, you can't be Irish, you don't know "Danny Boy" Or "Toora Loora Loora" or even "Irish Eyes" You've got a hell of a nerve to say you came from Ireland So cut out all the nonsense and sing "McNamara's Band" |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Cluin Date: 13 Jan 03 - 07:42 PM I've always liked that one, too, Guest. One thing we decided early was to not do either rebel songs or Orangemen songs. Best to keep things on an upbeat tone and not alienate anybody. We used to do "Follow Me Up to Carlow" in the beginning because we had a fairly funky upbeat version of it. But there was one guy who liked it a bit too much. We called him Ira. He kept requesting rebel songs after that and talking a lot of hate at us between sets, though we told him several times that we were just about having a good time and not into partisan politics of any sort (apart from criticising our own government of course). We dropped the song from our sets after that. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Jimmy C Date: 13 Jan 03 - 07:59 PM Having played in Irish groups for more that 30 years, I found that if the music is good and upbeat, the audience will appreciate it. Fields of Athenry is dreary and sung to death, it only really works if the whole audience knows it and sings along. We always threw in many Scottish, English, Australian, American and Canadian and no one seemd to mind. Whiskey in the Jar is sung a lot but is always a crowd favourite, the same with Can the Circle be Unbroken Nut Brown Maiden Seven Old Ladies Squis Jiggin Ground etc There is a whole rake of song suitable for an "Irish" style show without having to do boring, sentimental types that may only appeal to a very small portion of the audience. My advice is to mix it up, keep track of requests and pick the ones that you can perform well and go for it. Don't forget a few instrumentals. Good luck. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: maire-aine Date: 13 Jan 03 - 08:18 PM You might want to cover some songs by the Pogues and maybe Great Big Sea and some of the other young Irish rock bands. One song I think any Irish band could do is Sugar Magnolia (Grateful Dead, remember?) if they have the right musicians. Check out Black 47's stuff, too. If you have strong melody instruments, any set of 3-4 fast reels will get people clappin' and stompin' along. For a change of pace, you might want to do the Derry Aire (Danny Boy's melody) as an instrumental. Everybody already carries the words around in their head. Done to death (IMnotHO): Drunken Sailor, Black Velvet Band, the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Try these: Calton Weaver, some a capella sea shanties, Mingalay Boat song (there's a thread on this right now), Stan Rogers songs (esp. Mary Ellen Carter). |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: dick greenhaus Date: 13 Jan 03 - 10:44 PM It's been said that when you've heard one Irish tune, you've heard them both. A search in DigiTrad for @Irish will get you 604 of them, though. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,DonMeixner Date: 13 Jan 03 - 11:08 PM Some of these songs mentioned are to my point. Done to death but only in some areas. Colton Weaver is DTD in my opinion, So is Mary Ellem Carter. Both great songs but over done in my area. I am also one of the perpetrators. We've had Black47 here for a large outdoor concert a few years ago. Dead on arrival. We also had the McCabes who kicked some musical butt in the area. Patric, know your market. If they all want Black Velvet Band and Danny Boy and you can't stand the songs, better look for another venue. Or play two that the locals want and then slip in some Great Big Sea or some Old Blind Dogs. We can all give you songs to try but in the end. Its what you play that they like that will make your market. Don |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: MikeOQuinn Date: 13 Jan 03 - 11:58 PM I've compiled a songbook (of course, not by any means complete or indicative of the entire genre) of celtic/traditional songs, most of which seem to go over rather well in pub settings (which is where I learned an unfortunate number of them). This means that of the sixty-some-odd tunes in there, about fifty-some-odd are of the overdone-but-I-know-them-because-crowds-seem-to-enjoy-them type. If anyone would like a copy, I can send it to them. Feel free to PM me about it. As for specific tunes, I've always been fond of such songs as The Star of the County Down, Ireland (by Garth Brooks, see Roughstock Song Archives for lyrics/chords), and a few other songs, both traditional and not-so-traditional. -J |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Rapparee Date: 14 Jan 03 - 08:05 AM One I haven't heard but once is "Pride of Petrovar" -- which is Irish, regardless. IMHO rebel songs in the US can be okay, especially if the crowd is happily in their cups and willing to roar along with the chorus, but I would certainly think twice about singing them in Ireland. From Stan Rogers, "Fogarty's Cove" "Northwest Passage" or "McDonell on the Heights" are good. Others you might think about are "Night Guard" "The Idiot" and "Barrett's Privateers" will get even a sober crowd wound up. Stuff from Schooner Fare, such as "Mary L. McKay" "Mad Jack" and "Boats of Stone" might also go over. Personally, I think it's best to do fifty things well than three times that number in a mediocre way. Good Luck. May the Stage Collapse! |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Brakn Date: 14 Jan 03 - 08:20 AM It will all depend on the audience. One crowd will look at you like you've got two heads if you don't know "The Boys From The County Mayo" and another crowd will not know it at all. These are some of the songs I sing. And I mean some! |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: ard mhacha Date: 14 Jan 03 - 08:29 AM Rapaire, The song is Eileen Og or The Pride of Petravore by Percy French[1854-1924]. Their was an informative thread a couple of months ago on this prolific song writer. Ard Mhacha. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 14 Jan 03 - 10:58 AM There's always Molly Malone, but how many slow songs can you do? I hope that was joke about getting drunk. Don't get drunk or even tipsy. It's bad for you. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: MikeOQuinn Date: 14 Jan 03 - 11:27 AM Is it just me, or are there an inordinate number of songs written about "The Green Fields of Country X"? So far, I've seen America, France, Ireland, and a few others that I'm too tired to remember. Is it a green-field conspiracy? -J |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,JohnB Date: 14 Jan 03 - 12:34 PM From Galway to Graceland should go down well in your area. JohnB |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Declan Date: 14 Jan 03 - 01:01 PM Theres an old Irisih saying that far away hills are always green. Canada is my favourite song about green fields of anywhere. It strikes me that very few of the songs and bands being referred to here are actually Irish, which was what the initial request was about. I agree there's no need to get hung up on singing exclusively Irish material, but this was what was requested. The instrumentation available in your group would determine what I would recommend as much as anything else. A lot of younger Irish bands playing Traditional type material would tend to play fast tunes (reels and jigs) to get the crowd going and maybe sing slower mellower songs to contrast with this. If you rule out what people have described here as slow and depressing songs, you're certainly ruling out a large proportion of the Irish repertoire ("all our wars are merry and all our songs are sad"). I personally loathe the Fields of Athenry, but it is a very popular song and since it has become a Football chant, it is often done as a very up-tempo song in lots of places these days and tends to be popular with younger audiences. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 14 Jan 03 - 02:18 PM That's rather what I was getting at in my previous post; a lot of the songs a typical audience will request won't be Irish at all, though they will firmly believe them to be. You will certainly need a good few of those in your repertoire, if only for use as crowd-pleasers when requested. Many of us will have stories about playing genuine Irish material and being told "that's not Irish" by people who, upon being asked to sing a "real" Irish song, launch into an old Country-and-Western number or something of the kind. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: belfast Date: 14 Jan 03 - 02:41 PM There is no such thing as an essential Irish song. It's that simple. Sing what you feel like singing. If you sing stuff you don't feel comfortable with it just might show. You're never ever going to please everybody all the time anyway. As for republican songs, an Irish republican would probably be a little nauseated at the thought of someone singing a republican ballad just to earn a couple of bucks. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,Claire Date: 14 Jan 03 - 02:47 PM I have many many reasons for learning new songs, but getting requests for them is always low on the list. First of all, there are too many to learn them all. Second, do I want to spend all that energy and thought on a song I don't like and therefor, probably won't sing well? When someone I know suggests a song repeatedly, I will often look into it and see if it is one I would enjoy singing. However, in an effort to say something useful on this thread. Have you thought of your songs in categories? If someone asks for a song you don't know, it might be possible to sing them one from the same era, similar background, similar message, originating in the same County, or something else that makes the requester feel that they have been attended to, without compromising your performance by singing songs you don't know well or don't like. Here are some examples... but I don't know the standard's well enough to do scads of these. Have fun, Claire Request Substitute Reason Fields of Athenry Green Field of Amerikay another field Danny Boy You're not Irish song about Danny Boy Molly Malone Irish Molly O Another Molly |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Jimmy C Date: 14 Jan 03 - 04:56 PM Mike, it looks like a ' Green Field Conspiracy" right enough, similar to the number of songs about Roses. My Wild Irish Rose, Rose of Allendale Rose of Mooncoin etc. I bet all the other flowers are pissed off, not to mention all the red fields and blue fields as well. There are also quite a number of songs about "The Banks".e.g. Banks of Newfoundland, = My Own Lovely Lee, Banks of the Roses, hey we got a cross over one. ?. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,Pat Cooksey. Date: 14 Jan 03 - 05:21 PM Sing the songs you do best, they don't have to be Irish, and enjoy doing it. Eventually you will get a following for what you sing and not for what other bands sing. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Cluin Date: 14 Jan 03 - 06:33 PM Oh, you always have to do "Barrett's Privateers". I used to like that song. Now we save it for near the end of the night because it always seems to blow out the pipes. Stuck playing jigs & reels then. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: CraigS Date: 14 Jan 03 - 08:03 PM Or MacAlpine's Fusiliers, a pastiche very popular in Ireland and abroad. Seriously, there are an awful lot of humerous songs about Irishmen working in the building trade in London - they used to be on every pub juke box in Kilburn 25 years ago. I ignored them at the time (show band stuff - ugh) but they sound like the sort of stuff you need. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,Van Lingle Date: 14 Jan 03 - 08:46 PM I heartily agree with what Pat Cooksey said but to respond to your original question I'll tell a few I like to hear when I get a few pints in me: The Wild Rover, The Jolly Beggar, Star of the County Down, The Town I Loved so Well, The Spanish Lady, Sally MacLennan, The Foggy Dew etc. etc. vl |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: Teribus Date: 15 Jan 03 - 09:06 AM Thought somebody would have suggested the world's favourite song - A Nation Once Again - LOL. The fact that nobody has speaks volumes for the supposed "universal popularity" of this song. |
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Subject: RE: Tune Req: Essential Irish songs? From: GUEST,Sharon G Date: 15 Jan 03 - 01:06 PM I'm in a band that performs mostly Irish material, tunes and songs, in a variety of venues including concerts, pubs, and private parties/weddings. I don't sing... though I have been known to both suggest songs to our vocalist and critique her choices or the band's arrangements ;-) I think it's important to have a few songs that your listeners will find familiar. As a band, we usually try to find a balance between overdone and unknown songs. That might include Star of the County Down, Will You Go, Lassie, Go? and Spancil Hill, for example. We skip the political songs. We use books, performances, and recordings for finding source material. But it's always nice to be able to find new, less familiar songs to share with an audience, especially if you can lure them in with a good introduction. And then it seems essential to have songs that fit a variety of moods- contemplative, sweet, catchy, mildly humorous and rowdy, so you can vary the intensity of the set you're performing. Sharon G |
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