Planxty – Words & Music
Label: WEA/240101 1 | Release: 1983 | Genre: Irish-Folk
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The last of the official discography of Planxty. There is a loss of that signature sound that made them famous : The traditional and rustic irish-folk except of course, for the noble Liam O’Flynn, that keeps your sound intact.
But why?
Because, if I using my logic, memory and point of view, we were in the eighties (1982 to be precise). Which group did not succumb that artificial sound to the eighties? That decade (my decade of life), was the turning point in terms of what was the excellence music.
Well, unfortunately fell into a pseudo-pop-folk. The classic wear after the first ten years of life. The disc itself is a collector’s item and can not be unaware the fame of its members, vocal and instrumental quality is the same , the opinion expressed is personal.
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Planxty – The Woman I Loved So Well
Label: Tara/TARA 3005 | Release: 1980 | Genre: Irish-Folk
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The original lineup of Christy, Andy, Liam and Donal reformed Planxty in 1979. They recorded three further albums including After the Break and The Woman I Loved So Well. There were several additions and changes to their lineup most notably the addition of Matt Molloy, flautist from the Bothy Band, and later with The Chieftains.
Planxty with Matt MolloyOthers included fiddlers James Kelly and Nollaig Casey on Words & Music, Bill Whelan, later of Riverdance fame, plays keyboards on The Woman I Love So Well as do concertina/fiddle duet Noel Hill and Tony Linnane. In 1981, Planxty performed a Bill Whelan arrangement called Timedance as the intermission piece during the Eurovision song contest, held that year in Ireland, and later released it as a single (and included on Bill’s The Seville Suite album released by Tara in 1992.
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Planxty – After The Break
Label: Tara/TARA 3001 | Release: 1979 | Genre: Irish-Folk
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The gravest danger in the resurrection of Planxty was always that, in attempting to recreate the extraordinary verve and majesty of their original incarnation, they neglected natural current instincts and succeeded only in becoming a parody of their former selves. That they managed with ease to avoid this considerable pitfall alone makes this a great record.
Naturally there’s no conceivable way that “After The Break” can manage the same impact as their bold debut LP, purely because “Planxty” came first and hit upon a blend that evidently inspired all those involved. If “The Well Below The Valley” and “Cold Blow The Rainy Night” fell short of it (albeit narrowly) then it was because that sharpness and charged sense of restrained dynamics had to a small degree dissipated. On several tracks here notably “The Rambling Suiler”, “The Pursuit Of Farmer Michael Hayes”, and two sets of reels, it’s fully recaptured.
Yet the track that defiantly declares that they are looking ahead and not behind is “Smeceno Horo”, a frantic Bulgarian dance tune that’s proved so popular on gigs it even merits a “FEATURING SMECENO HORO” sticker on the sleeve. A joker in the pack, it’s a complete departure from everything they’ve done before, even allowing for some of Andy Irvine’s flirtations with Eastern European music in the past. Undeniably invigorating and infectious, it’s nevertheless my least favourite track on the record, jarring in relation to the rest of the album, but I admire their resolve in tackling it. It comes over much more powerfully live.
The only other real quibbles are that Christy Moore (on “The Good Ship Kangaroo” and Andy Irvine (on “You Rambling Boys Of Pleasure”) seem to take the understated vocal style perhaps a shade too far, or maybe the vocals are a fraction too low in the mix. But these really are details – the arrangements around both tracks are superb, the instrumental break tagged on to the end of “The Good Ship Kangaroo”, the opening track, stirring memories of “Raggle Taggle Gypsy” and “Tabhair Dum Do Lamh”, “The Rambling Suiler”, a Scots moral tale of a colonel who dresses up as a beggar and pulls a farmer’s daughter, and “The Pursuit Of Farmer Michael Hayes”, a geographical guide to Ireland through the eyes of a fleeing murderer, are both vintage Planxty.
Matt Molloy and Liam O’Flynn are at the helm of the instrumental tracks (two sets of reels and one of double-jigs) and two things emerge. One is that Liam O’Flynn has become an even more accomplished piper than he was before, and that Matt Molloy’s brief contribution on flute was greater than it actually appeared on stage. His blend with O’Flynn is mesmerising here.
This is of course, an essential album.
Colin Irwin review for Melody Maker 15/12/79)
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Planxty – The Woman I Loved So Well (1980)
Vinyl Rip in 24 Bit-96 kHz | Redbook 16 Bit-44 kHz | FLAC | Cue | HR Covers | 912 MB + 260 MB
1980 / Genre: Irish Folk – Tara Records – IRL
The Woman I Loved So Well is a studio album by Planxty released in 1980. Along with groups like the Bothy Band, Planxty helped to usher in a new era for modern Celtic music. While their sound remained rooted to traditional music, the band’s virtuosic musicianship and high-energy delivery reflected modern influences, while their unique vocal harmonies and instrumental counterpoint were unprecedented in Irish music. “Enjoy this beautiful atmospheric album and new upgrade rip”! H.R. Covers are made by Fran Solo; thank you Fran for the excellent scans”!
Note > No silence was deleted; please burn this album gapless..
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Planxty – Cold Blow And The Rainy Night
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24bit/96kHz: 993mb – 16bit/44kHz: 287mb
Genre: Irish-Folk | Label: Polydor / 2383 301 | UK Pressing | Release: 1974
Irish stalwarts Planxty begin Cold Blow and the Rainy Night -their third record for Polydor- with a rousing version of the Scottish battlefield classic “Johnnie Cope.” It’s a fitting opening to a record that essentially rounded out their recording heyday as the members splintered off to form equally influential Celtic acts like the Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, and De Danann. Co-founder Dónal Lunny, despite contributing instrumentally to a few tracks and taking a seat in the production chair, left the group, allowing newest member Johnny Moynihan to take over bouzouki and — along with Andy Irvine and Christy Moore — vocal duties. The title track is one of the finest of their career, utilizing Liam O’Flynn’s expert uillean pipes and the band’s peerless harmonizing to a tee. Moore’s gorgeous “Lakes of Pontchartrain” and Irvine’s moving closer, “Green Fields of Canada,” showcase the group’s timeless mastery of balladry, a style that would greatly inform their later solo works. Cold Blow and the Rainy Night, along with The Well Below the Valley, and their legendary debut, are essential listening for those in love with, or merely intrigued with, the genre.
allmusic.com