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THE DUBLINERS
Spirit Of The Irish
Sanctuary TVSAN003
Some bands transcend their musical significance to mark a particular time in the history of society as well. The Dubliners are such a band. Hailed on this album, subtitled The Ultimate Collection, as "the spiritual godfathers of Irish music" there is no doubt that they were a force to be reckoned with forty years ago on the release of their first single The Rocky Road To Dublin. Three years later in 1967 their comic song of infidelity Seven Drunken Nights was banned in Ireland for offending religious and social mores. Predictably, the ban guaranteed its popularity, sending it into the UK Top 20 alongside the Beatles, The Who, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix with appearances on Top of The Pops for the band. Carnaby Street meets O'Donoghue's - strange times indeed!
So how do you capture the full flavour of a band with a forty-year history and the line-up changes that go with such longevity on one CD? In fact, the album does it very well, with the craggy crackling sounds of Drew, Kelly, McKenna and Bourke on The Wild Rover and Whiskey In The Jar through to their rollicking collaborations with The Pogues on The Irish Rover and The Mountain Dew in the late 1980's. From earlier times, Sean Cannon sings The Black Velvet Band and John Sheahan and Bobby Lynch help to rattle out The Mason's Apron in fine style. This CD is a great reminder of just how good The Dubliners are. Whilst Irish music has taken great leaps forward since the boys started out, you can't beat a good tune with a fine chorus and the chances are you'll be singing along to every song. As someone once said, there are no clichéd songs, only clichéd performances and, to be sure, each of these is a true original.
Paul Saunders - April 2003
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I thoroughly enjoy listening to this CD. Some of the songs are hilarious whilst others are sad and thought provoking, a combination that is difficult produce in any other genre, I believe. Having bought other Dubliner's CDs, I consider the 'the Spirit of the Irish' will be very hard to beat.
Barrie Blayney, LEEDS
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Folk & Acoustic
