I'm from the U.S and I've heard of them somewhere before. Great music! Would love to see a CD re-issue of this album and all their 45's and non-album recordings.
Donal Luney went on into Planxty and Moving Hearts which included Christie Moore, two of Irelands most succesful groups. Donall is still doing it today
Very cool, Matt, with a band I'd never heard of. Like you, I'm a sucker for great harmonies and I often catch myself singing harmony lines to songs that don't have any. The blend of traditional Irish with Folk (itself an offshoot of traditional Irish and Celtic) with a touch of Pop is a natural. This episode speaks to me on a more personal level as I played for many years in a band similar to this, with Rock added to it. Kind of a mix of The Pogues with Great Big Sea. We had three and four part harmonies and included a number of traditional Irish songs in our shows. Audience numbers were generally strong, including a following who appeared at our shows all over the city. It was great fun and earning decent money for work that was rarely 'work'. Of course, now I have to introduce my former bandmates to the joys of Emmet Spiceland! Thanks!
Donal Lunny became a massive 'player' in Irish music as a founding member of the great Planxty. His brother, Mannus Lunny, was a member of the wonderful Scottish band, 'Capercaillie,' who became worldwide stars and also performed the title song for the film, "Rob Roy," (1995) starring Liam Neeson.
at 7:43 in this video it is mentioned that "the other members kept their hand in the folk scene for a number of years..." Rather understating it, as far as Donal Lunny is concerned. He became one of the most celebrated people in folk and traditional music in Ireland, being crucial to two seminal bands in Ireland, Planxty and then The Bothy Band and appearing on 82 albums (according to Discogs)
"...other members kept their hands in the folk scene..."? Donal Lunny went on to become an absolute titan in Irish folk, co-founding three seminal bands (Planxty, Bothy Band, Moving Hearts), being a top-flight producer, and incorporating rock and African elements to the mix. Really appreciate this video, though. I appreciate it's a bit outside your usual scope. Great job!
The best Irish band of the British Invasion was the Beatles themselves. Liverpool was where Irishmen moved because in Ireland, they weren't allowed to even learn to read for hundreds of years.
Every member of the Beatles had Irish ancestry. They claim Ringo did not but his great grandmother Cunningham was also from Ireland as well. I did research on their genealogy
Being a huge Kingston Trio fan, I really enjoyed this video Matt! Emmet Spiceland. Great name! They have a beautiful sound and from what you played, alot of talent. Seems to me the boys never got to the "right place, right time" part in their career. This video helps point out how much great music alot of us have never heard. There are alot of Emmet Spiceland LP's available on eBay, plus some cd's. Got me fired up for the day Matt. Thank you!
Thank you, my friend Matt, for showing us one more great band from those wonderful years. In my opinion, a very good example of folk rock made in Ireland. A style that echoes Byrds and groups like Simon & Garfunkel; and Peter Paul.& Mary.
Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. There was another good Irish group who similarly mixed traditional Irish sounds with Pop and Psych sensibilities just a bit after Emmet Spiceland's time, Mellow Candle.
I think the biggest Irish band of the 1960s was the Irish Rovers! “The unicorn” in 1968 was their biggest hit of course, and they didn’t have another hit into the United States until 1978 with “wasn’t that a party.”
This is what makes the difference between a good channel, and a great channel! I've never heard of Emmet Spiceland, but hearing these bits was enough to let me know that it's an album worthy of inclusion in any respectable collection. If not for your channel, I'd never have been aware of their existence; I would've missed out! The '60s were soooo fertile! Thanks Matt!!
I've never heard of this band, so it's nice to keep "discovering" music from the 60s that is new to me. Thank you! Since you're covering music with strong folk leanings, I hope you'll consider covering Fairport Convention and Pentangle at some point. The amount of talent in both of those bands was staggering.
It's cool to learn about another '60s band I'd never heard of. Their traditional Irish/contemporary music take reminds me of the UK band Fairport Convention. Maybe you might take a look at them, Matt?
Donal Lunny carried on into the 1970's forming Planxty and Moving Hearts . Thank you Matt for sharing this very interesting history of an often forgotten Folk Group.
Brother Matt! Thank you for sharing this. The only Folk scene that I was aware of was, The Irish Rovers, and The Chieftains. I saw the latter perform while I still lived in SoCal and they were a delight. My favorite folk group across the Pond was the British group, Fairport Convention. I fell in love with Sandy Denny’s voice and Richard Thompson’s guitar playing. I am definitely going to look for Emmett Spiceland. Thank you my friend. Have a great Tuesday. God bless.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Looking forward to it, Brother Matt. My wife purchased a couple of Pentangle CD’s a few years back along with Steeleye Span. They have truly great folk music 🎵.
Oh my goodness- they did a cover of my friend Leonard's song "So Long Marianne"!! (I was engineer/producer for Leonard Cohen 2005-2014) Love, love your channel Matt!!!
Thanks, Matt. Love the diversity of interests. You showed us something new (old) well worth knowing. Never would've made the connection, but I'm hearing a number of Simon & Garfunkel undertones in some of these Irish traditionals, and not just in the vocal arrangements... but the guitar work particularly. Hummed "April Come She Will," "For Emily..." and "A Most Peculiar Man" to a couple of these tunes. Crossover is always fun to discover... even if it's incredibly obvious!
Top of the morning to you Matt and Happy St. Paddy's Day! -and here I thought U2 was Ireland's Beatles - LOL! -Upon listening to some of the songs in your video presentation of Emmit Spiceland its very remnant of the sounds of Skiffle that hit England with those folk sounds.Nice music to hear while drinking a Guinness Stout - Cheers Matt 🍺
I thoroughly enjoyed going down this backwater with you Matt. There really was once a time when there were less fences around music genres and folk could cut it with pop and rock; witness Taste's second album On The Boards with the incomparable Rory Gallagher. No direct comparison in style being drawn here - just highlighting the joyful eclecticism.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Ya might want to check out Rory Gallagher. Same era(almost !) probably the first Irish 'rock star'. ua-cam.com/video/xDlxNgm1J1A/v-deo.html&ab_channel=RoryGallagher
Wonderful stuff...there are some clips on UA-cam of them playing at the All Ireland Final at Croke Park...might be 1969....(Gaelic Football)...BIG CROWD!!!
Although some commenter probably beat me to it I wanted to give a shout out to Donal Lunny's greatness as a traditional Irish musician especially with the bands Planxty and The Bothy Band, the latter in my opinion being the at the top of the Irish Trad genre. Matt, you might enjoy hearing these bands recorded in concert on various YT videos. Thanks for this upload and enjoy your pint of stout!
Absolutely! Donal is a bit of an "institution"! He certainly went on to much greater things with Planxty, that featured Andy Irvine and later Johnny Moynihan both of the Sweeney's Men, contemporary of Emmett Spiceland and for my money a much better band 😉
@@realdinho Do you know if he was the first to incorporate the Greek bouzouki into Irish music? It sounds like he used open tuning (D chord?) with a two course stringing. Anyway, wherever he did enabled him to create a driving rhythm for the music.
@@deirdre108 Johnny Moynihan is usually regarded as the one that brought bouzouki into Irish music and clearly Donal Lunny was one of the first to take it on!
Never even heard of them.. I kinda liked it. Ewan MacColl (Kirsty's dad) probably loved their folky sound. I'm learning a lot through your channel- subscribing today. Hope you enjoyed your Guinness..!(too heavy a beer for me. I'll stick with Scotch-neat) 😀
Thanks for you focus on Emmet Spiceland, a band I've heard mentioned before but was unfamiliar with. Donal Lunny formed Planxty 'n The Bothy Band...two o' the greatest Irish bands ever. I saw both bands perform at The Boys O' Ballysodare festival in 1979. Donal played with each. Planxty had just reformed 'n nobody knew it at the time but this was The Bothy Band's final show. A legendary concert. Clannad also played. As good as it gets!
The Scottish psychedelic folk band, “The Incredible String Band”, formed in Edinburgh in 1966, are worth a listen. Also another example of a 1960s band that didn’t foray deep in to the 1970s.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Yes....I used to sit in with an LA Irish band ( The Lads) way back in the mid-90's and their leader turned me on to these guys....Peace and Love...Terry
As always well researched and illuminating about a folk group I'm not familiar with. I'm not sure whether THEM is in your wheelhouse or not, but when talking about 60's garage rock Them's "Gloria"(big hit for Shadows of Knight) and "I Can Only Give You Everything" there impact is big. Again thanks.
Hello Marco - the Searchers are on on my list for sure . I still have some collecting ahead of me for the Swingin Blue Jeans - I appreciate the request!
Another group I never heard of….they seem to have been a throwback even at the time of the late 60’s to folk boom acts like the Clancy Brothers etc.. from the EARLY 60’s . Totally a folk act….cool .
A Northern Irish rock group, The Miami Showband, had quite a story. There was a documentary on Netflix about them three or four years ago. Some people hailed them as, "the Irish Beatles".
Yeah, but that shows you how different and unique to Ireland the 60s were being dominated by the Showbands...not exactly the same thing as Beat groups, not that Emmett Spiceland were a Beat group either!
I thought this might be a St. Patrick's Day treat. I trust you when you say they were truly big, but I never, ever heard anything about this band, not even a mention or a footnote. They sound good and might have made it over here a bit had it been around 1961. Thanks.
Great video on a very interesting band! Do you think you might do a video on the Ian Campbell Folk Group? They had one song Simon and Garfunkel did a fantastic cover of on their beautiful but initially failed Wednesday Morning 3 AM.
Matt, I quite enjoyed this episode even if the music sounds a bit MOR for the Irish folk revival. You can hear where it is going on the instrumental track to end this presentation. Donal Lunny sounds like he is playing bouzouki which I believe Donal was the first to bring into irish folk. His next band, Planxty, included future 'stars' of folk Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Matt Molloy, and Johnny Moynihan (who replaced Lunny). Credit to the Chieftains for being the 'first' trad Irish band, but Planxty generated a slew of new Irish trad folk music. (Although traditional folk and its instruments are always changing, much to the horror of purists.) As for Donal Lunny's cv, he also played with and/or produced the Bothy Band, Clannad, Patrick Street, ... and pop artists Kate Bush, the Waterboys, mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, the Indigo Girls, Sinead O'connor, and Julian Lennon. Donal's been a busy boy.
Thanks for this one. I'm Irish and am getting a bit more interested in Irish 60 music, and this band is new to me. A couple of (critical) comments. 1) On a factual level, I would disagree that folk bands ruled the scene in the mid-1960s; to my knowledge, it was the odd hybrid genre 'showband music' that dominated. Showband was a mash up of waltz, trad/folk, rock 'n' roll and R'n'B. Joe Dolan's 'Make me an island' is an example of a showband song that did well on the UK chart. But folk was pretty big, that's for sure. The Clancy Brothers, for example. 2) Donal Lunny went on to become a pretty big deal in Irish music. See especially his work with Planxsty. He also played on Clannad records and produced that band. 3) On a pure matter of opinion, I can't see how you make a case for this band being the Irish Beatles! One lp and a couple of singles from a collection of fairly obscure musicians is hardly comparable to the Fabs. If any group from Ireland can be compared to the Beatles, I would say it could be the afore-mentioned Planxty, which featured a range of talents and musical interests (including the great Christy Moore). Planxty could also be the Irish CSNY. Check 'em out if you don't know them: unfortunately they began in the 1970s so don't qualify for consideration on this channel. 4) Did you notice that some of the Irish-language singles were issued on the Gael-Linn label, not Page 1? That's interesting. Perhaps they had a second contract with Gael-Linn, which was an Irish label dedicated to putting out mainly Irish-language material. Again, thanks for bringing out this obscure piece of Irish pop into the light!
Hello Gerald, thank you for weighing in. The Beatle angle came purely from band bios saying their popularity approached Beatlemania-type levels. This is a little hard to believe but I have so little to go on with regard to the Irish pop/rock scene in the 1960s. Thanks for all the additional info. I didn't know Lunny was involved in Clannad. Much appreciated!
I'm a big fan of 60s pop, including a lot of rather obscure stuff, but I'd never heard of Emmet Spiceland. To be honest, early/mid-60s folk music was not a genre I listened to that much (except for the 60s folk-rock of Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Donovan, Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, etc.) Nevertheless, I have to admit that Emmet Spiceland was a very good folk band. It's just not really my cup of tea (although I admire their strong harmonies). In any case, I like that you are highlighting some underappreciated 60s bands. As always, your efforts in bringing 60s music to a larger audience are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Matt!
The 7% of me that's Irish appreciates the trad folk music this time of year! 😁 The other mess of DNA 100% appreciates the history and musicality of this channel!
Great video Matt, though I always thought Van Morrison and Them were a high-prolific Irish band in the 1960's but they were more into British Invasion mod music.
hi matt,i had this lp long ago,would like to see some info you do on the cowsills(unless you already did),ohio express/new colony six/buckinghams/chamaeleon church
You are the first person I have heard that they had this album! I will most certainly be doing the Cowsills (probably this spring) as well as the New Colony Six and Buckinghams. I do have material on Chamealeon Church and Ohio Express but not enough for a full video. Maybe those two might be combined with other groups? We'll see.
thanks matt ohio express as well as 1910 fruitgum company as you know where connected @@popgoesthe60s52,maybe a video on bubble gum as they did some cool psych stuff as well as the lemon pipers,i collected psych lp's from around the world,south america,europe,the u.s.,i love the band SPIRIT,the band the SHAKERS from uruguay were the south american beatles,i have their lp's FOR YOU and TODOS BAR,both from the 60's,THE JULY album from the u.k.is amazing from 1968,sorry for the rant as i can go on and on,bye for now matt.....bill
Aw man, this is an interesting choice, I love emmet spiceland. There's definitely some more decent Irish bands but they escape me now, you could take a look at the freshmen though. They started as kind of a beach boys type band but their second album is like a concept album about war and peace with spoken word bits. Also sweenys men has some great songs
I'm really enjoying your channel. Have you considered reviewing Sly and the Family Stone? Sly was greatly influential in creating the 'funk' genre as well as being a prodigy in his own right-- some big names claim he was a true genius. There is a terribly interesting story about the evolving band, and their music is even more impressive than their story considering how good and groundbreaking it was/is.
Donal Lunny went on to found the greatest Irish band of them all Planxty. You HAVE to check them out Matt… more traditional in style but simply some of the greatest music ever to come out of my country. Try raggle taggle gypsy/tour dom do lamh
Please check out the band Los Shakers--who were Uruguay's Beatles. Their music used to be very difficult to find as of about ten years ago. Many many years ago a friend created a CD for me of about 30 songs from Los Shakers. Their stuff was pretty catchy to my ears; and I am a first generation Beatles fan. Here's just a taste: ua-cam.com/video/L9cvMH1OFdo/v-deo.html
I always get Los Shakers confused with story of the Fake Beatles- Called The Beetles that conned South American audiences, making everybody think they were the real thing.
Appropriate that you are having a Guinness. I was into the Clancy Brothers by that time. They were folky-er and more political. Does Them count as an Irish band?
What about the far superior Them with Van Morrison from Belfast, Northern Ireland! • Baby, Please Don’t Go • Gloria • Mystic Eyes • Here Comes The Night • Etcetera… Before Van Morrison’s brilliant solo recordings, Them’s unique blend of garage punk and blues even influenced The Doors and countless other bands to come.
Begorrah and begob! Pint of stout, ahoy! Good man yourself! Top of the Paddy Day’s morning to ya! Interesting take on Irish music in the 1960’s… But it essential that viewers should know who Donal Lunny is… He did more than just keep his hand in folk music: In many ways he is THE Hand of modern Irish folk music Because after “Emmet Spiceland” he was a founding member of three very powerful and important Irish music acts in the 1970s “Planxty” “The Bothy Band” and “Moving Hearts” All worth a good listen to
Without dismissing their obvious talent; Not my cup of tea. I never have been able to make it through listening to a full album with this type of music.
Thanks Matt, folk is not really my cup of tea. I do love U2, The Cranberries and Snow Patrol if you want to talk about Irish rock bands. I even bought the Coors version of "Little Wing" with Ronnie Wood playing guitar that I think is a really great cover of this song.
Ya gotta go electric in 1964! Ya gotta get a Rickenbacker twelve string guitar and another guy on Ludwig drums. And dress like the Easybeats! Half of those ballads sound like something sung at a funeral. And how come they never appeared in a teenage movie set on a beach? Too bad they never heard of rock and roll.
Their sound is completely crushed on the singles, good Lord! Somebody should call out 60s pop production techniques someday. I spent my life thinking that this sound was product of early technology but it is a aesthetic layer of crap made to follow the trend.
The North was by far a lot closer to the whole Beat and R&B explosion, with quite a few bands apart from Them. Not sure any band could qualify as Ireland's Beatles. You had the Creatures from Dublin that even got to the US but were hardly a huge success and if anything didn't last much...the Showbands, a peculiar Irish phenomenon, was the main thing
Shame that there is no CD of this, it's a lost opportunity for those of us who no longer do vinyl and refuse to stream. Add the post-album singles to the original album on CD and it would be a fantasic listen. Maybe someday....
I rather Iike Irish music, maybe because I'm part Irish who knows? Funny thing the song Hava Nagila I always thought was a Russian tune. Maybe it is and they just liked it , do you know?
I'm from the U.S and I've heard of them somewhere before. Great music! Would love to see a CD re-issue of this album and all their 45's and non-album recordings.
Always great to uncover neglected bands from the obscure corners of ‘60s pop! Thanks!
Donal Luney went on into Planxty and Moving Hearts which included Christie Moore, two of Irelands most succesful groups. Donall is still doing it today
Very cool, Matt, with a band I'd never heard of. Like you, I'm a sucker for great harmonies and I often catch myself singing harmony lines to songs that don't have any. The blend of traditional Irish with Folk (itself an offshoot of traditional Irish and Celtic) with a touch of Pop is a natural. This episode speaks to me on a more personal level as I played for many years in a band similar to this, with Rock added to it. Kind of a mix of The Pogues with Great Big Sea. We had three and four part harmonies and included a number of traditional Irish songs in our shows. Audience numbers were generally strong, including a following who appeared at our shows all over the city. It was great fun and earning decent money for work that was rarely 'work'. Of course, now I have to introduce my former bandmates to the joys of Emmet Spiceland! Thanks!
I'm glad you enjoyed them. Also very cool you tackled this type of music in your own band!
Donal Lunny became a massive 'player' in Irish music as a founding member of the great Planxty. His brother, Mannus Lunny, was a member of the wonderful Scottish band, 'Capercaillie,' who became worldwide stars and also performed the title song for the film, "Rob Roy," (1995) starring Liam Neeson.
Thank you for that. I will have to follow more of his later career.
Matt's back!! Digging deep for 60's pop. No one does it better.
at 7:43 in this video it is mentioned that "the other members kept their hand in the folk scene for a number of years..." Rather understating it, as far as Donal Lunny is concerned. He became one of the most celebrated people in folk and traditional music in Ireland, being crucial to two seminal bands in Ireland, Planxty and then The Bothy Band and appearing on 82 albums (according to Discogs)
Planxty is highly recommended. Thanks for making the connection.
"...other members kept their hands in the folk scene..."?
Donal Lunny went on to become an absolute titan in Irish folk, co-founding three seminal bands (Planxty, Bothy Band, Moving Hearts), being a top-flight producer, and incorporating rock and African elements to the mix.
Really appreciate this video, though. I appreciate it's a bit outside your usual scope. Great job!
Thanks for the Lunny update. Much appreciated!
The best Irish band of the British Invasion was the Beatles themselves. Liverpool was where Irishmen moved because in Ireland, they weren't allowed to even learn to read for hundreds of years.
Every member of the Beatles had Irish ancestry. They claim Ringo did not but his great grandmother Cunningham was also from Ireland as well. I did research on their genealogy
Being a huge Kingston Trio fan, I really enjoyed this video Matt! Emmet Spiceland. Great name! They have a beautiful sound and from what you played, alot of talent. Seems to me the boys never got to the "right place, right time" part in their career. This video helps point out how much great music alot of us have never heard. There are alot of Emmet Spiceland LP's available on eBay, plus some cd's. Got me fired up for the day Matt. Thank you!
Thank you, my friend Matt, for showing us one more great band from those wonderful years. In my opinion, a very good example of folk rock made in Ireland. A style that echoes Byrds and groups like Simon & Garfunkel; and Peter Paul.& Mary.
Talk about obscure! The genius Donal Lunny's first album. It's on to Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts.etc. Thanks for this one.
I know what I'll be listening to on St.Paddy's Day!
Thanks for introducing me to this band. They sound great!
Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. There was another good Irish group who similarly mixed traditional Irish sounds with Pop and Psych sensibilities just a bit after Emmet Spiceland's time, Mellow Candle.
I will have to check them out!
Thank you for introducing me to a new band I've never heard of. Those harmonies gave me chills.
I think the biggest Irish band of the 1960s was the Irish Rovers! “The unicorn” in 1968 was their biggest hit of course, and they didn’t have another hit into the United States until 1978 with “wasn’t that a party.”
Yes, I forgot about the Rovers. I also missed Them!
Brothers and another guy. A bit like the Clanceys and Tommy Makem.
I had never known of this band til this video, thanks for educating me.
This is what makes the difference between a good channel, and a great channel! I've never heard of Emmet Spiceland, but hearing these bits was enough to let me know that it's an album worthy of inclusion in any respectable collection. If not for your channel, I'd never have been aware of their existence; I would've missed out! The '60s were soooo fertile! Thanks Matt!!
My pleasure. I like to sneak in an obscure band that I like here and there. Glad you liked it!
Nice job. Matt! Super new info for me.
I've never heard of this band, so it's nice to keep "discovering" music from the 60s that is new to me. Thank you! Since you're covering music with strong folk leanings, I hope you'll consider covering Fairport Convention and Pentangle at some point. The amount of talent in both of those bands was staggering.
I have my sights on the Pentangle and a separate Bert Jansch video. Great stuff!
It's cool to learn about another '60s band I'd never heard of. Their traditional Irish/contemporary music take reminds me of the UK band Fairport Convention. Maybe you might take a look at them, Matt?
Donal Lunny carried on into the 1970's forming Planxty and Moving Hearts . Thank you Matt for sharing this very interesting history of an often forgotten Folk Group.
Thank you for that info on Lunny. I appreciate you watching, Jim.
Brother Matt! Thank you for sharing this. The only Folk scene that I was aware of was, The Irish Rovers, and The Chieftains. I saw the latter perform while I still lived in SoCal and they were a delight. My favorite folk group across the Pond was the British group, Fairport Convention. I fell in love with Sandy Denny’s voice and Richard Thompson’s guitar playing. I am definitely going to look for Emmett Spiceland. Thank you my friend. Have a great Tuesday. God bless.
Hey Blaze! I will eventually be doing a series on the Pentangle so stay tuned!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Looking forward to it, Brother Matt. My wife purchased a couple of Pentangle CD’s a few years back along with Steeleye Span. They have truly great folk music 🎵.
never even heard of them, and I was in a celtic electric folk band that focused on the bands of that era, surprised i never came across them
Pretty interesting show Matt. Cheers.
Great job Matt, another day in the sun for these guy or their families.
Oh my goodness- they did a cover of my friend Leonard's song "So Long Marianne"!! (I was engineer/producer for Leonard Cohen 2005-2014) Love, love your channel Matt!!!
Hey Ed! Thank you for stopping by and for the kind words. More to come!
Thanks, Matt. Love the diversity of interests. You showed us something new (old) well worth knowing. Never would've made the connection, but I'm hearing a number of Simon & Garfunkel undertones in some of these Irish traditionals, and not just in the vocal arrangements... but the guitar work particularly. Hummed "April Come She Will," "For Emily..." and "A Most Peculiar Man" to a couple of these tunes. Crossover is always fun to discover... even if it's incredibly obvious!
Yes, Paul Simon spent a year in England busking around and he picked up some guitar techniques that we can certainly hear in his later work.
Top of the morning to you Matt and Happy St. Paddy's Day! -and here I thought U2 was Ireland's Beatles - LOL! -Upon listening to some of the songs in your video presentation of Emmit Spiceland its very remnant of the sounds of Skiffle that hit England with those folk sounds.Nice music to hear while drinking a Guinness Stout - Cheers Matt 🍺
I thoroughly enjoyed going down this backwater with you Matt. There really was once a time when there were less fences around music genres and folk could cut it with pop and rock; witness Taste's second album On The Boards with the incomparable Rory Gallagher. No direct comparison in style being drawn here - just highlighting the joyful eclecticism.
No question that record companies took chances on ANYTHING, which is why we enjoy such an eclectic choice of bands back then. Thanks Robo!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Ya might want to check out Rory Gallagher. Same era(almost !) probably the first Irish 'rock star'. ua-cam.com/video/xDlxNgm1J1A/v-deo.html&ab_channel=RoryGallagher
Wonderful stuff...there are some clips on UA-cam of them playing at the All Ireland Final at Croke Park...might be 1969....(Gaelic Football)...BIG CROWD!!!
Oooo, I'll check those clips out. Thanks!
Although some commenter probably beat me to it I wanted to give a shout out to Donal Lunny's greatness as a traditional Irish musician especially with the bands Planxty and The Bothy Band, the latter in my opinion being the at the top of the Irish Trad genre. Matt, you might enjoy hearing these bands recorded in concert on various YT videos. Thanks for this upload and enjoy your pint of stout!
Thank you, I am not too familiar with him so I’ll have to search out his later stuff.
Absolutely! Donal is a bit of an "institution"!
He certainly went on to much greater things with Planxty, that featured Andy Irvine and later Johnny Moynihan both of the Sweeney's Men, contemporary of Emmett Spiceland and for my money a much better band 😉
@@realdinho Thank you for that info. I will have to check out more of Lunny's work.
@@realdinho Do you know if he was the first to incorporate the Greek bouzouki into Irish music? It sounds like he used open tuning (D chord?) with a two course stringing. Anyway, wherever he did enabled him to create a driving rhythm for the music.
@@deirdre108 Johnny Moynihan is usually regarded as the one that brought bouzouki into Irish music and clearly Donal Lunny was one of the first to take it on!
Always interesting Matt! Great to hear the Irish language in song. Happy St Patrick's Day for the 17th! ☘☘☘
Never even heard of them.. I kinda liked it. Ewan MacColl (Kirsty's dad) probably loved their folky sound. I'm learning a lot through your channel- subscribing today. Hope you enjoyed your Guinness..!(too heavy a beer for me. I'll stick with Scotch-neat) 😀
Thanks for you focus on Emmet Spiceland, a band I've heard mentioned before but was unfamiliar with. Donal Lunny formed Planxty 'n The Bothy Band...two o' the greatest Irish bands ever. I saw both bands perform at The Boys O' Ballysodare festival in 1979. Donal played with each. Planxty had just reformed 'n nobody knew it at the time but this was The Bothy Band's final show. A legendary concert. Clannad also played. As good as it gets!
Thank you for the additional info John!
The Scottish psychedelic folk band, “The Incredible String Band”, formed in Edinburgh in 1966, are worth a listen. Also another example of a 1960s band that didn’t foray deep in to the 1970s.
We enjoyed it immensely.....Terry
Hey Terry - I wasn't sure how this one would be received. Glad you liked it!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Yes....I used to sit in with an LA Irish band ( The Lads) way back in the mid-90's and their leader turned me on to these guys....Peace and Love...Terry
As always well researched and illuminating about a folk group I'm not familiar with. I'm not sure whether THEM is in your wheelhouse or not, but when talking about 60's garage rock Them's "Gloria"(big hit for Shadows of Knight) and "I Can Only Give You Everything" there impact is big. Again thanks.
These guys had good harmonies. 👍👍👍
Good stuff. I just snagged the only remaining copy off Discogs. Thanks, Matt!
Good job!
I'm guessing you pulled that 1 out of your record collection.I'd love to see more deep dives in your collection like this
I’m glad you said that because I have plenty. The next few videos you’ll see some more known bands. Plenty of both!
Would love to see you do a story on Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. Would be a good one!
I do plan an extensive Stones history and I'll be covering plenty of Brian within that, so stay tuned!
Matt, some youtubers have 2 channels. I have an idea for you for a 2nd: Rock Goes the 80's. Journey should be your first band history.
i'll be lookin' for it in the thrift stacks. thanks!
Perfect St Paddy's Day video.....Thanks for exposing me to a 'new band'. Is that a Guinness? Cheers.
Yes, Guinness! Thanks for watchingh.
Please make videos about The Searchers and The Swinging Blue Jeans. Thanks in advance.
Hello Marco - the Searchers are on on my list for sure . I still have some collecting ahead of me for the Swingin Blue Jeans - I appreciate the request!
Could be a stream topic, other country's beatles, i'd nominate easybeats as Australia's...
FANTASTIC band! 😊
Another group I never heard of….they seem to have been a throwback even at the time of the late 60’s to folk boom acts like the Clancy Brothers etc.. from the EARLY 60’s . Totally a folk act….cool .
A Northern Irish rock group, The Miami Showband, had quite a story. There was a documentary on Netflix about them three or four years ago. Some people hailed them as, "the Irish Beatles".
Thank you for that - I will check them out.
Yeah, but that shows you how different and unique to Ireland the 60s were being dominated by the Showbands...not exactly the same thing as Beat groups, not that Emmett Spiceland were a Beat group either!
I thought this might be a St. Patrick's Day treat. I trust you when you say they were truly big, but I never, ever heard anything about this band, not even a mention or a footnote. They sound good and might have made it over here a bit had it been around 1961. Thanks.
Very cool!
Great video on a very interesting band! Do you think you might do a video on the Ian Campbell Folk Group? They had one song Simon and Garfunkel did a fantastic cover of on their beautiful but initially failed Wednesday Morning 3 AM.
That is one group I would have to start from scratch on. Thanks for mention them... I'll check them out.
Matt, I quite enjoyed this episode even if the music sounds a bit MOR for the Irish folk revival. You can hear where it is going on the instrumental track to end this presentation. Donal Lunny sounds like he is playing bouzouki which I believe Donal was the first to bring into irish folk. His next band, Planxty, included future 'stars' of folk Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Matt Molloy, and Johnny Moynihan (who replaced Lunny). Credit to the Chieftains for being the 'first' trad Irish band, but Planxty generated a slew of new Irish trad folk music. (Although traditional folk and its instruments are always changing, much to the horror of purists.)
As for Donal Lunny's cv, he also played with and/or produced the Bothy Band, Clannad, Patrick Street, ... and pop artists Kate Bush, the Waterboys, mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, the Indigo Girls, Sinead O'connor, and Julian Lennon. Donal's been a busy boy.
Thanks for this one. I'm Irish and am getting a bit more interested in Irish 60 music, and this band is new to me. A couple of (critical) comments. 1) On a factual level, I would disagree that folk bands ruled the scene in the mid-1960s; to my knowledge, it was the odd hybrid genre 'showband music' that dominated. Showband was a mash up of waltz, trad/folk, rock 'n' roll and R'n'B. Joe Dolan's 'Make me an island' is an example of a showband song that did well on the UK chart. But folk was pretty big, that's for sure. The Clancy Brothers, for example. 2) Donal Lunny went on to become a pretty big deal in Irish music. See especially his work with Planxsty. He also played on Clannad records and produced that band.
3) On a pure matter of opinion, I can't see how you make a case for this band being the Irish Beatles! One lp and a couple of singles from a collection of fairly obscure musicians is hardly comparable to the Fabs. If any group from Ireland can be compared to the Beatles, I would say it could be the afore-mentioned Planxty, which featured a range of talents and musical interests (including the great Christy Moore). Planxty could also be the Irish CSNY. Check 'em out if you don't know them: unfortunately they began in the 1970s so don't qualify for consideration on this channel.
4) Did you notice that some of the Irish-language singles were issued on the Gael-Linn label, not Page 1? That's interesting. Perhaps they had a second contract with Gael-Linn, which was an Irish label dedicated to putting out mainly Irish-language material.
Again, thanks for bringing out this obscure piece of Irish pop into the light!
Hello Gerald, thank you for weighing in. The Beatle angle came purely from band bios saying their popularity approached Beatlemania-type levels. This is a little hard to believe but I have so little to go on with regard to the Irish pop/rock scene in the 1960s. Thanks for all the additional info. I didn't know Lunny was involved in Clannad. Much appreciated!
I'm a big fan of 60s pop, including a lot of rather obscure stuff, but I'd never heard of Emmet Spiceland. To be honest, early/mid-60s folk music was not a genre I listened to that much (except for the 60s folk-rock of Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Donovan, Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, etc.) Nevertheless, I have to admit that Emmet Spiceland was a very good folk band. It's just not really my cup of tea (although I admire their strong harmonies). In any case, I like that you are highlighting some underappreciated 60s bands. As always, your efforts in bringing 60s music to a larger audience are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Matt!
Thank you so much Amanda! I appreciate the comments.
The 7% of me that's Irish appreciates the trad folk music this time of year! 😁 The other mess of DNA 100% appreciates the history and musicality of this channel!
Thank you, Gonzo!
Great video Matt, though I always thought Van Morrison and Them were a high-prolific Irish band in the 1960's but they were more into British Invasion mod music.
Hey Eric, I completely forgot about Them, who certainly qualify.
hi matt,i had this lp long ago,would like to see some info you do on the cowsills(unless you already did),ohio express/new colony six/buckinghams/chamaeleon church
You are the first person I have heard that they had this album! I will most certainly be doing the Cowsills (probably this spring) as well as the New Colony Six and Buckinghams. I do have material on Chamealeon Church and Ohio Express but not enough for a full video. Maybe those two might be combined with other groups? We'll see.
thanks matt ohio express as well as 1910 fruitgum company as you know where connected @@popgoesthe60s52,maybe a video on bubble gum as they did some cool psych stuff as well as the lemon pipers,i collected psych lp's from around the world,south america,europe,the u.s.,i love the band SPIRIT,the band the SHAKERS from uruguay were the south american beatles,i have their lp's FOR YOU and TODOS BAR,both from the 60's,THE JULY album from the u.k.is amazing from 1968,sorry for the rant as i can go on and on,bye for now matt.....bill
Aw man, this is an interesting choice, I love emmet spiceland. There's definitely some more decent Irish bands but they escape me now, you could take a look at the freshmen though. They started as kind of a beach boys type band but their second album is like a concept album about war and peace with spoken word bits. Also sweenys men has some great songs
Thank yaohunter - I'll check them out!
I'm really enjoying your channel. Have you considered reviewing Sly and the Family Stone? Sly was greatly influential in creating the 'funk' genre as well as being a prodigy in his own right-- some big names claim he was a true genius. There is a terribly interesting story about the evolving band, and their music is even more impressive than their story considering how good and groundbreaking it was/is.
Yes, I will enjoy doing Sly and the Family Stone and they are on my very long list!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Great! I have your Association video on right now. I am so enjoying your more academic approach to these groups.
Noticed there is no "e" on the end of Mariann.
Donal Lunny went on to found the greatest Irish band of them all Planxty. You HAVE to check them out Matt… more traditional in style but simply some of the greatest music ever to come out of my country. Try raggle taggle gypsy/tour dom do lamh
Yes, several have mentioned that and I will certainly check out Planxty. I appreciate it!
Please check out the band Los Shakers--who were Uruguay's Beatles. Their music used to be very difficult to find as of about ten years ago. Many many years ago a friend created a CD for me of about 30 songs from Los Shakers. Their stuff was pretty catchy to my ears; and I am a first generation Beatles fan. Here's just a taste: ua-cam.com/video/L9cvMH1OFdo/v-deo.html
Yes, I have heard some of their stuff. Thanks for that, Spuzzy.
I always get Los Shakers confused with story of the Fake Beatles- Called The Beetles that conned South American audiences, making everybody think they were the real thing.
Appropriate that you are having a Guinness. I was into the Clancy Brothers by that time. They were folky-er and more political. Does Them count as an Irish band?
Yeah, Them does count. I actually forgot about them... I will do a video on Them as well in the future.
Interesting...you've sure filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge.
What about the far superior Them with Van Morrison from Belfast, Northern Ireland!
• Baby, Please Don’t Go
• Gloria
• Mystic Eyes
• Here Comes The Night
• Etcetera…
Before Van Morrison’s brilliant solo recordings, Them’s unique blend of garage punk and blues even influenced The Doors and countless other bands to come.
Possibly Steeleye Span, Matt?
Timely indeed :)
Begorrah and begob!
Pint of stout, ahoy!
Good man yourself!
Top of the Paddy Day’s morning to ya!
Interesting take on Irish music in the 1960’s…
But it essential that viewers should know who
Donal Lunny is…
He did more than just
keep his hand in folk music:
In many ways he is THE Hand
of modern Irish folk music
Because
after “Emmet Spiceland”
he was a founding member
of three very powerful and important Irish music acts
in the 1970s
“Planxty”
“The Bothy Band”
and
“Moving Hearts”
All worth a good listen to
Thank you for adding to the story, Hank!
This is the kind of music they put on repeat to torture prisoners.
The Miami Showband? 😢
Wow! I've never heard of these guys. By the way, D U like Them?
Yes, and I hope to do a video on Them at some point in the future.
Without dismissing their obvious talent; Not my cup of tea. I never have been able to make it through listening to a full album with this type of music.
It's not for everyone, but I sure have an appreciation Irish folk music. I appreciate you giving it a try!
Thanks Matt, folk is not really my cup of tea. I do love U2, The Cranberries and Snow Patrol if you want to talk about Irish rock bands. I even bought the Coors version of "Little Wing" with Ronnie Wood playing guitar that I think is a really great cover of this song.
Van Morrison & Them?
Northern Ireland.
Do the animals
Ya gotta go electric in 1964! Ya gotta get a Rickenbacker twelve string guitar and another guy on Ludwig drums. And dress like the Easybeats! Half of those ballads sound like something sung at a funeral. And how come they never appeared in a teenage movie set on a beach? Too bad they never heard of rock and roll.
Sorry Matt, never heard of them - diddly, diddly - it'll be the Bachelors next!
No apologies necessary!
So is that glass filled with Guinness or Murphy's?
Guinness.
Their sound is completely crushed on the singles, good Lord! Somebody should call out 60s pop production techniques someday. I spent my life thinking that this sound was product of early technology but it is a aesthetic layer of crap made to follow the trend.
Does northern Ireland not count? Them (with Van Morrison) was a lot more rock than these guys.
Yeah, I totally forgot about Them! My apologies.
The North was by far a lot closer to the whole Beat and R&B explosion, with quite a few bands apart from Them.
Not sure any band could qualify as Ireland's Beatles. You had the Creatures from Dublin that even got to the US but were hardly a huge success and if anything didn't last much...the Showbands, a peculiar Irish phenomenon, was the main thing
Shame that there is no CD of this, it's a lost opportunity for those of us who no longer do vinyl and refuse to stream. Add the post-album singles to the original album on CD and it would be a fantasic listen. Maybe someday....
They are also on Spotify, thankfully.
There are currently four CDs available on Discogs of this album.
I rather Iike Irish music, maybe because I'm part Irish who knows? Funny thing the song Hava Nagila I always thought was a Russian tune. Maybe it is and they just liked it , do you know?
I think it is... they were just doing a cover of it.
Hava Nagila is a Jewish folk song. Bob Dylan has a hilarious version of it.
They could definitely sing.. but just not my kind of music I don't like their sound
My auntie played this for me when I visited her in Galway as a child. It was one of the few she had that was recorded in English.