HORSLIPSHORSLIPS WERE THE BAND I WAS MOST INFLUENCED BY AS A TWELVE YEAR OLD THEIR "THE BOOK OF INVASIONS ....A CELTIC SYMPHONY" WAS THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER OWNED AND SEEING THEM IN THE NATIONAL STADIUM IN CHRISTMAS 1977 WAS MY FIRST ROCK GIG.
THE BAND CONSISTED OF BARRY DEVLIN(bass, vocals), JIM LOCKHART(keyboards, flute, whistles, uileann pipes, vocals), JOHNNY FEAN (guitars, banjo, vocals), CHARLES O'CONNOR (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, concertina, northumbrian pipes) AND EAMON CARR (drums, bodhrán, percussion)
BEN FOLDS
THE BEN FOLDS FIVE ARE A THREE PIECE NOT A QUINTET AND THEY WERE FORMED IN 1994 IN A PLACE CALLED CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA. THE BAND ARE MADE UP OF ROBERT SLEDGE (Bass), DARREN JESSEE (Drums) AND OF COURSE BEN FOLDS(Piano), THEY ALL SING, BUT BEN TAKES THE LEAD VOCAL.
THEY CLAIM TO BE EQUALLY INFLUENCED BY COLE PORTER AND THE CLASH AND REFER TO THEIR PIANO,DRUM AND FUZZ BASS SOUND AS "PUNK ROCK FOR SISSIES".
THEY PLAY SOME MOVING BALLADS AND SOME CRACKING GOOD TUNES. THEIR ALBUMS INCLUDE "BEN FOLDS FIVE"(1995), "WHAT EVER AND EVER AMEN"(1997) AND "NAKED BABY PHOTOS"(1998).
DEAN FRIEDMANI SUPPOSE HIS 1978 HIT "LUCKY STARS" FROM THE ALBUM"WELL, WELL, SAID THE ROCKING CHAIR" WAS THE FIRST DEAN FRIEDMAN TRACK I REMEMBER HEARING, AND I WAS HOOKED. THIS WAS FOLLOWED UP WITH SINGLES LIKE "LYDIA" ALSO " ARIEL " AND "WOMAN OF MINE" FROM HIS FIRST ALBUM. IT WAS WHEN HE RELEASED HIS NEXT ALBUM "RUMPLED ROMEO" THINGS WENT WRONG. THE FIRST SINGLE "MC DONALD'S GIRL" WAS BANNED BY THE B.B.C. AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS HE ENDED UP BEING DROPPED BY HIS RECORD LABEL.
DEAN THEN STARTED WORKING ON FILM AND TV SCORES. HE COMPOSED AND PERFORMED ALL THE MUSIC AND INCIDENTAL SONGS FOR THE TV SERIES "BOON"AND HIS MOVIE WORK INCLUDES THE SOUNDTRACK TO"I BOUGHT A VAMPIRE MOTORCYCLE". THEN HE SEEMED TO DISSAPPEAR FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH. DURING THE NEXT 10 TO 15 YEARS HE WROTE BOOKS ON MIDI SYNTHESISERS, HE WAS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT OF VIRTUALITY GAMES AND VIDEO GAME DESIGN, HE DESIGNED SEVERAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS FOR CHILDREN AND WROTE SONGS FOR CHILDREN
HE MADE A COMEBACK TO MUSIC IN 1995 WITH A LIVE SOLO ALBUM CALLED "BLOOMSBURY LIVE!" AND LAST YEARS DOUBLE ALBUM "SONGS FOR GROWN UP". HE CAME AND PLAYED DUBLIN BUT UNFORTUNATLY I WAS IN AUSTRALIA AT THE TIME (BUMMER), BUT ALL WAS NOT LOST, MY MATE RON SAW HIM IN BELFAST (HE SAYS THE BEST GIG EVER) AND MET HIM AFTER THE GIG AND GOT ME HIS AUTOGRAPH...... BRILLIANT!!!
BILL WHELANCOMPOSER, ARRANGER, PRODUCER AND MUSICIAN. AS A PRODUCER/ ARRANGER BILL HAS WORKED WITH THE LIKES OF DAVY SPILLANE, PAUL BRADY, THOSE NERVOUS ANIMALS, KATE BUSH AND U2.
AS A MUSICIAN HE WAS A MEMBER OF PLANXTY IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES. I USED TO SEE HIM PLAY LIVE EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE BAGGOT INN WITH BUMPER TO BUMPER, OH I REMEMBER THOSE NIGHTS WITH BILL ON THE FENDER RHODES SINGING THOSE STEELY DAN CLASSICS.
HIS THEATRE WORK INCLUDES HIS HUGELY SUCESSFUL ADAPTATION OF HMS PINAFORE AND FIFTEEN YEATS PLAYS OVER FIVE YEARS WHILE THE W.B.YEATS INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL WAS HELD AT THE PEACOCK THEATRE.
HIS FILM SCORES INCLUDE LAMB, SOME MOTHER'S SON AND DANCING AT LUGHNASA
HIS ORCHESTRAL WORK INCLUDES THE SEVILE SUITE, THE SPIRIT OF MAYO AND OF COURSE THE PHENOMINAL RIVERDANCE WHICH STARTED ORIGINALY AS A INTERVAL PIECE FOR THE 1994 EUROVISION PIECE. IN 1997 BILL WAS AWARDED A GRAMMY FOR RIVERDANCE AS BEST MUSICAL SHOW.
JOE JACKSONI FIRST CAME ACCROSS JOE JACKSON WHEN BACKED BY GRAHAM MABY(Bass) GARY SANFORD(Guitar) AND DAVE HOUGHTON(Drums) HE RELEASED HIS "LOOK SHARP" ALBUM IN 1979. IT WAS POST PUNK, EDGY, NEW WAVE, A LITTLE BIT SIXTIES WITH A TASTE OF REGGAE. IT WAS AMAZING. THE SAME BAND LINE UP ALSO RELEASED "I'M THE MAN" AND "BEAT CRAZY" BEFORE CALLING IT A DAY.
SINCE THEN JOE HAS RELEASED SEVERAL ALBUMS OF GOOD REGULAR POP SONGS, A COUPLE OF INSTRUMENTAL ALBUMS, A FEW FILM SOUNDTRACKS, A CONCEPT ALBUM FOR SONY CLASSICAL AND EVEN AN ALBUM OF 1940'S SWING TUNES.
CHECK OUT THE INSTRUMENTAL TRACK "ZEMIO" FROM THE SOUND TRACK OF "MIKES MURDER".
STEELY DANI CAN ONLY DESCRIBE WALTER BECKER AND DONALD FAGAN AS MASTER SONGWRITERS, MUSICIANS AND VISIONARIES . DURING THE SEVENTIES THEY SURROUNDED THEMSELVES WITH THE CREAM OF SESSION MUSICIANS LIKE LARRY CARLTON AND JEFF BAXTER AND RELEASED SEVEN CLASSIC ALBUMS , FROM THE “CAN’T BUY A THRILL” (1972) ALBUM RIGHT UP TO THE “GAUCHO”(1980) ALBUM BEFORE BREAKING UP IN 1981.
DONALD FAGAN RELEASED TWO SOLO ALBUMS “THE NIGHTFLY”(1982) AND “KAMAKIRIAD”(1993) AND WALTER DISSAPPEARED, ONLY SURFACING TO DO OCCASIONAL PRODUCTION WORK.
IN 1993 THEY GOT TOGETHER FOR SOME LIVE GIGS AND IN 1994 WALTER RELEASED A SOLO ALBUM “11 TRACKS OF WHACK” PRODUCED BY DONALD THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A LIVE STEELY DAN ALBUM. I SAW THEM AT THE POINT THEATRE IN DUBLIN IN 1997 AS PART OF THEIR “ART CRIMES” TOUR AND THEY WERE AMAZING
TOM ROBINSON
BRENDAN POWERS
BILLY BRAGG
LOUIS STEWART