Kith And Kin Pure Blind Panic The Pearltishers The Fat Lady Sings The Chieftains Rory Gallagher Hue & Cry
The Silencers Christy Moore Andrew Strong Del Amitri
Van Morrison
EOWYN COLLINS
At last. after a dozen-odd years on the make, Edwyn Collins finally makes the grade. Not because a compilation of unreleased and
starting blocks. Not because a video ofhis. erm. ‘riotous’ appearance at last summer’s Reading Festival (featuring Edwyn‘s boot and bouncer‘s goolies in non~amorous entanglement) is not far behind. Not because he is hot-shot producer of The Frank & Walters and A House and in much knob-twiddling
demand.
Not because that putative collection of Postcard‘s entire. hallowed 7in gold-mine. put together by Edwyn and Alan Home, is lurking round the s-bend in that ever-productive ‘pipeline‘. Not because he has recorded 14 tracks with Vic Godard (Subway Sect), Martin Duffy (Primal Scream). and Paul Cook (Sex Pistols), soon to be released on Rough Trade. Not because he is. apocryphally speaking (or not . . .).currentlyjamming around with Paul Quinn. Bobby Bluebell and Blair Cowan in a combo which is every fringed
(Not in order of appearance)
CHRISTY MOORE
lreland‘s song king Christy Moore has been turning up the musical beat Down tinder. Last month’s tourot Australia took him through nine cities, from Melbourne to Byron Bay. and ’strewth, mate, he taier ’em by storm.
Still riding high on the huge success of his Smoke and Strong Whiskey album, which went to 33 in the charts, Christy ls tuning up for the Summer Fleadh circuit, playing Glasgow Green
alternate-take Orange Juice rarities (called Ostrich Churchyard) is on the i
audience at thousands into an intimate occasion ot sheer crack and good music - a knack that has taken 25 years to mature.
For Christy, every show is a personal one. There’s no formula to beat exuding real musical sweat and ettort from every pore onstage. it’s a value-tor-money attitude, tirst honed on the English folk scene, where Christy started out in the early 60s, working the same circuit as the Dubllners, Ralph McTeli, Pete Seeger and Ewan McCall.
Moore’s musical influences ranged from the Disney Brothers to Woody Guthrie, and by the time he rehirned to Ireland in the early 70s, his own evolving style was marked by the album, Prosperous.
Christy’s regular work with Andy lrvlne, Donal Lonny and Liam 0g D'Fiolnn led to the creation ot Planxty, and later the supergroup Moving Hearts. Both these bands delivered musical depth-charges to the irish
. nothing less than musical justice. ‘He’s
jangler‘s wet dream.
Man, Untinlshed Revolution, and Voyage.
ills songs, ranging from neat satire to political passion, have just one thing in common: allegiance to his own views and feelings about lite. Whether it’s a ilghtsome ‘Llsdoonvarna’ or a heart-scalding rendering ot ‘Scapegoats', the criterion remains the same - it has to come irom the heart.
The art at Christy Moore’s live work is making a show seem as warm and casual as an impromptu session: ‘How’s it going there, everybody. You’re very welcome to this evening's cabaret.’ But sax player Keith Donald, former Moving Hearts man and teaturlng on Christy’s current album, says the relaxed approach belles a pertectionist. lie has the crattsman’s approach to song-writing, chipping away at the raw material until what's lett is the polished essence.
Moore’s enormous success. alter decades ot road and recording work, is
No. None ofthese. Edwyn Collins has 'arrived‘ by virtue of ‘Rip It Up‘s appearance on Heartland. that glum compilation of‘The Finest Bands From Scotland And lreland‘ plugged so cringingly on the telly by ‘Dick' Jobson.
‘lt had always niggled me that I wasn‘t quite as big as Simple Minds in Scotland.‘ reveals Edwyn. ‘I was informed when l was last up in Glasgow that this was because I wasn‘t doing Celtic Rock. But luckily. because ofthis album I‘m now considered a Celtic Rocker, I see!‘
Celtic Rocker and King Of Ubiquity. Edwyn has also. somehow. somewhere. managed to write fifteen new songs. arrange a Ill-date US tour. and have a new floor laid in his bathroom. ‘I do really want to get back to my own stuff.‘ he says ofhis writing. not his domestic arrangements. ‘before I lose the plot completely.‘ (Craig McLean)
The Lost Soul Band
The Colour Wheel
Carol Laula Band
The 4 Di Us
The McCiuskey Brothers
Luka Bloom
Martin Stephenson And The Daintees
lirst, then on to London’s Finsbury Park
scene, Planxty with its innovative
gig in June, and backhome to rock-trad combination and the Hearts
Tipperary‘s weekend Falls at the and ot lesion otiazz and folk-rock.
July. Christy kept moving his own solo it’s the pertect plattorm tor the career along and, by the Bus, he was
Kildare-born singer-songwriter. Christy can turn a live show tor an
delivering album alter album of increasing stahire: Ride On, Ordinary
a lovely man to work with,’ says Donald. ‘Christy’s one of those people you look torward to seeing and working with. And he spreads his good tortune around. A lot of people have benelited trom Christy's success. He really deserves it.’ (Ces Cassidy)
Kirsty MacColl
Les Negresses Vertes
Edwyn Collins
The Levellers
The Kevin McDermolt Orchestra
(Not in order of appearance)
I The McLuskey Brothers ‘tend to be a bit obscure sometimes. . .‘ says Ken McCluskey. To remedy the situation he and brother David. collectively — yes! — The McCluskey Brothers. record an album as democratically warm and accessible as we haven‘t heard since. oh. the heyday of The Bluebells. the chaps' golden-hued former home.
Favourite Colours. their second album. is finally ready. after six monthsof scraped together studio time in Glasgow‘s St Clair. When the 2th) cassette copies sell out at
their imminent gigs (the audiences having been seduced by the glowing harmonies and Aztec Camera-like dextrous lightness). the readies will be ploughed into pressing up vinyl and CD copies. Meanwhile. by way of Vinyl Japan. the brothers‘ first. long-deleted. folk-bare album. A ware ()fAll. is about to be re-relcased. ‘We did that when we‘d just left The Bluebells. We wanted to get back to very basic music. ‘cos with The Bluebells we‘d been in 48-track recording studios with people like Mike Bait. the Wombles man.
8 The-leis; May — fiune 1992
It was getting ridiculous. (Craig McLean)
I The Sawdoctors are Ireland‘s less noxious version of Runrig. Both tap that bucolic knees-up. gung-ho. hoe-down. aled-up spirit of ovemeeningjollity. But whereas Runrig offer skin-deep elevation while suffering from musical enervation.The Sawdoctors sing of a roll in the hay and a good crack with the lads. Plus. all credit to them. they‘re well aware oftheir intrinsic joke appeal — a kind of strageg hybrid of The Wurzels and The
Waterboys.
Their barn dance folk mateyness has been practically sainted over the water. and given that it‘s purpose built for mass open-air pish-ups. The Sawdoctors are the essence ofthe Fleadh. (Craig McLean)
I Van Morrison
lfAstral Weeks was your bag back in ‘68. or Bright Side Of The Road was your single ofthe year in 1979. then it may gall you to know that there‘sa whole new Van-guard of fans around now that weren‘t even twinkles in your generation's eyes then.
Morrison‘s music takes no prisoners: it gets to successive waves of rhythm 'n‘ soul fans in just the same place: straight to the heart. Only new
album releases. or live gigs with the Van can ease
the condition. Van's last album Hymns
to the Silence is sellingat the several-million level and. according to his record company. no new grooves are immediately due on the horizon.
After an April tourin the USA. playing sell-out concerts in San Fransisco. Boston and New York, Van is in ‘fine fettlc‘. according to an aide, and set fair for Glasgow Green this weekend.
Van‘s line-up includes Teena Lyle (percussion). Nicky Scott (bass). Dave Early (drums), John Miller (keyboards). Kate St John (sax and oboe) and Ronnie Johnson (guitar).