Well Below The Valley.

THE MATCH THAT LIT THE FIRE...

Planxty's 2nd official album is the match that lit the fire in me for Irish traditional music. The Chieftains are great, no argument, but the voice has always been my favorite instrument in every genre of music, and Planxty cannot be beat for fine examples of Irish song coming from Christy Moore and Andy Irvine.

This is not the sing-along, stout-fueled pub atmostphere that most people associate with this genre -- this is more akin to the story-ballads sung by the raconteurs of an earlier era. This is the 'real deal'. All four members of this stellar ensemble are incredible musicians and song-stylists in their own right. Liam Og O Flynn is without a doubt one of the finest Uilleann pipers of the modern age; Christy Moore and Andy Irvine have few peers among singers; and between them, Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny could surround us with stringed instruments.

Though the group is no longer active as an entity, through their already-classic album releases, they have left us with an amazing legacy of some of the finest music Ireland has ever produced. All are still active individually -- O Flynn is a respected piper still; Moore has released several fine 'solo' records; Andy Irvine has put out albums on his own as well as with others, most notably the Irish 'super-group' Patrick Street; and Donal Lunny has not only released some fine material of his own (including stints with two other ground-breaking ensembles, The Bothy Band and Moving Hearts), but has become a well-respected producer as well.

I first heard this album soon after its original release in the early 1970s -- a friend of mine rushed into my workplace and announced seriously 'You HAVE to hear this -- it'll blow you away'. Later that night we must have listened to the album 3-4 times in succession -- we couldn't get enough of it.The musicianship is superb, the recording quality pristine (especially considerering when it was released!) -- this is an excellent starting place for anyone unfamiliar with Planxty's work.

From here, go back to the first album ('Planxty'), then try their reunion album 'After The Break' from 1979, where the four are augmented by Irish flute master Matt Molloy (the only man to have played with the Holy Trinity of Irish traditional music -- The Chieftains, Planxty, and The Bothy Band). Again, this is the 'real deal' -- none of that 'kiss me, I'm Irish crapola...Listen and prepare to be moved.