Irish Heartbeat
Irish Heartbeat | ||||
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Traditional Irish folk, folk rock | ||||
Length | 38:44 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Producer | Van Morrison, Paddy Moloney | |||
Van Morrison chronology | ||||
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The Chieftains chronology | ||||
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Singles from Irish Heartbeat | ||||
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Irish Heartbeat is the eighteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter
Recording
The album was recorded on dates from September to December 1987 and in January 1988. The Chieftains and Van Morrison had met years before at the
Recalled Moloney:
I think at that time Van was searching for his Irish roots. It was this man of blues, of rock ‘n’ roll, jazz and more importantly soul, coming home to his Irishness with The Chieftains and the music we’d been playing for so many years. Musically we were going to meet each other half way.[1]
In October 1987 they performed together at Balmoral Studio in
Composition
The album consists of eight
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
Rolling Stone | [7] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
The Village Voice | C+[9] |
Irish Heartbeat received positive reviews from most critics, one of whom called it "some of the most haunting, rousing, downright friendly music of the year".[10] Rolling Stone magazine's David Browne said it has "splendor and intense beauty",[11] while John Wilde from Melody Maker hailed it as "a bloody considerable marvel", having "awakened [Morrison's] roisterous spirit".[12] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau was more critical and believed that Morrison, suffering a creative block, was "misguided" in his attempt to reconnect with his traditional Irish music roots.[9]
In the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, Irish Heartbeat was voted the 29th best album of 1988.[13] The NME named it the second greatest album of the year.[14] In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Rob Sheffield said it showed Morrison in a livelier, more enthusiastic state than on his previous records during the 1980s.[8]
Track listing
All songs
Side one
- "Star of the County Down" – 2:41
- "Irish Heartbeat" (Morrison) – 3:52
- "Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta (My Match It Is Made)" – 3:31
- "Raglan Road" (lyrics by Patrick Kavanagh) – 4:43
- "She Moved Through the Fair" – 4:44
Side two
- "I'll Tell Me Ma" – 2:29
- "Carrickfergus" – 4:23
- "Celtic Ray" (Morrison) – 3:47
- "My Lagan Love" – 5:19
- "Marie's Wedding" – 3:17
Charts
Chart (1988) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[15] | 26 |
American Albums Chart | 102 |
United Kingdom ( Official Albums Chart )
|
18 |
Personnel
- Van Morrison – lead vocals, guitar, drums
- Paddy Moloney – uilleann pipes, tin whistle
- Martin Fay – fiddle, bones
- Derek Bell – harp, keyboards, tiompán
- bodhran, co-lead vocals on "Star of the County Down", "Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta" and "I'll Tell Me Ma"
- Matt Molloy – flute
- Seán Keane – fiddle
- Ciarán Ó Braonáin – bass
- Mary Black – backing vocals on "Marie's Wedding" and "Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta"
- Maura O'Connell – backing vocals on "Marie's Wedding"
- June Boyce – backing vocals on "Celtic Ray", "Irish Heartbeat" and "Marie's Wedding"
Notes
- ^ Glatt, The Chieftains, p. 217.
- ^ Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p. 266-267.
- ^ Hinton. Celtic Crossroads. p.269.
- ^ Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence? p. 418
- AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
- ISBN 0195313739.
- ^ Rolling Stone 11 August 1988
- ^ ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ a b Consumer Guide, Nov. 29, 1988
- ^ Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, p. 419
- ^ Rolling Stone, Aug. 11, 1988
- ^ Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, pp. 418–19.
- ^ The 1988 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll
- ^ 1988 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year – NME
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
References
- Glatt, John (1997). The Chieftains: The Authorized Biography, ISBN 0-31216-605-2
- ISBN 1-55652-542-7
- ISBN 1-86074-169-X
External links
- Irish Heartbeat at AllMusic