Tag Archives: Competition

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Pictured above, clockwise from top-left: Kevin Burke, Power of Dreams, The Golden Horde, Rollerskate Skinny, Auto da Fe, Aidan Walsh (Master of the Universe)

Last week, in our Friday Golden Discs competition, we asked you, rather than for any genre in particular, your favourite Irish gem that’s been forgotten by the march of time.

In fact, we asked you to finish the following sentence:

“I regard_______________________________as an absolute forgotten Irish classic because__________________________’

At stake was no more than a voucher guaranteeing its bearer a handsome twenty-five beans at any of Golden Discs’ fourteen locations around the country. And the competition was really, very tight. But there, as ever, can only be one winner.

Harry Molloy, one of Broadsheet’s regular commentators, with the well-deserved clincher:

I have found the most underappreciated but greatest Irish song that there is – this is especially strengthened by how much we tend to appreciate and replicate anything of value from this genre of music. Suitably, it is a song which no one I knew had heard of, and no once since has, until such time as it had been introduced to them.

It is ‘Mrs Gilhooley’s Party’ from Kevin Burke of the Bothy Band. With a song title like that you would be well excused to ignore, but I challenge you to stop and have a listen. Its best qualities are the fact that it is decent trad, of good caliber, it’s really funny, and you can’t watch it and not think how great it would be to see someone take that on live.

From an editorial perspective, this was an absolute heartbreaker to boil down to a few runners-up, but indeed, here they are. All of these tunes are also in the playlist embedded above, for your convenience.

Liam Zero: “I regard Season by Last Days of 1984 as an absolute forgotten Irish classic because, like the rest of the album it came from, it is one of the most wonderful pieces of music made on these shores, and it evokes joy and nostalgia and happiness and love and bliss and warmth and a late summer vibe that perhaps never actually exists in this country but which seems like a certainty this year once you hit play. It’s aural MDMA that doesn’t require you to go buying some dodgy pill from some dodgier bloke and then suffering the dodgiest comedown. It’s all the high and none of the low. It’s sunset and sunrise. It’s we’re going to be friends for EVER. It’s homebound contentment. It makes you gush this sort of rubbish. And it never got the love it deserved. It was forgotten from the start. But it’s goddamn fucking beautiful and I love it.”

Ferret McGruber: “I regard November, November by Auto da Fe as an absolute forgotten Irish classic because of Gay Wood’s evocative singing and bonkers stage performances, and Trevor Knight’s superb, ethereal keyboards. When it was released in 1982 it wasn’t like what anyone else was doing at the time. It’s also significant for being produced by Phil Lynott. Still makes me wonder what more he could have achieved had he stuck around.”

Gorugeen: “I regard Speed to My Side by Rollerskate Skinny as a forgotten Irish classic because it’s a rollicking, big sound and brings me back to Fibber Magees, main dance floor and the crowd going mental to it. But, nowadays all I get is blank looks when I mention the band or song. They should’ve been so much more.”

Me: “I regard Friends in Time by The Golden Horde as an absolute forgotten Irish classic because it’s a great song, with a Larry Gogan cameo in the video, but most of all when I went to listen to it on Spotify a few months back I couldn’t find their version, only the Ronan Keating cover.”

Baron Von Botter III: “Dudley Corporation’s Divil the Bit has it all. Swaying and lurching, threatening to topple over yet staying tight and lyrical. Abruptly ends after barely two minutes. All the elements of a classic.”

Friscondo: “It has to be one the the greatest Irish pop songs, Those Nervous Animals’ My Friend John. Great tune, great lyrics and now almost totally forgotten. I defy anyone not to love it on their first listen. Sligo has never produced anything better.”

Smith: “I regard Feeding Frenzy by National Prayer Breakfast an absolute forgotten Irish classic. An anthemic Phantom FM staple, with lyrics and jangly guitar representing true indie music away from the manufactured sound of mainstream radio.”

Al Jeers: “I regard ‘Master of the Universe’ Aidan Walsh’s Community Games as an absolute forgotten Irish classic because it’s the only song to my knowledge to conceptually decontruct that most Irish of all sports meetings.”

Donal: I regard Arclight by The Fat Lady Sings as an absolute forgotten Irish classic, because it’s still a cracking tune and it was our summer anthem at Ballyfin Jamboree in 1993.

Bertie Blenkinsop: Foremost among a number of great suggestions made by Bertie, who played a blinder here, was Power of Dreams’ Stay. – Mike

Goosey Lucy: Revelino’s Happiness is Mine. Listened to it non stop as a teenager.

Frilly Keane: Cypress Mine – Sugar Beet God. So good live that Zig ‘n’ Zag covered it.

Golden Discs

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Today, like every Friday, we’re preparing to part with a €25 voucher for Golden Discs, redeemable at any of their fourteen locations nationwide.

To celebrate the release of the talent-stuffed shortlist for this year’s Choice Music Prize, all we ask from YOU is a song from the current generation of Irish artists that we can play at an UNSPECIFIED time.

To enter, just complete the following sentence.

‘My current favourite song by a new Irish artist is ___________________ by ______________________ because __________________________’

Lines MUST close at MONDAY 10am!

Golden Discs

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Golden Discs, in Dundrum

Every Friday, we give away a newly-minted, freshly-pressed voucher for TWENTY-FIVE euro to spend with aplomb and abandon at the Golden Discs location of YOUR choice. Any of fourteen of them, nationwide.

All we ask from you is a tune we can play at an UNSPECIFIED time.

This week’s theme: Irish women singers.

What female Irish voice tickles your ear buds and breaks your booze-soaked heart?

To enter, please complete the following sentence:

“The best Irish female voice by some distance is ________________________ particularly when performing____________________________”

Lines must close at 5.45pm MIDNIGHT.

Golden Discs

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Yesterday we gave YOU the opportunity to win one of three adult passes to any Odeon cinema nationwide, in celebration of cinema giant’s 4-for-3 Awards Season offer.

All you had to do was fill in the following sentence.

“…And the award for least-deserving Academy Award ever goes to_____________________________________[name of movie, actor/actress, etc]’

*tears open envelope*

Liam Deliverance: “The award for least-deserving Academy Award ever goes to My Fair Lady which robbed Dr. Strangelove (How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) for the best picture Oscar in 1965. The former was directed by George Cukor and was the tale of “Eliza Doolittle”, played by Audrey Hepburn, an over long yarn (almost 3 hours) about a cockney flower seller who was taught to talk proper like in a rags to riches borefest. Dr Strangelove, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was a satirical look at nuclear conflict between the US and Russia during the cold war era. It is a film that is very funny despite the seriousness of the subject matter, it lives long in the memory and is a classic that should be watched by all.”

Clampers Outside: “The award for least-deserving Academy Award ever goes to Forrest Gumps 1994 ‘Best Picture’ win…. beating both Pulp Fiction AND The Shawshank Redemption…. a travesty, in fairness…. but life’s like that, like a box of chocolates.”

Ben: “The award for the least deserving Academy Award goes to…Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side (2009). I’ve nothing against the film. It’s the kind of movie you would happily sit through on TV on a rainy Sunday afternoon, but it – or its cast – are about as deserving of an Oscar as Coronation Street.”

Thanks all

Odeon Cinemas

Yesterday: The Envelope, Please

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Last week, we offered you the chance to win a fluttering €25 voucher for Golden Discs, usable at any of music giant’s 14 locations around the country.

We asked you to complete this sentence:

‘The finest exponent of the bass guitar in contemporary music would have to be_______________________especially during_____________________________’

It was another hard one to call…

But ‘Yer Man There’ has it.

The finest exponent of the bass guitar in contemporary music would have to be James Jamerson especially during the Motown era of Marvin Gaye. His playing is the stuff of legend, and not something that they teach in no fancy music schools. Listen to the way he carves out his own space by shifting ahead of the beat or behind it, or sitting on a note unexpectedly, while never sacrificing the groove or taking away from Marvin Gaye’s vocal (as if that was possible). An extremely influential musician who unfortunately never got the recognition he deserved and lived a poor, hard life.

Hard to argue, that.

Some more highlights from the going:

Yep: “The finest exponent of the bass guitar in contemporary music would have to be Victor Wooten, of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones especially during Amazing Grace. Showing mastery of technique while transforming the song from sonic bliss to infectious grove and everywhere between.”

Martin: “The finest exponent of the bass guitar in contemporary music would have to be Jaco Pastorius, especially during his life.”

Royal M: “The finest exponent of the bass guitar in contemporary music would have to be Geddy Lee of Rush especially during Digital Man from the Signals album.”

Birneybau2: “Stephen Morris, amazing. Bernard Sumner, terrible lyricist, amazing guitarist. Ian Curtis, one of the greatest. Peter Hook; ’nuff said.”

Serval: “The finest exponent of the bass guitar in contemporary music would have to be Andy Rourke, especially during This Charming Man.”

Thanks all

Bassists (above) clockwise from top left: James Jamerson;  Andy Rourke;  Victor Wooton; Jaco Pastorius;  Geddy Lee; Peter Hook.

No Mark King?

Thumb denial.

Golden Discs

Last week: All our Bass Are Belong To Us

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With a Golden Discs voucher up for grabs we asked you to complete this sentence:

‘The most outstanding example of traditional music from the island of Ireland would have to be______________________________’

The competition was particularly stiff.

but there could only be one winner.

Scottser takes top prize for this probing analysis of The King of the Fairies by The Dubliners (above):

“This tune features a lovely modal device of introducing the sharpened 7th in a minor key, which is ordinarily proper to the major key. This play between major and minor is a very ‘gypsy’ feel, so nice and topical, given the current debate around traveller ethnicity. Oh, and John Sheahan is an absolute gentleman and a total legend.”

Runners up:

Harry Molloy:

“Would have to be the Tabhair Dom do Lámh by Planxty, bolted on to the end of the Raggle Taggle Gypsy. The bouzouki never sounded better! I remember when the Planxty Live at Vicar Street CD came out and was being advertised on TV, I heard a few people saying they would buy it based on that piece of music alone. Had it played at my wedding too.”

Eimear:

“The most outstanding example of traditional music from the island of Ireland would have to be Arthur McBride sang by Paul Brady. Every listen is akin to a shillelagh right in the feels.”

TheQ47:

 “The most outstanding example of traditional music from the island of Ireland would have to be Mise Éire by Seán Ó Riada, because it combines the best elements of traditional Irish music in the classical music style. It always reminds me of Sunday afternoons at home with my late Dad listening to this while I washed the dinner dishes, usually with me giving out because he was listening to “this rubbish” instead of RTÉ Radio 2, and him telling me I’d appreciate this good music some day. He was right. He was wrong about James Last though, he was rubbish.”

Real PolitHicks:

“For me, though, the most outstanding example of traditional music from the island of Ireland is this fine choon from the legendary Trad/Rock band Moving Hearts. I used to go see them play every week in The Baggot, back in the day. They were far better live than anything they ever recorded, they’d set your heart racing and your foot tapping.”

Penfold:

“The most outstanding example of traditional music from the island of Ireland would have to be Fester and Ailin’s Tropical Diseases. Voices like angels, and model good looks.”

Thanks all.

Golden Discs

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The votes are in.

The munchies have set in.

The winners of today’s Golden Discs voucher competition (theme: stonery music) is mildred st. meadowlark: who spliffingly posited:

“In the unlikely event I would smoke illegal plants I’d vouch for Playground Love by Air, as its mellow sound is just perfect for enjoying an enlightened state of mind. Also, it just sounds great.”

In fairness.

Runners up:

Paul: “In the unlikely event that I would smoke illegal plants, I would vouch for Eluvium (especially their album Copia) as background music because it was the music (and groups like them) that got me through some rough personal times between 2001 and 2007 and would keep me buzzing long after the ‘bud’ has left me.”

AnPreachan: “In the unlikely event that I would smoke illegal plants I would vouch for Panda Bear’s album Tomboy as background music because it is an insanely good album, full of electronic hymn’s like Benfica and Alsatian Darn and chilled out bangers (not sure if that is an oxymoron) like Afterburner.”

Pat Walsh: “In the unlikely event I would smoke illegal plants I would go for Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In by Kenny Rogers & the First Edition as background music because both its lyrics & music are, like, far out, man.”

me: “In the unlikely event that I would smoke illegal plants I would vouch for Dopesmoker by Sleep. a 1hour single track Stoner Rock classic about a caravan of weed crossing the desert. its ambition, arguably not a word often used in relation to potsmokers, and its execution are amazing and it would seem like the most apposite and incredible aural background to the circumstance”

Liam Deliverance: “In the unlikely event that I would smoke illegal plants I would vouch for The Sabres of Paradise and Smokebelch II as background music because having being written in 1993 it is of a fine vintage for that style of music and indeed bookends a historical era in the club music movement. At 12 minutes long it is the ideal length for a rejuvenating mini-meditation at lunch or on the bus home or indeed could be viewed as being like a small nap, like the ones you take at 11am in work while appearing to be working on that important spreadsheet.”

Thanks all

Golden Discs