Sunday, November 6, 2016

40 Year Itch : A Celtic Revolt


Bothy Band : Old Hag You Have Killed  Me 


They may look a bit meek on the cover of 1976's Old Hag You Have Killed Me, but Ireland's short-lived Bothy Band was made up of revolutionaries who reworked traditional Celtic ballads, reels and jigs with a modernist's appreciation for prog rock. 

Naming Old Hag one of the 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, author Tom Moon explains the appeal in this way : 
   Determined to avoid the obvious, these six don't let too many of the beautiful melodies settle into placidness. They've rejiggered the music to show off the group's magical teamwork  and technical command , so some tunes are played at blindingly fast tempos, while others contain flashy speed changes sure to give dancers fits...(they make) traditional Irish music for the short attention span set.





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