Album review: ANDY IRVINE & PAUL BRADY

Andy Irvine & Paul Brady

Compass Records [Release date 04.03.22]

Andy Irvine/Paul Brady is an album recorded by Andy Irvine and Paul Brady when they formed a duo, after Planxty broke up for the first time in 1975.

For this recording they were joined by fellow Planxty band member Dónal Lunny (producer, bouzouki) and Kevin Burke (fiddle) – both of whom were members of the Bothy Band at the time. The album was recorded in 1976 at Rockfield Studios, used b.

The album has iconic status in Irish folk music with Bob Dylan (who recorded Paul Brady’s arrangement of ‘Arthur McBride And The Sergeant’), Bono, Liam O’Maonlai (Hothouse Flowers), and Mary Chapin Carpenter all citing the album as musical milestone.

This 2022 special edition CD and LP includes the first time since the 1970s that an LP version has been pressed. Both formats include an essay  by  noted  music  journalist Gareth  Murphy which tells the fascinating story of how the record came together and includes brand new interviews with Andy Irvine, Paul Brady, Dónal Lunny and Kevin Burke.

‘Arthur McBride and the Sergeant’ is an anti-war song where Arthur McBride and his cousin put paid to the recruiting sergeant’s ideas of enlisting them. It also features a fine vocal performance by Paul Brady. This song encapsulate what makes this such a classic folk album, with traditional tales/songs given a reworking at the hands of two experienced folk musicians.

‘Martinman Time/The Little Stack Of Wheat’ tells the tale of a farmer’s daughter (a staple of manya  folk tune!) who gets a haircut and dresses like a soldier in order to join a travelling troop. It is a light hearted tale that leads into the instrumental piece ‘The Little Stack Of Wheat’, that highlights the fiddle playing of Kevin Burke.

Andy Irvine’s stand out is his singing on the beautiful ‘Autumn Gold’, a wistful piece that still sounds fresh and relevant today.

If you want to sample classic Irish folk of the 1970s this is the place to start, or if you already know this album well, this re-issue package is well worth owning. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January


Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 24 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 26 November 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply