The MARK’S VINTAGE VINYL page features something from Mark’s collection of recordings from over the years. Most of it is on vinyl – hence the name – though there will be a few entries from his CDs (remember those?).
5, by The Chieftains
- Released in 1975, the fifth album for the group. There have been a total of 46 albums released by the band. The most recent, Bear’s Sonic Journals: The Foxhunt, The Chieftains Live in San Francisco 1973 & 1976, was released in 2022, the 60th anniversary of the group.
- In the late 70’s, as I was expanding my interest in all types of music, I wanted to add traditional Irish music to my collection. The Chieftains were by far the most well known provider of that music at the time. The instruments they play are amazing – uilleann pipes, tin whistle, fiddle, bodhran, button accordian, bones, flute, and other obscure and fascinating-sounding instruments.
- None of the songs on 5 received play on the radio. That’s generally true of all of the music by The Chieftains – except perhaps on Public Radio.
- Despite the lack of exposure on the radio, the Chieftains unique sound and skill earned them great popularity. The won six Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award. In 1979, they played in a concert in Ireland for Pope John Paul II, with over 1 million people attending. Their farewell concert tour began in early 2019 but was cut short by the pandemic.
- The death of co-founder Paddy Moloney in 2021 effectively ended the band’s run. They had one final performance in April 2023, where they performed for Joe Biden during the president’s tour of Ireland.
- They collaborated with many artists over the years across many genres. Some you have heard of – Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Ziggy Marley, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Sting, The Rolling Stones, and many more.
- The 5 album is one of four Chieftain albums in my collection.
- Amazing what you find on YouTube. Here is the opening track to the album, called The Timpan Reel. This is really unique, I hope you like it!