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Side One Dollymount Strand—Shay Healy |
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| The Gatecrashers 1967—Capitol SQ 80.004 LP |
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| Danny Doyle | Shay Healy | Paddy Reilly | Pecker Dunne |
About “The Gatecrashers”:
“The Gatecrashers” was presented for a week at the Gate Theatre last
June.
Says Tribune Records' Noel Pearson: “It was basically a folk music
entertainment mounted by a subsidiary of Tribune. The artists concerned
had previously sung and played largely in ballrooms and pubs, and we felt
it was time to broaden their experience via an authentic theatrical
atmosphere.”
“We chose a time when the tourist season was in full swing. Happily, the
response was gratifying. At the time, the idea of doing an L P of
extracts was only a hazy notion One night, the show was taped and the
result was so much better than we had anticipated that it was decided to
go ahead with the album”.
When I attended “The Gatecrashers” I was struck by the informality of the
proceedings. There was absolutely nothing contrived about it…which, it
seemed to me, served to accentuate the audience's appreciation.
The Pecker Dunne. whose face has illuminated many a newspaper and
magazine in the past few months (and whose screen debut in John Huston's
“Sinful Davy” is eagerly awaited) contributes two of his own
compositions-although when one has seen and heard him even briefly, the
word sounds somewhat pretentious-and “Seven Drunken Nights”. Danny Doyle,
who has had all the usual adjectives applied to his work, is also
forcefully represented. Since recording this album (Summer '67) Danny
Doyle has emerged as practically a national hero. He was voted 1967 show
biz personality of the year and his single “Whiskey on a Sunday” was
acclaimed the best record of '67. Danny's interpretation of Cluain Meala
(Clonmel) must certainly be considered as some of the best folk singing
of any Irish artiste. Unlike Danny, Paddy Reilly has yet to have a disc
in the top ten, but that small detail doesn't deter people from flocking
to see him whenever he appears…and cheering their heads off at the
least excuse.
Finally, there's Shay Healy, upon whose shoulders fell the considerable
burden of supervising “The Gatecrashers”. Between engagements, Shay
writes words and music with equal facility
Ken Stewart Winter 1967