Black 47
Live In New York City
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Black 47
Live In New York City
Gadfly, 1999
RiYL: The Pogues, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morisson |
Maybe a Mott the Hoople-esque story?
Not likely.
But one thing remains certain: Black 47 can put on a good show. And the band's new live album is a testament to that fact, although it also remains a shining example of Black 47 at its best and worst.
For those unfamiliar with Black 47, the band scored a minor cult hit back in 1993 with a song called "Funky Ceili." The song rocketed the band to the forefront of a post-Pogues Irish rage movement, and shortly thereafter the group disappeared from the charts.
Sure, they've released two follow-up LPs, but they've never been able to recapture the excellence of their 1993 debut, Fire Of Freedom. And therein lies the chief problem with Black 47. Their albums have all been solid, well-polished efforts, but the songs they seem to target as being the next "Funky Ceili" all feel regurgitated.
Take a listen to "Different Drummer" from '94's Home Of The Brave or "Green Suede Shoes" from 1996's Green Suede Shoes. They're great songs, but when you give them a listen, you realize that group's chief songwriter (and lead singer) Larry Kirwan has essentially written the same song about four times.
While this pattern may work for such renowned songwriters as Jay Farrar and Dave Matthews, it doesn't work for Kirwan. Thus, it is essential to hear this band live. And Black 47's newest album, Live In New York City, lies as a shining testament to that fact. Recorded on St. Paddy's Day of 1998 at the Wetlands in NYC, Live captures Black 47 at their best: live, and in NYC.
Oddly enough, though, Live is the first Black 47 album to truly capture the band at its best AND worst. All the songs are classics when heard in concert, and for the uninitiated, Live offers a glimpse of Black 47 that until now was only available on the band's first album.
However, the biggest problem with seeing (or, in this case, hearing) Black 47 live is that the only songs that really get the crowd going are from the first album. Of the 12 songs on Live, 5 are from Fire Of Freedom, 2 are from Green Suede Shoes, 1 is from Home Of The Brave, 2 are covers, and 2 are unreleased.
The setlist on Live is not too different from a typical B' 47 show. Sure, the band is tight, one of the tightest around. But that hardly seems to be an issue because most fans know they've been playing the same songs night in and night out for upwards of 8 years.
Still, though, Live is perhaps the truest B' 47 album. The band is in good spirits, as they are at most shows. Hearing an Irish band cover Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" is really an event in and of itself. And Black 47 is one of the few bands that can pull it off as a respectable song, not just some cheesy, average cover of an overplayed Marley song. And hearing "Green Suede Shoes," no matter how many times Kirwan has written this song over, is still a pleasure.
But perhaps the biggest highlight of the album is uileann pipes player Chris Byrne's "Walk All the Days." This song is somewhat of a surprise addition to the album, and a welcome one. The band is in full cylinder, and towards the end, Byrne gives a nod to the Clash in humming a few bars of that band's infamous cover "Police and Thieves." Byrne gives the band instant credibility as being one of the few white guys outside of the Clash who can pull off a reggae tune without sounding like a wannabe (or Sting).
RODEO ROB | An expert on all things "alt," Rob spends his days covering the energy industry and his nights covering the DC-area bars. Raise yer glass especially high to this man, for he has contributed to this site constantly since its creation four years ago.