today's selection definitely needed an Irish (or Oirish, as they say) band, and the obvious choice for a day best known for drinking yr face off would be The Pogues. but truth be told, i don't like traditional irish music, or the Pogues, so i went to plan B.
that would have been Van Morrison but it was gonna be too mellow for what i had in mind...then, an obvious choice came into my head...of course! John Peel's all-time favorite song! no-brainer!
so, out of Derry they came, 4 (er, make that 5) lads w/ a bright sound and big ideas. this could be the most uplifting, upbeat punk song ever.
Teenage Kicks
however, in the spirit of fairness, the republic needs representation too (Derry's part of the UK, in 'the North'). none of that pap like The Waterboys, Cranberries, or <gasp> U2....nope, this needed the heavy guns.
the town where Phil Lynott formed Thin Lizzy, Crumlin, is a tough one, even in today's total economic rebirth of ireland in general and dublin in particular. three decades ago, i'm sure it was much worse, and that doesn't sound like an ideal environment for a half-Barbadian/half-Irish kid to grow up, but Phil made it out alive (at least until the drugs overtook him). this song is from their massively successful (both commercially and artistically) _Jailbreak_, but i chose the live version for the relevant prologue. and fittingly, it strays a bit from Phil's usual menu of drinking, fighting, and chasing birds, and is about his native land.
Emerald
RIP, phil, and slainté.
that would have been Van Morrison but it was gonna be too mellow for what i had in mind...then, an obvious choice came into my head...of course! John Peel's all-time favorite song! no-brainer!
so, out of Derry they came, 4 (er, make that 5) lads w/ a bright sound and big ideas. this could be the most uplifting, upbeat punk song ever.
Teenage Kicks
however, in the spirit of fairness, the republic needs representation too (Derry's part of the UK, in 'the North'). none of that pap like The Waterboys, Cranberries, or <gasp> U2....nope, this needed the heavy guns.
the town where Phil Lynott formed Thin Lizzy, Crumlin, is a tough one, even in today's total economic rebirth of ireland in general and dublin in particular. three decades ago, i'm sure it was much worse, and that doesn't sound like an ideal environment for a half-Barbadian/half-Irish kid to grow up, but Phil made it out alive (at least until the drugs overtook him). this song is from their massively successful (both commercially and artistically) _Jailbreak_, but i chose the live version for the relevant prologue. and fittingly, it strays a bit from Phil's usual menu of drinking, fighting, and chasing birds, and is about his native land.
Emerald
RIP, phil, and slainté.
