Elly Roberts reviews
The Dubliners: Too Late To Stop Now!
The Very Best Of The Dubliners
Distributed by
DMG TV
- Released: October 2006
- Rating: 8/10
- Format: 2-CD set
Now into a 44-year career and 35 albums to their credit, Irish folksters The Dubliners are as popular as ever.
From their humble beginnings playing at O’Donoghue’s Pub on Merrion Row, Dublin
in 1961, as the Ronnie Drew Group, they rode the crest of a wave during the early
'60s folk boom. Drew, not happy with the band’s name, they chose their current
name whilst Luke Kelly was reading James Joyce’s The Dubliners.
DMGTV now release a double CD of 20 studio tracks and 18 live takes from a
2002 show at the Gaiety in Dublin. This whopping 28 tracker is a must for
hardcore fans and casual admirers of the cult godfathers of urban folk. Their
famous gritty aesthetic has endeared them to generations of fans around the
globe, so you can now fully appreciate their impact via CD 1, where we get
a ‘best of’ studio work spanning 1972 to 2005.
Apart from Whiskey In The Jar and Seven Drunken Nights there’s
no other song duplication which must have been difficult to achieve, and
tempting to include. Why DMGTV chose to start at 1972, is quite baffling as
the band first recorded in 1964 as The Dubliners with Luke Kelly on Transatlantic
Records.
Invited to perform at the 1963 Edinburgh Festival, they met TR owner Nathan
Joseph who gave them their first major deal. Prior to the 2002 live recording
at the Gaiety (a celebration of 40 years as a band) there have been six
live albums, starting in 1964 with In Concert, through to 1997's
Alive Alive O, though this is the first time a studio album has
accompanied a live show as a package.
Their UK debut single, Seven Drunken Nights (No.7 ’67) opens their
magnificent journey, and single Black Velvet Band (No.15 ’67).
Highlights include thrilling versions of Whiskey In The Jar and
The Irish Rover with The Pogues. To date they’ve charted with six
albums from 1967 to 2003, and this CD will doubt be added to their achievements.
Only one original member remains – Barney McKenna.
Tracks include:
CD 1: Seven Drunken Nights, Liverpool Lou, Whiskey In The Jar, Molly
Malone, The Irish Rover (featuring The Pogues)
CD 2: Recorded live at the Gaiety, Dublin – June 2002 includes Black
Velvet Band, Lord Of The Dance, Carrickfergus, the Fields of Athenry, The
Wild Rover.
Check the Amazon link above for a full track listing.
Catch them live on their October/November UK tour.
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
