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Trollheart · 11-21-2011, 10:49 AM

Seems quite a while since we looked at an album from my native country, and this is one I've been waiting to review for quite some time. In fact, it took a hell of a lot of searching before I could even find a copy to listen to again, having bought the original on vinyl. I still have that, of course, but my record player had a serious crash (literally: my hi-fi cabinet fell when the shelf it was on decided that the rawl plugs had had enough, and it all came tumbling down! Goodbye CD player, goodbye CD recorder and goodbye turntable!) and I've never replaced it, so the chances of listening to it on vinyl again were, to say the least, slim.

So rare is this album that I couldn't even find a torrent on it, and none of my favourite Russian sites had it. Hey, Google it and see how few results you get! But eventually I managed to find a shop selling it, jumped at the opportunity and about two weeks later had it in CD format finally. That was a while ago now, and I've been anxious to make sure it's as good as I remember before reviewing it. After one listen, I could tell it was, and my heart soared. However, other Irish albums were before it on my list, and so only now have I come to select it.

Erinsaga --- Ken Kiernan and Ger MacDonald --- 1989 (Ringsend Road)

A thoroughly Irish project, “Erinsaga” is the musical interpretation of the unbelievably beautiful artwork of Jim Fitzpatrick, whose forte is painting images of the Celtic gods and Irish legends, and indeed the cover painting is one of his. The lyrics are also by him, and the music by the two abovenamed gentlemen, with a host of accomplished musicians helping them realise Jim's vision of his art through music. It's an amazing album, and deserves better than to be consigned to the “404 not found” on Google, so let's get to know this masterpiece.

It opens with pealing bells and low synth, then the voice of the Narrator, Conor Tallon, declares ”I am Tuan, I am legend/ Beauty, death and dreams/ Are the substance of my myth.” This is Tuan, elder god of the Celts, introducing himself. The music then starts slowly, with a sort of jig turning into a full-out rocker as guitars join drums, and a kind of Horslips melody comes in, fiddle and pipes adding to the tune, which then explodes in a shower of keyboard stabs and fierce bass, as “I am Tuan” takes the stage. It's essentially instrumental apart from the chanted chorus ”I am Tuan, I am legend.” It sets the scene for what is to follow, as “The Vision” comes in, with lovely vocals by Valerie Armstrong, a great traditional feel to a rock song as the oileann pipes and guitar mesh perfectly, with some great keyboard work in there too.

Because this is such a rare record, and so hard to get, I've decided to do two things in this review. The first is that I am going to make YouTubes that cover the whole album, probably three to four per video, and the second is that I will reproduce in full the plot of the album, as envisaged by Jim Fitzpatrick and and written down in the liner notes to the album. This is probably the first time I've been unable to glean any information at all from Wiki --- they have no entry on this at all --- and have had to go entirely from the CD and its liner notes.

So, the plot, as laid down in the CD: Erinsaga tells, in words and music, the epic legend of the earliest conquest of Ireland by a mysterious and mystical race, the Tuatha de Danann*. Led by their godlike king and champion, Nuada of the Silver Arm, they fought and won two great battles at a place called Moytura in the west of Ireland.

Erinsaga tells of the first great battle of Moytura when the Tuatha de Dannan overcame a fierce race known as the Firborg ** led by Eochai and his queen Tailltu. With the victory the Tuatha de Dannan became rulers of Ireland and their reign lasted for an unknown length of time until the coming of the Celts to Ireland.

The legends and histories of the Tuatha de Dannan are recorded in the most ancient Irish manuscripts, but while all those accounts date back about a thousand years they record a much earlier oral tradition that reaches back to about 1500 BC or perhaps even earlier, when one takes into account the most recent radio carbon-dating of monuments traditionally associated with the Tuatha de Danann, notaby Newgrange, which dates back to 3,200 BC or beyond.

Rob Strong, well-known in Irish rock circles, takes the lead for “Belgatan (Our will is strong)”, the first out-and-out rock track, with little in the way of celtic influences in the music, a real battlesong, with lots of snarly guitar, then everything slows down for the first ballad, as Valerie Armstrong reprises her role in “Tailltu's lament”, a fragile, melancholic song full of longing and loss, as the queen realises she cannot stop her husband, the king, from going --- perhaps to his death --- into battle: ”A king goes now/ Forth to meet his fate/ But I must stand/ I must stand aside and weep.” Lovely plaintive violin and oileann pipes bring the Celtic influence right back in, then one of the most powerful tracks on the album has sampled vocals (or a choir), punchy guitar, fluting keyboards, pounding drums as Ken Kiernan takes the mike for “Crom Cruach”***, a heavy, doomy, crunching track as the demon god Crom Cruach is worshipped: ”Power beyond eternity is yours...”

The next ballad comes in the form of “The dream of Nuada”, with Valerie Armstong back on vocals, the narration by Conor Tallon opening the song by setting the scene: ”Nuada, king of the Tuatha de Dannan/ Buried his face in the scent of Morrigan's hair/ As they lay in the embrace of night/ After the carnage of day/ While the moon watched over them/ Like the eye of the Grey God/ Of the Otherworld/ He slept, but his dreams/ Were troubled.” Some beautiful guitar work from Ken Kiernan here, and a lovely ballad tinged with sorrow and the presentiment of coming death. The only other instrumental on the album then is “Battle-frenzy”, a fantastic and intelligent melding of rock and traditional Irish music to represent to the mighty battle that now takes place.

Another breathtaking ballad follows, and here Valerie Armstrong outdoes herself in “My love is yours”, with beautiful tinkling piano from Ger McDonald and very expressive bass from Tony Molloy, just the right amount of guitar leaking in from Kiernan as needed, not disturbing the peace of the ballad, but adding an extra layer to it, then gently stepping back. Ken Kiernan comes back for his final solo performance for the rocking “The last battle (Moytura)”, a great boppy beat with plenty of guitar and handclap drums, some powerful fiddle from Pat Collins, kind of more a laidback track concerning a battle than previous “Battle frenzy”, not giving the same sense of urgency, almost as if the battle were a game and not deadly serious. That would be my only real criticism.

The album ends on the powerful title track, Armstrong and Kiernan sharing the vocal duties, with Tallon narrating the end of the battle: ”Soldiers, slain beyond number/ Many the wounds endured/ Cruel the bitter sword-blows/ Savage the brutal battles/ Now have we at last come home/ Back to the land of our fathers/ Here we sow the seeds of peace/ And reap a golden harvest/ This land we have/ Forever we hold/ Erin is ours/ Never to surrender.” As an Irish person, gives me a lump in the throat!

The final track is an amalgam of ballad, trad music, with oileann pipes, keyboards, triumphant drumbeats, and the clear vocals of the two singers as they look forward to a new time, a time of peace, a time of healing and of joy.

This album is completely exceptional and quite unique. I knew it when I first heard it, and I know it now. There has never been anything like it, to my knowledge. Completely Irish created, recorded in Ireland and based entirely on Irish myths, showcasing for the first (and, so far as I know, only) time the stunning artwork of one of Ireland's premier artists and favourite sons in music and verse, “Erinsaga” is a triumph, an overlooked classic, and without question, an example of the Very Best of Irish music.

TRACKLISTING

1. I am Tuan
2. The Vision
3. Belgatan (Our will is strong)
4. Tailltu's lament
5. Crom Cruach
6. The dream of Nuada
7. Battle-frenzy
8. My love is yours
9. The last battle (Moytura)
10. Erinsaga

* = Pronounced too-hah day dawn-on
** = Pronounced Fear-borg
***= Pronounced Crumb croo-ach

11-21-2011, 10:49 AM	#512 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Seems quite a while since we looked at an album from my native country, and this is one I've been waiting to review for quite some time. In fact, it took a hell of a lot of searching before I could even find a copy to listen to again, having bought the original on vinyl. I still have that, of course, but my record player had a serious crash (literally: my hi-fi cabinet fell when the shelf it was on decided that the rawl plugs had had enough, and it all came tumbling down! Goodbye CD player, goodbye CD recorder and goodbye turntable!) and I've never replaced it, so the chances of listening to it on vinyl again were, to say the least, slim. So rare is this album that I couldn't even find a torrent on it, and none of my favourite Russian sites had it. Hey, Google it and see how few results you get! But eventually I managed to find a shop selling it, jumped at the opportunity and about two weeks later had it in CD format finally. That was a while ago now, and I've been anxious to make sure it's as good as I remember before reviewing it. After one listen, I could tell it was, and my heart soared. However, other Irish albums were before it on my list, and so only now have I come to select it. Erinsaga --- Ken Kiernan and Ger MacDonald --- 1989 (Ringsend Road) A thoroughly Irish project, “Erinsaga” is the musical interpretation of the unbelievably beautiful artwork of Jim Fitzpatrick, whose forte is painting images of the Celtic gods and Irish legends, and indeed the cover painting is one of his. The lyrics are also by him, and the music by the two abovenamed gentlemen, with a host of accomplished musicians helping them realise Jim's vision of his art through music. It's an amazing album, and deserves better than to be consigned to the “404 not found” on Google, so let's get to know this masterpiece. It opens with pealing bells and low synth, then the voice of the Narrator, Conor Tallon, declares ”I am Tuan, I am legend/ Beauty, death and dreams/ Are the substance of my myth.” This is Tuan, elder god of the Celts, introducing himself. The music then starts slowly, with a sort of jig turning into a full-out rocker as guitars join drums, and a kind of Horslips melody comes in, fiddle and pipes adding to the tune, which then explodes in a shower of keyboard stabs and fierce bass, as “I am Tuan” takes the stage. It's essentially instrumental apart from the chanted chorus ”I am Tuan, I am legend.” It sets the scene for what is to follow, as “The Vision” comes in, with lovely vocals by Valerie Armstrong, a great traditional feel to a rock song as the oileann pipes and guitar mesh perfectly, with some great keyboard work in there too. Because this is such a rare record, and so hard to get, I've decided to do two things in this review. The first is that I am going to make YouTubes that cover the whole album, probably three to four per video, and the second is that I will reproduce in full the plot of the album, as envisaged by Jim Fitzpatrick and and written down in the liner notes to the album. This is probably the first time I've been unable to glean any information at all from Wiki --- they have no entry on this at all --- and have had to go entirely from the CD and its liner notes. So, the plot, as laid down in the CD: Erinsaga tells, in words and music, the epic legend of the earliest conquest of Ireland by a mysterious and mystical race, the Tuatha de Danann. Led by their godlike king and champion, Nuada of the Silver Arm, they fought and won two great battles at a place called Moytura in the west of Ireland. Erinsaga tells of the first great battle of Moytura when the Tuatha de Dannan overcame a fierce race known as the Firborg * led by Eochai and his queen Tailltu. With the victory the Tuatha de Dannan became rulers of Ireland and their reign lasted for an unknown length of time until the coming of the Celts to Ireland. The legends and histories of the Tuatha de Dannan are recorded in the most ancient Irish manuscripts, but while all those accounts date back about a thousand years they record a much earlier oral tradition that reaches back to about 1500 BC or perhaps even earlier, when one takes into account the most recent radio carbon-dating of monuments traditionally associated with the Tuatha de Danann, notaby Newgrange, which dates back to 3,200 BC or beyond. Rob Strong, well-known in Irish rock circles, takes the lead for “Belgatan (Our will is strong)”, the first out-and-out rock track, with little in the way of celtic influences in the music, a real battlesong, with lots of snarly guitar, then everything slows down for the first ballad, as Valerie Armstrong reprises her role in “Tailltu's lament”, a fragile, melancholic song full of longing and loss, as the queen realises she cannot stop her husband, the king, from going --- perhaps to his death --- into battle: ”A king goes now/ Forth to meet his fate/ But I must stand/ I must stand aside and weep.” Lovely plaintive violin and oileann pipes bring the Celtic influence right back in, then one of the most powerful tracks on the album has sampled vocals (or a choir), punchy guitar, fluting keyboards, pounding drums as Ken Kiernan takes the mike for “Crom Cruach”**, a heavy, doomy, crunching track as the demon god Crom Cruach is worshipped: ”Power beyond eternity is yours...”* The next ballad comes in the form of “The dream of Nuada”, with Valerie Armstong back on vocals, the narration by Conor Tallon opening the song by setting the scene: ”Nuada, king of the Tuatha de Dannan/ Buried his face in the scent of Morrigan's hair/ As they lay in the embrace of night/ After the carnage of day/ While the moon watched over them/ Like the eye of the Grey God/ Of the Otherworld/ He slept, but his dreams/ Were troubled.” Some beautiful guitar work from Ken Kiernan here, and a lovely ballad tinged with sorrow and the presentiment of coming death. The only other instrumental on the album then is “Battle-frenzy”, a fantastic and intelligent melding of rock and traditional Irish music to represent to the mighty battle that now takes place. Another breathtaking ballad follows, and here Valerie Armstrong outdoes herself in “My love is yours”, with beautiful tinkling piano from Ger McDonald and very expressive bass from Tony Molloy, just the right amount of guitar leaking in from Kiernan as needed, not disturbing the peace of the ballad, but adding an extra layer to it, then gently stepping back. Ken Kiernan comes back for his final solo performance for the rocking “The last battle (Moytura)”, a great boppy beat with plenty of guitar and handclap drums, some powerful fiddle from Pat Collins, kind of more a laidback track concerning a battle than previous “Battle frenzy”, not giving the same sense of urgency, almost as if the battle were a game and not deadly serious. That would be my only real criticism. The album ends on the powerful title track, Armstrong and Kiernan sharing the vocal duties, with Tallon narrating the end of the battle: ”Soldiers, slain beyond number/ Many the wounds endured/ Cruel the bitter sword-blows/ Savage the brutal battles/ Now have we at last come home/ Back to the land of our fathers/ Here we sow the seeds of peace/ And reap a golden harvest/ This land we have/ Forever we hold/ Erin is ours/ Never to surrender.” As an Irish person, gives me a lump in the throat! The final track is an amalgam of ballad, trad music, with oileann pipes, keyboards, triumphant drumbeats, and the clear vocals of the two singers as they look forward to a new time, a time of peace, a time of healing and of joy. This album is completely exceptional and quite unique. I knew it when I first heard it, and I know it now. There has never been anything like it, to my knowledge. Completely Irish created, recorded in Ireland and based entirely on Irish myths, showcasing for the first (and, so far as I know, only) time the stunning artwork of one of Ireland's premier artists and favourite sons in music and verse, “Erinsaga” is a triumph, an overlooked classic, and without question, an example of the Very Best of Irish music. TRACKLISTING 1. I am Tuan 2. The Vision 3. Belgatan (Our will is strong) 4. Tailltu's lament 5. Crom Cruach 6. The dream of Nuada 7. Battle-frenzy 8. My love is yours 9. The last battle (Moytura) 10. Erinsaga * = Pronounced too-hah day dawn-on ** = Pronounced Fear-borg **= Pronounced Crumb croo-ach* __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018