The Score

“Some guys got it down, Leonard Cohen, Paul Brady, Lou Reed. Secret heroes.”
-Bob Dylan, from the Biograph Liner Notes

Before he veered into making pop and rock music, Paul Brady was one of the finest interpreters of Irish Traditional music. Replacing Christy Moore briefly in 1974, Brady toured with Planxty. Brady then went on to tour and record with Planxty member Andy Irvine between 1976 and 1978, releasing one album together which helped to secure Brady’s reputation as a highly versatile and talented performer.
In ‘78 Brady recorded his first solo album, Welcome Here Kind Stranger which was to be his last collection of purely Traditional music before he moved on to writing and performing more rock orientated music.

The album was launched on Friday 21st of July with a concert in Liberty Hall which was the headquarters of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union in Dublin.

The concert reunited Brady with Planxty members Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O’Flynn. Along with Bothy Band members, flutist and future member of the Chieftains Matt Malloy, fiddler Paddy Glackin and concertina player and general session musician Noel Hill– they recorded a show which covered much of the material that Brady had done with Irvine, along with material off of his new album.

This concert is a stunning display of how talented Paul Brady was at playing and singing this kind of music; his voice winding around the melodies with character and grace. Although there are some flubs and mistakes throughout the hour long performance, they do nothing to affect the overall quality on display.

The ridiculously titled but melodically rich Paddy Green’s Shamrock Shore opens the concert. Something that Brady had a particular talent at was taking subject material that was potentially divisive or appealed to a certain viciously Nationalist crowd and finding the beauty in it; extracting new perspectives and giving the music an identity past its politics. This is a good example of a song that could come across as pedestrian in the hands of another performer.

Another clear highlight is Paul’s stunning interpretation of the Lakes of Pontchartrain, a song that he had performed before with Andy Irvine as seen from this recording from 1977. During Bob Dylan’s performance at Slane Castle in the summer of 1984, Brady was called to see Dylan so that he could teach him how to perform this song. Dylan would start performing this song in 1988 during the start of the Never Ending Tour.

The respect for Paul Brady among people like Dylan and every Trad. (god I hate that abbreviation) head out there is a testament to how much of an effect he had in such a short space of time. He only recorded two albums which fall under the category of Traditional music and yet he is still seen as being one the very best to have ever been involved in that scene.

His famed arrangement of Arthur McBride, as featured on Paul Brady and Andy Irvine closes the show. Brady’s arrangement is often cited as transforming the song from a typical “Come All Ye…” affair to a rich and deeply personal anti-militaristic song. Everything about this performance lends the song a movement and energy that is not present on any version prior. Dylan would persist in his adoration of Brady by covering this exact arrangement on his album Good As I Been To You.

The Liberty Tapes were lost shortly after they were recorded and only saw release in 2001 upon Brady finally locating the missing recordings in his attic.

Due to the sad fact that there were only two real albums to hear Paul Brady outside of his largely Adult Orientated Rock, this album was a pleasant surprise. It is an essential recording to own, if you are a fan of this kind of music or if you don’t know where to start.

I highly recommend a purchase.

Bugul