Well, I sold my Potcheen
From Derry to Cobh
From Donegal to Dublin
And around by Mayo.
Through the thirty two counties
I'm free to roam.
Aye, the Potcheen's me livin'
And the roadside's me home
1. Welcome, welcome. Céad míle fáilte! Bring yourselves in and grab a drink. I hear Mulled Gin is very popular right now for warding off the January cold. Not really my bag that. I think a double whiskey does the job right and proper but that's just me and don't let me put you off. Seven more tracks are coming your way and with pretty much all pubs shut these days, what else you gonna do??? You may as well get buzzed, relax yourself and stick it out for the duration whilst I chuck some super amazing music your way. Let's see what we've got. So this week, President Trump got the year off to a flyer and opened his arms wide to reveal the dark side of his United States. I thought we'd play this first as there's a line in the song which would have really marked last month's alignment of Saturn and Jupiter (The Great Conjunction) quite perfectly. "I have my suspicions/When the stars are in position/All will be revealed/But I know that until then/Unless the stars surrender/All wll be concealed." Since then, things have taken a more sinister turn but the title of the song is very apt (the dark is rising indeed) and it's a really grandiose way to begin tonight's Barfly Session.
1. Mercury Rev
The Dark Is Rising
2. We can go back to 1492 for the link to our next track for a story about another street battle that largely took place outside Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. This little war was between two long established families. The Butlers of Ormonde and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. The fighting quickly grew out of control and The Butlers ran inside the cathedral and locked themselves in the Chapter House behind a solid wooden door. The Fitzgeralds, led by the head of the family, the mighty Gerald Fitzgerald, followed them but not to finish them off, instead they wanted to make peace. The Butlers refused to come out as they assumed they would be slaughtered so Gerald cut a hole in the door with his axe and made the bold step of putting his arm through it to shake hands. Big Gerald was taking a huge risk as they could have cut his arm off. The Bolton's realised his word was true and made peace there and then. The door is still in the cathedral for all to see and it's been christened The Door of Reconciliation. It is where the well known phrase "To chance your arm" comes from. Once again dear readers, feel free to educate yourselves within the realms of our fine blog. Here is the fine voice of Etta James to take us through her own song about trust.
2. Etta James
Trust In Me
3. Not too long ago I read something that kind of bore a hole in my head and made a nest. “People change for two main reasons: either their minds have been opened, or their hearts have been broken.” I thought to myself how true those words were. I knew I'd be sure to include it in one of our sessions and Broken Hearted Blues by T-Rex can accompany this for us here right now. Can thank The Fox for putting me onto Marc Bolan. Some of the stuff he wrote was just wondrous.
3. T-Rex
Broken Hearted Blues
4. We've had Steve Winwood songs on previous sessions here in The Horse & Feather. This is perhaps a more well known song of his (from the band Blind Faith with Clapton) but it's performed by the singer Ellen McIlwaine and I dunno, I just LIKE it. I thought it would fit in quite well here. See what you think of this from her 1972 album, Honky Tonk Angel.
4. Ellen McIlwain
Can't Find My Way Home
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5. Andy Stelfox is back and he has sent us this bat shit crazy curiosity. We've had Dolly on our Barfly Sessions before of course (See Session 19 - Pink Champagne) but The Fox has discovered that this was released in 1977 whilst Ma Stelfox was pregnant and he has a sneaking suspicion that he may have been named as a result of this song. I so wish that to be true. On a side note I checked what was no. 1 in the charts when I was born. Answer? Tragedy by The Bee Gees ☹
5. Dolly Parton
Me and Little Andy
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6. Something a little more conventional now as we journey back to 1969 for a funk/soul piece of gold by Lee Dorsey. Regular readers and listeners will have come to accept that I have become partly obsessed by these 60's/70's discoveries. Whilst it's very true that you can pay mega money for some of these vinyl singles, it's still really easy to go crate digging and find amazing 45's for sometimes less than a couple of quid and there are thousands upon thousands out there. Lee Dorsey has an interesting background. Many stories report he was as happy fixing up cars as he was singing and perhaps this was the reason he wasn"t more famous. In the early 60's, he had a successful career as a light heavyweight boxer and he fought under the name 'Kid Chocolate' for a few years. Of all the records he did though, this one is my own favourite and you can here it now. Just click the button underneath.
6. Lee Dorsey
Give It Up
7. Normally I'd finish our Barfly Session with a fairly gentle effort to ease you off into the night. Tonight though, I thought we'd go with this by Mastersystem. Some won't be too familiar with the songs of Scott Hutchison and his band Frightened Rabbit but a quick delve reveals the massive outpouring of grief for his death in 2018. Scott had the gift of words and a scroll through his lyrics shows that they read as poems as much as songs. They shed rays of light on the human condition and all it's twisted complexities. Tonight we'll end with one of Scott's final works which is a great example of his power. I love those lines "Gold bars of love/Not quite floating/not quite sinking" before that most impassioned Scottish chorus. The drums, the guitars and the vocals merge to create a modern rock masterpiece. Good to have you all here again and thank you so much. Lets do it again a week from today. Oíche mhaith. Codladh sámh.
7. Mastersystem
Notes On A Life Not Quite Lived
