St. Patrick's Day is divisive. On the one hand, it's an opportunity to gather with friends for some pub time or a parade and enjoy some corned beef and Guinness. On the other hand, like New Year's Eve, it can turn into amateur hour. There are inevitably folks who push the good times into drunken buffoonery with a few too many shots of Jameson. Not judging — I've certainly been the St. Patrick's Day buffoon myself.
However you celebrate Ireland's patron saint — and you absolutely should, says this half-Irishman — you're going to need some Irish music to soundtrack your festivities come March 17 (or for your trip to Spokane's St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 12). You could fire up some U2, and that's perfectly acceptable. They're one of the biggest bands in the world, after all. Or maybe the pop-rock of the Cranberries, another Irish mult-platinum favorite, is more your scene.
Ireland has much more to offer, sonically speaking, than the multiplatinum old favorites, so delve into a few of these suggestions to get in the celebratory spirit of the season.
THE POGUES
IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD
The third studio album by Irish folk-punks the Pogues is a brilliant collection start to finish. The 1988 release incorporates influences from the Middle East and Spain to brilliant effect. The Pogues have other great albums but never topped this one.
PLAYLIST PICKS: The title track and the stirring "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six."
THIN LIZZY
LIVE AND DANGEROUS
These Dublin-formed hard rockers delivered one of the great live hard-rock albums with this 1978 set. Led by the dynamic Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy kills it on this double LP.
PLAYLIST PICKS: "Jailbreak," "Emerald" and "Warriors."
FONTAINES D.C.
LIVE AT KILMAINHAM GAOL
These young Dubliners formed just five years ago, and they've released a couple of killer post-punk studio albums already, as well as this excellent live set just last summer.
PLAYLIST PICKS: "A Hero's Death" and "Liberty Belle."
CACTUS WORLD NEWS
URBAN BEACHES
Early U2 fanatics might remember this mid-'80s Dublin crew whose first single, "The Bridge," was produced by Bono. This 1986 debut album was their only major release, and they sound a bit more like Simple Minds or the Clash than their fellow Irishmen. It's a solid guitar-rock set.
PLAYLIST PICKS: "The Bridge" and "Worlds Apart."
THE COMMITMENTS SOUNDTRACK
Yes, they're a fictional band. And yes, the band is doing covers of American soul classics. But damn if both the 1991 film (an adaptation of Roddy Doyle's 1987 novel) and the soundtrack don't hit the spot. Andrew Strong was just a teenager when he became the lead voice for the movie band, and Maria Doyle Kennedy takes over lead vox for covers of Aretha and the Marvelettes.PLAYLIST PICKS: "Mustang Sally" and "Chain of Fools."
THE BOOMTOWN RATS
THE FINE ART OF SURFACING
Before Irishman Bob Geldof went on to start Band Aid and Live Aid to stave off Ethiopian starvation, he fronted this excellent pop-rock crew whose tunes and lyrical proclivities fall in the realm of the Kinks and Elvis Costello. This album includes what is likely their biggest U.S. hit ("I Don't Like Mondays"), but there are even better deep cuts.
PLAYLIST PICKS: "Wind Chill Factor (Minus Zero)" and "Nice N Neat."
STIFF LITTLE FINGERS
INFLAMMABLE MATERIALS
Given their raw aggression, you'd never know this Belfast band started as a covers act named for a Deep Purple tune ("Highway Star"). Stiff Little Fingers formed when violence was commonplace between those happy for Northern Ireland to remain part of England and those wanting one united Ireland. And their arrival coincided perfectly with punk music's rise. This release is a classic.
PLAYLIST PICKS: "Suspect Device" and "Wasted Life."
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER SOUNDTRACK
This 1993 film told the story of a father-son duo wrongfully sent to prison in 1974 for terrorism during the Catholic/Protestant "Troubles" in Northern Ireland. Good flick, Daniel Day-Lewis is his typical great self. The soundtrack blends hits of the time (Bob Marley, Kinks) with some powerful new songs, most notably Irish lass Sinéad O'Connor's "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart." It's a slow-burning track that builds dramatically over six minutes. Granted, not exactly a party starter.Playlist picks: "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" and Thin Lizzy's version of "Whiskey in the Jar." Maybe put Sinéad at the end of your mix for the inevitable crash after you've partied all day. ♦
