Best Irish band? [Archive] - Page 2

Babysis

22/12/2004, 1:30 PM

babysis im going to see them tonight

hears hoping the fact it isnt the last nite it wont be the worst and will actually be the best.

cant fooken wait.

where in shepberds bush did they play?? was it in that place beside the walkabout?? damn didnt know about that would like to have gone.

The pogues were on Monday night in Brixton, and the Saw Doctors were in the hammersmith appollo (I think - was a wee bit drunk)!

dublinred

22/12/2004, 1:31 PM

Who has sold the most , reckon it would be U2 , Westlife , Cheiftains?

sadloserkid

22/12/2004, 1:34 PM

THERAPY ??

greatest irish band ever??
i think not

All about opinions James old man. Personally I can't stand the idea of giving that accolade to a band whose career has only lasted as long as it has by subtly chasing trends and pandering to the masses. I think U2 are an alright band but they're hit and miss to me, brilliant at times, rubbish at times, often on the same album.

For example, on 'All That You Can't Leave behind'

'Walk On' - great song
'Elevation' - complete and utter pish that for some reason people nodded their heads to...

The greatest band ever is gonna have different criteria for everybody. Obviously if you ran a poll then U2 would win. All that proves is that the masses make a lot of mistakes. :D If you polled 100 people in the street at random they'd show more interest in English football than Irish football and I doubt that many people here would agree with the popular view there! ;)

sadloserkid

22/12/2004, 1:37 PM

For the record, The Saw Doctors are more of an Irish band than Therapy or Snow Patrol. How many people would drive to Manchester on a freezing winter's night to see Snow Patrol or to sample the "craic" at a Therapy gig?
QED

You serious? You really think that the Saw Doctors pull bigger crowds than Snow Patrol? I'd probably give you Therapy? But man :rolleyes:

Babysis

22/12/2004, 1:42 PM

Dublin12

22/12/2004, 1:45 PM

Fair enough your into them,to me they are a pantomine act who attract homesick Irish punters who are up for a bit of "craic"

sadloserkid

22/12/2004, 1:52 PM

the saw Doctors have gone the distance, and are still extremely popular. Their gigs sell out very quickly, and the attract a huge cross section of people. They are also huge in America. Says it all, I think they are great.

Not disputing any of that Babysis (except for the huge in American bit, huge in America means doing a Hootie or Def Leppard and hitting 20 million in record sales. Touring Irish bars and packing them doesn't constitute huge for me personally). I certainly wouldn't have any fault with your championing of them but right now the Saw Doctors (much like my horse Therapy?) are a niche band, good for getting a crowd going at the odd festival but effectively preaching to the converted. They certainly can't compare to Snow Patrol right now, a band who are on the up and have the record sales to prove it.

Babysis

22/12/2004, 2:17 PM

ya have to agree bout hte saw doctors,

the saw doctors played in a little village outside madison in wisconsin, to a huge crowd and got a great response. they would outsell (concert wise) a load of bands globally. snow patrol only big in ireland and england.

ya im going to see them in brixton, i mean the pogues like, its their last nite, hopefully they will be good.

I hope the pogues will be as good tonight as they were on monday. If you werent sure where you're going, come out of the station, and turn right, 2 mins down the road, on the left hand side. Was drinking in the beehive before hand, think it was a whetherspoons, so nice a cheap. Yuo pass that on the way to the venue.

The great thing about music, is everyone likes different stuff. For those who like the saw Docs, fair play, for those who dont, your missing a good night out when they play live, but each to their own. :D

CollegeTillIDie

22/12/2004, 8:47 PM

ya my sister doesnt like the saw doctors at all, she would see it all as a bit stupid and country, but she saw them live once and said the atmosphere is unreal and she had a great nite, though she said she wouldnt go out and buy their cd she would def go again some time to see them. She also said everyone should go at some stage to a saw doctors gig cos they offer so much live
Best description of the Doctors ever...."Designer Bog Music" :D

Great craic though

M@ttitude

22/12/2004, 10:15 PM

Does anyone have The Stunnings 'Brewing up a storm' on Mp3 that they can mail me???? :confused:

�anna

22/12/2004, 11:03 PM

U2 have to be up there, they've just being doing it for so long. quality.

personally any of the following would be there or thereabouts:
Sawdoctors- great live and some really funny stuff.
Dubliners- absolute class.
Snow Patrol- love that album
Paddy Casey- good albums and excellent live
The Pogues- way better than they get credit for.
Wolfe Tones- good for a session, and have some good ballads. (just don't take it all to heart :eek: )
The Sultans- quality
Ash- possibly my favourite group. Top notch
Rory Gallagher- class.
Free Beer- used to play trad sessions up in Limerick. Superb live.
Christy Moore- surprised he hasn't got a mention up to now (or Planxty for that matter) Funny, serious and some very good commentary on Ireland over the last 40 years

The Good Son

23/12/2004, 7:29 AM

No competition, the best Irish band ever Nun Attax\5 Go Down To The Sea.

Lionel Ritchie

23/12/2004, 10:43 AM

No competition, the best Irish band ever Nun Attax\5 Go Down To The Sea.

well said that man!!!!

sadloserkid

23/12/2004, 1:49 PM

Free Beer- used to play trad sessions up in Limerick. Superb live.

You are joking? A shower of mediocre pretty boys at best... :confused:

razor

23/12/2004, 1:54 PM

The Frank and Walters boy!
Tonight, Cruiscin Lan, Douglas Street
Can't wait.

�anna

23/12/2004, 2:37 PM

You are joking? A shower of mediocre pretty boys at best... :confused:
I always enjoyed going to see them. There was always a great atmosphere in the hurlers when they were playing.

sadloserkid

23/12/2004, 2:40 PM

I always enjoyed going to see them. There was always a great atmosphere in the hurlers when they were playing.

Well each to their own of course but I can't pretend not to be disappointed in you! :p

They're the lowest common denominator in my eyes, a sorta musical Big Mac... ;)

�anna

23/12/2004, 2:45 PM

They're the lowest common denominator in my eyes, a sorta musical Big Mac... ;)
:D :D :D
It's not ALL about how good the band are, its about how enjoyable the gigs are too- and like i said, the atmosphere was always class up there

James

23/12/2004, 2:55 PM

a sorta musical Big Mac... ;)

nice one SLK, post of the week :)

laurent

23/12/2004, 5:53 PM

TOP 3 (From France )

in no order

Shane mcGowan
Dubliners
U2

Joyeux Noel .

Lionel Ritchie

24/12/2004, 2:39 PM

Well each to their own of course but I can't pretend not to be disappointed in you! :p

They're the lowest common denominator in my eyes, a sorta musical Big Mac... ;)

Have never seen them but have heard that they are utterly brutal.
Add to that the fact that in pretty much every college town in every country I've visited there's been a somewhere between dodgy and woeful pub band calling themselves Free Beer (where's the "roll eyes" emoticon?) and I'm willing to trust my sources on this one.

They seem to play frequently at those deviant "county colours nights" I've mentioned before that at least one of our colleges organise on a regular basis where freckly lads get woody eyeing up their sisters and cousins in wexford jerseys.

I can only guess the setlist.... slaughter a few U2 songs, crash a train into a sped up version of Dirty old town, bit of christy (moore and dignam), studentesque ripping of the hole outta Everybody hurts, ...then maybe a few "rebel songs" (where's that goddamn "roll eyes" emoticon?)

Neish

28/12/2004, 11:13 AM

Stiff Little Fingers
Rory Gallagher
The Undertones
Luke Kelly
The Pouges

harpskid

30/12/2004, 11:17 AM

U2
Shane Mc Gowan
The Saw Doctors
Paddy Casey
Ash
Rory Gallagher
The Wolfe Tones

The Corrs, yer havin' a laugh - they're pants :p

�anna

30/12/2004, 1:43 PM

I can only guess the setlist.... slaughter a few U2 songs, crash a train into a sped up version of Dirty old town, bit of christy (moore and dignam), studentesque ripping of the hole outta Everybody hurts, ...then maybe a few "rebel songs" (where's that goddamn "roll eyes" emoticon?)
nearly all rebel songs actually. and they're damn good at them too.

sadloserkid

30/12/2004, 1:47 PM

Have never seen them but have heard that they are utterly brutal.
Add to that the fact that in pretty much every college town in every country I've visited there's been a somewhere between dodgy and woeful pub band calling themselves Free Beer (where's the "roll eyes" emoticon?) and I'm willing to trust my sources on this one.

Brutal is only the tip of the iceberg, there are four lads, one of them is talented, one of them looks pretty and the other two are there because they're friends of the first two.

Allow me to :rolleyes: for both of us! ;)

dcfcsteve

30/12/2004, 2:30 PM

I was thinking about this the other day and there's no doubt that U2 are one of the greatest bands in the world but what also struck me was the fact that no countries have had such an impact on music globally as Ireland and Britain have. People may argue that America has, but most American bands are surrounded by hype and fail to live up to expectation. They fall away after their second or third album.
Many of the US success stories will tell you that their influence was a British or Irish band.

I hate to say it Peadar, but there's one simple answer to why Ireland has boxed above it's weight on the world music scene. And the world Literature, TV, entertainment scenes etc etc. It's the English Language.

If we were churning out the same books, tunes, TV shows, films etc as Gaeilge, no bugger would have heard of them (although Inis Cuil has recently been bought by Dutch TV :) ).

It hurts to say it, but the only good thing about having your national language deliberately decimated by an outsider is when the language the outsider forces on you instead turns out to be the world's main one...

I'm sure there's plenty of good bands in other European countries - we just never get to hear them.

Neish

30/12/2004, 3:05 PM

Ash

The Corrs, yer havin' a laugh - they're pants :p

Yes Chris, I agreeThe Coors are pants but at least their lookers, but Ash are just plain old fashioned pants

Neish

31/12/2004, 3:59 PM

Just thought of another band which I don't think were mentioned what about Aslan?

Hope to see them when they play leterkenny in feb

ken foree

13/01/2005, 2:19 PM

Horslips were truely shocking.....:rolleyes:

I used to like them for awhile, in a kind of "great for a mad ceili type dance when you were half-****ed" way, but there is not a single piece of theirs that has stood the test of time, with the very, very arguable exception of Dearg Doom.

amazing band. the entirety of happy to meet, sorry to part stands up very strongly today. an bratach ban, furniture, great songs!

noby

13/01/2005, 2:47 PM

They were PARICULARLY Irish, if that makes sense.

Uhm, no.

NeilMcD

13/01/2005, 2:54 PM

THere are 2 ways of looking at this. Either it is a matter of taste, and then we can never agree as we all have different tastes. Or we approach it from a very factual perspective which is record sales. In that regard U2 are the best.

tiktok

13/01/2005, 2:55 PM

Had another look at this thread, didn't see The Chieftains mentioned, in terms of influence and popularity outside our own borders (coupled with the 'made in Ireland' stamp) that surprises me....

No consideration of Planxty anywhere either?

anyway IMO

U2 (though I wouldn't be a huge fan)
The Frames (Hansard drives me mad, but they've got five/six albums under their belts and only the first [another love song] has aged badly)
Ash as above, have been doing their thing at a consistently high level for years now.

There are a couple of bands in the one/two album category or who never quite hit the highs they should have, Something Happens and The Franks would be the pick of that category.

The Saw Doctors genuinely don't get the respect they deserve.
Aslan are a joke.

...as I'm here I may as well claim the Jimi Hendrix experience as no one else has ;)

fosterdollar

13/01/2005, 3:23 PM

...as I'm here I may as well claim the Jimi Hendrix experience as no one else has ;)

...or even Taste. Showed up Jimi when they played the Isle of Wight. Jimi comes on and the croawd shouting for Rory and teh boys to come back. Classic!

Agree on the Aslan thing though :o

eoinh

13/01/2005, 7:09 PM

For a good mix of folk, pop, rock and country & western the Chieftains album Long Black Veil cant be beat!

CollegeTillIDie

13/01/2005, 11:35 PM

The Chieftains 40 years plus and still going strong deserve great credit

Clannad and Enya for selling records as Gaeilge

Someone mentioned Aussie bands

Forgetting about the following;
Icehouse
Midnight Oil
Men At Work

piratemousey

14/01/2005, 1:33 PM

boomtown rats.
rory
therapy?

SligoRoversfan

15/01/2005, 12:47 PM

no doubt about it:U2

Thomo

16/01/2005, 10:28 PM

rory gallagher
the pogues
therapy?
stiff little fingers
sultans of ping ( favourite of big sis)
and of course what list would be complete without brendan shine! :D

sadloserkid

17/01/2005, 1:31 PM

I picked up 'Heartworm' by Whipping Boy pretty cheap the other day and on the strength of that alone I'd include them on any list. The big question here is if you think a band with maybe 3 4-Star albums is better than a band with one 5-Star album. Personally I don't think so but it's really just a matter of opinion. Mine though is one true effort of greatness is better than several near misses.