Best Irish band?

[James]

i think for a band to be considered as the best they gotta have some element of longevity to them.. not just a 1 or 2 good albums under their belts.

for the ones mentioned so far.

Something Happens, The Stunning, The Franks, The petrol Emotion et al i would like to have heardmore from them..

Perfect example is Whipping boy, 2 albums afaik, 1 stunner but nothing after

too often i suppose great band have gotten burnt by record companies or else self imploded for whatever reasons..

U2 .. what is it 12 or 13 albums and still going strong..

[dortie]

Blood boiling. Hatred inciting pr*cks with their unashamedly poxy heads singing about an idealism that could never exist if the sort of people they are were truly representative of Irish people

Sold out in Derry for two nights January 6th and 7th.....

Up yours too !

[noby]

You'll have to help me out here.
Jason Donovan?
Craig McLaughlin?
Kylie?
Dani.?
Natalie Embrulia (sp?)
Savage Garden?


I meant my statement to be simple so as to provoke debate.

INXS
Crowded House
Nick Cave
Rolf Harris

My point is, yes Britain has had a major influence on popular music over the last 50 years, but are we saying Ireland has, just cos we're Irish?

I'd say alot of Irish bands (pop/rock, not trad/folk) were heavily influenced by British, and American bands, whatever the historical origins of the music (like gospel etc.)

[Peadar]

Sold out in Derry for two nights January 6th and 7th.....

They seem to sell-out pretty much everywhere they play.
To me it's just music and if people choose to be incited or offended by it then they need to take stock of what's important in life.
If you don't like it you don't have to listen to it.

[Peadar]

Rolf Harris

For a moment there I thought you were serious.
You nearly got me with your wind-up.

[Sheridan]

As far as I'm concerned, Britain and Ireland comprise a single cultural territory (in terms of popular culture, at any rate), so if anything Irish influence in this field has been disproportionately small.

If we're broadening the scope to Nordies, I'd include the Divine Comedy (esp. the early 90s version) and Therapy? - and neither of those are particularly earth-shattering.

[Dublin12]

Apart from u2,

Radiators from Space
Whipping Boy
My Bloody Valentine
Bothy Band
Boomtown Rats
A House
The Blades
Thin Lizzy
Clannad
Snow Patrol
Ash
Undertones
SLF
Dubliners

[fosterdollar]

[QUOTE=Peadar]
To me it's just music and if people choose to be incited or offended by it then they need to take stock of what's important in life.
[QUOTE]

Re-affirming my point. Seems to me a lot of their supporters DO choose to be incited by it. They DO need to take stock IMO.
Fair enough if you think it's just music but i have to disagree with you on that. In all fairness, how many other bands of the same musical genre sell out like they do? It's quite clear it's the lyrical content that brings in the crowds. And anyway, again IMO, it's total tripe. Maximum cringe factor stuff.

[Peadar]

In all fairness, how many other bands of the same musical genre sell out like they do?

I couldn't begin to give you exact figures but I'd say the Dubliners aren't far behind.

[dortie]

They seem to sell-out pretty much everywhere they play.
To me it's just music and if people choose to be incited or offended by it then they need to take stock of what's important in life.
If you don't like it you don't have to listen to it.

Here here...!

[Lionel Ritchie]

They seem to sell-out pretty much everywhere they play.
To me it's just music and if people choose to be incited or offended by it then they need to take stock of what's important in life.
If you don't like it you don't have to listen to it.

Fine I won't. They're still a shower of inbred handlebar tache wearing wah gob****es though -as are their mirror image from the loyalist side Platoon -who I don't doubt will sell out a few nights in East Belfast over christmas too.

[fosterdollar]

Dubliners are a different class altogether. Widely acclaimed even outside Ireland. There's no point dancing around the fact that the music is secondary to the message in Wolfe Tones songs. They contribute nothing musically. That doesn't discount them from being 'Best Irish Band' of course ; i accept it's not just the music that makes a band. What gets on my wick is people like them who lay claim on the right to voice Irish opinion when they quite clearly don't represent that opinion. I know that line of argument is not for this thread. Getting back to the point, throw us out a few examples reasons they should be voted best Irish Band. I can't think of one.

[Peadar]

Dubliners are a different class altogether.

You said genre, not class.
I answered your question.
I'm not dancing around anything.
We're not allowed to dance in work for health and safety reasons.
Anyone who's seen me dance will be grateful for such regulations.

Getting back to the point, throw us out a few examples reasons they should be voted best Irish Band. I can't think of one.

I voted for U2 so I don't need to give you any reason why the Tones are the best band.

[fosterdollar]

You said genre, not class.

same thing, no?

I answered your question.

It was a rhetorical question

I'm not dancing around anything.
We're not allowed to dance in work for health and safety reasons.
Anyone who's seen me dance will be grateful for such regulations.

I voted for U2 so I don't need to give you any reason why the Tones are the best band.

I know you don't - i thought there was more than just you and i having this debate though.

[noby]

Ummm, between Abba, Roxette and Ace of Base I'll wager Sweden could claim to have the biggest album sellers per head of population.

I'll see your Sweden, and raise you Jamaica

As for Australia, U2 could sell albums for the next millenium, they still won't come close to a band like AC/DC

That's who I meant to say, Peadar
[SIZE=1]Actually, no, I'll stick with Rolf[/SIZE]

[Peadar]

Ummm, between Abba, Roxette and Ace of Base I'll wager Sweden could claim to have the biggest album sellers per head of population.

When I was in Tokyo and Seoul there was massive posters of Westlife everywhere. The shops were well stocked with Enya, Clannad and the Corrs.
They guys in the office were very keen to point all of this out to me.

When I was in Manila The Corrs had just played a gig there and everyone was talking about how great they were. There was such a buzz about them.
Not one single sighting of a Swedish band.

[Peadar]

You could come closer to home than Manilla. Everyone in Ireland is talking about Paddy Casey, but it doesn't mean he's outsold Abba quite yet...

How does Irish people raving about an Irish artist compare to Filipino people raving about an Irish band?

[patsh]

It's quite obvious why the "British Isles" will have an out of proportional influence on the rest of the world.

1. Rock & Roll, Pop etc. etc. mostly use English as their language of choice.
2. America/Australia/New Zealand were/are colonies of Britain, all of whom have had large influxes of British/Irish emigration, who brought their culture and obviously the music.
3. The British Empire has left a legacy of "looking towards Britain" in many countries and the commonwealth continues that to this day.

So the major music markets have been directly influenced by Irish/Scottish/Welsh/English traditional music, and in America, it got mixed in with the music brought from Africa to form a brand of music which found it's way back to the British Isles again, who then took it on and improved it.

Fairly obvious really.


(Just thinking, this would be a good subject for a documentary series......... )

[Rovers Fellow!]

The Pogues. Too often remembered for the hard drinking and madness of Shane Mcgowan and not remembered enough for the brilliant unique brand of music and amazing songwriting ability of Mcgowan. U2 of course have to be up there, but personally havent liked any of U2's stuff in the last 5-10 years. The Dubliners too and surprised the Chieftains havent got a mention yet.

[fosterdollar]

Its amzing the success of Irish bands 'out East'. That muck band Bellefire do realy well there I believe. Ash also huge in Japan/Australia. Not so small here eiether