Personnel: Robbie O'Connell (vocals, guitar); Paddy Clancy, Bobby Clancy (vocals, harmonica); Liam Clancy (vocals, concertina); Miss Brown To You (vocals); Donal Clancy (guitar); Martin Murray (mandoline); Martin Cooney (five-string banjo); Garry O'Briain (mando-cello); Geraldine Cullen (cello); Tommy Keane (tin whistle, Uilleann pipes); Harry Doherty (clarinet, alto saxophone); Mairtin O'Connor (accordion); Damien Foley (trombone, euphonium); Dave Prim (bass); Donnachadha Gough (bodhran).
Recorded at Ring Studios, Co. Waterford, Ireland. Includes liner notes by Liam Clancy.
Personnel: Robbie O'Connell (vocals, guitar); Paddy Clancy, Bobby Clancy (vocals, harmonica); Liam Clancy (vocals, concertina); Paul Grant, Donal Clancy (guitar); Martin Cooney (banjo); Garry O Briain (mandocello); Martin Murray (mandolin); Tommy Keane (tin whistle, Uilleann pipe); M irt¡n O'Connor (accordion).
Audio Mixer: Martin Murray.
Liner Note Author: Liam Clancy.
Recording information: Ring Studios, Co. Waterford, Ireland.
The Clancy Brothers began making records in 1956, but this was their first outing with Robbie O'Connell. The material on OLDER BUT NO WISER is previously unrecorded by the group, with the exception of "When the Ship Comes In," first recorded for Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert.
Songs of drink and rebellion make up the bulk of this CD. The former is best epitomized by "Ramblin' Gamblin' Willie" and the latter by "The Boys of Wexford," a song about the 1798 rebellion. Other tunes, such as "Salonika," "The Curragh of Kildare," and especially "Lily Marlene," revolve around soldiers and war. "The Life That I Have" is taken from a poem written for an Allied forces spy, Violette Szabo, who was dropped behind enemy lines in occupied Europe, captured, and executed by the Nazis. Finally, other songs, such as "Roll On the Day," and "Those Were the Days," are raucous pub tunes that celebrate life, despite the struggles of Ireland's past.
Professional Reviews
Sing Out! (5-6-7/96, p.160) - "...the Clancy Brothers' first studio recording after nearly a 20-year absence....Along with the Clancys' patented hearty and gutsy singing and O'Connell's more sensitive style, there's the added treat of Mairtin O'Connor's accordion..."
