Rarities & Old Favorites 1949-93 - Micho Russell

Russell, Micho
Rarities & Old Favorites 1949-93 - Micho Russell
Tin Whistle, Flute and Songs from North Clare & Beyond
PWCD 80007 Pennywhistler Press 2-CDs & 16 page Booklet
Thank you, Bill Ochs!

Micho Russell (1915-1994) of Doolin, County Clare, was an Irish national treasure. A farmer who became a performer during the folk music revival of the 1960s, Micho was as at home on stage as he was in front of his own turf fire. His vast repertoire of beautiful old tunes, personal warmth and utterly unique approach to playing the tin whistle won him a loyal and enthusiastic following wherever he went.

This double-CD was issued in honor of Micho's centenary. The 92-minute album has forty-nine tracks, of which only five have been released before. Selections range from humble home recordings made on simple equipment to professional recordings made using some of the best technology available at the time. The vitality and originality of Micho Russell's music are the unifying themes that shine throughout.

The album begins with a rare 1949 archival recording of Russell made by Séamus Ennis and the Radio Eireann Mobile Recording Unit on an acetate disc. Other highlights include recordings of Russell playing for house dances with fellow Doolin musicians, selections from an informal 1969 recording session at the home of English folk music producer Bill Leader, and tracks of Russell recorded at folk festivals in Germany in the 1970s. Studio and live performances digitally recorded on Russell's last trips to New York in the 1990s are woven throughout the two-disc set. 

This historic recording will be welcomed both by the Clare musician's longtime fans as well as by those who have yet to discover the joy of Micho Russell's music. The album includes a 16-page booklet.

Track List:
CD One
01 Boil the Breakfast Early (reel)
02 The Battle of Fontenoy (jig)
03 Kitty Jones's Reel
04 Divide the Cally Fair (reel)
05 The Barber (vocal)
06 The Boys of the Lake - ensemble version (reel)
07 The Boys of the Lake - solo version (reel)
08 The Boyne Water / The Battle of Aughrim (marches)
09 When Sick Old Hag is it Tea You Want? or The Butcher's March (jig)
10 Thaidhg a R�n (reel)
11 The Floggin� Reel
12 The Ten-Penny Bit (jig)
13 The Fair-Haired Child (vocal & slow air)
14 The Four Posts of the Bed (polka)
15 The Concertina Reel
16 The Repeal of the Union or The Four Courts of Dublin (reel)
17 The Connachtman's Rambles (jig)
18 The Harvest Home / The Home Brew (hornpipes)
19 The College Groves / The Dairy Maid (reels)
20 Christmas Eve (reel)
21 The Four Posts of the Bed (single jig)
22 The Maid that Left the County (reel)
23 The Road to Lisdoonvarna / Dark Lochnagar / Patsy Campbell's (single jig, slow air & reel)
24 The Green Groves of Erin / The Ivy Leaf (reels)
25 The Well of Spring Water (vocal)
26 The Wind that Shakes the Barley (reel)

CD Two
01 The Rocky Road to Dublin / The Dublin Reel / Top of the Morning (slip jig & reels)
02 Lilting [The North Road to Tralee] (jig)
03 Mary MacMahon (reel)
04 The Wheels of the World (reel)
05 An Old Jig from Murroogh [The Clare Slide]
06 In Our Own Dear Land (vocal)
07 Joe Byrnes's Jig
08 Tom Baun's Reel
09 Jenny Picking Cockles (reel)
10 The Little Black Pig (jig)
11 All the Ways to Galway (reel)
12 Leather Away the Wattle O (polka)
13 The High Level (hornpipe)
14 The Cliffs of Moher / The Pipers' Chair (jigs)
15 St. Kevin in Glendalough (vocal)
16 The Pigeon on the Gate / The Stoney Steps (reels)
17 Katie Moloney's Polka, The Lisdoonvarna Polka
18 Ril Bheag Bhaile na hUamhan (reel)
19 She Hasn't the Knack She Thought She Had / The Cumann na mBan is Dead and Gone (quadrilles)
20 Old Ballymoe (vocal)
21 The Old Bush / Camden Town (reels)
22 The Red-Haired Boy (hornpipe)
23 The Names I've Forgotten [The Rainy Day / The Union Reel] (reels)