Favourite Irish albums of the CLUAS writers
Gav Reilly's top 5 Irish albums of all time...
Act:
Damien
Rice
Album: 'O'
Overlooked initially upon its 2002 release, O is a true success story of
romantic proportions. Taking Ireland, the UK, Europe and now the US by storm,
largely through word-of-mouth, it's the stuff of legend. Gifted musician fronts
Next Big Thing (Juniper), leaves on verge of greatness, emigrates to continental
Europe to busk and grow vegetables, returns to Celbridge and home-makes an album
remarkable for its originality. Heavily featuring the silky delectable vocals of
Lisa Hannigan and bowing of cellist Vyvienne Long, O is packed with luscious
melodies, real emotion and fantastic songs.
Act:
Bell
X1
Album: 'Neither Am I'
Picture the scene - band on verge of stardom, singer leaves, cue
immediate questioning about future. Bell x1 (formerly Juniper) relax, ponder
their options, and with Paul Noonan at the vocal helm they produce a cracking
debut. From the laidback groove of Godsong, to the distortion-laid angst of Man
On Mir, and through to the almost jazz stylings of Face, Neither Am I is an
absorbing debut and was worth the wait after the collapse of Juniper.
Act:
U2
Album: 'The Joshua Tree'
One word: masterpiece. Preceded by the promising The Unforgettable Fire
and followed by the disappointing Rattle and Hum, The Joshua tree was quite
possibly the best album of the entire 1980's, deservedly won the Grammy for the
Best Album of 1987, and was crammed full of singles that kids today still know -
Where The streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and
With Or Without You. The Joshua Tree is probably home to U2's best non-single
ever too, One Tree Hill, which wasn't singled because it would require excessive
playing which would make Bono - and probably the rest of us - cry. Pure gold.
Act:
U2
Album: 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'
It had been a while coming - Pop and Zoo had been a bit egotistical in many
people's eyes, but in 2001 U2 decided, in Bono's own words, to re-apply for the
job of the world's biggest band. And bloody hell, did they give it a good whack.
With Beautiful Day they soared, with Stuck In A Moment... they went mellow (we
blame Salman Rushdie) and with the reworked Walk On they strike the chords that
only they know. The world's biggest band? After this... probably.
Act:
The
Frames
Album: 'Fitzcarraldo'
Glenn Hansard's showcase. After the commercial embarrassment of Another Love
Song (pulled soon after release), tracks like Angel At My Table, the title track
and the sublime Relevate. This is not the type of music you forget easily - the
whispered lines on Relevate cling for hours afterwards and if you can imagine
how some of these sound live... whoa. You'll get far more than 45 minutes out of
this; buy now before you die.
- Check out the final Top 50 Irish Albums of All Time as voted by CLUAS.com readers
- Discuss this selection of best Irish albums of all time on the CLUAS Discussion Board.
- Check out the top 5 Irish albums of all time chosen by these other CLUAS writers:
Allen Conlan
Anthony Morrissey
Brano
Brian Farrelly
Brian Kelly
Celine O'Malley
Chris Ford
Ciaran Wrenn
Cormac Looney
Donal Griffin
Dromed
Gav Reilly
Hugh Tynan
Jimmy Murphy
Jules Jackson
Ollie O'Leary
Stephen McNulty
