Common Ground : More Irish Press ....

["SEAN TWOMEY (ARCHAEOLOGY) PG" <twomeys@acadamh.ucd.ie>]

Hi all ,

Earlier in the year I sent you a quote from Donal Lunny in Hot Press 
and also a review from Joe Jackson in the Irish Times .In the review 
Jackson mentioned that he had interviewed Donal about the project and what 
follows are excerpts from that interview that I found here in 
college on microfilm !! 

THE IRISH TIMES , TUESDAY APRIL 2 ,1996 .
(PAGE 10)

The article is titled 'COMPUTER CEILI' .

Joe Jackson comments that 'these artists did get involved because the 
album was being touted as the "first interactive CD-ROM compilation 
of Irish music" '.

Regarding the CD-ROM, (much-hyped by this article but now seemingly 
scrapped), Donal Lunny says, "As far as I know the CD-ROM package 
will follow.....the whole idea came from Gerard Seligman of EMI who 
is using this to push its Premier label. But Microsoft are also 
involved and apparently it has taken more time than was thought to 
sort out the package .In the meantime EMI are releasing the album 
itself ......this is a music project first and foremost , even though 
the idea was to do a number of tracks with certain artists and give 
them a sound that Gerald specifically associated with me."
".......The common thread in this album apart from myself being 
producer and arranger of the music is that the artists involved were 
either Irish or thought to have a spiritual/musical connection with 
the country."

Joe Jackson ,who's tone throughout seems sceptical of the whole 
project, then comments, 'Hold on , how did our "genius" gauge 
authenticity in this respect ? Plug people like Kate Bush into a 
machine that gave a reading on some "Irish spiritual/musical" graph ?
And what would Donal say to those who will inevitably say that our 
Kate , in particular ,singing Mna na hEireann in Irish, sounds as if 
she doesn't know what the hell she's going on about ?'

Donal replies, "Actually we did cardiographs on all the artists and 
they all came through with flying colours!" he jokes."But saying that 
about Kate is a really predictable response isn't it ?Ok ,Kate 
doesn't speak Irish but she put a lot of work into learning the sound 
of the words and does gain access to the spirit of the song through 
the melody .And let's face it ,there are so many songs out now ,that 
are just words set to music , yet which give no penetration into that 
other area of feeling, and emotion, that I got , way back ,from 
listening to something like Dylans' 'New Morning '. That's a crudely 
simple song , but it pierces your heart because it gives you a sense 
life, expectation ,hope.And Dylan does that , like a great Japanese 
painter, with just a few lines .Similiarly Kate is conscious of the 
depth that is inherent in what she hears and I think she does a great 
job on this song ".

Joe Jackson is one of Irelands top music writer/critics and from this 
article and his review of Common Ground which I posted earlier in the 
year  , you may get the impression that he is a Kate-basher whenever 
she comes up .Not so .Joe had a lot of reservations about this entire 
project (for no clear reason) and thus Donal was told that Brian 
Kennedys track is over-produced ,Bonos track is an inappropriate 
arrangement etc.....

However I dug up this review of The Red Shoes which Joe wrote in the 
same newspaper ;

THE IRISH TIMES - FRIDAY NOV 12 1993

"Unlike Phil Collins (in the prevous review), when Kate Bush sings of 
the loss of love you believe her .At least , I do.Reportedly at the 
wrong end of a long-term relationship she has certainly produced in 
Red Shoes a more potent mix of music, poetry, cinematic language and 
lyrical longing that the likes of Collins or McCartney would even 
recognise .Taking it's title from Michael Powells' 1948 movie about a 
dancer who wisely chooses art rather than love, the album is that 
rare creation - a sweeping production that never loses sight of it's 
central theme ,never loses touch with it's own heart .Even the 
presence of guests like Eric Clapton and Nigel Kennedy doesn't 
detract from the fact that what's on view here is the world according 
to the increasingly idiosyncratic Kate Bush .
And who could resist the cheeky assertive mix in Song of Solomon with 
it's verse :" Don't want your bullshit yeah / just want your 
sexuality ....."Likewise she's playful , sensuous and sombre in 
Rubberband Girl , Eat the Music and Moments Of Pleasure respectively.
If it's true as she sings in the latter song that "just being alive 
it can really hurt " and that moments of pleasure are "gifts from 
time ", on this album she gives back those moments to her audience. 
May she dance forever."

Nice one Joe !(but listen again to Mna na hEireann with open ears!)

Thats all for now from the Irish archives !!!

Sean :-)