Stage 31, Ireland

Stage 31, Ireland land of myths and music.

Todays batch is mainly about live music, Ireland is drenched in music, it is what keeps them together, the Virgin Prunes, risen from the same Dublin alley's that brought us U2, were famous for falling apart but the music they made together held them up. Sinead O'Connor got herself a reputation but i can only support her missions against child abuse and of course to save God from religion. An live album from her, accompanied by a cd with a tasty stew of leftovers. My Bloody Valentine's ended when after struggling for 8 years they were lauded the best, well i thought they were pretty good in 1988 when they released "Isnt Anything ". Solas Reunion is another live offering of excellent Irish folk musicians, The Frames were managed by industry and twisted themselves free to find that breathing music became much more fun, and they rolled out one successfull album after the other , as always accompanied by great live concerts, here captured on Setlist. Finally The Waterboys, not really Irish in the sense that Mike Scott is indeed a Scott, initially i planned it as crossover the irish sea album from Scotland, but i went to Wales, glad i did btw. Anyway this album is from the time that the Scott moved , lived and worked in Ireland and ended up touring as the Raggle Taggle band better known as the Waterboys.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Irish Shamrocks

The Virgin Prunes - If I Die, I Die (82)
Sinead O'Connor - She Who Dwells In The Secret Place Of The Most High (03)
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (88)
Solas - Reunion (06)
The Frames - Setlist (03)
Waterboys - The Live Adventures of the Waterboys (98)

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

The Virgin Prunes - If I Die, I Die (82 * 366mb)

Formed in mid-1977 in Dublin, the Virgin Prunes consisted of childhood friends of U2's Bono and The Edge. Lypton Village was a 'youthful gang' created by Bono, Guggi (Derek Rowan) and Gavin Friday (Fionan Hanvey) in the early 70s, where every member got a new identity and where they could escape from dreary and predictable Dublin life and be anything they wanted to be. It was both lead singers Friday and Guggi who first gave a teenaged Paul Hewson his alter-ego and world-famous moniker 'Bono Vox of O'Connell Street', later simply 'Bono'. Known for its outrageous and controversial stage performances, led by the bands' theatrical singer/songwriter Friday, they first began playing small shows in Dublin gaining them a cult audience and ridicule from the culturally conservative community..

By the end of the decade, they were ready to release their ideas to a wider audience. Their first single was released in 1980 and they were at their most prolific and innovative thoughout 1981-82, In November 1982, the Virgin Prunes released their debut album '...If I Die, I Die' (produced by Colin Newman of Wire) and "Heresie", a French boxset. "Heresie" was commissioned by Yann Farcy after seeing them perform at the Rex Club in Paris and was based on a loose examination of insanity.

Singers Gavin Friday and Guggi, along with third vocalist Dave-iD Busaras, guitarist Dik Evans, bassist Strongman and drummer Pod, released their first single in 1980. Pod soon left to be replaced by Haa-Lacka Binttii, who left around a year later, to be replaced in turn by Mary D'Nellon. In 1984, both Guggi and Dik left the band and the music business. Mary D'Nellon took over guitar duties and Pod returned as the band's drummer. The Virgin Prunes started to record the album Sons Find Devils, which has never been released. 1985 saw the release of a retrospective video (confusingly titled Sons Find Devils, despite having no connection with the still unreleased album) and a compilation album of rarities (Over the Rainbow).

The band toured as a four-piece and finally released a new album, The Moon Looked Down and Laughed, in the summer of 1986. Gavin Friday left the group in November 1986 to pursue a solo career, effectively ending the group. This was formally confirmed by a short comment at the bottom of the sleeve of a live album, The Hidden Lie, released in 1987. D'Nellon, Strongman and Busaras went on to record as The Prunes.



01 - Ulakanakulot (2:26)
02 - Decline and Fall (4:45)
03 - Sweethome under white clouds (4:40)
04 - Bau-dachöng (5:47)
05 - Baby Turns Blue (3:39)
06 - Ballad of the Man (3:26)
07 - Walls of Jericho (3:08)
08 - Caucasian Walk (4:40)
09 - Theme for Thought (5:37)
10 - Baby Turns Blue extended (5:05)

Virgin Prunes @ Base
Virgin Prunes @ Amazon
Theme for thought live vid

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Sinead O'Connor - She Who Dwells In The Secret Place Of The Most High Shall Abide Under The Shadow Of The Almighty (03)

Sinead was born dec 66 in Dublin, after a troublesome youth, during which she found herself subject to her parents divorce struggles.Her advocating on behalf of abused children in later life is from first hand knowledge. After a stint of 4 years at a reform school run by nuns, she went a boarding school, her musical interests brought her into contact with Columb Farrelly, they recruited a few other members and formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute, musically inspired by Farrelly's interest in witchcraft, mysticism, and world music (84). Soon after her mother died in a car accident, she left the band and moved to London . Meanwhile O'Connor's time as singer had generated interest of the music industry and she was signed by Ensign Records. The recording of her debut album didnt go well as she and designated producer Mick Glossop didnt click. Inbetween she managed to get pregnant aswell, but succeeded in getting her way and produce her first albums herself. 1987's The Lion and the Cobra and 1990's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got gained considerable attention and mostly positive reviews, as did her shaved head appearance. The Prince cover "Nothing Compares 2 U " reached no 1 all over the western world, suddenly Sinead was 'hot'.

After spending 7 years dividing her time between London and Los Angeles, O'Connor returned to Dublin in late 1992 to live near her sister and focus on raising her son Jake, then 6 years old, and spent the following months studying Bel Canto singing. The 1992 release of Am I Not Your Girl?, an album of standards and torch songs that she had listened to while growing up was marred by incidents at both the Garden State Arts Center, for refusing being opened by the star stangled banner and during a performance of War on Saturday Night Live where she tore up a picture of John Pope the Second (thumbs up from me) which lost for her much of the commercial US momentum her career had built up until then, bann ! burn the witch ! yes those sheep do bite..1994's more conventional Universal Mother did not succeed in restoring her mass appeal, though its opener, "Fire On Babylon," remains a fan favourite. She toured with Lollapalooza in 1995, but dropped out when she became pregnant.

Faith and Courage from 2000, was a return to form, and featured contributions from Wyclef Jean of the Fugees and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. Many songs on the album centre around the theme of healing. On the eve of its release she came out as a lesbian, and then retracted the statement. She released, Sean-Nós Nua, a collection of re-interpreted traditional Irish folk songs including several in the Irish language in 2002, followed the next year with this double album, She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty. It contains one disc which contains 3 demos and previously-unreleased tracks, from covers, to originals to traditionals and it blends very well. The other disc is a live concert recording, upon the album's release, O'Connor announced her retirement from music.

After she spend 2004 in Jamaica she returned with a well recieved reggae album Throw Down Your Arms in 2005. She is currently working on a collection of her own spiritual songs entitled Theology, release next month. The album will consist of two discs with the same songs, but performed just with acoustic guitar and voice on one, and with full band and production (Ron Tom) on the other.



Sinead O'Connor - She Who Dwells ( ^ 517mb)

01. Regina Caeli
02. O Filii Et Filiae
03. My Love I Bring
04. Do Right Woman
05. Love Hurts
06. Ain't It A Shame
07. Chiquitita
08. Brigidine Diana
09. It's All Good
10. Love Is Ours (Demo)
11. A Hundred Thousand Angels
12. You Put Your Arms Around Me (Demo)
13. Emma's Song
14. No Matter How Hard I Try (Demo)
15. Dense Water, Deeper Down (3:34)
16. This Is A Rebel Song (3:49)
17. 1000 Mirrors Asian Dub Foundation (4:53)
18. Big Bunch Of Junkie Lies (4:03)
19. Song Of Jerusalem (5:52)


Sinead O'Connor - She Who Dwells ( ^ 468 mb)

01. Molly Malone
02. Oro, Se Do Bneatha 'Bnaile
03. The Singing Bird
04. My Lagan Love
05. I Am Stretched On Your Grave
06. Nothing Compares 2 U
07. John I Love You
08. The Moorlough Shore
09. You Made Me The Thief Of Your Heart
10. Paddy's Lament
11. Thank You For Hearing Me
12. Fire On Babylon
13. The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance

Sinead O'Connor @ Base
Sinead O'Connor @ MySpace
Sinead O'Connor @ YouTube
Sinead O'Connor @ Amazon

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (88 ^ 251mb)

Guitarist/singer Kevin Shields and drummer Colm O'Ciosoig, formed their own band with Dave Conway around the end of 1983. The band was filled out by various members and split up and reformed on several occasions during 1984. Conway on the strength of the band's home recordings, managed to book the band a concert in Holland. The three recruited Conway's then-girlfriend Tina to play keyboards; adopted Conway's suggested name, My Bloody Valentine, for the concert; and moved to Holland. They stayed in Holland for three months before a lack of opportunities and correct documentation meant they had to leave. The band then chose Berlin as their next destination, where they recorded the mini-LP This Is Your Bloody Valentine for Dossier Records. The record failed to have the expected impact, the band left Berlin, returning to Holland briefly before settling in London around the middle of 1985. They were joined by bass player Debbie Googe got a recording deal and the EP, Geek! was released in December of 1985. The band soon began to play on the London gig circuit, but the record failed to make as much of an impact, again.
The next years 2 ep's were released did more gigs, until in 87 singer Dave Conway whose health had deteriorated decided to quit. After some time they managed to match in Bilinda Butcher, under pressure from their label Lazy rec they released 2 self financed EP's, until in 1988 Creation Rec gave them a proper contract with resulted in the EP Feed Me with Your Kiss and this " Isn't Anything" (1988), which married shimmering guitar distortions to ethereal folk-pop.

The thick, swirling, multi-layered guitar sound developed by My Bloody Valentine would later be termed shoegazer by the British press because of the band's tendency to look down while performing in order to manipulate effect pedals.
The follow-up LP Loveless (1991), the best known album of their career, is generally considered representative of their sound: a distinct blend of warped, effects ridden guitar sounds, ambience, and folk tunes. This time the main vocal duties were taken by Bilinda Butcher. However, some critics viewed the album's heavily processed sound as overly clinical. Shields wrote all the songs, except "Touched", a short instrumental by Colm O'Ciosoig. In 1999 Pitchfork Media declared Loveless to be the greatest album of the 1990s

After signing with Island Records in 1992 , the band spent half a million pounds of Island's money but did not produce another release, and their final recorded song made available for release was a cover of "Map Ref. 41N 93W" by Wire, appearing on Whore: Tribute to Wire in 1995. Debbie Googe left the band to form Snowpony. Colm O'Ciosoig eventually left and recorded an album with Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. Shields collaborated sporadically with other artists, and is currently remastering My Bloody Valentine's catalogue.



01 - Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside) (2:21)
02 - Lose My Breath (3:37)
03 - Cupid Come (4:29)
04 - (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream (3:18)
05 - No More Sorry (2:47)
06 - All I Need (3:07)
07 - Feed Me With Your Kiss (3:54)
08 - Sue is fine (2:12)
09 - Several Girls Galore (2:20)
10 - You Never Should (3:22)
11 - Nothing Much To Lose (3:17)
12 - I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It) (3:11)

My Bloody Valentine @ Base
My Bloody Valentine @ YouTube
My Bloody Valentine @ Amazon

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Solas - Reunion (06 * 469mb)

Solas' name comes from an Irish word meaning "comfort" or "light". At the start 1995, the band was made up of Séamus Egan, who had already recorded two solo albums as well as a soundtrack to a film; Winifred Horan, a member of Cherish the Ladies; John Doyle, previously a member of The Chanting House with Egan; Karan Casey and John Williams.

Ten years on, the members of Solas have come together to produce this concert cd, despite personnel changes over the years, the band has remained friendly enough to collaborate once again. Former members, including the band's original touchstone vocalist, Karan Casey, guitarists John Doyle and Donal Clancy, and box player Williams shimmy around and in between current box player Mick McAuley, guitarist Eamon McElholm and singer, Deirdre Scanlan, together they swim through the 7 album back catalogue that is Reunion.

Solas' ability to exploit the nuances of the Irish traditional repertoire through stellar playing and sensitive arrangements is impressive, as are the original material contributed by several band members, including Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, Mick McAuley, and John Williams. The performances manage to be flawless, while also spirited and good natured, all the players' talents seem to be showcased, and both singers receive their share of the limelight.




01 - Pastures Of Plenty
02 - Coconut Dog,Morning Dew
03 - Silver Dagger
04 - Timmy Clifford's
05 - Newry Highwayman
06 - Reasonland
07 - Highlands of Holland
08 - Le Poules Huppées (Crested Hens)
09 - Rain And Snow
10 - Black Annis
11 - Who's in the what now
12 - On a Sea of Fleur De Lis
13 - Lowground
14 - Beauty Spot
15 - Ni na la
16 - The Flowing Bowl
17 - Lament For Frankie

Solas @ Base
Solas @ Amazon

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

The Frames - Setlist (03 * 450mb)

The platinum-selling For The Birds, released on their own Plateau label in the summer of 2000, marked the end of major label bad marriages. The newfound independence set them to forging a sound based true to their instincts. The result: a collection of skewed avant-folk songs that sounded like they’d been written in a hole in the ground and recorded in some hi-tech coastal cave. Nobody could’ve predicted what happened next, things began to snowball. The album went from gold to platinum, and in its wake, renewed sales of previous Frames albums such as Fitzcarraldo and Dance The Devil. Somehow The Frames went from being Ireland’s biggest cult act to one of its top selling bands full stop. Plus, they were starting to sell out tours all across Europe, the US and Australia.

Meanwhile back home, by the summer of 2003, they were co-headlining the Lisdoonvarna extravaganza in front of 30,000 people. Funny thing was, they looked like they always belonged on that stage. The Frames were no longer noble underdogs.
While preparing their fifth studio album, the band released the live album Set List, at last capturing their incendiary stage sound on tape. The Irish public responded by sending it straight to number one in the charts, making it their third platinum album. 2004 saw The Frames sweep the Hot Press Critics’ and Readers’ Polls, and they also won their first industry gong in the shape of the Meteor Award for Best Irish Band. Burn The Maps (2004), is at once a musical tour de force and a statement of intent, an album whose campaign begins with typical Frames-ian audacity – an outdoor headliner at Marley Park in front of some 17,000 people. Their latest "the Cost" can be tasted at their MySpace.

“With The Frames, it’s the throwing your arms around the room thing,” says singer/guitarist Glen Hansard. “When our gigs are at their best, you throw the energy out and it gets thrown back twice the size. I mean, I find myself saying things on stage that I would never say in my life, it’s almost like a whole new character or creature is born when you walk on. If you trust in the moment, if you’re willing to be the fool and make the mistake and get it wrong, then you’ve great potential to get it absolutely right. And I think that can be the scary thing about a Frames gig and the great thing about a Frames gig.”




01 - Revelate (4:34)
02 - Star Star (3:41)
03 - Lay Me Down (4:04)
04 - God Bless Mom (6:14)
05 - What Happens When The Heart Just Stops (6:50)
06 - Rent Day Blues (3:56)
07 - Pavement Tune (4:54)
08 - Stars Are Underground (4:31)
09 - Santa Maria (8:16)
10 - Perfect Opening Line (4:38)
11 - Your Face (8:35)
12 - Fitzcarraldo (8:13)
13 - The Blood (4:35)

The Frames @ Base
The Frames @ MySpace
The Frames @ YouTube
The Frames @ Amazon

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

The Waterboys - The Live Adventures of the Waterboys

The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Britain and Ireland, most often their music can be described as a mix of Celtic folk music with rock and roll, or folk rock. After ten years of recording and touring, the band dissolved in 1993 and Scott pursued a solo career, they reformed in 2000, and continue to release albums.

At the invitation of new member Steve Wickham, Mike Scott moved to Dublin (85) and quickly became influenced by the traditional Irish music there as well as by country and gospel. The band's lineup changed once again with Scott, Wickham and Thistlethwaite now joined by Trevor Hutchinson on bass and Peter McKinney on drums. The new band, which the official Waterboys' website refers to as the "Raggle Taggle band" lineup, spent 1986 and 1987 recording in Dublin and touring the UK, Ireland and Europe. Some of these performances were released in 1998 on The Live Adventures of the Waterboys, including a famous Glastonbury performance in 1986. In 1988 Scott took the band to Spiddal in the west of Ireland where they set up a recording studio in Spiddal House to finish recording their new album. Fisherman's Blues was released in October of 1988 and showcased many guest musicians that had played with the band in Dublin and Spiddal. The album helped to increase the growing popularity of Irish music.

For a while The Waterboys were the best live band on the planet, so this is a welcome, if somewhat belated, addition to their ragged and glorious canon. A two-CD set recorded at various locations throughout 1986 (including selections from their mighty and memorable Glastonbury performance), it succeeds in documenting Mike Scott’s inspirational band of contrary Caledonians at their most savagely true and spiritually wild.The Waterboys’ 1986 Glastonbury performance (included here almost in full) is still the greatest bootleg I’ve ever heard; majestic, passionate, endlessly stretching - the best band on the planet in those between Bunnymen years. Everything you could want is here; vital revisions of album favourites, effortless improvisation, covers of country classics, covers of Dylan songs we didn’t know existed, Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, Patti Smith, Van Morrison, everything. One of the greatest live albums in the history of music.



The Live Adventures of the Waterboys (98 * 342mb)
01 - Death Is Not The End
02 - The Earth Only Endures
03 - Medicine Bow
04 - Fishermans Blues
05 - This Is The Sea
06 - Meet Me At The Station
07 - We Will Not Be Lovers
08 - The Wayward Wind
09 - A Girl Called Johnny
10 - Purple Rain

 The Live Adventures of the Waterboys 2 (389mb)
01 - Be My Enemy
02 - Old England
03 - The Thrill Is Gone, The Healing Has Begun
04 - The Pan Within, Because The Night
05 - The Whole Of The Moon
06 - Spirit
07 - Savage Earth Heart
08 - Saints And Angels

The Waterboys @ Base
The Waterboys @ MySpace
The Waterboys @ YouTube
The Waterboys @ Amazon

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
* All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !