Irish Heartbeat

Infobox Album | Name = Irish Heartbeat
Type = Album
Artist = Van Morrison and The Chieftains


Released = 1988
Recorded = September, 1987 - January, 1988
Windmill Lane Studios
Genre = Traditional Irish folk, Folk-rock
Length = 38:44
Label = Mercury
Producer = Van Morrison, Paddy Moloney
Reviews =
Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0cz1z87ajyv3~T1 link]

Rolling Stone (Not rated) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/67/albums/album/258309/rid/5941221/ link]

Robert Christgau (C+) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=2299&name=Van+Morrison+%26+the+Chieftains link]
Chronology = Van Morrison
Last album = "Poetic Champions Compose"
(1987)
This album = "Irish Heartbeat"
(1988)
Next album = "Avalon Sunset"
(1989)
Misc = Extra chronology 2
Artist = The Chieftains
Type = Album
Last album = "In Ireland"
(1987)
This album = "Irish Heartbeat"
(1988)
Next album = "The Tailor Of Gloucester"
(1988)
Misc = Singles
Name =Irish Heartbeat
Type =studio
Single 1 ="I'll Tell Me Ma" b/w "Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta"
Single 1 date =
Single 2 =
Single 2 date =
Single 3 =
Single 3 date =
Single 4 =
Single 4 date =

"Irish Heartbeat" is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and traditional Irish musical group The Chieftains, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music.) The album was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin Ireland.

ongs

The album consists of eight traditional Irish songs, plus re-workings of the Morrison songs "Celtic Ray" (which first appeared on 1982's "Beautiful Vision") and the title track "Irish Heartbeat" (which first appeared on 1983's "Inarticulate Speech of the Heart"). "Carrickfergus" is described as "a melancholic air worthy of Otis Redding" by critic Denis Campbell. [Hinton. Celtic Crossroads. p.269.] "Raglan Road" was adapted from a poem by Patrick Kavanagh and is the story of "a man ensnared by a beautiful revenant whom he had mistaken for 'a creature made of clay'." [Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence? p. 418] In 1994, Billy Connolly recorded a live cover of the song "Irish Heartbeat" during his "World Tour of Scotland". The performance was used as the closing theme to the BBC series.

Recording

The album was recorded on dates from September to December 1987 and in January 1988. The Chieftains and Van Morrison had met years before at the Edinburgh rock festival. They joined up in Belfast during Morrison's "No Guru" tour and afterwards, Morrison and Paddy Moloney discussed recording an album together during a walk. They each had a list of songs and reached a consensus to cover two of Morrison's previously released tracks (the title track was one) and the rest from traditional Irish songs. In October 1987 they performed together at Balmoral Studio in Belfast. The concert was broadcast on St. Patrick's Day in 1988. [Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, p. 266-267.] . The album reached #18 in the UK album charts.

Reviews

The album was called "some of the most haunting, rousing, downright friendly music of the year". [Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, p. 418]
Rolling Stone gave it four stars and remarked on its "splendour and intense beauty". [Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, p. 418]

Reissue and remastered album

In January 2009, Exile/Polydor will release this album as part of Series four of four catalogue reissues of Morrison's albums dated from 1971 through 2002.

Track listing

All songs traditional, arranged by Van Morrison and Paddy Moloney, except as indicated.

ide one

#"Star of the County Down" – 2:41
#"Irish Heartbeat" (Morrison) – 3:52
#"Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta (My Match It Is Made)" – 3:31
#"Raglan Road" - (lyrics by Patrick Kavanagh) – 4:43
#"She Moved Through the Fair" – 4:44

ide two

#"I'll Tell Me Ma" – 2:29
#"Carrickfergus" – 4:23
#"Celtic Ray" (Morrison) – 3:47
#"My Lagan Love" – 5:19
#"Marie's Wedding" – 3:17

Personnel

*Van Morrison - lead vocals, guitar, drums
*Paddy Moloney - uilleann pipes, tin whistle
*Martin Fay - fiddle, bones
*Derek Bell - harp, keyboards, tiompán
*Kevin Conneff - bodhran, co-lead vocals on "Star of the County Down", "Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta" & "I'll Tell Me Ma"
*Matt Molloy - flute
*Seán Keane - fiddle
*Ciarán Ó Braonáin - bass
*Mary Black - back-up vocals on "Marie's Wedding" & "Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta"
*Maura O'Connell - back-up vocals on "Marie's Wedding"
*June Boyce - back-up vocals on "Celtic Ray", "Irish Heartbeat" & "Marie's Wedding"

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Album - UK Album Chart

Notes

References

*Hinton, Brian (2000). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074169X
*Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7

External links

*
* [http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk/?m=Content&Content(record_id)=b2950180e54389f3cf9d93ad908ac00e# Lyrics and Audio Samples] 1980s, Irish Heartbeat