In October, 1975 Planxty went on tour in Britain for the last time. At the
end of their gig at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, the audience shuffled
silently homeward, exhilareted by the music but simultaneously saddened by
the significance of the occasion. A girl stood weeping in the foyer, unable
to comprehend the news that had filtered from Ireland a couple of months previously
that Planxty were splitting. "We'll never see their like again",
she muttered. She said it all.
Extravangant praise always embarrassed the members of Planxty, but I suspect
that even years ahead any attempt at critical analyses will collapse in a
heap of gushing compliments. For in the three years of their existence, Planxty
represented the best of Irish music and a lot more, at all times preserving
its inherent beauty, yet treating it with a rare freshness and originality.
They drew on influences as wide as the rock'n'roll that Paul Brady had been
weaned on to the Eastern European folk music that fascinated Andy Irvine.
But more important: in doing so, they proved (1) it was possible to popularise
Irish music outside of its immediate environment without diluting it in any
way, and (2) an acoustic band could match an electric one every inch of the
way for fire and excitement.
They started in 1972. Christy Moore, who had striven long and hard to establish
himself as a popular British folk club attraction, assembled a group of Irish
musicians to back him on his Trailer album "Prosperous". Out of
the sessions Moore, Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine - formerly a member af the imaginative,
highly influential band Sweeney's Men - and piper Liam O'Flynn decided to
gig together.
They called themselves Planxty (an expression of goodwill used in the context
of "cheers" and in the title of many Irish tunes) and it was soon
obvious they were much more than a backing band for Christy Moore. They immediately
had an Irish hit single with ballad "Cliffs Of Dooneen", and after
being signed to Polydor in England, the first album "Planxty" confirmed
their importance. It was full of subtleties with a sharp undercurrent of energy,
evident here on "Raggle Taggle Gipsy" flowing into the beautiful
17th Century harp tune "Tabhair Dom Do Lámh." That first
album created a bridge between the informal gatherings common in Irish folk
circles and the boozey massappeal chorus style song that had previously been
the public face of Irish folk music. There was an unparalleled joy vibrancy
in their playing, and coupled with the enlightened treatments in their playing
and the use of bouzouki as a rhythm instrument and integrating Uillean Pipes
with guitar, mandolin and occasionally fiddle, it gave them excitement and
"commercial" appeal.
Yet the overwhelming characteristic of "Planxty" and the two subsequent
albums, was the fact that it was genuine, with not one speck of artificialty
in sight. The presence of Liam O'Flynn raised a few eyebrow in traditional
circles when he decided to link up with Moore, Irvine and Lunny, but his integrity
never wavered, his piping was always the focal point of Planxty's arrangements,
and as a result the band never lost the respect of the purists.
Their reputation and their following grew quickly and even the departure of
Donal Lunny after the making of their second album "The Well Below The
Valley" in 1973 didn't stunt their progress. Lunny (who left to join
another band that subsequently never got off the ground although he has since
become a member of Bothy Band), was replaced by Johnny Moynihan, another former
Sweeney's Man, and a much travelled widely versed revivalist who brought a
further range of ideas to the group.
Tours in Ireland, Britain and Europe increased their following further, and
though they were sometimes plagued be the inevitable raucos sector of an audience
who would charge in with stamps and handclaps (out of time) at the slightest
whiff of a reel, they maintained a remarkably consistent standard of performance
on live gigs. It was marked by that farewell tour for which they worked on
and introduced a substantial amount of new material which would never be recorded
or played again.
The third and final album "Cold Blow And The Rainy Night" earned
selection as Melody Maker's folk album of 1974, althoug by the time of its
release that autumn, Christy Moore had reluctantly quit, wanting to spend
more time at home in Ireland with a quieter lifestyle. Paul Brady, who had
been with the much underrated Johnstons, was rescued from America to take
his place.
Moore enjoyed much popularity among Planxty followers and there was a feeling
that his departure and replacement by Brady, who had been heavily involved
with contemporay music in recent times, meant the ruination of Planxty. In
fact Brady brougt in a new enthusiasm in that final year - One of the saddest
aspects of the split was that the last line-up of Planxty was never recorded,
the band flatly refusing a farewell album on the grounds that it would be
cashing in Brady's showstopper "Arthur McBride", a different version
to the one the band had played in the earlier line-up, would have made any
record memorable. Alas they decided to break up before the pressures of touring
and recording weakened their music.
As it is we will have to be content with the three brilliant albums they made,
the memories of some great gigs, and of course this representation of their
various works. Everybody would probably come up with a different compilation
of their best work but at least this one was made up in consultation with
the band themselves. If you missed out on Planxty first time round, then that's
your severe bad luck - they were one of the very finest bands of the Seventies.
Take solace, the evidence of their greatness is here.
by Colin Irwin.