Luke Kelly - 25 years gone but not forgotten

Todays is the 25th anniversary of the death of probably the most powerful and singer that Ireland has ever produced. Stick up your favourite songs here.

Hand me Down my Bible:

[ame="
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoCagUKAhik
eature=related"]YouTube - Luke Kelly Hand Me Down My Bible[/ame]

Can’t get into these in work but I shall be posting here later. Legend.

Jaysus, I had totally forgotten about him.

Never sat well with me how The Dubliners turned coin off his name after he was gone, especially in the past 10 years or so with a re release practically every year.

Luke however is a legend.

Having just switched off the ipod with the last bars of McAllpine’s Fusiliers ringing in my ears I will add my bit.

I have said it before but the Dubliners are the greatest band ever to come out of this island. Five ordinary blokes playing distinctly Irish music and creating something distinctly Irish that was a credit to us on the international stage.

It helped of course having one of the greatest singers ever in Kelly and one of the most distinctive in Drew.

Legends all of them.

[quote=“myboyblue”]Never sat well with me how The Dubliners turned coin off his name after he was gone, especially in the past 10 years or so with a re release practically every year.

Luke however is a legend.[/quote]

In fairness to the Dubliners they make zero money from most of those re-releases. It’s a huge bone of contention for them that Phil Coulter bought the rights to all the early stuff and sold it to labels and no cash or approval rights flows back to the band at all.

They’ve worked hard at trying to release their own best-ofs so that they can finally earn some cash from those recordings. I’m not fully sure of all ins and outs of it but I do know that they don’t speak to Coulter and they had a hell of a job even getting some of their own work put on their own albums because of how he sold off all title.

And I’d like to echo Farmer’s comments. First album I ever bought myself was the 25 years - A Celebration album in 1987 I think. I still have the double cassette in my car and listen to it at least once a week. Unparallelled brilliance.

[quote=“therock67”]In fairness to the Dubliners they make zero money from most of those re-releases. It’s a huge bone of contention for them that Phil Coulter bought the rights to all the early stuff and sold it to labels and no cash or approval rights flows back to the band at all.

They’ve worked hard at trying to release their own best-ofs so that they can finally earn some cash from those recordings. I’m not fully sure of all ins and outs of it but I do know that they don’t speak to Coulter and they had a hell of a job even getting some of their own work put on their own albums because of how he sold off all title.

And I’d like to echo Farmer’s comments. First album I ever bought myself was the 25 years - A Celebration album in 1987 I think. I still have the double cassette in my car and listen to it at least once a week. Unparallelled brilliance.[/quote]

Agree with you here. They had to make few bob, abd they were part of it too. I doubt Luke would begrudge it to them.

My favourite is Kelly The Boy from Killane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXvt25IsIZ0

One of my favourite singers of all time. Was an honour to live in Larkhill for a year where Luke used to live. Got into listening him in 3rd or 5th year in school and some of the songs will still send shivers up my spine. I know its written by Coulter but Scorn Not his Simplicity is one of the most powerful songs, especially if you’ve anyone related to you who’s in any way disabled.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=YTBC7ckTWpo

There is a line in that which is a bit ambiguous.

‘Only he knows how to face the future hopefully surrounded by despair’

Is the writer hoping that the person is surrounded by despair?

[quote=“farmerinthecity”]There is a line in that which is a bit ambiguous.

‘Only he knows how to face the future hopefully surrounded by despair’

Is the writer hoping that the person is surrounded by despair?[/quote]

Eh I wouldn’t have thought so Farmer. Surely you could find ambiguous lines like that in any poem or song lyrics.

1 Like

Coulter did the same to Planxty

[quote=“farmerinthecity”]There is a line in that which is a bit ambiguous.

‘Only he knows how to face the future hopefully , surrounded by despair’

Is the writer hoping that the person is surrounded by despair?[/quote]

Or maybe there was a comma like above, then it makes perfect sense

I was going to post the same but said there was no point drawing the music snob on me…

I was thinking the same thing Dan. Dont think its sang like that though but probably doesnt make a difference.

Edit - got the lyrics below, see how their broken out farmer

See the child
With the golden hair
Yet eyes that show the emptiness inside
Do we know
Can we understand just how he feels
Or have we really tried
See him now
As he stands alone
And watches children play a children’s game
Simple child
He looks almost like the others
Yet they know he’s not the same
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
See him stare
Not recognizing the kind face
That only yesterday he loved
The loving face
Of a mother who can’t understand
what she’s been guilty of
How she cried, tears of happiness
the day the doctor told her it’s a boy
Now she cries tears of helplessness
and thinks of all the things he can’t enjoy
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
Only he knows how to face the future hopefully
Surrounded by despair
He won’t ask for your pity or your sympathy
But surely you should care
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
Oh no

to think the write meant hopefully surrounded by despair is frankly bizarre

But sure farmer knows everything about musica and looks down his nose at people who have a different opinion to his:rolleyes:

Yea you’re right there. I stand corrected then, didnt realise Coulter was also shafting the boyos.

[quote=“therock67”]In fairness to the Dubliners they make zero money from most of those re-releases. It’s a huge bone of contention for them that Phil Coulter bought the rights to all the early stuff and sold it to labels and no cash or approval rights flows back to the band at all.

They’ve worked hard at trying to release their own best-ofs so that they can finally earn some cash from those recordings. I’m not fully sure of all ins and outs of it but I do know that they don’t speak to Coulter and they had a hell of a job even getting some of their own work put on their own albums because of how he sold off all title.[/quote]

Coulter directed the music for Ronnie Drew’s funeral

Great version of Thank You For The Days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNrKZ0WGd5M

Ah here,

I never believed that the writer would have meant to write that he hoped the child was surounded by despair just that it was quite ambiguous and hence quite amusing.

Puke - a lot of people have thrown that music snob line at me now. Maybe it is true :stuck_out_tongue: