“Drinkin’ And Courtin’” by The Dubliners - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1968Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s

TJR says

The classic Dubliners quintet continue with their third album on Major Minor Records and whaddya know – they’re still banging on about the drink. Auld habits die hard. Luke Kelly’s rousing opener, “Dirty Old Town”, lays down the definitive version of Ewan MacColl’s tune – something which this group manage with a regular ease. The rest of the 15 track album interprets old traditionals all the way. Ronnie steps up to the mike for “The Parting Glass”, a beautiful song with a deadly combo of exquisitely picked Spanish guitar, skilfully flicked mandolin with the flute seemingly in empathy. “The Herring” is a good old sea shanty sung by Ronnie… who knew you could do so much with a fish? “Gentleman Soldier” serves up more of that infectious rat-a-tat in the drum, and with the album closer, “My Little Son”, Luke Kelly fairly puts soul into the folk. The album liner notes offer a neat summation: “THE DUBLINERS restore songs to the folk sources they came from and the authenticity of their music is assured by their everyday living of informal hooleys and sing-songs, drinking and courting. What they sing about is confirmed by personal experience — they never let their individuality be taken away by success. But commercial success does not mean in this case ’commercialised’, for as their recording manager, Tommy Scott, says: “These boys will NEVER need to become commercialised, in the accepted sense of the word to stay popular-they have a magic and commercialism all of their own.”“

The Jukebox Rebel
12–Mar–2011

Tracklist
A1 [02:52] 8.9.png The Dubliners - Dirty Old Town [album version ’68] (Ewan MacColl) Folk
A2 [02:34] 6.8.png The Dubliners - Quare Bungle Rye (Traditional) Folk
A3 [03:26] 6.6.png The Dubliners - Peggy Gordon (Traditional) Folk
A4 [01:49] 6.4.png The Dubliners - Rattling Roaring Willie (Traditional) Folk
A5 [01:32] 6.6.png The Dubliners - Carolan’s Concerto (Traditional) Folk
A6 [04:49] 7.1.png The Dubliners - The Herring (Traditional) Folk
A7 [02:26] 7.9.png The Dubliners - The Parting Glass [album version ’68] (Traditional) Folk
B1 [03:28] 7.2.png The Dubliners - Maids When You’re Young (Never Wed An Old Man) (Traditional) Folk
B2 [02:10] 9.4.png The Dubliners - Gentleman Soldier [album version ’68] (Traditional) Folk
B3 [01:45] 6.5.png The Dubliners - Hand Me Down Me Petticoat (Traditional) Folk
B4 [01:47] 6.6.png The Dubliners - Flop Eared Mule (Donkey Reel) (Traditional) Folk
B5 [02:52] 6.8.png The Dubliners - I Know My Love (Traditional) Folk
B6 [02:20] 6.1.png The Dubliners - Mrs. McGrath (Traditional) Folk
B7 [02:04] 6.9.png The Dubliners - Maid Of The Sweet Brown Knowe (Traditional) Folk
B8 [03:18] 7.9.png The Dubliners - My Little Son (Traditional) Folk

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