- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Hachette Books Ireland; First Edition edition (11 Sep 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340837969
- ISBN-13: 978-0340837962
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.3 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 844,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'An engrossing biography of Ireland's first folk super-group. Well-written and beautifully illustrated, O'Toole can take a well-deserved bow'
(Irish Independent )'A must-read'
(Sunday Tribune )
'An intriguing account of four gifted yet inexorably flawed individuals'
(Irish Examiner Weekender )Product Description
The Humours of Planxty is the biography of one of Ireland’s most remarkable bands ever.
Formed in 1972, the extraordinary chemistry between Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Andy Irvine and Liam O’Flynn set them immediately apart from the posse, and they quickly established themselves as the most groundbreaking Irish folk line-up of all time.
Throughout the 1970s, Planxty produced six albums and brought traditional Irish folk music to exotic and thrilling new places. Combining the influences of the 1960s’ ballad and folk boom with the dance tunes of traditional Irish music – rounded off by a certain rock and roll dynamism – they became one of the great symbols of the cultural reawakening of 1970s’ Ireland.
In this first official account of the group Leagues O’Toole, the journalist credited as the catalyst for Planxty’s recent reform, talks to the band’s members and charts the unforgettable journey of the band’s glory days – from the business mishaps, constant line-up changes and industry conflicts, to the hedonism, hilarious escapades and the sheer joy of the music – through to their hugely successful reformation in 2003. The result is the compulsive and fast-paced story of how four talented musicians became an abiding musical phenomenon.
(20061028)
Formed in 1972, the extraordinary chemistry between Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Andy Irvine and Liam O’Flynn set them immediately apart from the posse, and they quickly established themselves as the most groundbreaking Irish folk line-up of all time.
Throughout the 1970s, Planxty produced six albums and brought traditional Irish folk music to exotic and thrilling new places. Combining the influences of the 1960s’ ballad and folk boom with the dance tunes of traditional Irish music – rounded off by a certain rock and roll dynamism – they became one of the great symbols of the cultural reawakening of 1970s’ Ireland.
In this first official account of the group Leagues O’Toole, the journalist credited as the catalyst for Planxty’s recent reform, talks to the band’s members and charts the unforgettable journey of the band’s glory days – from the business mishaps, constant line-up changes and industry conflicts, to the hedonism, hilarious escapades and the sheer joy of the music – through to their hugely successful reformation in 2003. The result is the compulsive and fast-paced story of how four talented musicians became an abiding musical phenomenon.
(20061028)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A really well researched and informative book. I had difficulty putting it down, partly for the way it was written and partly because I found the information so interesting. I have followed the band from the beginning so it was an exercise in both confirming what I already knew and filling in the gaps along with some suprises. I did find 3 minor mistakes, but then I was aware of them years before Leagues was. One was Matt Molloy playing with the band in Donal Lunny's abscence at 10th Cambridge Festival I was there (my 4th) and it was Paul Brady who played alongside Christy, Andy & Liam. I have photos to prove it. This of course, is a minor thing. All in all I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to any Planxty fan.
Format:Paperback
Leagues O'Toole is a self-confessed fan of Planxty and makes no attempt to conceal his passion for their music. So one might be forgiven for expecting The Humours of Planxty to be a fawning, sugar-coated love letter to a bunch of ageing folkies. Thankfully, this is not the case.
O'Toole adopts a self-effacing approach in putting together the fascinating story of the most important musical outfit, bar none, to emerge from Ireland. He allows each of the four principal group members to tell his own story. And they do so in an intelligent and reflective way, laying bare their mistakes and weaknesses, as well as giving us unique insights into their music-making.
But this is more than a history of Planxty. It is an invaluable account of the revival of Irish traditional music from the time when it was seen as a quaint relic of a forgotten past, kept alive by a few determined geniuses, such as Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancy. The book is filled with wonderful anecdotes and portraits of the various men and women whose musical lives intersected with Planxty. What comes across is the sheer joy all of them experience in playing and hearing this wonderful ancient music.
But, of course, the focus is on Planxty, each of whose four founding members seems to eat, sleep, and breathe Irish music. Together they made magic, (although not much money it appears). And Leagues O'Toole has done them justice in this biography. More than that, his quietly determined efforts to tell the Planxty story led to the group reforming after 20 years and playing at a series of sold-out concerts in Dublin. The DVD released later shows that, if anything, the passage of time has brought them to an even higher musical plane than they occupied in their heyday. Their individual virtuosity, their ensemble playing, and the complementary singing of Irvine and Moore suggests a group at its peak.
But there is one quibble. If ever a book cried out for a comprehensive index, this is it. Hopefully the publishers will rise to the occasion for the next edition, and merit that fifth star.
O'Toole adopts a self-effacing approach in putting together the fascinating story of the most important musical outfit, bar none, to emerge from Ireland. He allows each of the four principal group members to tell his own story. And they do so in an intelligent and reflective way, laying bare their mistakes and weaknesses, as well as giving us unique insights into their music-making.
But this is more than a history of Planxty. It is an invaluable account of the revival of Irish traditional music from the time when it was seen as a quaint relic of a forgotten past, kept alive by a few determined geniuses, such as Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancy. The book is filled with wonderful anecdotes and portraits of the various men and women whose musical lives intersected with Planxty. What comes across is the sheer joy all of them experience in playing and hearing this wonderful ancient music.
But, of course, the focus is on Planxty, each of whose four founding members seems to eat, sleep, and breathe Irish music. Together they made magic, (although not much money it appears). And Leagues O'Toole has done them justice in this biography. More than that, his quietly determined efforts to tell the Planxty story led to the group reforming after 20 years and playing at a series of sold-out concerts in Dublin. The DVD released later shows that, if anything, the passage of time has brought them to an even higher musical plane than they occupied in their heyday. Their individual virtuosity, their ensemble playing, and the complementary singing of Irvine and Moore suggests a group at its peak.
But there is one quibble. If ever a book cried out for a comprehensive index, this is it. Hopefully the publishers will rise to the occasion for the next edition, and merit that fifth star.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a great fan and having watched Christy & Co. in very strange places from the start, I was eagerly awaiting this book.
What a let-down!
It became a tiresome list of gigs and descriptions of post-gig hang-overs.
There is no doubting the effort put in by the author, but the narrative wanes in each chapter as each of the musicians' views are aired.
What a let-down!
It became a tiresome list of gigs and descriptions of post-gig hang-overs.
There is no doubting the effort put in by the author, but the narrative wanes in each chapter as each of the musicians' views are aired.
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