Elders’ CD Racing The Tide Reviewed in Pitch
Dated tomorrow, July 26, 2007, but already on your news stands, is a short review in the Pitch of current CD Racing The Tide by Kansas City’s premier Celtic Rock band, The Elders
The Pitch review says many nice things - I think - about The Elders, such as calling them “one of the region’s most all-around entertaining live bands.”
Like the band that recorded it, Racing the Tide is a luxury vehicle, a smooth ride loaded with amenities. The tightly locked fiddle-and-accordion riffs serve as baroque adornments to the vehicle’s chassis — hard-driving, melodic acoustic guitar, bass and drums.
Are there accordion riffs on Racing The Tide? Live there hasn’t been since the days of Brett Gibson 18 months ago, and Randy Riga before him. Joe Miquelon currently plays the keyboards for The Elders in place of the accordion.
Whilst acknowledging that Ian Byrne’s “Celtschmerz” is a plus and a minus for the band, the review finishes up on the negative note that in contrast with live performances, should you try listing to Racing The Tide whilst driving “by the fifth or sixth track, you’ll be asleep at the wheel”.
See Also:
• The Elders Live, Pitch Previewed
• 2 New Songs From The Elders
• The Elders & Ben Meade in Ireland
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
Anytime the Pitch ever covers anything I like, they always do so very oddly. This was no exception.
I’m not sure “accordion riffs” is a proper term, but I’ve noticed the accordion on the album.
And notice how at the end of the review they call it “Rising the Tide”?
“Schultze gets the blues” is oddly enough on the “box” right now, and I’d have to say there is such a thing as an accordion riff. That a reviewer and/or non-musician associates it with say, a guitar, only highlights ignorance of the term. Look it up on Wikipedia if you must - it’s not instrument specific.
As to the actual intent of his usage… ignorance of Irish music still abounds. His reference to “baroque adornments” is I suspect, a half-assed way of describing the jigs and reels interwoven into songs. The preference of not listing the tunes along with the songs on the album notes, adds to the confusion, and sends… a message itself.
Here’s a few of the tunes i donated to the cause. (Remember, tunes are the jigs and reels - an easy way of remembering this is songs have words - tunes do not.)
Cousin Charlie has a great G maj reel in it called “The Banshee”.
Racing the Tide has a reel slowed down in a different key (from sessions) called “The Humours of Tulla”.
Gonna Take a Miracle has a little 1 part jig I wrote (’cos there’s little in the lit. in C maj - with no name (’cos they didn’t really need/want a B section.) and then another jig in e minor which i’ve played for years but can never remember the name of.
Story of a fish has an Irish Polka called “Sweeney’s” or “Dennis Murphy’s”.
etc. These are listed nowhere, but Irish musicians and folks familiar with the genre or those who care will know/recognise them.
Ellen - I kind of like the name Rising The Tide. Imagine watching Raise The Titanic whilst listening to Rising The Tide - what would happen?
Brettski - Thanks very much for those. I wish tunes were listed whenever used. Obviously those who know will know anyway, but for those who half-know or had no idea, it can only be good.
Those are listed on my copies of Racing the Tide, under the lyrics of each song. (The original version of the CD that left out lyrics of one song, and the fixed version.) Although for Cousin Charlie it just says “Jig ditty between verses by Brett Gibson, with no mention of a 2nd jig.
And I’m one of those folks who wouldn’t have known that without the footnotes in the lyrics.
And I stand corrected on accordion riffs.
You’re right, Ellen - there is some very fine print on the liner notes.