Last week’s selection of songs about drinking seems to have gone down well so it is, I think, a good idea to do another set. This is a mixed bag, though I’m afraid I’m mixing the grape and the grain in that bag. Hopefully we’ll all steer clear of a hangover though.
As you may know if you’ve seen these before, I like to try to get us off to a rousing start. I also like dropping in the occasional obscure song and this one fits the bill on both counts. Have you heard this one before?…
We’re Gonna Be Drinking is a track on dArtagnan’s most recent album Felsenfest, which was released in 2022. They are a folk band from Nuremberg in Germany, who have crossed my path several times before in other collaborations with musicians I follow, though this is the first time I’ve played anything by them. They are fun and this is a great way to start this set. It was, as you will have seen, a collaboration with Blackmore’s Night, and features Candice Night (aka Mrs Blackmore) in a major role. Her old man got a look in too: spot the guy at the bar under the hat. The song itself first appeared as All For One, on Blackmore’s Night’s 2003 album Ghost Of A Rose. The original is lively, but this one ramps things up a bit!
Going a bit more mainstream with this next one:
Cigarettes and Alcohol was a track on the debut album by Oasis, Definitely Maybe, which was released in August 1994 and reached #1 in the UK and #58 in the US. It has sold more than 15m copies worldwide, including 2.4m in the UK and 1m in the US. I had the album, but I didn’t buy it: in those days I was commuting and driving long distances for work and one of the fuel companies ran a promotion which gave you a free album for a set amount of vouchers. I managed to collect enough for three and this was one of them. I wonder if that counted towards those sales figures? This was the fourth and final track to be taken as a single from the album, and did the best of them all in the UK chart, peaking at #7, though it wasn’t a hit in the US.
I said that last one was mainstream, but they don’t come much more mainstream than this:
UB40 released Red Red Wine as the lead single from their album Labour of Love: the single came out in August 1983 and the album the following month. Both reached #1 here, and in the US the single eventually went to #1 and the album to #14 in 1988, having only got to #34 and #39 respectively when first released. The album is a series of covers of reggae songs the band grew up with, and they thought they were covering this as a song by the Jamaican singer Tony Tribe, who had a minor UK hit with his version in 1969. They admitted to being shocked to find out while recording that it was actually a Neil Diamond song, from his 1967 album Just For You. I’ve not seen Neil in concert but I understand that he now plays this one UB40 style in his shows.
This next one is a song with a story, the kind I always like. This is the full version of the video, which includes a couple of minutes of scene setting, but if you’re impatient the song starts around the 2’30” mark. It’s a little beauty of a duet:
As the video shows, that was Brad Paisley with Alison Krauss. Whiskey Lullaby was first released as a track on Brad’s album Mud On The Tires, which came out in July 2003 and reached #8 in the US, though it made #1 on their Country Albums chart. It is a fantastic album – still my favourite of his – and it includes the fabulous song Celebrity which I have played before. This track was released as a single in March 2004, and got to #41 in the US and #3 on their Country Singles listings. Alison Krauss included the song on her album A Hundred Miles Or More, a compilation of her duets with several other singers which came out in April 2007: it reached #10 in the US, #3 on the Country Albums chart, and got to #38 in the UK.
Today’s closer is one that I almost included last week, and as it has been mentioned by a couple of you I can’t possibly leave it out again! This is the one you may have been expecting:
Courtesy of Wikipedia: Whiskey In The Jar is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry. The song, about a rapparee (highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s. The song’s exact origins are unknown: a number of its lines and the general plot resemble those of a contemporary broadside ballad Patrick Fleming about an Irish highwayman who was executed in 1650.
The first version of this that I knew was by The Dubliners, but my favourite is still this one by Thin Lizzy – the rock style is very much to my taste! This was their first single outside anywhere other than their native Ireland, released in various dates in 1972 and 1973, and was an immediate success, peaking at #6 in the UK, #7 in Germany, and got to #1 in Ireland. It wasn’t included on a studio album, but did make an appearance on Remembering – Part 1, a compilation of their early records released in August 1976, and has since featured on numerous compilations of the band’s hits. It is a long time favourite of mine, and I’m happy to say that they played it both times I saw them in concert.
That is today’s set of five, but I can’t resist adding in a little bonus. In a chat with John Rieber on one of his recent posts, which was about Monty Python, I mentioned that while I was on my MBA course there were a couple of Australian students who hosted an Australian evening for us – mostly an excuse to drink lots of Fosters and Castlemaine XXXX, as I vaguely recall. I made a tape recording of this sketch, which was played a lot during the evening to their great amusement, and I left the tape with them to take back home:
On that note I think I should take my leave of you for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed this selection, complete with the high culture moment of the bonus clip, and I’ll see you again soon. Take care 😊
“Drinking went down well” 🙂
Thanks so much for participating and sharing at SSPS 314. See you again next week https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
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Thank you, Esme. It’s a fun topic, isn’t it! I’ll be there next week as usual 😊
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Once again, as you often do, you have opened doors that I never knew existed! These are all new to me with the exception of “Red, Red Wine” which I’ve known forever! The first one sounds so Irish from the opening notes through the finish, that I was surprised to find out the musicians were German! And I loved the Brad Paisley one! Thanks, Clive, for broadening my horizons yet again!
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I thought they might be new to you. dArtagnan are one of a number of German folk rock bands who play in an Irish style – it’s popular there! Glad to have introduced you to some new ones, and the Brad and Alison one is a beauty, isn’t it 😊
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Indeed it is!!! I always enjoy hearing new ones, and I always find a few that I like over at your place!
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Jeez the release dates on some of these make me feel old 🤣a good selection, Clive hadn’t heard the first one b4 the rest lovely to listen to again xx
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You and me both! I thought the first one would be new for most, but as it is fun I included it anyway. Glad you enjoyed hearing the others again 😊 xx
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Hard to believe that ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ was released 30 years ago. I’ve always liked Thin Lizzy’s ‘Whiskey in the Jar’…..and the Python’s sketch!
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Frightening, isn’t it. Glad you enjoyed those – couldn’t resist the Python sketch 🤣
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Cheers! SIGH I do like Red Red Wine U2 version but still ever true to the Neil Diamond original. That one is easier to cry along with. There is Margaritaville which runs in my head on hot summer streets with Buffet singing in my ear, and after all is said and done with memories of my much younger days Johnny Cash and Sunday Morning Coming Down.
And if you never heard this one you have got to hear it.
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I must admit I prefer UB40! Jimmy Buffett isn’t really a favourite of mine and while he was hugely popular over there he did nothing here. As for Sunday Morning Coming Down, for me the Kristofferson original knocks spots off all the others.
I hadn’t heard that one before, though I’ve heard of Lorrie Morgan – the woman who has been married to just about every guy in country music! I like a lot of country music and this one was fun.
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My favorite this week is Thin Lizzy (awesome guitar work), though I liked four out of five. I don’t typically like folk music much, but I even enjoyed We’re Gonna Be Drinking. The one that always got on my nerves was Red Red Wine. I used to turn it off or change stations when that song came on. It still hasn’t aged well for me.😊
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I’ll take four, Pete: I was only expecting two at most from you!
Some songs do have that effect, don’t they. I still love it though!
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I think I am not in bars often enough. The only song I knew was Red Red Wine. Ok, Whiskey in the Char is a classic, but I only knew it by its title … you changed that. Thanks, Clive!
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Nothing wrong with that, Erika – they can become a bad habit 🤣
I thought some of these would be less familiar and am pleased to have introduced you to them. There are many versions of Whiskey in the Jar, some of which are more traditional Irish treatments which are a bit different from Thin Lizzy 😊
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I agree 😂
Oh, yes, I enjoyed getting introduced to them. I liked the dArtagnan’s style.
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That one is fun, isn’t it. I’ve seen them a few times with other acts and they always seem to be enjoying themselves 😊
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Obviously!
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Oh! I really did 💜
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I’m pleased! Thank you for the suggestions. I’m going another route next week but will keep these in mind for a reprise 😊
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😀😀
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The video for We’re Gonna Be Drinking is great. Of course, I know Red, Red, Wine.
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It’s fun, isn’t it – that’s why I played it 😊
I think that version of Red Red Wine is probably the most well-known of this set.
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Yes, its the version I know for sure. I really liked We’re Gonna Be Drinking – it is fun.
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I’m pleased you liked it. It was a fun way to start the set 😊
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It was
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Love this! Your point on Oasis is a good one: that first album did not sell much in the US…it took “Supersonic” to finally connect to drive them forward!
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Thanks, John. Not sure what you count as ‘not much’ but that one sold a million there! It was their second album, Morning Glory, that really took off – over 4m over there, in addition to 5m here.
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I meant it took “Supersonic” to hit before the album took off
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I get you. The album only got to #58 there so a million is a pretty good sales figure!
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A great number! I saw them perform at the Universal Amphitheater with Travis opening for them…what a great show! Too bad they couldn’t get along!
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That sounds a great double lineup. Oasis’ problem was that were fronted by two brothers with giant egos, who acted like twats. The surprising thing to me was that they lasted ten years before the inevitable implosion 😊
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all great tracks especially as you saved the best for first and last! … Don’t Oasis look young in that clip! 💜💜
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Yes they do – that struck me too. Glad you enjoyed them 😊
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I enjoyed this selection Clive! I think you picked some amazing tunes!
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Thank you, Carol Anne, I’m pleased you enjoyed the selection 😊
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Can’t go wrong wtih Candice Night. 🙂 I was listening to the Ghost of a Rose the other day. I like how Ritchie made it into the video.
I of course liked red,red wine and had forgotten about Whiskey Lullaby. Its such a sad song, but yet beautiful too.
Good job again!
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I thought you might like that one, and Ritchie played his part well!
I promised you Red Red Wine would be in this set – promise kept.
Whiskey Lullaby is a beautiful song, despite what has been said earlier about it! Great video too.
Glad you enjoyed them 😊
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Fun tracks today, Clive, and I knew all except the Oasis song (which wasn’t my fave anyway). Nice to see Ritchie smiling! 😊
I thought you might enjoy THIS. The quality isn’t the greatest but you get the idea.
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Well done for knowing the first one – I didn’t expect that anyone would! Ritchie had found the ideal job there: down a pint and smile at his wife!
Thanks for that clip. A valiant effort by Neil on his own song but I think UB40 did reggae better! Come to that, so did Tony Tribe 😊
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Yes, I have to agree about the Neil Diamond track. He really did have some fine tunes during his career, though.
I’m a huge fan of Deep Purple, Rainbow and all things Blackmore …. that’s how I know that vid. Very fun!
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Neil Diamond has a great song catalogue, along with some unmitigated schmaltz! I prefer his earlier stuff, on the whole: Solitary Man is a superb song, for example.
Even with that fandom this is a pretty obscure one – well done!
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Metallica also did a version of Whiskey in the Jar but it’s not that good.
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That one has already been mentioned – I agree with you!
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That Brad Paisley one is too depressing! My favourites are ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’, and ‘Whisky in the Jar’.
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It’s a lovely sad song! I thought those might be more to your taste, though 😊
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They are. The other one is a slit-your-wrist song!
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Not advisable 🤣
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‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ is Oasis at their very best: loud, brash, snotty, extremely catchy (and with a shamelessly stolen riff…) And I love every version I’ve heard of ‘Whisky in the Jar’, even Metallica’s.
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Yup, that’s Oasis! But we differ on Metallica – they should have left well alone 😊
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Perfect description of Oasis.
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