THE CLANCY BROTHERS' LAST PERFORMANCE
cost...@lanmail.shu.edu
From an inside source (and my apologies if this rumor has already
been reported...):
The last performance by The Clancy Brothers will be on March 16th
of this year (17th?) in Stamford, Connecticut. Appearing with
Robbie O'Connell for the last time, Paddy has decided to retire,
and Bobby probably has as well. It is likely that Liam and
Robbie will continue to tour and possibly record together.
As the title of the last track of their last recording says:
"Those were the days."
Tommy Makem, however, who is far more talented than Robbie
O'Connell or any of the Clancy Brothers (especially Bobby),
continues to tour and record.
cost...@lanmail.shu.edu
I'm sorry, but I do not understand what makes a voice
"photogenic."
My criticisms of Robbie O'Connell stem from his overall
performances (live and studio). His voice is weak, feminine,
modern, dry, sometimes monotone, and often boring.
Tommy Makem performs just as well live as he does in the studio.
And, unlike Robbie O'Connell, whose voice is best suited for
ballads, Tommy is outstanding vocalist and instrumentalist on any
type of performance: ballads (check out "Windmills," "Gentle
Annie," "The Town I Love So Well," or scores of others...); those
which can be called "Hearty and Hellish" ("Paddy Kelly's Brew,"
"The Mermaid," and scores of others; those which involve a bit of
Irish storytelling ("Peter Kagaan and the Wind," "Lonesome
Waters"); and those which include his outstanding musical
performances ("Port Lairge," "O'Donnell Abu" and scores of
others).
Credit is due and rightly given to Robbie O'Connell for his
performances of "The Winning Side," "You're Not Irish," "Sister
Josephine," "Kilkelly," and a few others. But these half-dozen
or so songs are just a small fraction of the many songs in which
Robbie has made unsuccessful attempts in performing.
ghost
>
>PLEASE! Robbie O'Connell's voice isn't worth the proverbial pot
>to piss in nor the window to throw it out of. I *HAVE* checked
>out many of his recordings, assuring myself that he sucks just as
>much solo as he does as a backup.
>
>Tommy Makem has far more talent than Robbie O'Connell or any of
>the Clancys (although Liam isn't too far behind) in songwriting,
>instrumental performances (what the hell does Robbie O'Connell
>play other than his stupid guitar...), and most definitely in
>vocals. Tommy's live performances cannot even be compared to the
>dry attempts of the Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell to
>duplicate the past successes of their band that depended greatly
>(some would say even solely) on the talents of Tommy Makem.
>
>The Clancy Brothers made Robbie O'Connell what he is today. If
>he wasn't their nephew, he would be a nobody.
I've seen the Clancy Brothers with & without Tommy & Liam, & with & without
Robbie. I've had a good time every time. I'm sure Tommy & Liam have the
most photogenic voices if you judge these things only by "loud & strong
& very, very resonant"; I like these qualities fine, but like other
qualities too.
If Robbie O'Connell weren't their nephew I'm sure he'd get to play on
far fewer world tours, cruises, tours of Ireland & so forth. So what?
He'd still be a great songwriter (based on "The Winning Side" & a few
others), & a fine, often traditional-sounding singer.
(People interested in this aspect will want to check out the Christmas album
O'Connell & friends promised at this year's concert whenever it comes
out; his version of the Wexford Carol & the other one (there are supposed
to be 12 Irish Carols, & I wish they'd done all 12) are far more
ancient/modal than any of the other covers I've heard, by such as
Loreena McKennitt, for instance {I also like hers, but it sounds very
modernized by comparison}).
Its fortunate that Eileen Ivers thinks more highly of O'Connell than
Costanja does, otherwise we'd have missed O'Connell & another fine local
musician as part of her surprise accompaniests when she played Johnny D's
a couple years ago. I get the impression in general that the local &
other visiting Irish musicians also have a far higher opinion of O'Connell
than Costanja does, & I don't think this opinion is based on his work
with the Clancy brothers.
ghost
>Tommy Makem, however, who is far more talented than Robbie
>O'Connell or any of the Clancy Brothers (especially Bobby),
>continues to tour and record.
Can I take exception to that last? Because you're wrong.
O'Connell is a terrific singer (occasionally using a very traditional,
sean-nos-derived style, in other instances more of a conteporary
singer-songwriter style; neither sounds much like the Clancy's trademark
vocals), arranger & songwriter on his own; with the Clancys his job is just to
fill in for whatever Clancy is missing, which he does very well.
If you don't believe any of this, check out O'Connell's solo discs,
of which there are several.
cost...@lanmail.shu.edu
PLEASE! Robbie O'Connell's voice isn't worth the proverbial pot
to piss in nor the window to throw it out of. I *HAVE* checked
out many of his recordings, assuring myself that he sucks just as
much solo as he does as a backup.
Tommy Makem has far more talent than Robbie O'Connell or any of
the Clancys (although Liam isn't too far behind) in songwriting,
instrumental performances (what the hell does Robbie O'Connell
play other than his stupid guitar...), and most definitely in
vocals. Tommy's live performances cannot even be compared to the
dry attempts of the Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell to
duplicate the past successes of their band that depended greatly
(some would say even solely) on the talents of Tommy Makem.
The Clancy Brothers made Robbie O'Connell what he is today. If
he wasn't their nephew, he would be a nobody.
I would suggest that you "check out" the hundreds of songs that
have been performed by Tommy Makem throughout the many decades of
his career as a musician. And, unlike Mr. O'Connell, Tommy Makem
is a viable solo artist who does not need "The Clancy Brothers"
in front of his name to be a success.
ghost
>
>I'm sorry, but I do not understand what makes a voice
>"photogenic."
The things that Makem does & qualities he has that you like, that O'Connell
doesn't do & doesn't have.
I heard some owner of a modeling agency on the radio the other day saying
that it doesn't matter how intrinsically interesting your face looks;
if it doesn't have all those bony angles that cast shadows on camera
(as well as completely uniform proportions), you won't "photograph well"
according to today's values. There seems to be an equivalent quality in
voices & in getting them to line up with today's values; either they're
high & a bit shimmery or low & resonant & and bring with them their own set
of echoes, or they aren't thought to "record well" according to today's values,
which, as in photographs, value hightened contrast above almost everything
else.
>My criticisms of Robbie O'Connell stem from his overall
>performances (live and studio). His voice is weak, feminine,
>modern, dry, sometimes monotone, and often boring.
I don't find it any of those things. Its a much lighter voice than
Makem's (or Liam Clancy's). He owes more, when singing on his own,
to the ornamentation patterns, phrasing, & one of the voice-styles of
traditional sean-nos singing than to the much rowdier, based-on
English-music-hall & American-theater style of the Clancys (Makem &
Liam Clancy originally trained for the theater; the suprise hit of the
Clancys led them away from that). He tries to sound "like a Clancy" when
singing with them, & as he is their cousin & was raised in the same town,
manages to sound very much like the 3 less-polished-singers of the brothers.
Because he probably has more technically on the ball than those 3, he may
get to sing songs or do performance-pieces that Tommy or Liam would normally
do were they with the group; if you were expecting Tommy or Liam, & got Robbie
with his lighter voice I can see why you might feel deprived in that regard,
but there's no need to knock Robbie. He's not trying to fool anybody, he's
just filling in a vacated role.
I'd like to ask you just for argument's sake how you would characterize
the singing of Dathie Sproule, Michael O'Domnhail, or Andy Irvine, just
to name a few.
Roxanne O'Connell
The last performance of The Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell as the current line-up will
be on March 23...
The concert schedule for the March tour is:
1 Mar 96 - Holiday Inn, Crystal Lake, NY
2 Mar 96 - Irish Festival - Ruth Eckard Hall - Clearwater FL - 8pm - (813) 791-7060
5 Mar 96 - Westchester Broadway Theatre - Elmsford NY - (914) 592-2222
6 Mar 96 - Colonial Theatre - Fredericksburg VA - 8pm
7 Mar 96 - Grand Opera House - Oshkosh WI - 8pm - (414) 424-2350
8 Mar 96 -Oscar Mayer Theatre - Madison WI - 8pm - (608) 266-9055
9 Mar 96 - Smothers Theatre - Malibu CA - 8pm
10 Mar 96 - The Sundome - Sun City Wes AZ - 2pm - (602) 965-5062
12 Mar 96 - St. Anselm's College - Goffstown NH - 8pm - (603) 641-7700
13 Mar 96 - Somerville Theatre - Somerville MA - 8pm - (617) 625-5700
14 Mar 96 - Westbury Music Fair - Westbury NY - 8pm - (516) 334-0800
15 Mar 96 - Valley Forge Music Fair - Devon PA - 8pm - (610) 640-9230
16 Mar 96 - The Palace Theatre - Stamford CT - 8pm - (203) 325-4466
17 Mar 96 - Irish Fest on Flagler - West Palm Beach FL - 5pm/8pm
22 Mar 96 - Pabst Theatre - Milwaukee WI - (414) 278-3665
23 Mar 96 - Univ of Nebraska - Lincoln NE
Cherish the Ladies will also be appearing at some of these concerts - for details you can
check out http://www.celtica.com/concert.html
Slan,
Roxanne O'Connell
http://www.celtica.com/celtica.html
Jared Costanza
I agree with:
"He tries to sound 'like a Clancy' when singing with them..."
and would add that he is blatantly unsuccessful in doing so...to
the point that his voice sounds odd and sometimes lost when
singing with the Clancys.
I also agree with:
..if you were expecting Tommy or Liam, & got Robbie with his
lighter voice I can see why you might feel deprived in that
regard..."
and would add "feminine and predictable" to "lighter."
and, hitting the nail on the head:
"...he's just filling a vacated role."
I do not understand what you mean when you say that Robbie is
more "technically on the ball than those three," but tend to
disagree because Paddy Clancy also performs better than Robbie
(perhaps with the exception of ballads) (i.e. "Jug Of Punch").
Liam's peformances, however, in all areas, (especially ballads),
in both live and studio recordings and concerts, are far superior
to those of O'Connell.
Bobby Clancy is the one of the worst musicians I've ever heard:
a talentless loser who, like Robbie, would be a nobody if it
weren't for the fact that the paradigm "The Clancy Brothers"
includes him.
I also don't understand what the "surprise hit of the Clancys"
is...
I think it's unfair to focus exclusively on the "rowdy,
based-on-English-music-hall & American-theater style of the
Clancys [and Tommy Makem]." Liam Clancy is one of the best
ballad singers out there...anywhere, not just in the folk/celtic
genre. Tommy also gives spectacular performances of some ballads
both live and Memorex.
I don't know if you've ever seen Tommy perform with his son, but
if you have, I offer this: his son does to his performances what
Robbie does to the Clancy Brothers' performances. He's almost a
"nuisance;" his voice is odd, and lost in the rich vocals of his
father.
In any case, Robbie does deserve some credit for his attempts.
Certain songs (like those I've listed previously and those like
"Master McGrath") do sound better from his mouth. However, for
the most part, Robbie's shows are too often predictable, and
after about 10 minutes, it's time for the main attraction...
ghost
>I also agree with:
>
>..if you were expecting Tommy or Liam, & got Robbie with his
>lighter voice I can see why you might feel deprived in that
>regard..."
>
>and would add "feminine and predictable" to "lighter."
OK, since you want to discuss qualities of O'Connell's voice other
than "agreed, he doesn't sound that much like Tommy Makem":
What do you find that is feminine about his singing, & why do you find
whatever-it-is to be a bad quality?
I'm presuming you don't mean that you mistake his voice for that of a woman,
as that has more to do with factors that go into "vocal timbre" than
factors that go into "femininity", whatever that sounds like in singing.
I'll ask again what you think of Daithie Sproule's, Mihail O'Domnhail's, &
Andy Irvine's voices.
>I also don't understand what the "surprise hit of the Clancys"
>is...
It was a big surprise to them. They weren't professional singers or
even thought of as exceptionally good neighborhood singers in Ireland,
though Tommy Makem's mother certainly was.
They took up folk-singing as what we today would call
"kind of a goof", to fill in time & make some money while waiting for
their big break as actors. When they found there was tons of money
& adulation in the singing, they quickly called up the other brothers,
brought some sweaters over & worked up an act.
This is from various interviews I've heard & seen televised.
In a local radio interview not long ago one of the brothers (not Liam;
I'm sorry, I don't remember which one) described going in the 50s
before he ever left Ireland on song-collecting trips with a folklorist,
said he had the highest respect for traditional singers, & would never
think of putting himself in their category.
People like to think of the Clancys as rowdy goof-offs in general,
& they enjoy living up to the image in most cases, but they do know a lot
about where they come from that the sentimental, nostalgic American
audience neither knows or cares about.
Jared Costanza
In regard to Robbie O'Connell's voice, which I call "feminine"
and you call "lighter"...
You ask what it is that I find "feminine" about Robbie's voice.
I suggest that whatever it is that makes you label his voice
"lighter" is what causes me to label his voice "feminine." I do
not use watered-down, phony political correctness in my language,
but am clear, direct, and honest in my descriptive critical
language.
Also, the fact that Robbie O'Connell sounds nothing like Tommy
Makem has nothing to do with the fact that he is...to use
language which may appease you: a "mediocre performer who has
much to be desired."
And, I never mentioned that femininity in a man's voice was
necessarily a negative characteristic. It's funny that you
should assume that. When you say: "...'femininity', whatever
that sounds like in singing," do you mean that you have never
heard a feminine voice from a man? If you have, then just apply
that to music. If you haven't, and instead defer to calling such
a voice "lighter" or some other "nice" term that waters down
accuracy, feel free to do so.
I don't question the motives of Tommy Makem and the Clancy
Brothers in beginning their musical careers as explained by you.
But I totally and vehemently disagree with your completely
unfounded claim that "people like to think of the Clancys as
rowdy goof-offs in general." I think Robbie might even disagree
with you here. And even if they started off that way as youths,
they certainly have come a long way in the many decades of their
musical careers. You don't sell tens (if not hundreds) of
thousands of copies of albums, and constantly perform in sold out
music halls world wide, and launch the careers of other musicians
being a "rowdy goof-off."
To say "agreed, he doesn't sound much like Tommy Makem" would be
to state the obvious. It would also be a watered-down
politically correct way of saying that Robbie O'Connell cannot be
compared in any way to a heavyweight headliner like Tommy Makem.
The musical, vocal, instrumental, emotional, songwriting,
crowd-pleasing, roof-raising, abilities of Tommy Makem far
surpass those of Robbie O'Connell and most other "mediocre"
performers. In fact, when I made a previous comment about Robbie
being only able to play the guitar, I thought at the time it was
an exaggeration. But, upon checking some of his solo recordings
(on which his name is always followed by "vocals, guitar"), I'm
beginning to wonder: is the guitar really the only instrument
Robbie believes he can play? I'm sure I do not need to list the
many instruments that Tommy flawlessly plays.
Furthermore, I would not be so bold as to call the entire
listening audience in America "sentimental" and "nostalgic," that
"neither knows [n]or cares about" the history and background of
the Clancy Brothers. This is blatantly not true. The
history and background of these artists and their land
buttresses the significant amount of interest in Celtic music
that is expressed by much of the listening audience in this
country.
Laura Leibensperger
wrote:
> In article <4cvdsf$3...@pirate.shu.edu> Jared Costanza <cost...@lanmail.shu.edu> writes:
>
> >To say "agreed, he doesn't sound much like Tommy Makem" would be
> >to state the obvious. It would also be a watered-down
> >politically correct way of saying that Robbie O'Connell cannot be
> >compared in any way to a heavyweight headliner like Tommy Makem.
> >The musical, vocal, instrumental, emotional, songwriting,
> >crowd-pleasing, roof-raising, abilities of Tommy Makem far
> >surpass those of Robbie O'Connell and most other "mediocre"
> >performers. In fact, when I made a previous comment about Robbie
> >being only able to play the guitar, I thought at the time it was
> >an exaggeration ... I'm sure I do not need to list the
> >many instruments that Tommy flawlessly plays.
AND SUCH A MANLY MAN HE IS TOO!!! This Tommy vs. Robbie thread is the most
hilarious thing I've seen on rec.m.c. in ages. If these are our choices, I
say thank God for Altan!!!
Roxanne O'Connell
To answer your question - Robbie O'Connell plays guitar, mandolin (see "Close to the Bone)
and trez and has fooled around with the bodhran, but not seriously. Playing more than one
stringed instrument at a time is awkward however, and since the guitar is by far the more
versatile of the instruments mentioned above, he chooses to play it in performance -
particularly when he is solo.
Slán,
Roxanne
http://www.celtica.com/robbie_bio.html
ghost
>and you call "lighter"...
>
>You ask what it is that I find "feminine" about Robbie's voice.
>I suggest that whatever it is that makes you label his voice
>"lighter" is what causes me to label his voice "feminine." I do
>not use watered-down, phony political correctness in my language,
>but am clear, direct, and honest in my descriptive critical
>language.
Oh, me neither. Try not to use watered-down, phony language, that is.
So what's "feminine" about a man singing in a tenor voice with a fair
amount of breath in it? Its fairly common among traditional singers,
you know. So is a very piercing tenor ala Jimmy Crowley (I hope I've got
his name right; boy, do I love his singing).
Doesn't it make more sense to describe someone's voice in terms that
describe *sound*, rather than in nebulous, vague terms like
"masculine" & "feminine"? [The only times these aren't completely
vague, misleading terms is at the physician's office.]
>Also, the fact that Robbie O'Connell sounds nothing like Tommy
>Makem has nothing to do with the fact that he is...to use
>language which may appease you: a "mediocre performer who has
>much to be desired."
But he's not either of those things. Unless what you feel the what is to
be desired from his performance is that he turn himself into
Makem &/or Liam Clancy in their absences, which he's not inclined to do.
The other brothers obviously thought having someone whose voice provided
a nice harmonic blend, due to being genetically similar & having the same
accent, was better than hiring on someone on the basis of their vocal
range & tone color.
>And, I never mentioned that femininity in a man's voice was
>necessarily a negative characteristic. It's funny that you
>should assume that. When you say: "...'femininity', whatever
>that sounds like in singing," do you mean that you have never
>heard a feminine voice from a man? If you have, then just apply
>that to music. If you haven't, and instead defer to calling such
>a voice "lighter" or some other "nice" term that waters down
>accuracy, feel free to do so.
There's nothing *accurate* about ascribing femininity or masculinity to
someone's voice based on their vocal range, or amount of resonance.
There are all sorts of very subtle aspects of timbre that lead you to
believe that the voice you are hearing is coming from either a man or a
woman (barring, obviously, visual cues). I've been fooled about this
only 4 times I can think of. Two were men singing on records, one was a man
on the phone, one was a woman sitting behind me in a restaurant, where I
may have been partly fooled by the nature of the conversation (it doesn't
always pay to eavesdrop). There's a 5th instance of a woman singing on
record where I may have been fooled as intended except that I had read the
liner notes 1st. In none of these cases did I go by vocal range, amount
of resonance, or subject matter being sung about (when the songs were in
English).
>To say "agreed, he doesn't sound much like Tommy Makem" would be
>to state the obvious. It would also be a watered-down
>politically correct way of saying that Robbie O'Connell cannot be
>compared in any way to a heavyweight headliner like Tommy Makem.
>The musical, vocal, instrumental, emotional, songwriting,
>crowd-pleasing, roof-raising, abilities of Tommy Makem far
>surpass those of Robbie O'Connell and most other "mediocre"
>performers. In fact, when I made a previous comment about Robbie
>being only able to play the guitar, I thought at the time it was
>an exaggeration. But, upon checking some of his solo recordings
>(on which his name is always followed by "vocals, guitar"), I'm
>beginning to wonder: is the guitar really the only instrument
>Robbie believes he can play? I'm sure I do not need to list the
>many instruments that Tommy flawlessly plays.
You obviously (see above) think anyone who doesn't aspire to raise the
roof (everyone, despite what you think of their voice, aspires to please
the crowd, though they'll fail with you if they're not Tommy Makem) is
just not worth seeing as a harmony singer, let alone a headliner.
I like roof-raisers fine (I even like roof-raisers best & mostly)
but I find your position on this pretty ridiculous. And why should
anyone aspire to play many instruments just for the sake of racking up
the numbers, if that's not what they want to do? O'Connell is usually
accompanying world-class fiddle players & accordianists when I see him
locally, & he does this with a great amount of feeling for the often-modal
structure of the music, rather than jerking it into being in some or
other key because that's what they're comfortable with, as many
guitar-players accompanying Irish music do. I don't know how adept a
guitar-player he is considered to be solo, & I don't know that he aspires
to technical virtuosity at that either; he's an excellent accompaniest.
Roxanne O'Connell
television programs on RTE, along with his sister Peg. Many of the songs that the Clancy's
recorded were collected by Bobby - excepting those that were collected by Sarah Makem.
Liam wasn't much into collecting songs at the time - he was seriously studying acting in
Dublin, but he was recruited to help Dianne Hamilton in archiving the material (stories and
songs) she was collecting. On one of Dianne's forays into the north to collect songs, Liam
and herself ended up in Cady and listened to Sarah Makem and her family and the rest is
history. Paddy and Tom were serious actors trying to make a living in New York and in an
effort to keep the Cherry Lane Theatre open, started doing midnight folk concerts. By the
way, I believe that Tommy Makem had no intention of becoming a singer at the time - he
wanted to be an actor too and since Liam's brothers had an in with a theatre, they thought
they might take a chance at finding some acting work with them.
It's really their ability to deliver great stage *presence* that distinguished the Clancys and
Makem then and now - no one will dispute that their musical ability at the time they began,
some 30 years ago, fell a little short of the standard displayed by the other folk artists of the
time. But what they lacked in musicality was more than made up for with their vitality and
intensity.
Much of this information will be found in the autobiography that Liam has been asked to
write. We've listened to some of the raw material and it's spellbinding. Definately something
to look forward to.
Slán,
Roxanne
http://www.celtica.com/celtica.html
Robert Thurlow
Jared Costanza <cost...@lanmail.shu.edu> wrote:
>You ask what it is that I find "feminine" about Robbie's voice.
>I suggest that whatever it is that makes you label his voice
>"lighter" is what causes me to label his voice "feminine." I do
>not use watered-down, phony political correctness in my language,
>but am clear, direct, and honest in my descriptive critical
>language.
"Feminine" is clear and direct? How? That's not descriptive,
and it's not about music, sound, timbre or anything related.
Maybe you just like it that you can slam someone you don't like
by implying his voice sounds like a woman's (and of course we
all know that's disgusting and disgraceful). You certainly seem
willing to say mean things about people whose music you dislike.
Rob T
Jared Costanza
Jared Costanza
Bobby Clancy HAD a GRAEAT voice years ago. On some of the albums
by Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers, he performed with his
sister, and he sounded great...even without her. But over the
years, Bobby has lost this voice. He adds absolutely nothing to
the Clancy Brothers. Even Robbie O'Connell has more talent than
this guy.
(I won't mention the EXTREME jealousy that Bobby has of an Irish
singer who lives in New Hampshire...)
Jared Costanza
In no way did I imply that I somehow mistook Robbie O'Connell's
voice for that of a woman. Let's not get ridiculous, here, nor
have I implied anything about "femininity" about the man (in
fact, it's quite the opposite...I'll leave out details...)
I am merely saying (and this isn't necessarily an evil thing, you
know!) that he's voice is slightly..."feminine." If you would
like to call it "light," "nice," or "gay" (in the strictest sense
of the word...please: I'm not implying anything here...as I said
before, Robbie is anything but feminine or gay...) This is my
reasoning for saying that Robbie's voice is best fitted for
ballads, and I did not criticize him in this regard.
Jared Costanza
..or maybe, Rob, I'm not. Firstly, I don't understand why you
think it's necessarily a bad thing...to have a feminine voice. I
think THIS is what's really "disgusting and disgraceful." There
are many SUCCESSFUL male vocalists...from Celtic mucic to R&B to
adult contemporary...who have a "feminine" voice, and yet are
extremely popular. To say that a man has a "feminine" voice, or
that a woman has a "manly" voice, does not imply ANYTHING
negative, and, in fact, can actually be a complement.
If you find a problem when a man says: "My voice is slightly
feminine," then I think there are other issues that needn't be
addressed in this newsgroup...
Roxanne O'Connell
>
snip
>
>(I won't mention the EXTREME jealousy that Bobby has of an Irish
>singer who lives in New Hampshire...)
>
(OK, I'll bite... I must be bored or something... )
Interesting - and just how do you KNOW this, Jared?
Jared Costanza
>>(OK, I'll bite... I must be bored or something... )
Yes...or something. It's interesting to have heard you say that
you normally do not respond to "vituperous" postings. (I think
that normally you DON'T respond to "vituperous" "vicious"
"hate-speech," and that nothing of what I have written qualifies
as such...) It's also interesting that of all the material I
have added to r.m.c. in postings, you should pick up on the point
about Bobby Clancy.
Part of my reasoning for having said that the relationships
between artists are not all they're cracked up to be was this
extrEME jealousy of Tommy...not expressed at all by Liam or
paddy, or even Robbie for that matter...but only by Bobby. You
are also aware of the fact that Tommy NEVER sells ANY recordings
featuring himself with the Clancy Brothers...and the Clancys
resent this...to an extent. It's not just a "happenstance" that
there are NEVER ANY recordings by "The Clancy Brothers and Tommy
Makem" at any of Tommy's concerts (with the exception of the
documentary and concert "Reunion" videos).
Gee...I wonder why? Tommy got screwed a long time ago, and he
knew he didn't NEED the Clancy Brothers to be the solo success
that he is today.
And while Liam and Robbie may have taken over for Tommy
throughout his operation and recovery, let's not forget thaty
when Tom Clancy died (God rest his soul), Tommy sacrificed going
to his funeral to take over concerts for the Clancy Brothers and
Robbie. Tommy's doing their tour while they're vacationing in
Florida?
There's a lot more to these stories than the artists, or anyone
close to them, will ever acknowledge publicly. You KNOW this.
Jared the nobody.
JFFIII
not being repetitive or boorish but here is my 2 cents worth. Tommy Makem
is a wonderful soloist as well as a group singer. Admittedly, his voice
has lost some of its clarity but those of us who are rabid fans of the
original Clancy Bros. and Tommy Makem group cannot help but still enjoy
his talents. Bobby Clancy has never caught on as a viable member of the
singing group. He is the perinnial substitute. His voice simply does not
have the tonal qualities to cause people to want to listen to him for long
and the nostalgia isn't there as it is with his brothers. He does one
song quite well, however: Bantry Girls. I would imagine he would have
liked to have had the solo voice of his brothers Liam and the late Tom
Clancy. Paddy, while not posessing a great solo voice, either, does
several songs such as Jug of Punch like no one else can. He has a certain
charisma that even Liam and Tom didn't possess. Robby O'Connell is a very
talented singer and song writer. I think one of the letter writers was
essentially trying to say that while he has a fine tenor voice, it does
not have the Guiness Stout bellow that his baritone uncles, the Clancy's,
and their friend Tommy Makem have. He is still very pleasant to listen
too and is not, in my opinion, at all feminine. Together, they still make
wonderful music. Best regards, John Freeman