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Post by Stephen on Apr 1, 2005 8:25:08 GMT
There is a 5 star review in the Ticket section of the Irish Times today, culminating in "a monumental artistic achivement" . Also a picture beside it.
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Post by Frank Cronin on Apr 1, 2005 12:26:05 GMT
Jesus you could not pay for that kind of review!
THE RADIATORS
Ghostown
Chiswick/Gael Linn
*****
On Tuesday, October 31st, 1978, The Radiators took to the stage of London's Electric Ballroom to preview material from their forthcoming Ghostown album. These new Phil Chevron-Pete Holidai songs detailed "a midnight walk through Dublin with the ghosts of the city's past". They were lost on the punk kidz in the audience. We now know that the safety-pinned fools were being treated to the first ever live airing of probably the greatest Irish rock album of all time.
To put this in local context: The Radiators' creative leap from 1977's TV Tube Heart to 1979's Ghostown was similar to The Beatles' from She Loves You to Tomorrow Never Knows. Their subject matter was a Dublin (to be pronounced with three syllables) paralyzed by political and religious hypocrisies. The song cycle, beginning with the jumpy, harmony-laden Millon Dollar Hero and ending with the tense, nervous Dead the Beast, Dead the Poison, details a cowed city - haunted by its past, with little present and yes, No Future. The songs are magnificent: the stomping They're Looting in the Town; the beautiful snarl of Kitty Ricketts and the stark home-truths of Song of the Faithful Departed.
Musically, the album was audacious for its time; lyrically, it's never been bettered. Ghostown represents the first time in Irish cultural life that a rock music 33rpm could sit pretty alongside the country's literary and dramatic output. In a bitter perversion of the truth, the album marked the beginning of the end of The Radiators. Ghostown was their parting shot to posterity. Quite simply: a monumental artistic achievement.
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Post by johnfoyle on Apr 1, 2005 17:34:15 GMT
Great review ! As I type I await copies of the discs , bought for me in Tower ( @ 16 euro each) , Dublin this afternoon. I 'phoned a few stores this morming - HMV , Road etc - but it was only to be had there. Can't wait!
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Post by ClashCityRocker on Apr 2, 2005 22:31:16 GMT
Yes, this is a super review. Kicked off a heated debate at lunch today amongst my younger colleagues along the lines of "if they're that good why haven't I heard of them". At least a couple intend to buy the CD on the strength of the review.
I think Brian Boyd is deserving of Bill Grahams' mantle of Chief Ghostown Evangelist.
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Post by johnfoyle on Apr 3, 2005 12:57:37 GMT
I listened to the two discs along with the 'Alive-alive-o' compilation on random in my multidisc player yesterday evening.....and I was blown away by the vitality of what I was hearing!
Roll on tonight!
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Post by harryhooper2 on Apr 3, 2005 16:02:15 GMT
yes, roll on tonight. ticket info was a bit sketcy and i hope we can get tickets at the door. rang whelans and they said yes but couldn't accept a booking.
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