Prosperous (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prosperous
Studio album by Christy Moore
Released 1972
Recorded Prosperous, Co. Kildare
Genre Folk
Length 38:56
Label Tara
Producer Bill Leader
Professional reviews
For the village in Ireland, see Prosperous, County Kildare.

Prosperous is the second album by Irish folk musician Christy Moore, released in 1972. His first album, Paddy On The Road was recorded by Dominic Behan in 1969 and has long been out of print. In addition to Moore's guitar and voice, Prosperous featured musicians Andy Irvine (mandolin, mouth organ), Liam Óg O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, tin whistle), and Donal Lunny (guitar, bouzouki). These four musicians later gave themselves the name, Planxty, making this album something of the first Planxty album in all but name. Other musicians included Kevin Conneff (later of The Chieftains) on bodhrán, Clive Collins on fiddle, and Dave Bland on concertina. The album takes its name from the town of Prosperous, County Kildare, where it was recorded by producer Bill Leader.

The majority of the songs on the album are traditional, with the exception of "James Connolly" by established folk singer Patrick Galvin, "Tribute to Woody" (about Woody Guthrie) by Bob Dylan (originally titled "Song to Woody"), "The Ludlow Massacre", by Guthrie, "A Letter to Syracuse" by English folksingers Dave Cartwright and Bill Caddick, and "I Wish I Was In England", an early composition by Moore, who would go on to establish himself as a significant songwriter of Irish music. The album opens with a medley of the traditional song "The Raggle Taggle Gipsies" and the piping tune Tabhair Dom Do Lámh, which would be the opening track of Planxty's self-titled album released the following year.

[edit] LP track listing

[edit] Side one

  1. "The Raggle Taggle Gipsies"/"Tabhair Dom Do Lámh" (traditional)
  2. "The Dark Eyed Sailor" (traditional)
  3. "I Wish I Was in England" (Christy Moore)
  4. "Lock Hospital" (traditional)
  5. "James Connolly" (Patrick Glavin)
  6. The Hackler From Grouse Hall" (traditional)

[edit] Side two

  1. "Tribute to Woody" (Bob Dylan)
  2. "The Ludlow Massacre" (Woody Guthrie)
  3. "A Letter to Syracuse" (Dave Cartwright, Bill Caddick)
  4. "Spancill Hill" (traditional)
  5. "The Cliffs of Dooneen" (traditional)
  6. "Rambling Robin" (traditional)