Planxty Planxty Artist

{|Christy Moore|}, {|Andy Irvine|}, {|Liam O'Flynn|}, and {|Donal Lunny|} formed {|Planxty|}, a slang version of the Irish word Slainte meaning good health, in 1973 after collaborating on the {|Christy Moore|} record {|Prosperous|}. Their self-titled debut arrived that same year to the delight of {|traditional Celtic|} music fans across the globe. Their tight, organic, and authentic renderings of tunes like {|Raggle Taggle Gypsy,|} {|The Blacksmith,|} and {|Merrily Kissed the Quaker|} set them apart from many of their more {|experimental|} contemporaries. {|Sweet Thames Flow Softly,|} a {|Ewan MacColl|}-penned song about a London {|Romeo and Juliet|}, features a beautiful vocal take by {|Moore|}, and deft bouzouki work from {|Irvine|}, whose original composition {|The West Coast of Clare|} would begin the artist's long career of timeless {|ballad|} writing. Versions of {|The Jolly Beggar Reel|} and {|Arthur McBride,|} the latter an anti-recruitment song from Donegal, are energetic and well-played, glowing with the warm compression of the early-'70s {|British folk|} scene. Many groups at that time, {|the Boys of the Lough|}, {|the Chieftains|}, {|Sweeny's Men|} -- featuring {|Andy Irvine|} -- struggled to find an audience outside of the pub, while the members of {|Planxty|} managed to work their way into halls and theaters. {|Planxty|} is a remarkable first record from one of the genres most influential acts. ~ James Christopher Monger