Spirit of the Nation

Spirit of the Nation

by The Wolfe Tones
Spirit of the Nation

Spirit of the Nation

by The Wolfe Tones

CD

$19.99 
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Overview

In retrospect, 1981's Spirit of the Nation is one of the oddest albums by the Wolfe Tones. The Irish quartet's tenth release, it was recorded in the spirited mold of the college folk scene that was so prevalent in the early '60s. Songs like "Protestant Men" and "Paddle Your Own Canoe" have the cheery singalong trio of the Kingston Trio, and it's not until one pays attention to the lyrics of songs like "Padraic Pearse" (a ballad about one of the Irish Republican martyrs of the early 20th century) that one notices the sharp, biting political commentary so prevalent all over this album. The dichotomy is a little odd at first, and then it seems subversively brilliant; one can imagine this album getting slipped onto the turntable during a drunken St. Paddy's Day fraternity bash at some Ivy League college and, in the argot of the day, raising a few people's consciousness. The terribly dated sound of the album makes it much more of a relic than most of the Wolfe Tones' early albums, but Spirit of the Nation is at the very least an interesting curio. ~ Stewart Mason

Product Details

Release Date: 09/30/1991
Label: Shanachie
UPC: 0016351522825
Rank: 83377

Tracks

  1. Dingle Bay
  2. No Irish Need Apply
  3. Down by the Glenside
  4. Bold Fenian Men
  5. Paddle Your Own Canoe
  6. Padraic Pearse
  7. The Lough Sheelin Eviction
  8. Song of the Celts
  9. Butterfly
  10. Protestant Men
  11. Only Our Rivers Run Free
  12. Saint Patrick Was a Gentleman
  13. Ireland Unfree
  14. Carolan's Concerto
  15. Streets of New York

Album Credits

From the B&N Reads Blog

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