Finbar Furey   •   Colours

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  • Colours
    • 2012 - Valley 2-VLT-15236 CD (USA)
  • Tracklist
    1. After Sunday Mass (Finbar Furey)
    2. School Days Over (Ewan MacColl)
    3. Colours (Philip Donovan Leitch)
    4. Walking with My Love (Finbar Furey) —w/Mary Black
    5. One Last Pay Day (Finbar Furey)
    6. Blowin In the Wind (Bob Dylan)
    7. Rivers of Steel (Finbar Furey) —w/Shayne Ward
    8. Whiskey Come to Me on Sunday (Finbar Furey)
    9. Begging Change on The Street (Finbar Furey)
    10. Dan O'Hara (Trad. Arr. Finbar Furey)
    11. Once When I Was (Finbar Furey)
    12. Waltzing Matilda (Trad. Arr. Finbar Furey)
    13. The Ballad for George Best (Finbar Furey)
    14. The Old Man (Phil Coulter)
    15. Up By Christchurch & Down By St Patrick's & Home (Finbar & Martin Furey)

  • Musicians
    • Finbar Furey: Vocals, Uillean Pipes, 5 String Banjo, Acoustic Guitar & Whistle
    • Bill Shanley: Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Drums, etc.
    • Andrew Holdsworth: Keyboards, Drums & Strings
    • Mary Black: Vocals (Track: 4)
    • Shayne Ward: Vocals (Track: 7)
    • Áine Furey: Vocals (Track: 15)
    • Martin Furey: Vocals (Track: 15)
  • Credits
    • Produced by Bill Shanley
    • Additional Production: Andrew Holdsworth
    • Recorded by Micheal Manning & Ciaran Byrne
    • Mixed by Andrew Holdsworth & Ciaran Byrne
    • Arrangements by Finbar Furey
    • Production & Arrangment: Martin Furey (Track: 15)
    • Cover Photo: Enda Casey
    • Design & Layout: Dermot O'Connor

Sleeve Notes

After Sunday Mass — After Sunday Mass — it is of course where the Irish Emigrants meet to share information and exchange gossip from home. It could be New York or Sydney, Hong Kong or London. It goes on the world over and in every religion and sect too.

School Days Over — This is a tribute to the late, great Ewan MacColl whom I met on many occasions when I played at his respected Singers' Club with Eddie in the 60s. We had many late nights of music and song. He was a true gem to British folk music and the rest of the world. He was very aware of the working class people and has long been thought of as a crusader for the purest of reasons.

Colours — Donovan seems to have been around forever and his songs get better with age like a good vintage wine. My great friend and banjo mentor, Derroll Adams loved Donovan and would talk about him like a father talking about his son, so I got to know Donovan through Derrol long before I met him. Donovan wrote the song 'Epistle to Derroll.' For Derrol and Danny.

Walking With My Love — A summer evening in Killorglin Co. Kerry. My parents first stroll out together at Puck Fair 1932. They fell in love then decided to get wed 3 days later. Thanks to Mary Black who sings with me on this one -we had a lot of fun recording it

One Last Pay Day — I got the idea for this song from an old newspaper cutting I read in the airport waiting for a connecting flight to Berlin from Frankfurt. I was travelling with Rambling Jack Elliot, Guy and Candy Carawan and my old hero again, Derroll Adams. We had finished an album together and we were touring all over Germany for the last time. One Last Pay Day is a tribute to the times we had, the songs we wrote, trying to save the human race for one last pay day.

Blowin' In the Wind — Dylan — the 60s again. This is one of my special favourites from those freedom and love campaigning years. Flower power. I met Bob Dylan only once and that's fine with me. He will be a big star and a brilliant poet always in my eyes.

Rivers Of Steel — When I did a gig up in Mountjoy Jail in Dublin one Christmas a young man came up to me after and told me his story and his regrets. We had a great night, lots of laughs and music but there was something missing. A touch of love, a connection to life. The loss of the world's sweet past and feelings deeply entombed within the soul. Many thanks to Shayne Ward for his wonderful voice and duet with me on this one.

Whiskey Come to Me on Sunday — How many of those of us have had enough of toil and work with one or two days off to put it all to sleep and then the slog starts on Monday all over again. Well, this song counteracts that awful negative feeling and shows the bright and good side of it all. Life goes on.

Begging Change on The Street — The feeling behind this Irish/Appalachian song is a party piece about the luck of the lonely street busker or tapper who meets the girl of his dreams with lots of money. She takes him away from all his wandering back to her side of the street with a smile on his face. No more to rove.

Dan O'Hara — Sitting here writing this I can picture my Auntie Dolly, my father's older sister, singing this beautiful old and proud song of famine, loss and emigration. It's a gem in the crown of Irish heritage and folk history. Dan O'Hara's past in Connemara calling him home awhile.

Once When I Was — This little song is about me when I was about six years old. I tried to save an old crow I had found injured. It couldn't fly but it tried so hard and in the end it sadly just gave up and died in my arms.

Waltzing Matilda — Australia's unofficial national anthem was written by Banjo Patterson in 1895 with music put to it later on. The pole, the tucker bag. food enough for thought reminds me of the Irish Traveller having also to take to the roads to survive.

The Ballad for George Best — I always admired this breathtakingly talented genius of the football field and met him a couple of times. He was a natural master of his trade and a wonderful human being. Sadly missed.

The Old Man — This song was written about and dedicated to my father Ted Furey.

Up By Christchurch And Down By St Patrick's and Home (Instrumental) — For Nora — She was always there with a smile. I miss her very much.