| Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Andy Irvine |
| Cover: | Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams.jpg |
| Released: | January 1980 |
| Recorded: | Late 1979 |
| Studio: | Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin |
| Genre: | Irish / Southeastern European / Balkan folk music |
| Length: | 46:38 |
| Label: | Tara Records |
| Producer: | Dónal Lunny |
| Prev Title: | Andy Irvine/Paul Brady |
| Prev Year: | 1976 |
| Next Title: | Parallel Lines |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams[1] is Andy Irvine's first solo album, produced by Dónal Lunny and recorded at Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios in late 1979. It was released in January 1980 by Tara Records.[2]
Andy Irvine's first solo album showcased songs and tunes from two of his main influences: side one (on the vinyl LP) featured pieces inspired by Irish traditional music, and side two concentrated on Balkan music.
The album opens with a trilogy of songs ("The Emigrants"), comprising: "The Green Fields Of Amerikay" (which Irvine learnt from Len Graham), "Farewell To Old Ireland"[3] (Irvine's adaptation of "The Emigrant's Farewell", H743[4] from Sam Henry's collection) and "Edward Connors"[3] (which Irvine learnt from Eddie Butcher of Magilligan, County Londonderry).[5]
Then comes "The Longford Weaver"[3] (H745[4] in Sam Henry's, where it is also known as "Long Cookstown" or "Nancy Whiskey"); it segues into "Christmas Eve" (reel).[5]
The Irish set concludes with "Farewell To Balleymoney"[3] (H615[4] in Sam Henry's collection).[5]
The Balkan set begins with "Romanian Song (Blood and Gold)",[3] based on a Romanian song collected by Béla Bartók, re-written by Irvine and Jane Cassidy and set to the music of a Bulgarian dance tune in the 'paidushka' rhythm of ; the song then segues into "Paidushko Horo", an extensive collection of musical phrases borrowed from Bulgarian dance tunes in the same rhythm and performed at breakneck speed.[5]
"King Bore And The Sandman",[5] in mixed rhythms of, and,[3] is Irvine's energetic lament about his times in Bucharest and "dedicated to the man, in the public house, we are always trying to avoid".
The original album (LP) closes with the self-penned "Rainy Sundays",[3] reminiscing about a young lady called Vida with whom Irvine pursued "a one-sided romance in Ljubljana years ago."[3] [5]
The CD version of Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams, released in 1989, includes a bonus track of "Bonny Woodhall"[3] featuring Irvine with Mick Hanly during their live performance as a duo at 'The 4th Irish Folk Festival' in Germany on April 30, 1977.[6] "Bonny Woodhall" is Irvine's interpretation of "Bonny Woodha' " (H476 in Sam Henry's Songs of the People[4]), which he also set to new music. On this track, Irvine accompanied himself on Fylde 'Octavius' bouzouki (with the bottom two courses strung in octave).[7]
1. The Emigrants - 13.51
(a) "Come to the land of sweet liberty" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Lunny, Gavin and O'Flynn)
(b) "Farewell to old Ireland" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Lunny, Brady and Gavin)
(c) "Edward Connors" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine and Lunny)2. "Longford Weaver"/"Christmas Eve" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Gavin and Epping) / (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Gavin, Epping and Lunny) - 5:31
3. "Farewell to Ballymoney" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Lunny and Brady) - 4:31
4. "Romanian Song (Blood and Gold)" (Andy Irvine, Jane Cassidy) - 4:09
5. "Paidushko Horo" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine and Lunny) - 3:34
6. "King Bore and the Sandman" (Andy Irvine) - 3:05
7. "Rainy Sundays" (Andy Irvine) - 6:13
8. "Bonny Woodhall" (Bonus Track) (Traditional; arranged by Andy Irvine) - 5:44 (*)
Recorded and mixed at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin.
Produced by Dónal Lunny.
Engineered by Brian Masterson.
(*) Bonus track recorded live at 'The 4th Irish Folk Festival' in Germany on April 30, 1977.