A Drop of the Hard Stuff
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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A Drop of the Hard Stuff
- Artist: The Dubliners
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1967
- Genre: World
Review
Residing somewhere between the Clancy Brothers and the Chieftains, but more raucous in their sensibilities than either of those outfits, the Dubliners have been Irish music's most uninhibited emissaries to the world since the mid-'60s. This album lives up to its title, offering some lusty renditions of drinking songs, rebel songs, reels, and just about every other subgenre upon which this group has built its reputation across the decades. The performances are rousing and rich in sentiment, often joyous, and sometimes angry (depending on the subject). Highlights include "The Old Alarm Clock," "The Rising of the Moon," "Seven Drunken Nights," "Zoological Gardens," "The Fairmoy Lasses & Sporting Paddy" (which shows off the virtuoso side of their playing), and the haunting "Black Velvet Band"." The whole record was worth a follow-up (More of the Hard Stuff), and is still worth hearing, more than four decades later. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi| A Drop of Water (1987 Album by Keiko Matsui) | |
| A Drowning Man Can Pull You Under (2007 Album by Deep Snapper) |
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A Drop of the Hard Stuff
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A Drop of the Hard Stuff
| A Drop of the Hard Stuff | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover to the original edition of the album |
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| Studio album by The Dubliners | ||||||||||
| Released | 1967 | |||||||||
| Genre | Irish folk | |||||||||
| Length | 43:07 | |||||||||
| Label | Major Minor | |||||||||
| The Dubliners chronology | ||||||||||
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A Drop of the Hard Stuff is an album by The Dubliners. It was originally released in 1967 on Major Minor Records (SMLP3 and MMLP3). When it was reissued, it was renamed Seven Drunken Nights because the first track became a hit single. The album cover provides biographical sketches of the band line-up: Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciaran Bourke, and John Sheahan. Four of the songs are sympathetic to the IRA, but this was before "The Troubles" properly began in Ireland. "Limerick Rake" is sung unaccompanied. Most of the songs concern rogues and drinking. "Weila Waile" is a tragic murder ballad, sung with a certain jollity. The album reached number 5 in the album chart,[where?] and stayed in the charts for 41 weeks.
The album title is both an allusion to hard liquor, particularly Irish whiskey, and to the musical difficulty of the fourteen songs chosen for the album[citation needed], which emphasize the considerable depths of talent of the group, from the intricate fiddle and banjo work on "The Galway Races" and the reels, to the impressive a cappella rendition of "Limerick Rake".
Track listing
All songs traditional.
Side One
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seven Drunken Nights" | 3:43 | |
| 2. | "The Galway Races" | 3:17 | |
| 3. | "The Old Alarm Clock" | 1:56 | |
| 4. | "Reels: Colonel Fraser & O'Rourke's Reel" | 2:36 | |
| 5. | "The Rising of the Moon" | 2:36 | |
| 6. | "McCafferty" | 2:26 | |
| 7. | "I'm a Rover" | 4:49 |
Side Two
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Weile Waile" | 3:25 | |
| 2. | "The Travelling People" | 3:50 | |
| 3. | "Limerick Rake" | 3:10 | |
| 4. | "Zoological Gardens" | 2:09 | |
| 5. | "Reels: Fermoy (misspelled as Fairmoye) Lasses & Sporting Paddy" | 1:55 | |
| 6. | "The Black Velvet Band" | 4:26 | |
| 7. | "Poor Paddy on the Railway" | 2:49 |
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