St. Patrick's Day is this week, and I am from Irish decent (in case you couldn't tell from the last name), so I thought what better time to have an entire Irish themed week! Today we'll start with a mini history of Irish rock music.
Rock music really emerged in Ireland in the 1960's with the interesting idea of 'Showbands'. These were groups of professional performers who played at halls and clubs around the country covering American and British hits. This is how Van Morrison got his start, as it was pretty much the only way to earn a living as a musician during that time. Thankfully, Morrison later went on to achieve international success with the group Them and then he went onto a solo career.
In the 1970's the hard rock band 'Thin Lizzy' came out and was very successful. You might not know them by name, but you certainly have heard 'The Boys are Back in Town' on the radio at one point in your life. It was listed as one of the top 500 songs of all time in Rolling Stone Magazine after all. (Number 499, but still in the top 500)
The late 70's also brought along one of the biggest rock bands of all time - 'U2'. Although it wasn't until the 1980's that they really hit it big. Their 1987 album Joshua Tree (their 5th studio album) had several hits that are still just as great today as they were then.
The 1980's also introduced Sinead O'Connor and her Pope picture ripping ways to the world.
The 90's brought a pop rock group - 'The Cranberries' to our listening ears. I still remember listening to their song 'Zombie' as a kid. I swore up and down that they were actually saying 'Salami'. I still stand by that argument - really, listen to it.
Today, there are 2 Irish bands on the top 40 charts - 'The Script' and 'Two Door Cinema Club'. The song 'Breakeven' is a lyrically beautiful, moving and powerful experience no matter how many times you hear it. "I just prayed to a God that I don't believe in." - Wow.
So this a brief and not at all complete history of Irish rock music. So here's the question - Who is your favorite Irish band or what is your favorite Irish song? Who did I leave off my list that should have been there?
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