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It Was Great Altogether

Volume 30 : It was great altogether
It was great altogether cover.jpg
Compilation album by Traditional Musicians
Released 2016
Genre Folk
Length 222
Label Topic Records
Producer Tony Engle & Reg Hall

It Was Great Altogether TSCD680T subtitled The continuing tradition of Irish music in London is the second album in the fourth series of The Voice of the People from Topic Records.

This compilation follows the development of London-Irish music from the 1950s to the present time mad presents recordings from Topic records back catalogue and many private collections.

Reg Hall defines the booklet of the other compilation in the series, the 'London-Irish' as a distinct ethnic community of settled migrants and their offspring with topping up from a constant trickle of immigrants from Ireland. On this second compilation most of the musicians were raised in Ireland with a few from London, some of whom travelled to Ireland for holidays.

Reg Hall has been active in Irish music in London since the 1950s having been invited by Michael Gorman to join his band in 1956. His involvement in documenting the phenomena continued when he co-produced Paddy in the Smoke with Bill Leader in 1968, recorded in The Favourite public house in Holloway. A number of other recordings followed as well as continuing to play in sessions around London.

A large number of the tracks selected feature him providing accompaniment on either piano or keyboard for the dance tunes.

The album consists of a cardboard case with a card CD holder for the three CDs and a booklet for the sleeve notes.

The cardboard case does not detail the tracks in the compilation but does identify all the musicians and in the brief notes explains the place of Irish music in the lives of the migrant population in the 1950s. The notes then continue to explain that this album covers the period after the 1950s up to the present day.

The booklet consists of 106 pages and follows a similar sequence to the other albums in the series.

CD1, CD2 and CD3. These three sections details the tunes being played on the CDs together with a brief biography of each of the musicians and a history of the recordings in track order. Track lists. The track lists for the three CDs are listed with the artist details and running time.

The album consists of three CDs of recordings made of London Irish Musicians who have worked and played in London from 1964 to 2014. The majority of recordings were made in London. Many of the recordings were made by private individuals with a number from various organisations and individuals including Bob Davenport, Bill Leader, Reg Hall, Peter Bellamy, Resonance 104.4 FM, RTÉ and Radio na Gaeltachta.


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