Fire of Freedom

Fire of Freedom Artist: Black 47
Label: Capitol
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 077778068624
EAN: 0077778068624
ASIN: B000006N4R


Release Date: 1993-03-23

Fire of Freedom


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Adult Alternative Adult Alternative
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Rock Rock
Categories | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

Tracks:

  1. Livin' In America
  2. Maria's Wedding
  3. Rockin' The Bronx
  4. Fanatic Heart
  5. Funky Ceili
  6. Fire Of Freedom
  7. James Connolly
  8. Livin' In America
  9. Banks Of The Hudson
  10. 40 Shades Of Blue
  11. New York, NY 10009
  12. Sleep Tight In New York City/Her Dear Old Donegal
  13. Black 47
  14. Livin' In America

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  1. Home of the Brave
  2. Live in New York City
  3. New York Town
  4. Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes
  5. Trouble in the Land

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Not typical Irish Punk Music.......2006-11-14

I am a big Dropkick Murphys fan. So, I was excecting something along those lines. Though, I do like Black 47 they are nothing like Dropkick. They remind me more of the eirly eighties bands.

5 out of 5 stars Their most original, and the best starting point.......2006-09-19

All of Black 47's albums have their strong points, but Fire of Freedom has nothing but strong points. There aren't very many albums I've heard by any artist that sound terrific on the very first listen and stay that way for good. But this is one - from the day I bought it in 1993 (on cassette - remember those?!), every song was catchy and memorable in its own way then and still is now.

If I had to settle on one genre for Black 47, "Irish rock" would have to do. But that's a massive oversimplification, and these guys sound absolutely nothing like U2 or The Pogues. What do they sound like? A mishmash of funk, folk, punk, hip-hop, soul, reggae and straight up rock and roll that almost had to be either horrible or wonderful. Luckily for us, it's the latter. The band's unabashedly militant politics turn up in several of the songs, notably "James Connolly," the title track, and the rather enigmatic "Fanatic Heart." They're also not above co-opting old ballads with new words of their own in "40 Shades of Blue" and "Livin' In America" (set to supercharged arrangements of "Down By The Sally Gardens" and "The Foggy Dew" respectively); folk purists might not like these too much, but they're among my favorites. Most of the others are slice-of-life tales of the modern immigrant experience in various corners of New York, ranging from tragic to hilarious.

Nothing beats seeing these guys live, but this CD is a close runner-up to that.

5 out of 5 stars Power and Passion.......2004-03-05

This is one of the decade's best albums. Every track is memorable, though "James Connolly" and "Fire of Freedom" are the ones that stick with me long after the music stops. This is Black 47 at the top of their game (or at least as good as they get in the studio: Nothing beats them live). A mixture of straight-on rock 'n' roll, with Celtic flavors on some tracks, and reggae beats or hip-hop thrown in occasionally. The musicianship here is incredible at times; the horn section blends with the pipes for some truly inspired sounds.

Look for a CD put out in 1995, called "Keep it Reel," with Seanchai (Chris Byrne from Black 47), Eileen Ivers, and Pat McGuire. Absolutely awesome live recording of Irish hip-hop, and several other genres fused together, with brilliant lyrics by Seanchai. Hard to find.

4 out of 5 stars A new breed of celtic-style music.......2001-01-15

This album is a little tougher than one might expect from a celtic band. While you can't divorce the celtic influence it is definitely supported by an American twist.

This cd is fun as in the exuberant "Funky Ceili" (a great song, great story, in neo-celtic style,) "40 Shades of Blue" or "Rockin' the Bronx". More often however there is an edgy darkness here whether in detailing Irish history ("James Connolly" or "Black 47") or in the contemporary ("Banks of the Hudson"). Don't expect the Irish Tenors here or even the Chieftains. The beauty of those artists aren't here (although the artistry is). This is more thought-provoking, more raw, more contemporary (lyrically and vocally).

5 out of 5 stars Paddy's Got a Brand New Reel.......2001-01-11

Larry Kirwan writes theatrical music both literally and figuratively. Sometimes the epic nature of the music comes close to bombast, sometimes the drama veers toward melodramatic, and sometimes his melodic reach exceeds his vocal grasp.

But what songs.

My criterion for 5 stars is that every track has to be memorable. This disk nails it. One is tempted to go track by track to describe the music. As others have indicated, this is a band with disparate roots and influences; its central tendency sounds something like what might have happened if Springsteen grew up in Wexford listening to traditional Irish music instead of R&R and R&B. Like Springsteen at his best, not everything is pedal-to-the-metal; Black 47's music encompasses a range of subject matter and emotion, but with a perspective rooted in Kirwan's immigrant alienation and political interests. "Banks of the Hudson" is what might happen if a traditional murder ballad crashed into Manhattan complete with Geoff Blythe doing his best Clarence Clemmons imitation; "Funky Ceili" is a joyful celebration of dissoluteness; "James Connolly" an anthemic celebration of the Irish Marxist revolutionary; the quiet "Fanatic Heart" is both plaintive and chilling; and "Living in America" is the band's piece de resistance -- an evocation of the slights and hopes of immigrant men and women in America. Like I said it is tempting to review each track.

It would be easy to fall flat on your face trying to pull this off -- the politics degenerating into sloganeering, the passion into cheap sentimentality, and the music into some kind of ersatz folk hydrid. Kirman's self-deprecating humor (I once saw him perform a song about his girlfriend leaving him "for another woman" while he was with the Major Thinkers, an earlier band) saves him lyrically, and relentless live performance has honed the band musically.

Music Album:

  1. What I Like About You (And Other Romantic Hits) ~ The Romantics
  2. Marianne Faithfull's Greatest Hits ~ Marianne Faithfull
  3. The Flat Earth ~ Thomas Dolby
  4. Live In L.A. ~ Trevor Rabin
  5. The Family That Plays Together ~ Spirit
  6. Spectral Mornings ~ Steve Hackett
  7. Sacred Songs ~ Daryl Hall
  8. Supergrass Is 10: Best of 94-04 ~ Supergrass
  9. Blues Farm ~ Ron Carter
  10. Phantom Power ~ The Tragically Hip

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