Irish Eyes Are Smiling!

St. Patrick's Day is Less than a week away and some of you might be celebrating this weekend (or all of next week for that matter), so I figured I'd drop the second Burn and Shine Irish Comp a little early. Kiss Me I'm Irish was one of the most successful (in terms of downloads) comps of the year, and I'm hoping you all enjoy the sequel as well.

Happy Listening!


Kiss Me I’m Irish Two!

01. Gary Moore, “Back on the Streets” (1978).

Okay there are some cheesy guitar solos on this (it is Guitar Gawd Gary Moore after all) but the song still manages to hold up. From his second solo LP, of the same name.

02. The Moondogs, “Who’s Gonna Tell Mary” [John Peel Session] (1980).

This actually predates the single version of this song, by about a year. Punky Power Pop at its finest.

03. In Tua Nua, “All I Wanted” (1988).

I’m pretty sure I bought this cassette because ITN was opening some dates for U2 in the U.S. I remember really liking it at the time, the production on this song is a little dated, but still makes me smile.

04. Future Kings of Spain, “Venetian Blinds" (2003).

Odd name for an Irish band. This song sounds a lot like Weezer—and I mean that in the best possible way.

05. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Give Ireland Back to the Irish” (1971).

Second generation Irish, this was the first single released in the States credited to Wings.

06. Radiators From Space, “Television Screen” (1977).

Issued on Chiswick records in April of 1977, this is one of the first Punk singles out of Ireland (or anywhere for that matter).

07. Horslips, “Dearg Doom” (1973).

If I had heard Horslips in seventh grade, I would have been all over them (what is it about junior high boys and prog?). From The Tain, a progressive rock opera based on an old Irish Saga.

08. Hothouse Flowers, “Don’t Go” (1988).

Another song that hasn’t aged quite as well as it should have, thanks to the cheesy 80’s production and the bad sax solo. Still, beneath all that gloss lies a fantastic song.

09. The Vipers, “No Such Thing” (1978).

As promised, this is the flipside of the Vipers lone, dynamite single “I’ve Got You” featured on BoPP Disc Four.

10. The Frames, “Sad Songs” (2006).

This is from The Cost, which was the first I’d ever heard of the Frames. I had no idea they had been around for about 15 years already.

11. Philip Lynott, “Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" (1980).

From Phil’s first, and best solo album, Solo in Soho. It might have been a bigger hit, had it been released as Thin Lizzy.

12. A House, “Call Me Blue” (1988).

Last time I made an Irish compilation, the year 1977 kept coming up. This time it’s 1988. This song has aged quite gracefully.

13. So Cow, “To Do List” (2007).

Brian Kelly is So Cow, and he was one of my favorite finds in 2009. I’m surprised Jason Reitman hasn’t used him on a soundtrack yet.

14. Bob Geldof, “Room 19” (1993).

A fun sing-a-long song from the former Boomtown Rats frontman.

15. The Outcasts, “Self conscious Over You” (1979).

Another great punk band from Belfast.

16. Bell X1, “Flame” (2006).

Okay, I’ll admit I have a soft spot for most of those neo-post-punk dance singles from the early/mid aughts. This one is particularly fun, and sounds kind of like Franz Ferdinand.

17. The Urges, “I Gotta Wait” (2007).

Seriously, if you’d never heard of this band and checked them out, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were a great lost garage band from the 60s. As far as I know, this track is from their album Psych Ward which is the only thing they’ve released. Hopefully, there’s something on the horizon.

18. Rory Gallagher, “Don’t Know Where I’m Going” (1971).

Rory does a nice Bob Dylan impression here, from his second album, cleverly titled Deuce.

19. Saint Vitus Dance, “Horse Sense” (1987).

Noel Burke’s-- the guy who replaced Ian McCulloch for that one (not very good) Echo and the Bunnymen record-- first band put out a very under-rated Brit Pop album called Love Me Love My Dogma, from which this track is culled.

20. John Lennon, “Maggie Mae” (ca. 1979).

Also second generation Irish, this is a nice, if a bit short acoustic demo that can be found on the excellent Lennon Anthology from 1998.

Total Time: 1:02:15

Download it here: Kiss Me I'm Irish Two!