Ron Kavana-Home Fire

[Behan]

A great selection of tunes. These and more can be found in Ron's book Irish Ways-The Story of Ireland In Song Music and Poetry. Very informative.

[glonn]

Replying to my own thread...three years later.

Anyway, I just watched the film Hidden Agenda and there is a brilliant scene where Ron and Terry are playing rebel songs in a Republican club in Belfast. They do one number that I am unfamiliar with and then Young Ned as the scene moves to the basement. Good film, even better with Terry.

GK

[territa]

Replying to my own thread...three years later.

Anyway, I just watched the film Hidden Agenda and there is a brilliant scene where Ron and Terry are playing rebel songs in a Republican club in Belfast. They do one number that I am unfamiliar with and then Young Ned as the scene moves to the basement. Good film, even better with Terry.

GK

ummm, damn near four years now... (!) and it's still one of my favorite albums.

[glonn]

ummm, damn near four years now... (!) and it's still one of my favorite albums.

freakin' math! Glad to hear that the album has staying power with you too.

[Low D]

Replying to my own thread...three years later.

Anyway, I just watched the film Hidden Agenda and there is a brilliant scene where Ron and Terry are playing rebel songs in a Republican club in Belfast. They do one number that I am unfamiliar with and then Young Ned as the scene moves to the basement. Good film, even better with Terry.

GK

That is a great film. Recognized Terry at the time, but didn't realize that was Ron Kavana with him. The song they're doing is "The Ballad of Joe McDonnell", written by Brian Warfield (of The Wolfetones). The only recorded copy I've come across is a Wolfetones version, not much to recommend that one (kind of a dirge). Terry & Ron's is much peppier.

Lyrics here:
http://www.bobbysandstrust.com/multimedia/songs#15

And you dare to call me a terrorist
While you look down your gun...

[Low D]

I just looked up some Kavana CDs, and 'Everyman is a king' is on 'Think like a Hero' (1990). Hmmmm. Just listened to the (shitty quality) sample, and it seems to be along the lines of his version of 'Young Ned' (aka Not That Brilliant). Well, it's just a sample.

For the record, i dig Ron's version of that. And I think Think Like a Hero along with Coming Days are two of the most brilliant albums ever, the promise of "world music" fully delivered (ok, heavy on the Irish, perhaps...) But seriously, wow, you could do a lot worse than to own these two albums (but no, don't expect 'em to sound like the Pogues at all). I listen to those albums, and it's like when i listen to the stuff Levon Helm does nowadays with his band - how the hell is it that this amazing stuff exists only at the margins, when it's about 150 times better than what you hear on the radio? These bands are so talented, so full of soul, and so rocking... and nobody notices.

Home Fire gets a lot of attention, as does The Bucks' Dancing To The Ceili Band, I suspect largely due to Terry's involvement. And don't get me wrong, they're fine albums. But Think Like a Hero & Coming Days top anything he's done before (ok, so i've not heard it all) or after, in my opinion.

[philipchevron]

I just looked up some Kavana CDs, and 'Everyman is a king' is on 'Think like a Hero' (1990). Hmmmm. Just listened to the (shitty quality) sample, and it seems to be along the lines of his version of 'Young Ned' (aka Not That Brilliant). Well, it's just a sample.

For the record, i dig Ron's version of that. And I think Think Like a Hero along with Coming Days are two of the most brilliant albums ever, the promise of "world music" fully delivered (ok, heavy on the Irish, perhaps...) But seriously, wow, you could do a lot worse than to own these two albums (but no, don't expect 'em to sound like the Pogues at all). I listen to those albums, and it's like when i listen to the stuff Levon Helm does nowadays with his band - how the hell is it that this amazing stuff exists only at the margins, when it's about 150 times better than what you hear on the radio? These bands are so talented, so full of soul, and so rocking... and nobody notices.

Home Fire gets a lot of attention, as does The Bucks' Dancing To The Ceili Band, I suspect largely due to Terry's involvement. And don't get me wrong, they're fine albums. But Think Like a Hero & Coming Days top anything he's done before (ok, so i've not heard it all) or after, in my opinion.

Ron's twin passions - Irish music and American rhythm n blues (before it came to mean Urban Beats or whatever) made him unique on the London scene and I agree he is criminally overlooked even by people who know their music. To hear what he sounded like as a bar-band king, try to get hold of the first/only album by his band Juice On The Loose (vinyl only) from around 1981/82. No Irish music on this, but he brings a definite Corkonian edge to soul classics like Irma Thomas's "It's Raining".

Ron, incidentally, took my job at the "Rock On" record shop after I left to be a full-time Pogue.

[Shaz]

Think Like A Hero is one of my all-time favourite albums, and I also listen to Home Fire a lot. I'm sorry Ron doesn't seem to be recording now. At one point he was a regular at lots of festivals. I also saw him a couple of times with the band at the Red Lion in Birmingham.

[Low D]

Think Like A Hero is one of my all-time favourite albums, and I also listen to Home Fire a lot. I'm sorry Ron doesn't seem to be recording now.

He did an M.A. in Irish History the other year - there's a good comment on the state of non-corporate music: you're better off as a grad student!

[Shaz]

Think Like A Hero is one of my all-time favourite albums, and I also listen to Home Fire a lot. I'm sorry Ron doesn't seem to be recording now.

He did an M.A. in Irish History the other year - there's a good comment on the state of non-corporate music: you're better off as a grad student!

Sigh, yeah! I read somewhere he'd done it. And I think he was also involved in compiling an Irish folk box set. I miss his music a lot -- he was one of the best live musicians I've seen.

[Low D]

Think Like A Hero is one of my all-time favourite albums, and I also listen to Home Fire a lot. I'm sorry Ron doesn't seem to be recording now.

He did an M.A. in Irish History the other year - there's a good comment on the state of non-corporate music: you're better off as a grad student!

Sigh, yeah! I read somewhere he'd done it. And I think he was also involved in compiling an Irish folk box set. I miss his music a lot -- he was one of the best live musicians I've seen.

That might actually be the 4-disc box set HE put out. It's pretty much an M.A. in Irish History right there (not to mention a PhD in fine arts!). Think of it as and expanded verion of the 2-disc set of a few years before: Irish Songs Of Rebellion, Resistance And Reconciliation
http://properuk.com/artists.php?action=alview&alid=2019

[Shaz]

And I think he was also involved in compiling an Irish folk box set. I miss his music a lot -- he was one of the best live musicians I've seen.

That might actually be the 4-disc box set HE put out. It's pretty much an M.A. in Irish History right there (not to mention a PhD in fine arts!). Think of it as and expanded verion of the 2-disc set of a few years before: Irish Songs Of Rebellion, Resistance And Reconciliation
http://properuk.com/artists.php?action=alview&alid=2019

I've got that! The one I was thinking of was putting together a collection for someone like Topic of other Irish traditional musicians' work. IIRC, there were themed discs, including the Irish in Britain. Wish I could remember what it was called!

[Clash Cadillac]

And I think he was also involved in compiling an Irish folk box set. I miss his music a lot -- he was one of the best live musicians I've seen.

That might actually be the 4-disc box set HE put out. It's pretty much an M.A. in Irish History right there (not to mention a PhD in fine arts!). Think of it as and expanded verion of the 2-disc set of a few years before: Irish Songs Of Rebellion, Resistance And Reconciliation
http://properuk.com/artists.php?action=alview&alid=2019

I've got that! The one I was thinking of was putting together a collection for someone like Topic of other Irish traditional musicians' work. IIRC, there were themed discs, including the Irish in Britain. Wish I could remember what it was called!

I believe your thinking of the 7 disc set made from the Topic catalogue on Globestyle titled:

CDORBD 081 Treasure My Heart
CDORBD 082 I'm Leaving Tipperary
CDORBD 085 The Rushy Mountain
CDORBD 090 Hurry The Jug
CDORBD 092 Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part
CDORBD 093 The Coolin'
CDORBD 094 A Living Thing

[Shaz]

The one I was thinking of was putting together a collection for someone like Topic of other Irish traditional musicians' work. IIRC, there were themed discs, including the Irish in Britain. Wish I could remember what it was called!

I believe your thinking of the 7 disc set made from the Topic catalogue on Globestyle titled:

CDORBD 081 Treasure My Heart
CDORBD 082 I'm Leaving Tipperary
CDORBD 085 The Rushy Mountain
CDORBD 090 Hurry The Jug
CDORBD 092 Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part
CDORBD 093 The Coolin'
CDORBD 094 A Living Thing

Yes, that's it! Many thanks . . .

[Low D]

To hear what he sounded like as a bar-band king, try to get hold of the first/only album by his band Juice On The Loose (vinyl only) from around 1981/82. No Irish music on this, but he brings a definite Corkonian edge to soul classics like Irma Thomas's "It's Raining".

Thanks for the tip, one more to add to the list. Went to ebay last night looking, and i did get myself a cd copy of "Rockin' & Cruisin'" (listed as "contemporary jazz"?). There's a vinyl copy up for offer too, if anybody's looking.

He's had a busy history, best summary i've come across so far is - unusually - the amazon one... Oh, I see, it's pulled from allmusic.com. I'll paste it here for those who wanna know more (rather than ask "Who has Ron Kavana played with?" the easier question might be "Who HASN'T he played with?"):