Mcnally's Row of Flats

Mick Moloney | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Compass Records
• ASIN: B000ELJAKG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,358 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Mick Moloney’s new album, McNally’s Row of Flats, pulls back the curtain on a forgotten era of Irish-American history and song. It centers on the work of actor/writer Ed Harrigan and musician David Braham, who were the toast of the Great White Way in an era when the intersection of minstrelsy and vaudeville were poised to give birth to what we now know as American Musical Theatre. Harrigan and his performing partner Tony Hart both began their careers in the minstrelsy circuit before collaborating on a series of satirical sketches based on the immigrant communities of New York City. In the 1870s, Harrigan parlayed their most popular sketches into a series of incredibly successful musical plays, for which he and pit-orchestra leader Braham wrote the songs Moloney revisits on McNally’s Row of Flats.

Equally qualified as a musician and anthropologist, Mick Moloney brings to these songs the perfect balance of historical insight and musical relevance. Born in Ireland, Moloney came to America in 1973 and pursued a career that uniquely combines the roles of musician, folklorist, author, presenter, radio and television personality, and educator. He holds a Ph.D. in folklore, and teaches at New York University in their Irish Studies program.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly, October 25, 2009

By 

Pedro D. Perez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Mcnally's Row of Flats (Audio CD)

Nick Moloney's efforts in bringing back to us the music of late XIX century NYC vaudeville are to be applauded, but after the delightful opening track that gives its name to the record, it becomes less an alive musical experience and more a museum expedition. I know, a difficult trick to pull off, but their treatment of the "McNally's Row of Flats" track shows that it could have been done...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, April 20, 2009

By 

Michael Monagan "Michael" (LA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mcnally's Row of Flats (Audio CD)

These were the pop songs from the late 19th century but because they weren't recorded we've lost them, until now. What a wonderful bunch of songs not only as history but because they're great music. They fit very well in the Stephen Foster tradition. The recordings are excellent. Great singing, great playing, great arrangements. Now, who will stage one of the Harrigan and Hart shows?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Treasure, March 28, 2009

By 

Mr. Nowhere (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mcnally's Row of Flats (Audio CD)

The songs of Harrigan and Braham, written for musical shows towards the end of the 19th Century, are a lost treasure of American culture -- brought to vivid life again in fine performances by Mick Maloney on this CD. You can't get closer than this to the roil and energy and sweet aspiration of immigrant life in 19th-Century New York, when people from all over the world laughed and complained and butted heads with each other as they struggled to find a way of being Americans together.