Fire of Freedom

Black 47

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 1993)
• Original Release Date: March 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000006N4R
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,055 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paddy's Got a Brand New Reel, January 10, 2001

By	m_noland "m_noland" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

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.

As a final note: "Fire of Freedom" is not Black 47's first CD. The band put out an eponymous CD two years earlier. Many of the songs are the same as "Fire of Freedom" though there are four that are not on subsequent disks. The production is more spare, and I actually prefer some of the performances to the more cluttered productions on "Fire of Freedom." If you like "Fire of Freedom" and you come across "Black 47", it could be worthwhile picking it up.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Power and Passion, March 5, 2004

By	Tim Bray "Oak & Thorn" (Albion, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new breed of celtic-style music, January 14, 2001

By	Douglas A. Smith (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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).