The Bothy Band 1977 The Laurel Tree

[smkemper]

Thanks for this fantastic moment. Never seen Matt Molloy with so much hair before. : -)

[sweet123pea]

Hey! Great music - does anyone know the names of each of the tunes? cheers!

[piobairesicago]

@sweet123pea

Billy Brocker's - The Humous of Loughrea - The Laurel Tree

[paddy2411]

Paddy Keenan is surely the best Uillean Pipe musician I've never heard.

He is skill and accurate, and places so nice ornamentation that his acting is a perfection. So perfect is Matt Molloy too ...

[paddy2411]

I've discovered the music of Bothy Band when I was about seventeen, with my father who was a great fan of Irish music. If you've never gone in an Irish Pub around the western coast, or Connemara, or Donegal, you have never felt the community and the brotherhood of those little bands of friends who plays there. That's Ireland ...

[DeafFret]

0:40



[piobairesicago]

The keyboard is a "clavinet" a sort of upright downsized harpsichord

[fcas2y6]

kevin burke is a star of the Bothy Band and he can sing also.

[piobairesicago]

@fcas2y6 I would say Paddy Keenan is (was) the star of the Bothies but I'm biased, being an exponent of the ol' wooden octopus meself

[fcas2y6]

@piobairesicago The clavinet has a great introduction to one number. The way its played reminds me of the Lisa Simpson jazz quote - listen to the silent notes. Great range of sounds, speed, voices

[Vaskis4life]

what is that piano-like instrument at 2:45?

[BardicPiper]

@Vaskis4life I'm pretty sure it's a harpsichord but I could be mistaken.

[liamg353]

@BardicPiper you are right it is a harpsichord

[ghasafello]

Matt Molloy será moito, pero mirade para o gaiteiro, ese Paddy Keenan é sublime, que sentimento, como decia Duke Ellington

[Angui78]

i'm really into this band. the are, at least awesome. i really cannot explain what they make me feel like. dream summoners? fantastic!

[darkfey1963]

I've heard Matt Molloy described as the best flute player in Ireland,and I won't argue that,but the rest of the band are great too.(My god,where did his hair go?)

[kiltownkid]

@darkfey1963 patsy hanley

[darkfey1963]

@kiltownkid I'll have to check that out.Any particular recommendations for recorded material? I'm game to check out new stuff!

[edelahaye]

Nothing better came after that ! Donal, I love your jumper !

[richardyingren]

Magical.....

[UberDeathTurtle]

Matt Molloy is perfection on the flute: his breathing, ornamentation and rthym.

[Phalces]

great

[sophiethehound]

The playing is fantastic, but my God, boys, look at the hair! What has 40 years done to us all?!?!?!?!?

[meltogue]

only great thing that dosnt change much is the music. CAVAN 2010

[NightshadeTea]

@sophiethehound Still better than the 80's, bro.

[smedaas]

@sophiethehound What's wrond with the hair? D:

[wolfie49er]

@smedaas

he's saying that 40 years ago

these guys had hair all over the place

clear around their head in some instances

and now the lads are

um

they're somewhat bald

Molloy especially

hope this helps

[LuciannaFurtado]

that's enchanting! thanks for sharing such a great magic :)

[Sawlon]

Awesome!!!

[kerryman69]

That's the job !

[hamaki747]

Bothy Band is amazing!

Why is it in all of these videos the audience looks bored as hell? They don't like the music???

[Ramclam]

Hamaki, I think that's just an Irish thing, during that time period at least. I'm sure that they love the music.

[oisinc06]

it wasn't just in that time, there is a tradition of serious listening when the music is being played. this music is serious dancing stuff, although it depends on the context, so a concert situation like this, heavy listening, and the applause is usually rapturous which always shows the delight and appreciation of the audience. they were a brilliant fecking band!!

[Irishlad23ni]

Its always been like that, irish music is an art, and its listened too with such sincerity that every detail is appreciated. Same goes for Irish Dance, everyone generally pipes down because they want to look at and hear each step. Its like when people listen to Shamisen in Japan, do they have a big grin on their face, or do they make lots of noise? no.. because they are far to busy listening to every detail of the music piece.

[obleix2000]

They almost had a reunion in San Francisco, I was there and how I wish it happened... I would kill to see them do this live

[twainname]

I always thought of them as the Beatles of Irish Trad music. I just read an article about Kevin Burke that said the secret to their success (I guess all the other attributes like mind blowing technical skills and canyon deep emotional interpretive skills are not secrets) was Donal and Michael's interest in Rock music. They provided a sonically induced rhythm that they had interpreted from Rock. Rock also influenced, song order and chords among other things. The article is on Green linnets site.

[MacMercury]

May I cry? I'm really moved... Thank you for posting!

[TheWhistleCollector]

Some of the best there! They make it look so effortless. They really set the bar for today's Irish music.

[kessfoyer]

When Matt comes in with Donal behind him its magical, should have been used in Lord of the Rings

[sylvanus93]

Paddy Keenan rules.. i like him much better than Davey Spillane

[staryoyodude]

God watching them play is like watching magic.

[JosephEaorle]

I heard them playing road to lisdoonvarna in a set of three jigs somewhere on youtube, and I can't find it now 3 days later... does anybody know where it is?

[fifilafrance]

long hair, shirt with scottish pattern Donnal lunny's famous pull over made of lama's hairs and funny female hair cut: no doubt, we're in the middle of the 70'....

[chef094]

The Tunes are great

[outshore]

can't find them doing kid on the mountain anywhere ?

[IrishFlute69]

Especially when they're playing a set of reels. Don't tend to be many slip jigs in there :P

[outshore]

they played kid on the mountain in the cd after hours a paris recording - going from 6/8 - 9/8 can work quite well depending on the internal dynamics of the preceding jig :) they show this beautifully in the cd I'm referring to

[windingroadkid]

This band was just so awesome. They were the best. This great tune does a particularly good job of featuring individual instrumental talents. When the whole band kicks in at 2:32, I swear it feels like they are going to lift the entire building off the ground.

[VasilicaCascaval]

the best pipe playing i ever saw! by the biggest legend of the instrument naturraly :)

[nrubdarb]

Laurel Tree is such a great tune. Mr. Molloy makes it look so easy ;-)

[newmillshaker]

Thank you for the videos. I didnt think there were any made back in those days. The very few albums produced by these outstanding musicians are all worth having. First time I have seen paddy keennan without his hat though!

[billythehobbit]

pipes and flute are first class in my book esp with this group

[guadalupeJoe]

this guy blows me away.... wow... i guarantee that they would love this stuff in San Fransisco..... rock and pipe on blokes.... and raise a stiff one for the group of boys.....

[brittaindominic]

is matt molloy playing that flute? looks so bored!

[guadalupeJoe]

Fast fingers...wow... and a bag pipe that is pumped by arm! genius. this would go over in California i think... we could enjoy this music... where are the leprechans...?

[kojak543]

bag pipes are u joking pal...!

[guadalupeJoe]

sorry Kojak... i am from the states and have no idea what those istruments are.... rock on!

[Cavanpiper]

Paddy Keenan, the Jimmy Page of Uilleann piping.

[Epicorscala06]

I´m with nosig1 here, feckin brilliant suff.

[ClaiomhMor]

Llama coloured wollies :) That cracked me up. I`m too young to remember them but its surely legendary stuff ok.

[nosig1]

It doesn't get much better...

[banjofiddlee]

Rockin' ! These have yet to be surpassed

[jolysable]

J'ai assisté à un concert de Bothy Band à Paris en 1979-80... Un super souvenir!

[Dayepipes]

This was dating music for my future wife and only a few years after this time. We never dreamed we'd see video of a live performance.

Is "Fionnghuala" posted anywhere?

[donnellobrien]

I just stumbled onto this youtube video and am somewhat beside myself that someone else loves this incredible a capella piece as much as I do. Many years ago, I copied it onto a cassette tape - twice and in succession, so it would last longer! Please let me know if you find this! It would be incredible to actually have the lyrics as well, since all I have is a very crude phonetic representation.

[Missouramule]

Puts most of today's videos to shame.

[alonzogarbanzo]

What a kickass band this was. RIP Micheal. What's with the camera crew's obsession with the pattern on the wall? I'd so rather be watching Donal's or Kevin's or Triona's or Kevin's or Paddy's flyin' fingers!

[consairtin]

hup!

[kirrielass]

Thanks for the many uploads bilko1234. Good on ya!

[Banshun]

Bilko, this is the best stuff on Youtube. Keep it coming. The Bothies and Lunny in llama-pattern woolies. Nobody could ask for more.

[Joseypost1983]

if i ever meet the person who put this up ill defo buy you a few gargles. nice one

[kickatinalong]

Wow!! I'd forgotten how good they were. Burke and Molloy especially!!

[madragaelach]

this made my week!

[subz6]

amazing! love the molloy/lunny interlude so much!