PAT MORAN
PAT MORAN
I was very sorry to hear that Pat Moran passed away on Saturday (8th January). Pat produced my first album and made a huge impression on me. He talked me through the quagmire of the music business in the early days and sometimes terrified the living daylights out of me too!
He was an eccentric in the extreme, and regardless of the studio we were working in, Windmill Lane in Dublin, Rockfield in Wales, or the Record Plant in Los Angeles his reputation proceeded him. Underneath the sometimes unconventional manner he had a good heart and a deep rooted love of music. To this day I cannot hear a track that he produced for me without it bringing to mind some funny anecdote.
My thoughts go out to Brien, John, and all the family.
R.I.P. Pat, you’ll live on in our hearts in the music you were such a big part of.
Eleanor
VIDEO OF ELEANOR
A video of Eleanor and her song Sophie is now up on You Tube. Sophie, from Eleanor’s third album, has come to be an anthem for many who suffer from eating disorders. It has been used as the soundtrack for scores of videos across the internet with over a million viewings on You Tube. This is the first video of Eleanor doing this song.
SHIBBOLETH
When Eleanor sat down to write her new album, I’d Rather Go Blonde, Ireland was in the grips of severe winter weather, a devastating economic crisis, and the continuing abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. The songs that emerged came straight from Eleanor’s own heart but their message is a reflection of the heart of all Ireland. The 6th song on the album, Shibboleth, is especially relevant in light of the news of the bailout of the Irish government this week. Eleanor described Shibboleth in a recent article in Irish Music Magazine. “What I did with that was a trick on what the old traditional Irish songs used to do where you weren’t allowed to talk about the conflict, or England, so they used to talk about Ireland as woman. I’m doing the same in Shibboleth. I’m singing as if it’s a person: ‘Mo ghra, mo chraoi, mo cuisle/How hard it is to see/ A mhuirin, they have brought you to your knees.’ But I’m actually singing about Ireland.
'Shibboleth' (E. McEvoy) Your beauty in the spotlight It was something to behold A final hope of something good A pool of solid gold Mo ghra, mo chroi, mo chuisle How hard it is to see A mhuirnin, they have brought you to your knees You Riverdanced around the world A shining shibboleth You dared to take the breath away Of everyone you met Mo ghra, mo chroi, mo chuisle How hard it is to see A mhuirnin, they have brought you to your knees The rains that you’re so famous for I’ve only realised Are just the tears you fail to keep Cascading from your eyes Mo ghra, mo chroi, mo chuisle How hard it is to see A mhuirnin, they have brought you to your knees Mo ghra, mo chroi, mo chuisle How hard it is to see A mhuirnin, they have brought you to your knees
ELEANOR PERFORMS IN THE SHED
Eleanor recently performed three songs from her new album, I’d Rather Go Blonde, on Jon Earl’s Songs From The Shed. Jon, who turned his garden shed into a recording studio “for a laugh,” has been besieged by bands from across the world queueing up to play there. Jon films the acoustic performances himself on a hand-held video camera and then posts them on You Tube. The site has been getting an increasing amount of traffic on You Tube and has now come to the attention of the press. Both the Express.co.uk and the London Times both ran articles today.You can view all of the videos on the website Songs From The Shed. You can also view Eleanor’s videos directly on You Tube.
THE SHED