Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams

Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams[1] is Andy Irvine's first solo album, produced by Dónal Lunny and recorded at Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios in late 1979. It was released in January 1980 by Tara Records.[2]:274

Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams
Studio album by
Andy Irvine
ReleasedJanuary 1980
RecordedLate 1979, at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin
GenreIrish / Southeastern European / Balkan folk music
Length46:38
LabelTara Records
ProducerDónal Lunny
Andy Irvine chronology
Andy Irvine/Paul Brady
(1976)		 Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams
(1980)		 Parallel Lines
(1982)

Andy Irvine's first solo album showcased songs and tunes from two of his main influences: side one (on the vinyl LP) featured pieces inspired by Irish traditional music, and side two concentrated on Balkan music.

Recording

The album opens with a trilogy of songs ("The Emigrants"), comprising: "The Green Fields Of Amerikay" (which Irvine learnt from Len Graham), "Farewell To Old Ireland"[3]:56–58 (Irvine's adaptation of "The Emigrant's Farewell", H743[4]:200 from Sam Henry's collection) and "Edward Connors"[3]:60–62 (which Irvine learnt from Eddie Butcher of Magilligan, County Londonderry).[5]

Then comes "The Longford Weaver"[3]:62–64 (H745[4]:47 in Sam Henry's, where it is also known as "Long Cookstown" or "Nancy Whiskey"); it segues into "Christmas Eve" (reel).[5]

The Irish set concludes with "Farewell To Balleymoney"[3]:66–67 (H615[4]:343 in Sam Henry's collection).[5]

The Balkan set begins with "Romanian Song (Blood and Gold)",[3]:68–69 based on a Romanian song collected by Béla Bartók, re-written by Irvine and Jane Cassidy and set to the music of a Bulgarian dance tune in the 'paidushka' rhythm of 5
16; the song then segues into "Paidushko Horo", an extensive collection of musical phrases borrowed from Bulgarian dance tunes in the same rhythm and performed at breakneck speed.[5]

"King Bore And The Sandman",[5] in mixed rhythms of 6
8, 9
8 and 4
4,[3]:70–72 is Irvine's energetic lament about his times in Bucharest and "dedicated to the man, in the public house, we are always trying to avoid".

The original album (LP) closes with the self-penned "Rainy Sundays",[3]:72–76 reminiscing about a young lady called Vida with whom Irvine pursued "a one-sided romance in Ljubljana years ago."[3]:72[5]

The CD version of Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams, released in 1989, includes a bonus track of "Bonny Woodhall"[3]:24–25 featuring Irvine with Mick Hanly during their live performance as a duo at 'The 4th Irish Folk Festival' in Germany on April 30, 1977.[6] "Bonny Woodhall" is Irvine's interpretation of "Bonny Woodha' " (H476 in Sam Henry's Songs of the People[4]:84), which he also set to new music. On this track, Irvine accompanied himself on Fylde 'Octavius' bouzouki (with the bottom two courses strung in octave).[7]

Track listing

1. The Emigrants – 13.51

(a) "Come to the land of sweet liberty" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Lunny, Gavin and O'Flynn)
(b) "Farewell to old Ireland" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Lunny, Brady and Gavin)
(c) "Edward Connors" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine and Lunny)

2. "Longford Weaver"/"Christmas Eve" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Gavin and Epping) / (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Gavin, Epping and Lunny) – 5:31
3. "Farewell to Ballymoney" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine, Lunny and Brady) – 4:31
4. "Romanian Song (Blood and Gold)" (Andy Irvine, Jane Cassidy) – 4:09
5. "Paidushko Horo" (Traditional; arranged by Irvine and Lunny) – 3:34
6. "King Bore and the Sandman" (Andy Irvine) – 3:05
7. "Rainy Sundays" (Andy Irvine) – 6:13
8. "Bonny Woodhall" (Bonus Track) (Traditional; arranged by Andy Irvine) – 5:44 (*)

Personnel

Recorded and mixed at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin.
Produced by Dónal Lunny.
Engineered by Brian Masterson.
(*) Bonus track recorded live at 'The 4th Irish Folk Festival' in Germany on April 30, 1977.

References
  1. Andy Irvine - Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams LP, Tara Records TARA 3002, 1980.
  2. O'Toole, Leagues (2006). The Humours of Planxty. Ireland: Hodder Headline. ISBN 03-4083-796-9.
  3. Irvine, Andy (1988). Aiming For The Heart. Germany: Heupferd Musik Verlag GmbH. ISBN 39-2344-501-6.
  4. Huntington, Gale; Herrmann, Lani; Dr Moulden, John, eds. (2010). Sam Henry's Songs of the People. Athens, GA and London: The University of Georgia Press. ISBN 08-2033-625-4.
  5. Sleeve notes from Andy Irvine - Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams LP, Tara Records TARA 3002, 1980.
  6. Sleeve notes from The 4th Irish Folk Festival On The Road, InterCord INT 180.038, 1977.
  7. Andy Irvine - Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams CD, Wundertüte TÜT 72.141, 1989.
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