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Sleeve Notes
In May 1994 four of Ireland's greatest musicians came together for a unique nationwide concert tour under the name Four For The Road
FOUR FOR THE ROAD are:
DON BAKER — who recently starred in Jim Sheridan's Oscar-nominated "In The Name of The Father” was described by Bono as "the greatest harmonica player in the world".
FINBAR FUREY — one of Ireland's finest uilleann pipe players and is the creator of unforgettable renditions of "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" and 'The Lonesome Boatman" and has toured worldwide with The Furey Brothers.
MICK HANLY — winner of the 1994 British Music industry Award for outstanding country music. His song "Past The Point of Rescue", sung by Hal Ketchum was the most played country single in the U.S. in 1993. He has been described by Garth Brooks as one of today's great country songwriters.
JIMMY MacCARTHY — Ireland's most prolific songwriter has created classics that include "No Frontiers", "Ride On". "Ancient Rain” and "Katie" for artists such as Mary Black, Christy Moore and Mary Coughlan. In the past two years he has established a very successful solo career.
FOUR FOR THE ROAD the album captures the highlights of that tour.
The last year has been a terrific year for me. Jim Sheridan cast me for a part in "In the Name of the Father" The success of the film and the Oscar night were all things I could never have expected. I also enjoyed the release of my 3rd album "No Nonsense" as it was a live album and I felt it delivered the same kind of vibe as my gigs over the past few years. Working as one of the Four for the Road tour was a terrific opportunity for all four of us to perform our material at concert gigs to seated audiences rather than the drink-dance-pub gig and I really looked forward to the shows.
Don Baker
Since last October I've had three successful tours with my brothers, Eddie, Paul and George — The Fureys, in Australia, Britain and the States, taking on major venues like the Melbourne Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall New York, San Francisco's Great American Music Hall and The Barbican in London. I have just finished a 10-day tour of the U K. with Stockton's Wing as my guests with Gibb Todd and also a long promised piping album. It's been nearly twenty years since the last one.
It was a hard decision to move from the comfort of working with my brothers to taking some time out of Ireland, solo touring around just singing new songs I've written and playing pipes, while the brothers keep the flag flying for the Fureys in Ireland gigging round the country.
I looked forward to the challenge of touring with Don, Jimmy and Mick. Four totally different styles and talents: new songs and old hits, pipes, flutes, mouth organs and guitars etc., with Jimmy Faulkner as the fifth man, there were some great nights of music.
Finbar Furey
How did I get involved? Well, I was in Lahinch nursing a soda and lime, keeping my powder dry when I heard a gravelly voice saying "gerrup ougha dah'. Who was it but the bould Finbar sporting a brand new perm and extending a golf-gloved hand. "I'm just after getting a new set of clubs" says he "and I can knock a great tune out of 'em. What are you doing for May/June?" "The usual", says I, "the lawn, the washing etc., but I could tear myself away”. "Well we re looking for one more to make up a good foursome" says he "what d'you think?". "That sounds great" says I "who else is going?" "There's meself, a film star and a lad who's big into the nags" says Finbar "we're kicking off in Bantry on 13th May”. "The very job" says I. "By the way,” says he "der'll be a bit of a session every night as well. The filmstar's supposed to be very good on the mouth organ and yer man can rattle something on the spoons”. "Right" says I "I'll throw the hammond in with the clubs".
"Now you're talking, gerrup!"
Mick Hanly
I had been working on material for a new album over the past few months with Fiachra Trench and Philip Begley and planned to record my new album immediately after the tour for release in October.
As a solo artist the tour was different in that I was travelling and working with the lads and that made a welcome change. I performed some of the new album material together with the old but what I really looked forward to was the nightly jam when we all got together for the end of the show.
Jimmy MacCarthy
FOUR FOR THE ROAD
October 1994