On their 1975 self-titled debut,
the Bothy Band single-handedly reinvented traditional Celtic music for the post-Industrial Age. The ferocious fiddling of
Tommy Peoples, the lucid piping of
Paddy Keenan, the peerless flute playing of
Chieftain Matt Malloy, and the percussive, clock-like precision of
Donal Lunny's bouzouki made for an intoxicating brew, one that would not only retain its effects on the next album, but would surpass it. Like lightening in a bottle,
Old Hag You Have Killed Me remains a benchmark for the genre, a reverent yet forward-thinking collection of traditional Irish music kissed by the contemporary wand of the late '70s. Joining
Keenan and
Lunny this time around are vocalist/clavinet player
Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and an up-and-coming fiddler named
Kevin Burke -- a master of the ornamental Sligo style of Irish fiddling,
Burke would go on to great success with
Patrick Street,
Open House, and as a member of the lauded
Celtic Fiddle Festival. The seamless incorporation of these instruments into the mix -- the clavinet is the percussive keyboard that fueled
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and "You Haven't Done Nothing" -- along with the group's penchant for picking tunes that few at the time were performing helped
the Bothy Band rise to the top of burgeoning Celtic revival scene. While subsequent albums maintain a high level of quality,
Old Hag You Have Killed Me remains not only the pinnacle of the band's career, but one of the genre's most important and beloved recordings. ~ James Christopher Monger