A blast from the past from Cork.
On the theme of classic songs, it would be remiss of us to ignore the Irish music scene and this belter from Cork’s finest Microdisney is up there with the best of them.
Artist, album and year: Microdisney, Crooked Mile, 1987.
Why is it a classic? No other reason other than it just being a brilliant song. Featuring singer plus keyboard player Cathal Coughlan and Sean O’Hagan on guitar, Microdisney were tipped for greatness and although it didn’t quite work out for them, this track gives you an indication of how good they were.
This song should have been a massive global hit, but it only barely reached the top 30 here in Ireland and made 55 in the UK. It’s a travesty of justice that it did not launch the Cork lads into global super-stardom.
Legendary eclectic broadcaster John Peel was a big fan of the band and they went on to do three of the hallowed Peel Sessions. The song itself was very reflective of the mood in the late eighties and most people lived under the cloud of possible nuclear war.
The lyrics were about ordinary people trying to lead ordinary lives under the threat of possible Armageddon, as the Cold War between the old Soviet Republics and the US raged on.
Did You Know? Cathal Coughlan went on to have a very successful career with the band Fatima Mansions and also in a solo capacity…
The lyrical hook: “When the daily parade of the troubles you made gets you down, Just consider the fate of the wide open space from town to town.”
Video via theporrohman
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