My Album

A number of years ago, I recorded an album called The Electric Minstrel, a sort of midway point between Ye Olde Seventies Prog-Rock, "new age", and what later came to be called "Celtic fusion". This album took about eight years to come to fruition, having been partly inspired by a trip to the North Georgia mountains when I was about fifteen, soon after first hearing Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow; I think a bit of Vangelis' sensibility as a synth player worked its way in there too (which makes sense, as it seems Vangelis showed Jon how to twiddle the knobs in the course of Jon's recording Olias). Later came my interest in actual Celtic music, and that's how all the parts finally fit.
In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, "I desired to do this for my own satisfaction", though I certainly felt that there must be someone out there among the legions of disaffected '70s prog-rock fans who'd also be interested in hearing it. In any event, this album is the product of a personal vision, not really driven by any commercial or social considerations. (Records may be made to make money, but music should be another matter.)  Having already lost thousands of dollars printing an LP because I just had to have my face on a REAL RECORD, I'm not yet prepared to lose another chunk of change printing CDs.  So here it is on Yon InterThingy for you.  If you like it, please send $5 US to: 
Personal Info Jeff Blanks
P.O. Box 191035
Atlanta, GA 31119
E-mail: [email protected] Daybreak/Morning
Into The Wood/The Wood: Discovery/The Old Stories
Wanderings/Out Of The Wood
The Circle Reel
Prelude/Si Bheag, Si Mhor/The Hilltop
A Midsummer's Daydream (including "The Ode To Whiskey"
Irish Medleys and Conclusion

Traditional tunes are marked with (*); Turlough O'Carolan tunes are marked with (**). The rest are © Jeff Blanks 2005. All recordings are (p) Jeff Blanks 2005. The official listening order (for those who'd like to download the whole album to a suitable player) is:

1. Daybreak/Morning
2. Into the Wood/The Wood: Discovery/The Old Stories
3. Wanderings/Out Of The Wood
4. A Midsummer's Daydream (including "The Ode To Whiskey**")
5. The Circle Reel
6. Prelude/Si Bheag, Si Mhór**/The Hilltop
7. The Georgia Hornpipe
Dunphy's Hornpipe*
Byrne's Hornpipe*
The Garden of Daisies* (set dance)
Urchnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte* (slow air)
O'Rourke's Reel/The Kilfenora Reels* (#s 1 & 2)
Jigs:
Sagart naBuataisí* (roughly "The Parson's Boots")
An Glas agus an Buí* ("The Orange and the Green")
Twilight
Urchnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte* (reprise)
Under The Stars
Turning In: The Wood At Night

This is the order in which I conceived the album, and I think it will reveal its inner logic (or maybe I should say "instinct") when heard; it's explicitly designed to be heard in this order, as if it were a single piece of music. (If loaded in sequence, there should be a fade between Tracks 2 and 3. Tracks 4 and 5 can be reversed as well.) Of course, you can make your own order, too, or just listen to a track or two. Oh, by the way: If 200 people e-mail me who are willing to spend $12 on a CD (plus postage and handling), I'll get them printed. Thanks for listening!
Email: [email protected]
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