Tir Na Nog

小簡介
介紹一：
“愛爾蘭有一個叫作TIR NA NOG的非常美麗的地方，在那里，樹葉永遠不會從枝頭凋落，一年四季都被鮮花覆蓋，在很遠的地方就能聞到它們的芳香。如果你有幸能到那去，你會在那遇見永遠快樂永遠年青的人們。”
60年代末，和當(dāng)時很多的青年一樣，在被Dylan，Donovan，Bert Jansch，Jackson C.Frank等民謠歌手感召后，一位名叫Leo O’Kelly的愛爾蘭青年開始了自己的民謠歌手生涯。1969年，他在都柏林的民謠俱樂部中遇見了Sonny Condell，并被他出色的作曲才華所深深吸引。第二年，TIR NA NOG成立，O’Kelly和Condell搬到倫敦，當(dāng)時他們兩人身上的錢加起來總共只有30磅，只夠維持一個月的生活。但就在這一個月里所做好的小樣就讓他們得到Chrysalis Records的一紙合約，并開始了英國和歐洲巡演，巡演陣容包括The Who，Cat Stevens，T.Rex, Roxy Music，Elton John，The Velvet Underground等等著名藝人和團體。1971年，同名專輯正式發(fā)行。一張光芒會隨時間越發(fā)奪目的民謠經(jīng)典。開首的Time Is Like A Promise是Condell作曲才華的最完美體現(xiàn)，完美的展現(xiàn)了一首經(jīng)典民謠歌曲所具有的魔力。Our Love Will Not Decay則是Condell另一首難以令人忘懷的杰作。O’Kelly的才情體現(xiàn)在同名曲TIR NA NOG和boat song上。只要細細聽過一遍便能發(fā)現(xiàn)O’Kelly和Condell歌曲的不同之處。Condell更像一個“現(xiàn)代”的songwriter，歌曲更能博得普通聽眾的共鳴，而O’Kelly受傳統(tǒng)民謠的影響更深，在情緒和氣質(zhì)上也偏向迷幻/嬉皮的一面。正是兩人作曲風(fēng)格的這些不同讓TIR NA NOG更為的耐聽。
有很多人把他倆比作了愛爾蘭的Simon & Garfunkel。但TIR NA NOG比起中產(chǎn)階級folk-pop的始作俑者顯得更內(nèi)斂，真誠些。雖然早期的Simon & Garfunkel也像個孩子般笑容燦爛，歌曲中也時不時流露出年輕人特有的多愁善感，但他倆畢竟是來自唱片工業(yè)發(fā)達的美國，誰會沒有明星夢呢？后面的兩張專輯TIR NA NOG也有所轉(zhuǎn)變，樂器增多，音樂也變得討巧了些許，像同名專輯那般直擊人心的超然魅力已然不在。不過，TIR NA NOG有此一張專輯也已足夠，在其中，他們早已留下永恒的青春。
正如TIR NA NOG這個名字所蘊含的意思：“永遠年輕之地”。
介紹二：
Tir Na Nog這個名字在蓋爾語（凱爾特語兩大分支之一）所蘊含的意思是“永恒年輕之地”。（也有地方音譯為“特·那·諾格”）
簡單來說，Tir Na Nog的成立史同大多數(shù)小城鎮(zhèn)文藝青年的成功軌跡一樣。60年代末正是民謠在世界范圍內(nèi)大放異彩的時代，一位名叫Leo O'Kelly的愛爾蘭青年，也許是懷揣著遠大的音樂夢想，也許只是想混口飯吃，來到了首都都柏林。在那里的民謠俱樂部中，他遇見了Sonny Condell，并被他出色的作曲才華所深深吸引。兩個有同樣興趣愛好的年青人一拍即合，1970年他們?nèi)チ藗惗?，雖然兜里的銅板僅夠應(yīng)付國際大都市——倫敦一個月的生活。但媽媽常說，窘境是壓力也是動力，也許就是因為這樣，在時時刻刻有著餓肚子壓力的環(huán)境下，兩人創(chuàng)作出的小樣為他們贏得了唱片公司的一紙合同，并開始了英國和歐洲巡演。在和他們一同巡演的隊伍中，就有著名的Elton John。
同其他無數(shù)知名或不知名的愛爾蘭藝人一樣，他們堅持在自己的音樂里添加大量的凱爾特元素，不遺余力的向世界展示凱爾特民謠的魅力。與此同時，60年代末在北愛爾蘭地區(qū)激化的歷史和政治矛盾，使得那里的藝術(shù)家們更關(guān)注現(xiàn)實，并在詞作中有所體現(xiàn)。
1971到1974年間，Tir Na Nog共發(fā)行了三張專輯。分別是《Tir Na Nog》(1971)、《 A Tear and a Smile》（1972）和《Strong in the Sun 》（1973）。值得注意的是在1973年的這張專輯里，樂隊新添加了兩個成員——鍵盤Procol Harum和風(fēng)琴師Matthew Fisher。籍由他們的加入，專輯中增加了更多的電子樂器和鼓的元素。
或許是由于更多因素的介入而導(dǎo)致樂隊的分歧，1974年，Tir Na Nog解散了。一切好像劃過一道絢爛的軌跡后又詭異的回到了原點，Condell和O'Kelly都回到了愛爾蘭，在以后的日子里都各自發(fā)行了唱片。
by Chris Nickson
Although they only lasted five years, Tir Na Nog managed to make their brief time in existence count, and fans of '70s folk still sing their praises warmly. Formed in Dublin in 1969, the duo of Sonny Condell and Leo O'Kelly were making the right music at the right time. Although influenced by traditional music, their compositions followed the singer/songwriter bent of the time, and the blend of two voices and two guitars did their material justice, light, airy, and thoroughly engaging, with bits of tabla and exotica -- although definitely not as quirky as contemporaries Dr. Strangely Strange. However, it wasn't until 1971 that they issued their eponymous debut, which put them firmly in the same territory as Fairport Convention, Magna Carta, and Fotheringay -- in other words, on the fringes, although they proved popular with a number of BBC disc jockeys, including John Peel, who played their work on the radio. It certainly helped that they toured a great deal, moving between the folk clubs and more lucrative college circuit, where they created a decent following, seemingly in a constant support slot. However, the exposure wasn't enough to really boost them into the second division, let alone the top league, in spite of the crowd sing-along favorite "Aberdeen Angus" always being requested. When the acoustic angle didn't bring stardom, the pair decided to go for a more conventional route, moving more toward rock for 1972's A Tear and a Smile, which proved to be neither fish nor fowl, but remained with one foot tentatively in folk, the other in rock, as if trying to be all things to all men -- and failing. The following year came Strong in the Sun, by which time they'd decided to be more of a rock band fronted by two singers with acoustic guitars -- a pretty fair compromise. Their best-known disc, it was produced by former Procol Harum member Matthew Fisher, and contained "Free Ride," which became their signature song. The record raised their profile, but still couldn't break them through to the other side, and in 1974 they split up, with Condell going on to form Scullion. Over the years they have got back together for occasional Tir Na Nog shows, one 1995 gig being commemorated on Live at the Hibernian, recorded in Birmingham, England, although the sound quality was execrable, and not worthy of commercial release.