The First Hurrah!
Studio album by
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
ReleasedMarch 1964
Recorded18–20 and 30 December 1963
New York City
GenreIrish folk
LabelColumbia
ProducerTom Wilson
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem chronology
In Person at Carnegie Hall
(1963)		 The First Hurrah!
(1964)		 Recorded Live in Ireland
(1965)
Singles from The First Hurrah!
  1. "The Leaving of Liverpool"/"Gallant Forty-Twa"
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Record Mirror[1]

The First Hurrah! is a collection of traditional Irish folk songs performed by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. It was their fifth album for Columbia Records and was released in 1964. The album's title is likely a play on Edwin O'Connor's 1956 novel The Last Hurrah. The original LP featured liner notes by critic Robert Sherman. The album appeared on the Billboard charts and its single, "The Leaving of Liverpool," on the Irish Top 10 charts.

Reception

Billboard chose the album as a "Special Merit Pick." The magazine's review praised the Clancys and Makem's "fun and exuberance" and referred to the record as "another strong sampling of the boys' zesty and humorous approach" to Irish folklore.[2] Billboard also reviewed the singles record taken from The First Hurrah!, which Columbia released prior to the full LP. The article rated "The Leaving of Liverpool" with four stars. Side B of the single, "The Gallant Forty-Twa," received three stars.[3]

Track listing

All songs traditional.

Side one

  1. "The Leaving of Liverpool" - 2:46
  2. "The Mermaid" – 3:00
  3. "Rocky Road to Dublin" – 2:28
  4. "Johnny Todd" – 2:02
  5. "Rosin the Bow" – 2:37
  6. "The West's Awake" – 3:22

Side two

  1. "Row, Bullies, Row" – 1:39
  2. "Gallant Forty-Twa" – 2:29
  3. "An Poc Ar Buile (The Mad Goat)" – 2:31
  4. "Carrickfergus" – 2:30
  5. "Bonny Charlie" – 3:30
  6. "Kelly, the Boy from Killann" – 2:35

Personnel

The sound of a drum can be heard on the eighth track, but it is not certain who played it. Also, a mandolin is played on the first track, but it is also not certain who played it.

Chart positions

The First Hurrah! spent six weeks on Billboard Magazine's list of the top 150 full-length albums of all genres released in the United States. On 30 May the album reached #91 in the chart, its highest position.[4][5]

Year Chart Position
1964 Billboard Top LPs 91

"The Leaving of Liverpool" from the album stayed on the singles chart in Ireland for a few weeks. It reached #6 on the chart and stayed there for two weeks in late March 1964.[6][7]

Year Chart Position
1964 Irish singles chart 6

References

  1. ↑ "The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem: The First Hurrah" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 185. 26 September 1964. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Album Reviews: Special Merit Picks". Billboard. 76 (12): 24, 56. 21 March 1964.
  3. ↑ "Singles Reviews: Popular". Billboard. 76 (5): 26. 1 February 1964.
  4. ↑ "Top LP's". Billboard. 76 (22): 30. 30 May 1964.
  5. ↑ "Our Musical Score: Columbia Records 1964 LP Chart Performance". Billboard. 76 (52): 106–7. 26 December 1964.
  6. ↑ "Hits of the World: Eire". Billboard. 76 (12): 32. 21 March 1964.
  7. ↑ "Hits of the World: Eire". Billboard. 76 (14): 30. 4 April 1964.
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