I note with approval that my colleague Laurie Thayer has previously reviewed an earlier Emerald Rose disc, Bending Tradition, for Rambles, and I commend her review of that work to your attention. And she's definitely right about one thing -- these guys are really all about live performance. Thus it it wholly fitting that we take a few minutes to stroll through their first live collection, 2002's Fire in the Head.

One of the trickier aspects of producing a live album is trying to get the engineering right without sacrificing the spontaneity of "being there." For the record, the anonymous mixers got this delicate balance largely right. The sound is bright, clear and still edgy enough to give a solidly live feel to the set. For the uninitiated, a word should be said about what these gentlemen are about musically. Their work is rooted strongly in Celtic traditions, and their original material speaks strongly to the pagan sensibilities of at least some of the members of the band. The most important thing to bring with you to an appreciation of Emerald Rose, however, is a spontaneous sense of the absolute joy these guys have in playing together. Mischief and occasionally sharply pointed irreverence will likewise be your listening companions as you make your way through this spirited set.

The program opens with the traditional "Star of the County Down," taken out at a brisk pace and rousingly driven by guitar and skirling pennywhistle. Next up is the title cut, "Fire in the Head," referring not to a conflagration in the naval necessarium, but rather to the insistant spirit within. It is one of the signature tunes in the band's live set. A more subdued "World's Wedding" is next, moved by (an occasionally over)passionate vocal. What follows is the traditional triad instrumental medley, begun with the much-loved (and well served here) "Drowsy Maggie," and closed with "Green Groves of Erin."

The infectious tavern drinking song "Merry Mayfolk," tinged with a nautical lilt, is next, and the mood turns somewhat more ominous with the war chant "Pict Song," fueled with insistent drums and words from Rudyard Kipling. As we approach midpoint in the concert, we are treated to a tune called "Vampire Girl from Orn," a frolic which is pretty much what one might expect from the title, although it gets major points from me simply for finding a way to work in the phrase "speciality prosthetic." Gears are again shifted as the band moves into "Summerland," which would probably be classified as a pagan gospel number -- if such a category existed.

The slower pace continues with my favorite original piece, the ballad "Call Me Home," which is propelled simply and cleanly with crisp guitar work and a heartfelt vocal. You can't keep these lads subdued for long, however, as they clearly prove with "Never Underestimate a Woman (With the Goddess in Her Eyes)," a song which has become one of the pagan standards in their show. The madness reaches full flower with the crazed crowd favorite "Chicken Raid of Cymru" (think redneck Welsh chicken rustlers and you'll be on the right track). This puts the crowd in the right mood for the chant/hymn/invocation to the Ur-Goddess, "Freya, Shakti." The set closes with the relentlessly percussive uptempo reading of the traditional "Donald McGillivray," in which we meet the four gents responsible for the evening's entertainment, Clyde Gilbert, Arthur Hines, Larry Morris and Brian "Logan" Sullivan.

This then is a live sampler of the rollicking fun that is Emerald Rose. Given how much enthusiasm they bring to their music, it should surprise nobody to learn that these fellows have become something of a legend in certain circles, and have gained quite a cult following among those devoted to the recent screen realization of the Tolkien trilogy. As long as they continue with the passion they have evinced in their music thus far, I predict that their work together may well be a road which goes ever on and on....

- Rambles
written by Gilbert Head
published 29 November 2003