PLANXTY.

Description

Musikhalle, Hamburg January 1974 concert poster (Zrocke)

Large original first printing concert poster advertising Irish folk group Planxty at the Musikhalle in Hamburg [Germany] on Friday, 25th January, 1974, presented by Karsten Jahnke. As leaders in the early 1970s revival of traditional Irish music, Planxty was touring Germany in support of their second studio album, The Well Below the Valley, recorded at Escape Studios in Kent during two weeks in June 1973, and produced by Philip Coulter. The album raised the awareness of Irish music with its inventive arrangements and superb playing. All the musicians are luminaries — Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn, and Andy Irvine — and for a quartet they made a massive sound that’s nearly as big as their impact, which still reverberates throughout Irish music today. The group’s increasing popularity led to heavy touring throughout Ireland, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and northern Europe. Tired of the constant touring and wishing to explore other musical avenues, Donal Lunny left Planxty at the start of September 1973, playing his last gig with the band at the Edinburgh Festival. Johnny Moynihan, who had played with Irvine in Sweeney’s Men, joined at this point, playing mandolin, bouzouki, fiddle, tin whistle and singing. This line-up, with contributions from Lunny, would record Planxty’s third album, Cold Blow and the Rainy Night in Sarm Studios, Whitechapel in London during August 1974. Next to leave, shortly after the making of this album, was Christy Moore, who had a desire to return to his solo career and perform from a larger repertoire of songs. The split was amicable, and while Paul Brady was recruited to fill the gap in September 1974, Moore stayed on with him in the band until October. After his departure, the Irvine/Moynihan/Brady/O’Flynn line-up toured extensively, but released no recordings before playing their final show in Brussels on 5th December, 1975. The poster features artwork by Paul-Helmut Zrocke, with the artist’s imprint to the bottom right corner.

The poster measures 59.2 x 84.0 cm (approx. 23.3″ by 33.1″ inches) and is beautifully printed on thin, coated paper stock. In excellent unfolded and unmarked condition. Feel free to email us with any questions you may have concerning this item. Additional images of the poster available on request.