I have always loved this amazing and passionate work that transcends on so many levels... To me, it's totally awesome that she sings about what Christ said to the Apostles before his almost impossibly difficult fate overtook him at last. I also think it's pretty cool that buried deep in The Lotus Sutra, Nichiren, who was beleaguered and repeatedly exiled from every region of Japan that he found enlightenment-seeking pilgrims in, says something very similar to his followers, (as did Jesus, speaking prophetically of a time when he is in the other realm and no longer visible). "Though it may seem that I am not there, in the middle of the worst turmoil, I wish you to be assured that I am with you yet and always, in spirit, so be good to each other and continue to seek enlightenment rather than strife..." I myself have come to the conclusion that, like Quantum Physics, it is both bafflingly simple and infinitely more complex than we might suspect... Consider the lotus plant: its roots are anchored in and fed by the dirtiest muck, yet they are delicious and offer us essential vitamins and minerals. Its stem is bathed in life-giving water, which it in turn helps to purify. Its leaves spread out like pillows upon the water's surface. The exquisite blossom opens its lovely face unto the countenance of Heaven, (and, bonus -- the seeds within are a healthy, natural, powerful sedative). I'd like to believe, and I believe it behooves me to believe, that The Great Spirit animates, connects, appreciates and rejoices in all of Creation, seen and unseen, in this realm and the next...

She is released, and reposes, I hope, in that peace that so often eluded her, when she was with us. 

”Don’t Argue Amongst Yourselves
Because Of The Loss Of Me
I Haven’t Gone Anywhere
But Out Of My Body
Reach Out And You’ll Touch Me
Make Effort To Speak To Me
Call Out And You’ll Hear Me
Be Happy For Me”

This is a cool song. It help define "coolness".  

SUPERB!!  Thanx RP!  May Sinead Rest in Peace!

 tripp1 wrote:

The Lion and the Cobra was an outstanding piece of work. Still sounds so good.

I hear Sinead & her lyrics. But, don’t hear his words. Any suggestions?

RIP Simon Emmerson & Sinead O'Connor.

God bless Sinead... I hope she has found peace now wherever she is.

I was a HUGE fan of Sinead. From The Lion and the Cobra and on. I tried to get tickets for her debut tour in DC at what then called Nightclub 9:30.  It sold out in under and hour.. Bought all her stuff. Love it all. She was troubled. Interested to find the real cause of death.  I know everyone assumes she took her life, like her young son did previously.  But we will see. Anyway, she is gone and so is her presence and her hauntingly beautiful voice.  RIP

In my youth I really didn't care much for Sinead O'Connor but as I grew older so did my appreciation for he voice and music. I was turned onto ACSS by a friend as she gave me the album "Seed" and I was blown away.  I love their music and adding Sinead's vocals fits very well. I played this song for my lab coworker yesterday and she really enjoyed it too. When this song came on I had to come over to the computer and write a comment. I found the opening lyrics very ironic. Anyhow, RIP Sinead... I am glad I opened my heart and mind to your music... Grateful...  

RIP SO

RIP Sinead 

Thanks for playing this today.  

Sinead was a troubled soul.  Really had a great voice. 

And not afraid at all to scream truth to power.  We really need more of this.

darling voice... troubled soul... rest dear rest.

 wychwoods wrote:


still happening....

I have to say I'm kind of weary of Sinead O'Connor's late 1990s/2000s work, there's a lot of that on RP.  I'd like to hear more from her early work (besides the overplayed Nothing Compares 2 U).  Emperor's New Clothes, Mandinka, etc.

A new mix?  This is the second time an Afro Celts track has been overplayed by the following track.  What's going on Bill?

 ednazarko wrote:
I hear ya! I never tire of this or any ACSS. Dancing in my chair head in the clouds. I love watching their videos... the video for this song is badass! 

I love Sinnead singing but the music is somehow ... sterile ... cold ... emotionless. Cannot help.

They also used several hurdy-gurdies on this track. I hadn't noticed that until today.

I've always loved this; one of the most intense fusings of unmatched vocals and inimitable grooves ever! The way Sinead sings is with full-on power of emotion, and it fits the spiritual lyrics perfectly...

Again with this song - gawd!

 PinkSo wrote:


It's true - I'm not even a huge fan - she's been all over the board during her career - but her voice is hypnotic.

What dialect is that gut singing in?

I'm mystified!

I'm...I'm stupified? 

I'm...mortified. 

That's some bass!

Anything with Sinéad's voice is at least a 7  

 Stephen_Phillips wrote:

Peter Gabriel's production touch adds the rest 

Thanks RP.

This song kicks ass and is now on my playlist on my phone. 

But is that Sinead O on guest vocals? 

The percussion sounds Massive Attack

Would it be totally crazy to imagine that Ancient Celtic sailors made it to Africa and back? We know that they made it to North America...

 Bleyfusz wrote:
 
Look at their roots... watch their videos... Yes...Their Name Fits them well!  I'm with you Stephen

 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
 
On a close listening, it seems neither Afro nor Celt.

In four canoes?

 tjnor wrote:
 
Maybe he couldn't spell uilleann ;-)

I believe it's real uilleann pipes played by Michael McGoldrick

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volume_2:_Release

Love these guys. The whole thing works because so many cultures have similar instruments. You can find a flat head-only drum like the bodhran in several parts of Africa, Italy, Spain. Same for bagpipes. Same for harps.

There are spectacularly good concert videos of ACS that also have great sound quality, out on YouTube. Worth watching... 

 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
 
I thought that was Sinead... powerhouse vocalist :)

Incongruent: African and Celtic, Jazz and Folk, Classical and Metal, by all means,
bring. it. on.!

Great voice. Too bad she's gone crazy.

re: the non-english lyrics, look what someone has added to the web!

Apologies for the formatting. Some goon thought Putting This In Title Case was a good idea, but they were wrong.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/release-release.html-0#ixzz50WcHFoYo

Release

I have no idea why this works (African and Celtic merging) but somehow it does. Add into it Sinead O'Connor's vocals and it is better than the sum of its parts.  I think I might even give it a rare rating of 9 from me :)

 fredriley wrote: 
Indeed. The loss of a loved band mate, or any loved one, causes much sadness. These lyrics help lift we living. Thank heaven for that. 

Their single best song. Love the build up.

One of AC's best tracks, where it all properly comes together, IMHO. And of course anything with SOC on is always a pleasure. She picks the BEST artists to collaborate with...

Sinead!

Ah, ACSS...sad subject matter of this particular song notwithstanding, they always make me want to spin around the room- in a  good way.

Yes,  Good groove goin on

Wicked Cool   louder makes it  10+

 Pyro wrote: 
I don't know if it's one of their best or not.  I just know I was listening just now on my smartphone and had to come log-onto my PC so I could change my rating of this song:  9 => 10  May not be their best, but I don't care, a 10 is a 10.

 Pyro wrote: 
I'm not sure I agree with you or not, but in any case, so what?

 ScottN wrote: 
Exactly! I was just noticing that when I saw your comment. Perfectly nuanced.

Just bumped up my rating. Really hits my mood today. 

Sinead adds to this fine song.

Where is Alan Stivell when we need him?

 icemang wrote: 

Are you sure the pipes are synthesized?

...this sounds quite nice flowing out of cosmic love...

Glad I clicked in to read the comments, I was guessing your woman might be Mary Black. I agree with someone down there that the male voice is oddly cheesy but I like the synthsized pipes near the end. Perhaps the "Eh, fook'n hell" thing isn't by accident? Who knows.

Nice!

 socalhol wrote: 
Thanks for that - I had no idea this was the case. It does add another poignant dimension to the song, right enough.

 fredriley wrote: 
There's also some lyrics in Malinke.  Equally impossible to find. 

 socalhol wrote: 
But Sinead wrote the lyrics.  The band members were all too close to the situation to articulate it.

By the way, the bass on this song blew out the speakers in my car years ago.

Powerful song.  Maybe I still like it so much because I heard about the meaning behind the song when I first heard it.  It is a tribute to their band mate who died suddenly.  The lyrics are from his perspective, from beyond.  They were grieving at the time they wrote this song.

Peel of the layers of ethno and leave it as minimal electro with her voice and just might be ok... But as it is it's gruesome.

Great song. Love the lyrics. Are they up to anything these days?

Cool song with depth...liking it

Her voice has been, is and will always be sooooooo nice, personal and gorgeous!!! Thanks for choosing Sinead for this song. Pitty her last album did not maintain her high standards. 

 wferrier wrote: 

Look further down the comments and you'd understand.

 rez wrote: 
LMAO.  I just read that line as it was being sung.  Now that it has been suggested, it will be the only thing I hear in this song...

 rez wrote:
 
Fook'n right y'are, lad! It's the Afro-Celt Sound System, not t'Afro-Yorkshire Sound System. 'Appen :o)

English lyrics on a fan website - scroll down to "Volume 2: Release".

wenatchee wrote:
Does anyone else always hear this as "Eh fook'n hell". Or am I the only one ?

So much yearning in this song.  I love it.

I love these guys but IMHO this isn't one of their best efforts.

 wenatchee wrote: 
Yer man's singing in Irish Gaelic, but I can't find the Irish lyrics on a quick search. Oh, and yer woman's Sinead O'Connor. I've rated ACSS very highly as a fine 'world music' experiment kicked off by Peter Gabriel, and would love to see them live before they dissolve themselves as I believe they're intending to do this year. 9 from the Nottingham jury.

In Full Kuh-no? Lyrics can't explain that . . . but I like it . . . I like it, I like it, it's good

I like sinead , I like celtic, but this is reminding me of celtic thunder, which is for old people on public television. I guess RP just isn't doing it for me today.

I can't get past the Spandex Ballet vocal style of the male singer - sack him and the song could be a 6 or 7.

But for this song, how else would you know Sinead O. could still rock?

Mugro wrote: And isn't that wonderful, can you imagine what life would be like if we were perfect,

Mugro wrote: I don't know why you say that. Why are you saying that? I like this band. Where is the monkey emoticon? Bill where is the monkey emoticon!?!

Hmmm.. Don't know what to rate this song, maybe its better to get the whole album instead, since I seem to notice ALL the songs by Afro Celt Sound System played here anyway :)

Oy, my Celtic roots! Love it!

philbertr wrote: We humans are such imperfect beings.

Shake to the left, then to the right, tap your toes, bob your head yeah it sounds that good!

great interesting stuff, more of this genre, less of david byrned!

I can't understand all of the lyrics either, but one part is quite clear: Reach out to me, Make effort to speak to me, Be happy for me. That shouldn't be too terribyly difficult, and I think it would go a long way towards soothing much of the bitterness and anger demonstrated here. It is beyond me how people who love music can be so petty and spiteful towards one another.

Near the top of list of songs in terms of number of repetitions. Also maddeningly tuneless. That is, if the title goes with the song I was hearing. I have had a lot of problems lately in which the apparently most recent song at the top of the screen isn't the one I am hearing.

Ok, but not anywhere close to their best.

This is not most excellent but definitely most likable.

Platypus wrote: Don't feel bad. Personal attacks based on musical taste are all too common on the RP boards.

Awesome! great addition to the RP sound.

I'm with Froderik: the more I hear them, the more I want to have their albums. I'll buy the whole collection, too.

denizenusa wrote: At least to people given to saying things like 'tres cool'. ;-P

FreedomEngine wrote: Or Dead Can Dance. -mt-

Tres cool.

thewiseking wrote: yep... Muzak For A New Age Elevator

Got the album for quite some time. Dead solid. Hmm, 6 years since this was released. Time flies.

thewiseking wrote: LMAO. But I still like it.

neither afro, nor celt. world fuzak.

dead-beat wrote: It's okay. Maybe some TV jingles are more your style?

RParadise wrote: Saw them at last year's Larma Tree festival in England. They are much livelier live - danced my arse off for the whole set, it was great

sfdba wrote: Same experience about hearing but the more I hear them the more I want their LP's. Groovy but still melodic and a bit out of tune. Excellent.

radiojunkie wrote: Oh, I know! But it's nice to say 'LP' once in awhile.

sfdba wrote: Probably not a big sacrifice, since I doubt they HAVE any "LP's"!

It's like Irish Spring: mild enough for a woman -- but I like it too! (Okay, that's kind of the reverse of the old ad campaign, but so what.) Parts of this remind me very much of Loreena McKennit's "The Mummer's Dance." Has a nice feel to it.

The only place I hear Afro Celt Sound System is here on Radio Paradise. And, the more I hear them, the less I want to own their LP's.

Can't understand the lyrics either but I like the groove...very irish celtic meets tribal. Go Sinead!

Sorry. I prefer music with a tune and/or lyrics that I can remember.

Platypus wrote: Schwag, I'm confused. Isn't that the same term B&R used to describe valuable giveaways for the logo contest? What is your reference here?

Hey, the cute bald chick!

Platypus wrote: 1. i try to be wowed by afrocelt but it just doesn't happen. it's pap-pop. 2. and yes, personal attacks are mean. 3. still, it's tempting to find SOMEthing about you to smack around ... let's see ... maybe we could talk about the platypus. sure, they're cute, but they're not exactly jaguars, right? no. you see, that's unsatisfying, too ... um .. ok, how about your obvious bias against jimmy buffett? no, that doesn't cut it either. 4. sorry. can't find anything to pick on.

Roverfish wrote: nice... so you: 1) disagree with me on a song comment, then 2) you do a very selective browsing of my song ratings - looking for just the right band that you dislike but that i rated highly (meanwhile selectively ignoring the fact that there's quite a significant amount of artist and even song overlap between your own "highest rated" list and mine) - and then 3) you turn it into a personal attack on my taste. that's very adult of you, pal. i could easily make the exact same simpleton comment based on a search of your highest rated list... but i won't, because to do so would be moronic. _____________ i stand by my statement that in my opinion this band is highly overplayed, overproduced, boring, bland, formulaic "world-pop". and that's me holding back. there is a nearly bottomless pool of truly great "world" music to choose from out there, and AfroCelt ain't even in the shallow end.

Platypus wrote: You've given every Coldplay tune played on RP a 10 and somehow feel qualified to act condescending to Afro Celt Sound System? I find this tune quite likeable.

Jimmy86 wrote: I guess you have not listened to any mass-market radio then..... Nevertheless, this is cool stuff!! :-({|=

Let's get dancing-at-Stonehenge tribal.

Dig.

MrBoyo wrote: I heard it was 'Indo-Nordic'

Schwag ... toss this band to the "lite and easy" elevator music stations already.

Afro-Celt SS... great stuff. Lively, layered and luscious.

Super toe tapper! Interesting combo: Afro and Celt. Sounded like an odd idea but it works. What's next? Sino-Cajun?

philarktos wrote: Oooh, I saw that show - absolutely fantastic! I'd known they'd be good, but man, I really wasn't prepared for HOW good they were... one of the most memorable shows I've seen in ages (besides Radiohead)...