Irish Rhythm And Blues

"Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud!" Fot those of you who have never seen this "movie that rocks" it is Alan Parker's "The Commitments."



The film was released in 1991 and the soundtrack earned a Grammy nomination in 1992 for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group. The movie is about Jimmy Rabbitte, an aspiring music manager from Dublin, Ireland who is tired of the "shitte" music being shoved down his throat and sets out to assemble a band who plays only rhythm and blues. The result is a brilliant film directed by none other than the man who gave us the film version of "Pink Floyd's The Wall". The song is a musical (similar to how "Once" could be categorized as a musical) in the sense that there are many scenes in which the band plays full renditions of R&B songs like "Mustang Sally" and Wilson Pickett classics. Trust me, there is no singing dialogue. I only recently saw the film myself and the soundtrack is completely deserved of the Grammy nomination. Below is a clip from the movie in which The Commitments lead singer Deco Cuffe, played by a then 17-year-old Andrew Strong, sings Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness." For those of you who have seen "Once" or are fans of The Frames and/or The Swell Season, Glen Hansard plays the lead guitarist, Outspan Foster.



"Is this the band then? Betcha U2 are shittin' themselves." - Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr.