Tir Na Nog

小简介
介绍一：
“爱尔兰有一个叫作TIR NA NOG的非常美丽的地方，在那里，树叶永远不会从枝头凋落，一年四季都被鲜花覆盖，在很远的地方就能闻到它们的芳香。如果你有幸能到那去，你会在那遇见永远快乐永远年青的人们。”
60年代末，和当时很多的青年一样，在被Dylan，Donovan，Bert Jansch，Jackson C.Frank等民谣歌手感召后，一位名叫Leo O’Kelly的爱尔兰青年开始了自己的民谣歌手生涯。1969年，他在都柏林的民谣俱乐部中遇见了Sonny Condell，并被他出色的作曲才华所深深吸引。第二年，TIR NA NOG成立，O’Kelly和Condell搬到伦敦，当时他们两人身上的钱加起来总共只有30磅，只够维持一个月的生活。但就在这一个月里所做好的小样就让他们得到Chrysalis Records的一纸合约，并开始了英国和欧洲巡演，巡演阵容包括The Who，Cat Stevens，T.Rex, Roxy Music，Elton John，The Velvet Underground等等著名艺人和团体。1971年，同名专辑正式发行。一张光芒会随时间越发夺目的民谣经典。开首的Time Is Like A Promise是Condell作曲才华的最完美体现，完美的展现了一首经典民谣歌曲所具有的魔力。Our Love Will Not Decay则是Condell另一首难以令人忘怀的杰作。O’Kelly的才情体现在同名曲TIR NA NOG和boat song上。只要细细听过一遍便能发现O’Kelly和Condell歌曲的不同之处。Condell更像一个“现代”的songwriter，歌曲更能博得普通听众的共鸣，而O’Kelly受传统民谣的影响更深，在情绪和气质上也偏向迷幻/嬉皮的一面。正是两人作曲风格的这些不同让TIR NA NOG更为的耐听。
有很多人把他俩比作了爱尔兰的Simon & Garfunkel。但TIR NA NOG比起中产阶级folk-pop的始作俑者显得更内敛，真诚些。虽然早期的Simon & Garfunkel也像个孩子般笑容灿烂，歌曲中也时不时流露出年轻人特有的多愁善感，但他俩毕竟是来自唱片工业发达的美国，谁会没有明星梦呢？后面的两张专辑TIR NA NOG也有所转变，乐器增多，音乐也变得讨巧了些许，像同名专辑那般直击人心的超然魅力已然不在。不过，TIR NA NOG有此一张专辑也已足够，在其中，他们早已留下永恒的青春。
正如TIR NA NOG这个名字所蕴含的意思：“永远年轻之地”。
介绍二：
Tir Na Nog这个名字在盖尔语（凯尔特语两大分支之一）所蕴含的意思是“永恒年轻之地”。（也有地方音译为“特·那·诺格”）
简单来说，Tir Na Nog的成立史同大多数小城镇文艺青年的成功轨迹一样。60年代末正是民谣在世界范围内大放异彩的时代，一位名叫Leo O'Kelly的爱尔兰青年，也许是怀揣着远大的音乐梦想，也许只是想混口饭吃，来到了首都都柏林。在那里的民谣俱乐部中，他遇见了Sonny Condell，并被他出色的作曲才华所深深吸引。两个有同样兴趣爱好的年青人一拍即合，1970年他们去了伦敦，虽然兜里的铜板仅够应付国际大都市——伦敦一个月的生活。但妈妈常说，窘境是压力也是动力，也许就是因为这样，在时时刻刻有着饿肚子压力的环境下，两人创作出的小样为他们赢得了唱片公司的一纸合同，并开始了英国和欧洲巡演。在和他们一同巡演的队伍中，就有著名的Elton John。
同其他无数知名或不知名的爱尔兰艺人一样，他们坚持在自己的音乐里添加大量的凯尔特元素，不遗余力的向世界展示凯尔特民谣的魅力。与此同时，60年代末在北爱尔兰地区激化的历史和政治矛盾，使得那里的艺术家们更关注现实，并在词作中有所体现。
1971到1974年间，Tir Na Nog共发行了三张专辑。分别是《Tir Na Nog》(1971)、《 A Tear and a Smile》（1972）和《Strong in the Sun 》（1973）。值得注意的是在1973年的这张专辑里，乐队新添加了两个成员——键盘Procol Harum和风琴师Matthew Fisher。籍由他们的加入，专辑中增加了更多的电子乐器和鼓的元素。
或许是由于更多因素的介入而导致乐队的分歧，1974年，Tir Na Nog解散了。一切好像划过一道绚烂的轨迹后又诡异的回到了原点，Condell和O'Kelly都回到了爱尔兰，在以后的日子里都各自发行了唱片。
by Chris Nickson
Although they only lasted five years, Tir Na Nog managed to make their brief time in existence count, and fans of '70s folk still sing their praises warmly. Formed in Dublin in 1969, the duo of Sonny Condell and Leo O'Kelly were making the right music at the right time. Although influenced by traditional music, their compositions followed the singer/songwriter bent of the time, and the blend of two voices and two guitars did their material justice, light, airy, and thoroughly engaging, with bits of tabla and exotica -- although definitely not as quirky as contemporaries Dr. Strangely Strange. However, it wasn't until 1971 that they issued their eponymous debut, which put them firmly in the same territory as Fairport Convention, Magna Carta, and Fotheringay -- in other words, on the fringes, although they proved popular with a number of BBC disc jockeys, including John Peel, who played their work on the radio. It certainly helped that they toured a great deal, moving between the folk clubs and more lucrative college circuit, where they created a decent following, seemingly in a constant support slot. However, the exposure wasn't enough to really boost them into the second division, let alone the top league, in spite of the crowd sing-along favorite "Aberdeen Angus" always being requested. When the acoustic angle didn't bring stardom, the pair decided to go for a more conventional route, moving more toward rock for 1972's A Tear and a Smile, which proved to be neither fish nor fowl, but remained with one foot tentatively in folk, the other in rock, as if trying to be all things to all men -- and failing. The following year came Strong in the Sun, by which time they'd decided to be more of a rock band fronted by two singers with acoustic guitars -- a pretty fair compromise. Their best-known disc, it was produced by former Procol Harum member Matthew Fisher, and contained "Free Ride," which became their signature song. The record raised their profile, but still couldn't break them through to the other side, and in 1974 they split up, with Condell going on to form Scullion. Over the years they have got back together for occasional Tir Na Nog shows, one 1995 gig being commemorated on Live at the Hibernian, recorded in Birmingham, England, although the sound quality was execrable, and not worthy of commercial release.