. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – Eddi Reader – Live at The Palladium, Edinburgh – August 12, 1997
To many people, Eddi Reader is instantly linked to The Waterboys, a highly influential Celtic Rock group from the early 1980s. But The Waterboys, and before that Fairground Attraction, were only two aspects to the remarkable career of Eddi Reader. I knew her as the sister of Frank Reader of The Trashcan Sinatras and added proof the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree, as Eddi’s lyrics have much of the bite so prevalent in the work of the Trashcan Sinatras.
When her second solo album came out in the U.S. via Warner Bros, it was well received and I remember it getting a lot of airplay via KCRW, here is L.A.
But Reader has had a wide and celebrated career over the years – acting and taking time off from performing – getting involved in a project regarding the legendary Scottish poet Robert Burns, which won her an MBE in 2006 – she has certainly not been sitting in the sidelines. And with some 11 solo albums (including one which came out this year), 7 live albums, as well as her recorded work with The Waterboys to her credit, she has been widely regarded as one of the finest singer-songwriters to come out of Scotland in many years.
So when I ran across this 1997 concert, recorded live at The Palladium in Edinburgh, it seemed a natural to run alongside the recent batch of sessions I’ve been running from this years London Calling festival. It’s further evidence that influence on todays artists come from a lot of places, consciously or unconsciously.
If you haven’t been turned on to Eddi Reader yet, I would seriously suggest you crank this concert up and give a close listen – there’s a lot to discover here – and her voice is pretty astonishing. And her tribute to Fred Neil with her version of The Dolphins is a tour de force.
‘Nuff said.
