A Drop of the Hard Stuff

A Drop of the Hard Stuff
A Drop of the Hard Stuff
	Cover to the original edition of the album
Studio album by The Dubliners
Released	1967
Genre	Irish folk
Length	43:07
Label	Major Minor
Producer	Tommy Scott
The Dubliners chronology
Singles from A Drop of the Hard Stuff
	"Seven Drunken Nights" / "Paddy on the Railway"; Released: 30 March 1967; "The Black Velvet Band" / "Maloney Wants a Drink"; Released: 30 August 1967;
Alternative cover
	Seven Drunken Nights

A Drop of the Hard Stuff is the debut studio album of the Irish folk group The Dubliners. It was originally released in 1967 on Major Minor Records (SMLP3 and MMLP3). When it was reissued, it was renamed Seven Drunken Nights after the first track became a hit single. The album reached number 5 in the UK album chart, and stayed in the charts for 41 weeks. The album cover provides biographical sketches of the band line-up: Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciarán Bourke and John Sheahan. "Limerick Rake" is sung unaccompanied. Most of the songs concern rogues and drinking. "Weila Waile" is a tragic murder ballad, sung with a certain jollity.

The album title is both an allusion to hard liquor, particularly Irish whiskey, and to the musical difficulty of the fourteen songs chosen for the album^{[citation needed]}, which emphasize the considerable depths of talent of the group, from the intricate fiddle and banjo work on "The Galway Races" and the reels, to the impressive a cappella rendition of "Limerick Rake".

Variety described the album as having "tremendous verve",^[1] while Billboard selected it as a "Special Merit Pick", writing of it as "excellent" and saying that the group had a "genuine feel for the material".^[2] Disc praised it as "full of character".^[3]

Track listing

All songs are traditional compositions, with the exception of "The Travelling People," which was written by English performer Ewan MacColl.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Seven Drunken Nights"	3:43
2.	"The Galway Races"	3:17
3.	"The Old Alarm Clock"	1:56
4.	"Reels: Colonel Fraser & O'Rourke's Reel"	2:36
5.	"The Rising of the Moon"	2:36
6.	"McCafferty"	2:26
7.	"I'm a Rover"	4:49

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Weile Waile"	3:25
2.	"The Travelling People"	3:50
3.	"Limerick Rake"	3:10
4.	"Zoological Gardens"	2:09
5.	"Reels: Fermoy Lasses & Sporting Paddy"	1:55
6.	"The Black Velvet Band"	4:26
7.	"Paddy on the Railway"	2:49

Track 5 misspells Fermoy as "Fairmoye" on disc sleeve.

Charts

Chart (1967)	Peak position
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[4]	1
UK Albums (OCC)^[5]	5

References

^ Green, Abel, ed. (27 December 1967). "Jefferson Airplane, Sandpipers, Salvation, Bill Evans, Durante, Love, Dubliners Top New LPs". Variety. Vol. 249, no. 6. New York. p. 36. ProQuest 963121328. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via ProQuest.
^ Zhito, Lee, ed. (30 December 1967). "Special Merit Picks". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 52. New York. p. 35. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via Google Books.
^ "The New LPs". Disc and Music Echo. London. 20 May 1967. p. 12.
^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA.
^ "The Dubliners | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.

This 1960s folk album-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Green, Abel, ed. (27 December 1967). "Jefferson Airplane, Sandpipers, Salvation, Bill Evans, Durante, Love, Dubliners Top New LPs". Variety. Vol. 249, no. 6. New York. p. 36. ProQuest 963121328. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via ProQuest.

[2] Zhito, Lee, ed. (30 December 1967). "Special Merit Picks". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 52. New York. p. 35. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via Google Books.

[3] "The New LPs". Disc and Music Echo. London. 20 May 1967. p. 12.

[ac_Ireland_The_Dubliners-4] "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA.

[ac_UK_The_Dubliners-5] "The Dubliners | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.

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v t e The Dubliners
Ciarán Bourke Ronnie Drew Luke Kelly Barney McKenna John Sheahan Bobby Lynch Jim McCann Seán Cannon Eamonn Campbell Paddy Reilly Patsy Watchorn
Studio albums	A Drop of the Hard Stuff More of the Hard Stuff Drinkin' and Courtin' At It Again At Home with The Dubliners Revolution Double Dubliners Plain and Simple Now A Parcel of Rogues 15 Years On Together Again Prodigal Sons 25 Years Celebration The Dubliner's Dublin 30 Years A-Greying Further Along
Live albums	The Dubliners In Concert Finnegan Wakes Live at the Albert Hall Hometown! Live Live at Montreux Live in Carré 21 Years On Alive Alive-O Live from the Gaiety Live at Vicar Street A Time to Remember An Evening with The Dublin Legends: Live in Vienna
Compilation albums	The Best of The Dubliners It's The Dubliners A Drop of The Dubliners Spirit of the Irish: Ultimate Collection The Best of the Original Dubliners 40 Years A Night Out with The Dubliners Too Late to Stop Now: The Very Best of the Dubliners Live at Vicar Street The Late Late Show Tribute The Very Best Of: The Dubliners Original Dubliners 50 Years 20 Greatest Hits Drinking and Wenching Home, Boys, Home
Irish chart singles	"Nelson's Farewell" "The Black Velvet Band" "All For Me Grog" "Seven Drunken Nights" "Never Wed An Old Man" "Dirty Old Town" "Hand Me Down My Bible" "Free the People" "Raglan Road" "Don't Get Married" "The Irish Rover" "Jack's Heroes" "The Rose" "Red Roses for Me" "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" "The Rocky Road to Poland" "The Auld Triangle"
Other singles	"The Wild Rover" "Whiskey in the Jar" "Four Green Fields"
DVDs	Live from the Gaiety Live at Vicar Street
Tours	Dubliners 50 Years Anniversary Tour
Related articles	Discography Ronnie Drew discography Gerry O'Connor
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