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LONDON— After many years of trying to figure out what to do with his vast archive, Paul Brady has finally dusted off the crates and personally assembled this magnificent collection, curated over his long and storied career. The Archive, due out 28th March, is an essential supplement to Paul's album catalogue and recently published autobiography Crazy Dreams.

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The four compact discs in this set contain demos, acoustic rarities, collaborations with other artists and rare live recordings that amply fill any gaps in his published work to date. In addition to the four discs, the 12” square book houses over 70 pages crammed full of photos and images of the assorted memorabilia that he has accumulated since the late 1950s.

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As a teenager at college in Dublin during the mid ‘60s, and with his guitar chops already getting attention, Paul played with a succession of local Irish groups which included The Inmates, The Kult, Rootzgroup and Rockhouse. What they were all playing was fueled by American rock ‘n’ roll, blues and soul —the kind of music he loved.

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Simultaneously, the worldwide folk boom was producing seminal groups like The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners and Sweeney’s Men.  During his few short years in the city, he discovered the embryonic folk scene and in a symbolic farewell to his beat group days, he sold his prized Fender Mustang electric guitar to Phil Lynott replacing it with a Harmony Sovereign acoustic.  He made the most of this change by seamlessly introducing the instrument into traditional Irish music.

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The Brady big bang was inevitable with his growing well-earned reputation, and he soon turned professional, joining The Johnstons for five years and recording seven albums with them.  He lived in London and New York with the group before returning to Dublin in 1974 at the request of Liam Ó O’Flynn to replace the departing Christy Moore in Planxty.

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It was a time when many great musicians were developing their own careers, and so following the inevitable demise of that iteration of Planxty a year later, Brady went on to perform as a duo with fellow ex-member Andy Irvine, recording the milestone Andy Irvine and Paul Brady album in the process.  By 1978, Paul had enough material and a sufficient following to make a solo record, and the resultant Welcome Here Kind Stranger was voted Folk Album of the Year in the annual awards of the most influential music publication of that era, The Melody Maker.

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Coming in the wake of two such celebrated traditional albums, it was a shock to some observers when in 1981, his follow up album Hard Station revealed a very different Paul Brady introducing fans to his own compositions in a new, contemporary setting.  This was a radical and brave departure, but the album’s songs were a perfect representation of the changes in his own life coupled with his broad musical influences.  Hard Station became another instant favourite with his fans and set the tone for all his future solo releases.  It was also the record that introduced the likes of Tina Turner, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Art Garfunkel, Cher, Cliff Richard, Phil Collins, Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton and more to Paul’s original material, which they have each subsequently graced with their own indelible stamp.

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The many ensuing albums, concerts and radio and TV appearances have established him as one of the most powerful Irish singer-songwriters of his generation leading to Lifetime Achievement awards from both The Irish Recorded Music Association and the BBC.  He was inducted into the British Composers and Songwriters Academy in 2004 and the (Irish) IMRO Songwriters Academy in 2013 and was further honoured by the President of Ireland with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

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His autobiography Crazy Dreams is published by Merrion Press.

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Paul Brady: The Archive will released by The Last Music Company in CD format only. The preview single, "Let's Get Together" will be released on digital platforms 24th January.

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Paul will perform in support of The Archive, appearing in Dublin and London in April. A complete list of confirmed tour dates at the time of this writing are listed below.

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TOUR DATES:

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Thursday, 3 April, Bush Hall, London, UK

Friday, 4 April, Bush Hall, London, UK

Friday, 11 April, Vicar Street, Dublin, IRE

Saturday, 12 April, Vicar Street, Dublin, IRE

Sunday, 13 April, Mt. Errigal Hotel, County Donegal, IRE

TRACKLISTING:

Disc: 1

1 Let's Get Together

2 Trick Or Treat (Demo)

3 Wheel Of Heartbreak (Live)

4 Heather On The Moor (Live)

5 Something In The Atmosphere (single-B-side)

6 All God's Angels (with Kate Rusby)

7 Soul Child (Live)

8 The Road To The Promised Land (Remix)

9 Traveling Light  (Demo)

10 Paddy's Lamentation

11 You Make A Difference (TV Theme song)

12 I Will Be There (with Mary Black)

13 Money To Burn (Remix)

14 Not The Only One  (Demo)

15 Follow That Star (Live Solo)

16 Just In Case Of Accidents  (Demo)

Disc: 2

1 Gimme Shelter (with The Forest Rangers for "Sons of Anarchy")

2 Nothing But The Same Old Story (Live)

3 The Forty Shades Of Green (with Rodney Crowell)

4 Luck Of The Draw (Home Demo)

5 Marriage Made In Hollywood (Live)

6 Don't Want To Know  (Demo)

7 Don't Keep Pretending  (Demo)

8 Gleanntain Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair (Live)

9 Freedom And Love  (Demo)

10 Light In The Dark (Single)

11 Mother And Son (Remix)

12 The Coleraine Regatta (with Mick Maloney/The Johnstons)

13 Walk The Way Of Love  (Demo)

14 The Streets Of Derry (with Cara Dillon)

15 I Don't Want To Be The One  (Demo)

16 Walk The White Line  (Demo)

Disc: 3

1 Nobody Knows (Remix)

2 The Havana Way (Remix)

3 Gimme Some Feedback  (Demo)

4 Continental Trailways Bus (Single)

5 You Don't Know Me (Live)

6 The Rocks Of Bawn (with Richie Buckley)

7 Rear View Mirror  (Demo)

8 Harvest Time (Live Solo)

9 Arthur McBride (Live)

10 Walk The White Line (Live)

11 The Great Pretender  (Demo)

12 Believe In Me (with Carole King)

13 Promise The Moon  (Demo)

14 No Win World  (Demo)

15 Working Relationship  (Demo)

16 Busted Loose (Live Solo)

Disc: 4

1 Crazy Dreams (Single)

2 I Believe In Magic (Live)

3 You Won't See Me (Remix)

4 Help Me To Believe (Acoustic Version)

5 The Road To The Promised Land  (Demo)

6 Bruach' Loch Pontchartrain

7 The Soulbeat  (Demo)

8 Baker Street (Final Edit 3- Vocals)

9 Deep In Your Heart (Remix)

10 Oh What A World  (Demo)

11 Oro Se Do Bheatha Abhaile (Film Soundtrack)

12 Beyond The Reach Of Love (Live Solo)

13 Designer Love  (Demo)

14 Trouble Round The Bend (Demo)

15 Changing In Your Eyes  (Demo)