"Spellbound" - Shannon, Sharon

Compilation Album

U2 Related Content:

Full Track Listing

  • Blackbird
  • Bonnie Mulligan
  • 3 Headed Monster: The Three Headed Monster / Quick Nurse, the Screens!
  • Mighty Sparrow (Live)
  • Kids: Feed an Fhiolair / Never Going Back Again
  • Cavan Potholes
  • Tickle Her Leg
  • Bungee Jumpers
  • Mouth of the Tobique: Lad O’Beirnes / Dowds Favourite / The Mouth of the Tobique
  • Sandy River Belle
  • Bag of Cats: The Barrow Burn Reel / Lexy Macskills / The Trip to Windsor
  • Magic Foot
  • Song of the Rosy Cross
  • Each Little Thing
  • Sparky
  • Woodchoppers (Live)
  • Maguire and Patterson
  • Munster Hop
  • Reel Beatrice
  • The Marguerita Suite (with Adam Clayton) (5:50)
  • Spellbound

Background Information

Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician known for her work with the accordion and the fiddle. She has had a successful recording career as a solo artist, starting with this album, 1991’s “Sharon Shannon”. She has also been a member of The Waterboys, performing and touring with that band. Sharon was with the band for 18 months. Her first solo recording, “Sharon Shannon” got started in May of 1989 during a three day recording session in Winkles Hotel, Kinvara, Ireland. The recording session was put in place to work on a solo album for Shannon and she soon found herself surrounded by other artists, including Adam Clayton. Within a week of those sessions, Shannon had joined The Waterboys, and spent a year touring with them, and then did a tour with Christy Moore before returning to recording her solo album.

The song that Adam Clayton performs on during these sessions was “The Marguerita Suite” where he performs acoustic bass. Also appearing on the song are Donal Lunny (of Planxty), Steve Wickham and Anthony Thistlewaite (of The Waterboys), Philip King (producer and performer), and Liam O’Maonlai (of Hothouse Flowers). The track itself is made up of three parts, a waltz written by King, and two jigs. The waltz is entitled “The Peeking Pup Waltz” and it is on this portion of the song on which Adam plays acoustic bass. The two jigs are “Graham Townsend’s Jig” from the Cape Breton tradition, and “Paidin O’Raifearta’s”.

This “Best of” compilation of Sharon Shannon’s work is titled “Spellbound” and was released in January of 1999. It includes the same version of “The Marguerita Suite” that had appeared on her debut album, “Sharon Shannon”.

Adam Clayton would return to the song in December 1992, as he appeared on an RTE Studios “Late Late Show” performance of the song. The show was a tribute to Sharon Shannon, and Clayton joined other performers such as Philip King and Liam O’Maonlai on stage. Sharon Shannon herself performed on the show. They performed the first section of the song only, and did not perform the jigs which end the song on the recording.

The album was initially released through Solid Records, and it had huge sales for a traditional album within Ireland. In 1993 it had a wider release on the Philo label, including a release in the USA. Finally in 2001, it was released a third time on Compass Records, this time containing a bonus track “La Valse D’Hiver”. The original release of the album was in September 1991.

Liner Notes

The Marguerita Suite: This selection is composted of a waltz, written by Philip King, and two jigs, the first is Graham Townsends from the Cape Breton tradition and the second Paidin O’Raifearta’s learnt from the playing of Dermy Diamond. The Peeking Pup Waltz: Sharon (accordian), Donal Lunny (bouzouki), Steve Wickham (fiddle), Adam Clayton (acoustic bass), Philip King (harmonica), Liam O’Maonlai (piano), Anthony Thistletwaite (electric and acoustic mandolins). Graham Townsend’s Jig: Sharon (accordion), Donal (bouzouki and bodhrans), Liam (piano). Paidin O’Raifearta’s: Sharon (accordeon and fiddle), Donal (bouzouki and bodhrans), Liam (Piano), Anto (hammond organ).

Related Promotional Videos

Related News

Catalog of Releases