[Music] A Late RIP - Cathal Coughlan

I've just bought one of Cathal's solo albums and Googled him to be confronted with the shocking news that he died on 18 May at the far too young age of 61: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-sty...ho-never-stopped-exploring-musical-frontiers/

I searched here and found that [MENTION=21502]Razzoo[/MENTION] had mentioned his death in the Best Song today thread, but the news had completely passed me by. I've championed Microdisney before on here and Fatima Mansions and his solo stuff is also really worth listening to. Sad news that he's gone. Among others of his, this is one of my absolute favourite songs. His lyrics are beautiful, angry and perfectly sum up the eighties culture that still seems to dominate our economy today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqth7iKu5eQ

His passing hit me quite hard. Microdisney were a bit before my time I started withThe Fatima Mansions and his solo stuff was very good. He seemed to be having a creative spurt recently, clearly he knew he was terminal and was literally running out of time. Which solo album did you buy? I really think he went out on a high with Song of Co-Aklan. A great songwriter with a distinct and rich voice RIP.
Regretfully I never caught him live

I found 'Black River Falls' in a charity shop. I remember being told by a friend at school as a teenager to listen to Peel because Microdisney were in session that night. Intrigued that they had named a mini album 'We Hate You White South African B*****ds' at a time when the Anti-Apartheid movement was at its height, I tuned in. It turned out that they weren't on that night, but instead I discovered The Wedding Present and Half Man Half Biscuit. Obviously I carried on tuning in for the next few years and Peel did play Microdisney fairly soon. They turned up on 'The Tube' doing 'Birthday Girl' (below) and I loved their first couple of albums. Then they made 'Crooked Mile' and seemed to be on the cusp of success, but despite the smooth sounds, I think they were just a little too weird for the mass audience. That album particularly grew and grew on me over the years. I see it alongside things like Rilo Kiley's 'More Adventurous', Roddy Frame's 'Surf' and Sunhouse's debut as one of the truly great pop albums that has never got the credit it deserved, but is waiting to be discovered by another generation and hailed as a classic. The path trod by 'The Velvet Underground & Nico', Big Star's '#1 Record', and The Gang Of Four's 'Entertainment'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVK4896R4DU

Like you, I regret that I never got to see Cathal live.

Big fan of Fatima Mansions, back in my student days.

His passing had not gone unnoticed - as 6 Music went strong on it. Very sad.

Razzoo said:

His passing hit me quite hard. Microdisney were a bit before my time I started withThe Fatima Mansions and his solo stuff was very good. He seemed to be having a creative spurt recently, clearly he knew he was terminal and was literally running out of time. Which solo album did you buy? I really think he went out on a high with Song of Co-Aklan. A great songwriter with a distinct and rich voice RIP.
Regretfully I never caught him live

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He also released a hAon in March this year - https://telefis.bandcamp.com/album/a-haon. I was surprised to receive notification a couple of days ago that another Telefís album a Dó is being released later this year. https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2022/0708/1309013-watch-cathal-coughlans-last-music-with-telefis/