Cheapskate Records 720
1. Everybody Wants A Good Deal. (sample)
2. Country Greed
3. I Don't Want To Talk About It.
4. Got The Job Done.
5. Even If
6. I Can't Go On, But I Will
7. I Ran Into You
8. 10 Times I Told You
9. There Goes Maryanne
Albums & Mp3's
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Post to;
Cheapskate Records
LGH 14
Kobergsgatan 29
41671 Göteborg
Sweden
Two-Way Mirror
€12.99 including postage
Cheapskate Records 720
1. Everybody Wants A Good Deal. (sample)
2. Country Greed
3. I Don't Want To Talk About It.
4. Got The Job Done.
5. Even If
6. I Can't Go On, But I Will
7. I Ran Into You
8. 10 Times I Told You
9. There Goes Maryanne
more samples on www.myspace.com/theracketeersireland
Everybody Wants A Good Deal available as a download at downloadmusic.ie
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Mansions Of Gold
€10.99 including postage
CRR 0909 Cannery Row Records
SPCD 07 Spellbound 2009
The Women Around Here
Doesn't Matter At All
45
Money
Nine Bridges From Town
Stanton Street
Autumn Leaves
Sweet Angel
Nobody Knows
Last Train From Town
Seven Years
LISTEN TO SAMPLES HERE
Order
the cd from Cdbaby.com
"The wild rover delivers another solid punch...................
Dowd strikes me as the kind of musician for whom the music, the performing is
everything,; he just plugs his guitar in and plays (my kind of musician). This
record is louder and harsher than the last, as though he gained a taste for
electricity and wants to feel its jolt as often as possible. ‘Stanton
Street’ sounds like he’s playing in the rain in order to spark a
short-circuit.‘Autumn Laves’ eloquently states why that possibility should mean it is
something that you should look out for. His voice is heartfelt and artless, so that you are more than happy to
hear it pushing the words out.
When they add additional touches like banjo, organ and sax on ‘Sweet Angel’
it is not over-egging the omelette, just tickling the tastebuds with some
musical herbs.‘The Women Around Here’ or
‘Nobody Knows’ feature dame alcohol. Dowd seems like the kind of person you’d want to share a beer
with and I’m pretty sure that this would sound all the better if I wasn’t
stone cold sober."
Americana UK (UK)
Van ons zult u volstrekt geen klachten horen want "Mansions of Gold" maakt dit deels goed. En dit al meteen met de opzwepende openingstrack, "The Women Around Here", tevens eerste single van deze plaat, maar het daaropvolgende "Doesn't Matter At All" vonden we iets
minder. Neen, het volgende hoogtepunt is het briljante "45": rockende groove en zeer grote klasse alom.
Na de lekkere countryrock van "Nine Bridges From Town", het zeer korte instrumentaaltje "Stanton Street" is er even tijd voor een prachtige ballade, "Autumn Leaves". Onze favorieten? jazeker het daaropvolgende, absoluut superieure "Sweet Angel" - waarin een aantal accenten aan het groepsgeluid zijn toegevoegd door middel van banjo, orgel en sax door een aantal gastmuzikanten - daar hebben we veel bewondering voor. "Mansions of Gold" is gelukkig weer een echte Eamonn Dowd & The Racketeers plaat. Een plaat die het beste van zijn voorgangers, Exit Hellsville (2005) en "Silver And Dust" (2006) lijkt te verenigen en een verrassend veelzijdig geluid laat horen waarin Dowd en zijn band doen waar ze inmiddels al geruime tijd goed in zijn, maar ook de nieuwe wegen niet worden geschuwd. De instrumentatie is weer wat rauwer en meer rockend als "Silver And Dust", maar klinkt ook opvallend opgewekt. Dowd's stem is zoals altijd sfeerbepalend, net als de prachtige verhalen die hij in zijn songs weet te vertellen. Luister naar "Mansions of Gold" en je begrijpt wat ik bedoel.
Rootstime (Belgium)
Die irische Band Eamonn Dowd & The
Racketeers begeistert mit ihrem guten alten Americana Rock seit Mitte der 90er
Jahre die Fans. Das neue Album „Mansions of Gold” hat Dowd (Gesang,
Gitarren, Mandoline, Harmonika, Orgel, Fiddle, Perkussion) gemeinsam mit dem
Schlagzeuger Chris Teusner, dem Bassisten Les Keye und drei ausgezeichneten
Gastmusikern aufgenommen. Alle neun Songs und die zwei Instrumentalstücke
stammen aus der Feder von Dowd.
Beginnend mit dem tollen Country Punkrock „The Women around here“ bringen
die drei den Zuhörer sofort dazu den Takt mitzuklopfen. Egal ob mit Bluesrock
wie bei „45“ oder mit echtem Punkrock wie bei „Money“ die Jungs lassen
es rocken. Beim instrumentalen „Stanton Street“ ist das Zusammenspiel von
Dowd an den Gitarren und Darragh O’Kelly am Piano hörenswert. Aber Dowd singt
auch wunderschöne traurige Balladen wie „Autumn Leaves“, bei dem sein gefühlvoller
Gesang nur von der akustischen Gitarre, der Mundharmonika und dem Bass begleitet
wird. „Sweet Angel“ klingt ein wenig wie die Rolling Stones als sie noch
bessere Zeiten gesehen haben; hier gastiert Beverly Bouvier am Saxophon. Mein
Lieblingssong ist die Rockballade „Nobody knows“. Sie beginnt mit stillem
Gesang und Gitarrenbegleitung, dann stimmt Jack Cawley mit seinem Banjo und Keye
mit dem Bass ein, werden aber zwischendurch von markigen Gitarrenriffs
unterbrochen, ein brillantes Arrangement.
Die drei Iren haben ein erstklassiges Album produziert, das irgendwo in Raum und
Zeit verloren zu sein scheint. Sie folgen keinem Trend und kümmern sich nicht
um kommerziellen Erfolg und vielleicht gerade darum ist ihre Musik so besonders.
Folkworld (Germany)
Swampy cowpunk in de geest van Beasts Of Bourbon, dat past helemaal bij een songtitel als The Women Around Here.
Doesn’t Matter Of All is stevige paisley underground waarop Dowd klinkt als Steve Wynn. En de rudimentaire rock van 45 gaat aardig in de richting van Tav Falco, vooral door de dwarse inbreng van de ritmesectie. Holly I got your records, been playing them all day long / Got a hellhound on my trail, and my head is full of songs / ‘round and ‘round at 33 and then at 45 / I got my 45’s. Heerlijke harde rootsy rock-’n-roll die past tussen oude favorieten als.
Dowd heeft niet alleen een voor dit genre uiterst geschikte schuurpapieren strot, hij beschikt ook over de juiste songschrijverskwaliteiten. De elf nummers op deze vijfde cd hebben stuk voor stuk pakkende melodieën. Voeg daar het soulvolle spel aan toe en het mag duidelijk zijn dat deze overigens met net geen half uur speeltijd wel wat korte cd een regelrechte aanrader is.
Alt. Country (Netherlands)
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Silver & Dust
€10.99 including postage
CRR 0603 Cannery Row Records
SPCD 06 Spellbound 2006
1. Rambling Jack
2. Don't Let Me Fall
3. Blood On Your Boots
4. She Said
5. Roll The Dice
6. Gone Again
7. Straight Down The Line
8. Shabby Dress
9. Evil
10. Nobody Home
11. Antibes
12. Time Is Tight
13. Don't Walk Away
LISTEN TO SAMPLES HERE
Buy the album digitally on Itunes Order
the cd from Cdbaby.com
Irish band on German label make convincing Americana
In this post Libertines world where it seems that any raggle-taggle band with
half-formed ideas and unfinished songs are catapulted onto the front line, have
records in the charts before they coalesce and rarely mature in the hothouse
atmosphere (I sound so old) it is nice to know that there are bands like this
that are in it for the long run and who change and evolve - they grow. This
Irish band releases their fourth record on which the ideas are fully formed,
fully realised and importantly contain more than just the germ of an idea. Dowd
and the band move from cantankerous country blues redolent of his namesake
Johnny, smooth country rockers - the satisfying 'Don't
Let Me Fall' which is Cash like in its warm redemptive tone – and raucous
rock. Not one to be afraid of noise turning the amps up or stomping on the
effects pedals or even sounding a bit like REM crossed with Green on Red on 'She
Said' or to be generic as they are on the Satanist country song 'Straight
Down the Line' - nice twist that. Songs like 'Evil'
are a kind of crushed velvet gothic country. There is edginess to the sparky
guitars and something almost debauched about the louche vocal. I like the
personality and experience in his voice it makes him an engaging and believable
narrator and I'm happy to spend time in his company. (Dave Cowling 8 / 10)
Americana UK (UK)
Eamonn Dowd und seine Racketeers stehen für eine anspruchsvolle
Mischung aus gitarrenlastigem Folkrock und Blues. "Silver and Dust"
ist die insgesamt vierte Scheibe der irischen Band, die seit zehn Jahren schon
quer durch Europa tourt. Dowd selbst ist auch ab und an mal solo in den Pubs
dieses Planeten unterwegs. Er liegt gesanglich irgendwo zwischen Johnny Cash und
Shane McGowan und seine angenehm einprägsame, rauchige, spröde Stimme sorgt
bereits beim Opener "Rambling Jack" sofort für Gänsehaut. Jeder der
folgenden Titel hat seinen ganz eigenen Charakter und sorgt beim Hören sofort für
Kopfkino, die Texte sind bildreich und lyrisch, die Melodien von Melancholie
geprägt. Das Projekt hat Format. Die Atmosphäre, die hier vermittelt wird,
zwingt einen fast zur Generierung eines neuen Genre-Ungetüms: Country Gothic.
Rauchiger, roher, düsterer, schwermütiger Rock'n'Roll mit einer ordentlichen
Portion Tiefgang.
Whisky Soda (Germany)
Eamonn Dowd und seine Racketeers stehen für eine anspruchsvolle Mischung
aus gitarrenlastigem Folkrock und Blues. Dowd liegt gesanglich irgendwo zwischen
Johnny Cash und Shane McGowan und seine angenehm einprägsame, rauchige, spröde
Stimme sorgt bei “Rambling Jack” sofort für Gänsehaut und Kopfkino, der
Text ist bildreich und lyrisch, die Melodie von Melancholie geprägt. Der Song
hat Format. Die Atmosphäre, die hier vermittelt wird, zwingt einen fast zur
Generierung eines neuen Genre-Ungetüms: Country Gothic. Rauchiger, roher, düsterer,
schwermütiger Rock’n'Roll mit einer ordentlichen Portion Tiefgang.
Wentour (Germany)
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Exit Hellsville
Only
a few copies left
€10.99 including postage
SPCD 05 Spellbound 2004
1. I Don't Know You Anymore
2. Feel It In My Bones
3. Never Did, Never Will
4. Damage Done
5. Nowhere Fast
6. Come On Little Baby
7. No Point In Worrying
8. Trouble Around The Bend
9. Down Into Hell
10. Never Is A Long Time
11. Slip Away
12. Don't Believe What They're Saying
LISTEN TO SAMPLES HERE
Buy the album digitally on Itunes 
Order
the cd from Cdbaby.com
"A damn fine example of gravel-voiced country
rock.....these songs are full of unaffected, unrefined humanity, a kind of
world-weary, warts 'n' all honesty that's getting rarer in music....there is
something raw and real about The Racketeers that's easy to love."
John Walshe - Hot Press (Ireland)
"There are moments on this album that capture perfectly the magic that can
be conjured up by combining country and rock 'n' roll in just the right
proportions. Nothing on Exit Hellsville sounds staged or contrived. The
lifeblood of the album is undoubtedly its energy, even the 'ballad' Come On
Little Baby drives along rather than just drifts and, like the majority of the
rest of the album, it contains more hooks than a convention of pirates.
8/10"
Americana UK (UK)
"Americana from Dublin. And it ain't Dublin in the state of Ohio,
but Dublin, Ireland......this is alternative country. Brian O'Toole on
bass guitar and drummer Chris Teusner follow Eamonn Dowd's cracked vocals and
dark lyrics on their way down into hell. Considering the trio is from
Europe, they do it much better than their musical brethren on the other side of
the Atlantic."
Folkworld (Germany)
"A powerful and rootsy sound that brings fiddle, mandolin, lap steel and
banjo up front and center next to the electric guitar, bass and drum foundation.
This is roots rock as strong as a lot of the Stateside bands claiming a similar
pedigree. Listen to 'Never Did, Never Will' with Bill Whelan's banjo adding a
spikey texture to the mix or the harmonica led 'Come On Little Baby' to see what
I mean."
Steve Averill - Lonesome Highway Vol 2 # 3 (Ireland)
The story behind the making of Exit Hellsville
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Long Time Gone
€10.99 including postage
SPCD 02 Spellbound 1999
1. Woke up Monday Morning
2. Hard Times
3. Million Miles Away
4. Bad Luck Charm
5. Slow Down Time
6. Rumours Down Town (Sample)
7. Walk a Mile in my Shoes
8. Midsummer's Eve
9. I Never Knew
10. When The Sky Comes Tumbling Down
11. Don't Depend On Me
"An accomplished and rich sound,
augmented by the liquid boogie of a Wurlitzer, a mournful fiddle,
and the dexterous pen of Mr. Dowd. They come close to cruising with the harmonic
country-rock
majesty of The Band.......a fantastic vulnerable voice."
Leagues O' Toole - Dublin Event Guide (Ireland)
"Based around the songwriting of Dublin resident Eamonn Dowd, a man of
considerable ambition and a grasp of the rare art of well-crafted composition. With
their feet in various musical camps they go on to create their own sometimes
epic vistas of sound incorporating dark country atmospherics, Dylanesque
ramblings, electrifying contemporary rock, passionate Celtic soul and
traditional-flavoured motifs (‘A Million Miles Away’ and ‘Slow Down
Time’). They’re not averse to adopting a gritty rock persona as on the
riff’n’roll of ‘Walk A Mile In My Shoes’ and it is this willingness to
surprise and offer a slightly skewed take on the singer-songwriter form which
renders ‘Long Time Gone’ such a success. The care and attention to detail
throughout gives The Racketeers a real edge."
Rock 'N' Reel (U.K)
"Dowd's vocals have an indecently
gritty quality-he sounds like he's lived the lifestyle he portrays so
well.......a passable impression of a younger Van Morrison.....old-fashioned
American rock and
country-tinged balladry, but they do it VERY well."
Hot Press (Ireland)
"There are so many great tracks on
this album it's difficult to know which one's to write about. The great
blend of traditional instruments into moving rock tracks is to be commended.
Some great riffs, excellent
harmonica and lead guitar work..."
Irishbandslive.co.uk (UK)
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By Hook Or By Crook SOLD
OUT
€10.99 including postage
"The songs are tempered by
delicious harmonies and expressive playing. The Racketeers stir up a fine old
musical brew"
Horses Mouth (Ireland)
"A frenetic mixture of
roots, folk and furious rock'n'roll"
Dublin Event Guide (Ireland)
".....a rather fine debut album, and more importantly, it bodes extremely
well for the future. They have succeeded in making an album which sounds fresh,
loose and ready to go anywhere the mood takes it."
Hot Press (Ireland)
"This record has its heart in the
hardy busking style of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Other shades (notably Nick
Cave) cast a wider and darker net. Buy it!"
U Magazine (Ireland)
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Singles/E.P's/Compilations
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The Racketeers E.P. (CD-R)
SPCD Promo 02 Spellbound 2004
1. Come On Little Baby
2. Feel It In My Bones
3. No Point In Worrying
4. Never Did, Never Will
Radio promo
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Counterfeit Christmas
E.P. Sold Out ***Only
available as a download****
€5.99 including postage
A limited edition festive release,
featuring "Million Miles Away" which resulted in a couple of TV
appearances for the band. Although mainly acoustic, a Sam Fletcher
northern soul stomper gets the sample
treatment, and a 300 year old reel sounds like it was lifted from an old 78,
despite the fact that it was digitally
recorded !!
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I Don't Know You Anymore Sold
Out
€5.99 including postage
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10 Times I Told You
No Catalogue # 1998
1. 10 Times I Told You
2. Racketeers Lament
3. Even If
Radio Promo from 1998
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Rockin' At The Barn Volume 4
Dusty Records DUSTCD14
Alt. country/americana compilation from
2004 on Swedish label Dusty Records.
"Rockin' At The Barn Volume 4" features the previously unreleased
track, 'I Don't Want To Talk About It'
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Cannery Row Records
Sampler
LC 14736
Cannery Row Records sampler from 2006.
Features 'Never Is A Long Time' and
'Don't Believe What They're Saying'
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Woke Up Monday Morning
Remastered version of the
opening track from Long Time Gone. Released to coincide with
the summer 2007 tour of Germany/east coast US/Canada. Download only.
Click here to
buy from the UK
Click here to
buy from the US
Click
here to buy from Ireland
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The Women Around Here
Released on the Spring
Equinox 2008. Download only
Click here to
buy from the UK
Click here to
buy from the US
Click
here to buy from Ireland
*************************************************
Doesn't Matter At All
Released on the Summer
Solstice 2008. Download only
Click
here to buy from the UK
Click here to
buy from the US
Click
here to buy from Ireland
*************************************************
45
Released on the Autumnal Equinox 2008. Download only
Click here
to buy from the UK
Click here to
buy from the US
Click
here to buy from Ireland
*************************************************
Sweet Angel
Released on the Winter Solstice 2008. Download only
Click
here to buy from the UK
Click here to
buy from the US
Click
here to buy from Ireland
*************************************************
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