| A Drop of the Hard Stuff | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover to the original edition of the album | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1967 (1967) | |||
| Genre | Irish folk | |||
| Length | 43:07 | |||
| Label | Major Minor | |||
| Producer | Tommy Scott | |||
| The Dubliners chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Drop of the Hard Stuff | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 Seven Drunken Nights | ||||
A Drop of the Hard Stuff is the debut studio album of the Irish folk groupThe Dubliners. It was originally released in 1967 onMajor Minor Records (SMLP3 and MMLP3). When it was reissued, it was renamedSeven Drunken Nights after thefirst 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 andJohn 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 impressivea cappella rendition of "Limerick Rake".
Variety described the album as having "tremendous verve",[1] whileBillboard 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]
All songs are traditional compositions, with the exception of "The Travelling People," which was written by English performerEwan MacColl.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums (IRMA)ERROR in "Ireland": Missing parameters: week, year.[4] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[5] | 5 |
