EP14 - Ghostown by The Radiators

To Here Knows When - Great Irish Albums Revisited

"No Irish band has ever attempted anything as ambitious as Ghostown, and no one ever will. Why should it? It has been done and, like Pet Sounds, it's a monument forever" (George Byrne, Sunday Times, 1998). Ghostown was recorded in 1978 and released over a year later in August 1979. In this episode I’m joined by The Radiators's Pete Holidai to discuss Ghostown. Our chat covers a lot of ground: the early days of The Radiators; playing one of Ireland’s first big outdoor concerts at Dalymount Park in 1977 on a bill with Thin Lizzy, Fairport Convention, Graham Parker and the Rumour and The Boomtown Rats; touring the UK with Thin Lizzy; meeting producer Tony Visconti and recording Ghostown in his Good Earth studio; Visconti's recording techniques; the delay in releasing the album; the critical reception upon the album's release and lots more. We also talk about how Pete worked with the original master tapes to put together the 40th Anniversary edition of Ghostown. Pete now plays in Trouble Pilgrims alongside former Radiator From Space Steve Rapid and we talk about Blood, Glass & Gasoline, the band’s latest album. Episode notes are here.