No Lazytown
February 22, 2010 6:23 PM Subscribe
What music will make me dance about like a pirate?
I've got no genre in mind. I'm a fan of colonial-era tunes, always have been, but none of the ones I know are specific pirate feeling, and none of them are quite danceable enough to qualify. But I'd like something that's got a very pirate-y feel to it, rather than something with a vaguely pirate riff attached to an other-wise ordinary rock song.
I've got no genre in mind. I'm a fan of colonial-era tunes, always have been, but none of the ones I know are specific pirate feeling, and none of them are quite danceable enough to qualify. But I'd like something that's got a very pirate-y feel to it, rather than something with a vaguely pirate riff attached to an other-wise ordinary rock song.
Response by poster: Answers like that are why I love the Internet.
posted by Rory Marinich at 6:31 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Rory Marinich at 6:31 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: I was just about to post you-know-what until I noticed the post title.
I've always found Finntroll's Trollhammeren to have a pirate-y feel to it.
posted by griphus at 6:34 PM on February 22, 2010
I've always found Finntroll's Trollhammeren to have a pirate-y feel to it.
posted by griphus at 6:34 PM on February 22, 2010
Strongly recommend the Mad Maggie's Skull & Magpies. From the description:
If you like Ska, Celtic flavors and Gypsy brass bands you'll like us. If you like seafaring stories and dance and drink worthy tunes you'll love this CD!
posted by metahawk at 6:39 PM on February 22, 2010
If you like Ska, Celtic flavors and Gypsy brass bands you'll like us. If you like seafaring stories and dance and drink worthy tunes you'll love this CD!
posted by metahawk at 6:39 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: For that retro videogame feel, try the soundtracks to the Monkey Island series.
posted by Paragon at 6:45 PM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Paragon at 6:45 PM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
Best answer: reverend glasseye and his wooden leg (also)
if you find yourself liking that - more gypsy sounding, but it always reminded me of pirate music - gogol bordello
posted by nadawi at 6:46 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
if you find yourself liking that - more gypsy sounding, but it always reminded me of pirate music - gogol bordello
posted by nadawi at 6:46 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: gripus: Wikiing that band led me to Googling for certain sorts of Finnish dances led to my new favorite Poker Face cover.
posted by Rory Marinich at 6:48 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Rory Marinich at 6:48 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: Tanglefoot's Traighli Bay. The actual song starts about 1:20 in.
posted by bassooner at 6:55 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by bassooner at 6:55 PM on February 22, 2010
Some of the stuff that Gogol Bordello does this for me, as well as the superlocal but always awesome St Bushmills Choir
posted by jessamyn at 6:56 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by jessamyn at 6:56 PM on February 22, 2010
Weddings, Parties, Anything, particularly Barrett's Privateers which is actually about pirating. Of course, tons of people have played and recorded that song, so you could check any of them out.
Also I think A Tale They Won't Believe has a bit of that vibe too, though it's not specifically about pirating.
posted by pompomtom at 6:59 PM on February 22, 2010
Also I think A Tale They Won't Believe has a bit of that vibe too, though it's not specifically about pirating.
posted by pompomtom at 6:59 PM on February 22, 2010
Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew
posted by runningwithscissors at 7:01 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by runningwithscissors at 7:01 PM on February 22, 2010
Oops. Link: Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew
posted by runningwithscissors at 7:01 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by runningwithscissors at 7:01 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Alestorm did a cover of this, but Latvia's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest the year before last was "Wolves of the Sea." I prefer the original to the cover.
I'm on my Phone and can't link, but you can easily pull it up on YouTube.
posted by SNWidget at 7:07 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm on my Phone and can't link, but you can easily pull it up on YouTube.
posted by SNWidget at 7:07 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Perhaps Man Man. Especially this song.
posted by skintension at 7:08 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by skintension at 7:08 PM on February 22, 2010
The Pogues. I'm going to drive myself nuts trying to pick out the perfect Pogues piratey song (it's been about 15 years since I've listened to them regularly), so I'll just suggest starting with "If I Should Fall From Grace with God" and "Turkish Song of the Damned" as a couple of very dancable tunes.
posted by drlith at 7:25 PM on February 22, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by drlith at 7:25 PM on February 22, 2010 [4 favorites]
Fisherman's Blues by The Waterboys is more about fishing than piracy, but it has a beat you can dance to.
posted by ovvl at 7:29 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by ovvl at 7:29 PM on February 22, 2010
Not nautical at all, but good for rocking out in your doublet: Fairport Convention doing Matty Groves.
posted by neroli at 7:31 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by neroli at 7:31 PM on February 22, 2010
Sea Songs & Shanties: Traditional Music from the Last Days of Sail. Not pirate-specific, but v. nautical.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:35 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:35 PM on February 22, 2010
If you're in a punky/slightly psychobilly mood, you may want to give Throw Rag a shot.
posted by Ufez Jones at 7:40 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Ufez Jones at 7:40 PM on February 22, 2010
Pirated music.
posted by fonetik at 7:58 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by fonetik at 7:58 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
That Damn Band (their website)
That Damn Band (micepace . . .shudder)
That Damn Band (music theirs, bellydancing not)
posted by Seamus at 8:00 PM on February 22, 2010
That Damn Band (micepace . . .shudder)
That Damn Band (music theirs, bellydancing not)
posted by Seamus at 8:00 PM on February 22, 2010
The Sailor's Hornpipe is the traditional sailor's dance... if you google it, you'll get plenty of variations.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 8:07 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 8:07 PM on February 22, 2010
Dread Zone - Captain Dread
It's what I'd imagine pirates would listen to if they went to a rave in the mid-90s. Doesn't get much more "dance-y" than that!
A'hoy!
posted by xotis at 8:41 PM on February 22, 2010
It's what I'd imagine pirates would listen to if they went to a rave in the mid-90s. Doesn't get much more "dance-y" than that!
A'hoy!
posted by xotis at 8:41 PM on February 22, 2010
Steeleye Span's cover of the "Pirate Jenny" song (AKA "The Black Freighter")- not much of a dancer, but a hell of a pirate song - from Threepenny Opera.
"Weird Beard" by the Mad Caddies
Hell yes, The Pogues! "Thousands Are Sailing," "Sally McLennane," as well as the aforementioned.
I find old calypso great for this, especially in the winters, even if it's not piratey, exactly - some old Mighty Sparrow songs are FANTASTIC.
The Sex Pistols - "Frigging In The Rigging!"
"Black Friday Rule" by Flogging Molly? Some other Flogging Molly? Maybe? I kinda vaguely know them -maybe someone else will better than I.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:53 PM on February 22, 2010
"Weird Beard" by the Mad Caddies
Hell yes, The Pogues! "Thousands Are Sailing," "Sally McLennane," as well as the aforementioned.
I find old calypso great for this, especially in the winters, even if it's not piratey, exactly - some old Mighty Sparrow songs are FANTASTIC.
The Sex Pistols - "Frigging In The Rigging!"
"Black Friday Rule" by Flogging Molly? Some other Flogging Molly? Maybe? I kinda vaguely know them -maybe someone else will better than I.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:53 PM on February 22, 2010
You, my scurvy friend, require the services of one Mister Bilgemunky and his mighty podcast of pirate music.
For truly, many of the bands listed above are played upon his show, as well as other pirate bands such as Musical Blades, The Pirates Charles and the esoteric but filthy delights of Salty Dick, PhD.
Aye, if it be pirate music ye want, Bilgemunky provides in abundance.
posted by Katemonkey at 3:40 AM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
For truly, many of the bands listed above are played upon his show, as well as other pirate bands such as Musical Blades, The Pirates Charles and the esoteric but filthy delights of Salty Dick, PhD.
Aye, if it be pirate music ye want, Bilgemunky provides in abundance.
posted by Katemonkey at 3:40 AM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Great Big Sea is a Canadian band that does traditional Newfoundland and Irish tunes with a sometimes pop-y slant. They also occasionally do pop-y tunes (R.E.M.'s End of the World as we know it) with a folksy, nautical slant. Look for their Album "The Hard and the Easy" for really traditional, pirate-y stuff. I could provide links but I'm in a hurry. Google it. Should be on Youtube as well.
Also, Spirit of the West. The Waterboys and The Decemberists are other bands that may have traditional songs. Nthing the Pogues.
posted by Brodiggitty at 4:28 AM on February 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Also, Spirit of the West. The Waterboys and The Decemberists are other bands that may have traditional songs. Nthing the Pogues.
posted by Brodiggitty at 4:28 AM on February 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Even better than "Black Friday Rule" by Flogging Molly: "Seven Deadly Sins".
posted by transporter accident amy at 4:55 AM on February 23, 2010
posted by transporter accident amy at 4:55 AM on February 23, 2010
Vermillion Lies, Circus Fish is really jangly and piratey.
Also, try some Logan Whitehurst's "Bonebeard The Dinosaur Pirate From Space"
posted by The Whelk at 7:09 AM on February 23, 2010
Also, try some Logan Whitehurst's "Bonebeard The Dinosaur Pirate From Space"
posted by The Whelk at 7:09 AM on February 23, 2010
Best answer: A Cautionary Song, Shanty for the Arethusa, and The Mariner's Revenge Song by The Decemberists. The Chimbley Sweep has the same sort of sound, but it's not about pirates.
posted by ludwig_van at 7:18 AM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ludwig_van at 7:18 AM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
World/Inferno Friendship Society, particularly Me V. The Angry Mob, but a lot of others.
posted by Brainy at 8:29 AM on February 23, 2010
posted by Brainy at 8:29 AM on February 23, 2010
The Coral's Spanish Main.
That whole album (eponymous) is sort of nautically themed.
posted by cmoj at 12:37 PM on February 23, 2010
That whole album (eponymous) is sort of nautically themed.
posted by cmoj at 12:37 PM on February 23, 2010
Nthing Great Big Sea, 'specailly Captain Kidd
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:51 PM on February 24, 2010
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:51 PM on February 24, 2010
Oh, almost forgot...
And it's a heave-ho, high-hoposted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:03 PM on February 24, 2010
Comin' down the plains
Stealing wheat & barley & all the other grains
And it's a Hey-ho, high-ho
farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger
On Regina's mighty shores-Last Saskatchewan Pirate
32 Down on the Robert Mckenzie. More mounties than pirates, but there's still a wooden ship & boarding action in the video.
posted by Lexica at 9:11 PM on February 24, 2010
posted by Lexica at 9:11 PM on February 24, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 6:29 PM on February 22, 2010