Ireland In 50 Albums, No 19: Sacred Heart Hotel, by the Stars of Heaven
The Stars of Heaven's finest moment was Sacred Heart Hotel.
In Rough Trade: Labels Unlimited, Rob Young writes that the records released by the Stars of Heaven on the famed record label, “displayed crafted songwriting in a gentle, Celtic country mode that echoed the pastoral side of The Byrds.”
As Young’s description suggests, the Stars of Heaven sounded nothing like other Irish bands in the mid-1980s. They shared a love of Big Star, Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. They had listened to Almost Blue, Elvis Costello’s covers album of country music songs, and wanted to emulate it.
