Cold Blow and the Rainy Night was the third and final Planxty recording before the band's members split off to form the Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, and De Dannan. It was as if the implications of their revolutionary blending of the instrumental and vocal strains of Irish music were too profound to be contained in one band. You can hear the future of Celtic music being charted on this record. Elements that are now commonplace, like mixing traditional uilleann pipes and fiddles with modern guitars, bouzoukis, and mandolins; performing tunes from other cultures; and making medleys from dance tunes and songs; were all popularized by Planxty in its formative years. The group reformed a few years later, but they were never able to recapture the magic of their early years. --Michael Simmons