Past the Point of Rescue

About 10 years ago I received a phone call from Ringsend Road studios to say that the original masters of my 1990 All I Remember album were still in their vaults…..along with others by the likes of Mark Knophler, etc. Since the record company had debunked to the UK…I went and collected mine. I sent the two spools containing the tracks of the song ‘Past The Point of Rescue’to London for a special baking treatment and saved the original tracks for posterity. My friend Philip Begley learned all the original parts, rerecorded them……he’s some man for one man. Richard Nelson added some steel and we kept Peter Condell’s guitar. I added new vocals and Philip and I did the harmonies. When I heard the finished product, I concluded that it was worth releasing as a single for radio, streaming and download. Its official release is today Fri 10^th Nov .

The song Past The Point of Rescue was written in 1988 and first recorded by Mary Black in 1989. Mary’s single release made the Irish charts and became a staple of her repertoire for the coming years. “This great song has given me immense joy to sing over the years” Mary Black

I recorded the song in 1990 for my album ‘All I Remember’ but did not release the song as a single. In 1991 up and coming American country singer, Hal Ketchum made it the title track for his first album with Curb records. On its single release it went to #2 in the US Billboard Country charts and #1 in Canada. It became the most played country song in 1992, for which I received my first BMI award. I received a second BMI reward in 1993 when the song passed the 1 Million radio plays in the US. Norwegian band The Hellbillies took their version of the song into the Norwegian charts also in 1993 and became a major show-stopping song for them. In 2012, I received a third major award from BMI…this time for the song having exceeded the 2 Million radio plays mark.

“Past The Point of Rescue is my career song….I bless the day that Mick wrote it” Hal Ketchum

Some folk might liken the rerelease of Past The Point after 25yrs as the flogging of a very dead horse…..however, my own view is that the horse is alive and well and deserves another day at the races? Check it out and see what you think….…. it’s available in all good ethereal record stores….Spotify, Tunecore, etc.

Mick.