Great Big Sea – Play

Play is the third album from Great Big Sea. It peaked at #9 on the RPM Album chart and went triple platinum in sales in Canada. At the 1998 Juno awards, Play was nominated for Best Traditional Album and Great Big Sea for Group of the Year. AllMusic gave it 4 stars (out of 5), saying it "successfully combines the traditional maritime and Celtic music of Newfoundland with modern rock tendencies."

I've never been disappointed by a Great Big Sea show or found myself hoping that it would end soon, whether seeing them in Bannerman Park in St. John's or the Labatt Centre in London, in the field by Torbay or on the XX anniversary tour at the Kitchener Auditorium, or even seeing Alan Doyle on his own at Centre in the Square or Séan McCann at the WRDSB Principals Conference.

"When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)" (#6 Top Singles, #13 Adult Contemporary), "Ordinary Day" (#30 Singles, #3 AC) and their splendid cover of REM's "The End of the World" (#24 Singles, #9 AC) were all charting singles in Canada. Play ranked 76th in CBC Radio's 2013 list of the 100 Greatest Canadian Albums Ever.

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Track Listing

1. "Ordinary Day" (Alan Doyle, Séan McCann) – 3:07
2. "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)" (Ian Telfer, Alan Prosser, John Jones) – 3:22
3. "The Night Pat Murphy Died" (traditional, arranged by Great Big Sea) – 3:00
4. "How Did We Get from Saying 'I Love You'..." (Alan Doyle) – 3:45
5. "Donkey Riding" (traditional) – 2:22
6. "Haven't Seen You in a Long Time" (Colin Hay) – 2:50
7. "End of the World" (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe) – 2:41
8. "General Taylor" (traditional, arranged by Great Big Sea & Fergus O'Byrne) – 2:52
9. "Seagulls" (Bob Hallett) – 2:14
10. "Recruiting Sargeant" (Bob Hallett, based on traditional) – 3:40
11. "Greenspond" (Geoff Panting, traditional, arranged by Great Big Sea, ) – 3:05
12. "My Apology" (Séan McCann) – 2:39
13. "Jakey's Gin" (traditional, arranged by Great Big Sea) – 2:51
14. "Something I Should Know" (Séan McCann) – 2:55
15. "Jolly Roving Tar" (traditional, arranged by Great Big Sea) – 2:46
16. hidden track: "Rigadoon" or "Little Beggarman" (Alan Doyle, Séan McCann, Bob Hallett, Darrell Power) – 3:00

Personnel

• Great Big Sea – Up (album)
• Great Big Sea – Turn (album)
• Great Big Sea – Rant & Roar (song)
• Great Big Sea – Ordinary Day (song)
• Great Big Sea – Consequence Free (song)