They intended to self-release the album but then they met two like-minded brothers, Shane O’Neill (from the epic Blue in Heaven) and his brother Brian who were setting up a new independent record label called Dirt Records and were lining up releases with some great acts the band were big fans of, including Sack, The Idiots, Tension, The Blue Angels, Jimmy Eadie’s Amusement & Supernaut featuring Shane O’Neill & Dave Long. The O’Neill’s father Seamus O’Neill also had a long history in the record business in Ireland with Mulligan Records & Gael Linn.
Revelino‘s eponymous debut was the first release on the label on Oct 6th 1994 with the immortal catalogue number Dirty 1! The band celebrated with a sold-out debut show in The Baggot Inn and the album received rave reviews. The lead single Happiness is Mine had an immediate impact on radio and became a regular feature on the wonderful No Disco music TV show on RTE. Hot Press critics voted it 3rd best single of the year, it featured in Dave Fanning’s Fab 50 and years later in 2004 the album was voted no 47 in the 100 Greatest Irish albums list.
In January 1995 they received 9 top five places in the Hot Press Readers Poll including No 1 best New Act. Then in April they released Don’t Lead Me Down which went on to feature in two film soundtracks – British gangster movie Hardmen and Irish cult comedy crime classic, I Went Down written by Conor McPherson, directed by Paddy Breathnach and featuring a great Irish cast including Brendan Gleeson and Peter McDonald. I Went Down also featured the song Hello from the debut album. Touring highlights of that year included a sold-out Tivoli show, festival spots including Feile and a support slot with Neil Young on his Mirrorball tour.
1996 kicked off with the band working on a new album, the release of a new in-between-albums single I Know What You Want and an epic Heineken Rollercoaster Tour of Ireland co-headlining with the incendiary Whipping Boy. While working on the follow-up album, the band signed an international licensing deal with French / UK label Musidisc and the debut album was released internationally in March 1996 to great reviews. They toured the UK and France and appeared live on French cultural TV chat show Nulle Part Ailleurs, introduced by football legend Michel Platini! They secured two spots at The Phoenix Festival that summer and, more impressively, the band also reached the final of the celebrity 5-a-side football tournament at the festival, hammering Massive Attack (and Banksy?) 4-1 and Dodgy 3-0 along the way. They were pipped for the trophy by the Guardian newspaper team featuring Mick Talbot from Style Council and a bunch of professional ringers including players from Chelsea and two of the Stein brothers!
The second album Broadcaster was recorded at The Music Warehouse studio built by Dirt Records and produced by Ciaran Byrne and Ronan McHugh. It was mixed by Pat Collier who had worked with The Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream and The Wonder Stuff. The album release was preceded by the first single Step On High in August 1996 which the late great John Peel highlighted as one of favourite singles of the year. It also featured on the soundtrack for the film Blowdry (directed by Paddy Breathnach and starring Alan Rickman and Natasha Richardson). Years later in 2005 on the first anniversary of Peel’s death, NME wrote a feature about Peel’s box of favourite 120 singles in which Revelino’s Step On High was the only Irish single included other than The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks! The following month Channel 4 broadcasted the documentary Peel’s Record Box, which is really worth checking out online. Broadcaster was released in Oct 1996 with the New York Times describing it as “Beautiful, harmony-laden confections with buzzing guitars.” The band celebrated the release with a sold-out show at Whelan’s and then closed out the year with another Irish tour and their biggest headline show to date at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre.
1997 began with the release of the second single from the album, Radio Speaks, which was described as “The Byrd’s with Balls!” The video for the song was shot by Robbie Ryan who has gone on to an incredible career including working with Ken Loach and shooting the award-winning film The Favourite. Following a show together in The Savoy in Limerick, the brilliant A House invited the band to be their special guests for their emotional final show in The Olympia in Feb 1997. UK and European dates followed and in May 1997 the band recorded a GLR radio session with Gary Crowley.
Following a series of shows in the US that summer, the band returned to Ireland disillusioned and cracks started to set in. Drummer Shane Rafferty sadly decided to leave the band and a bunch of other great drummers sat in over the remaining years including Ian Melady, Norman Hunt, Steve Hogan, Andy Brocklebank and Tim McGrath who played drums and percussion for Revelino’s final album, To The End.
The band started work during what proved to be a long drawn out process during which Monty also decided to call it a day. The three remaining members – Brendan Tallon, Ciaran Tallon & Bren Berry – decided to sign off with one more album and the final press release written by Leagues O’Toole captured the mood as they intended… “To The End is written and performed in sadness and tenderness. The orchestration, lovingly painted, spins a yearning subtext… The pace, down-beat but driven, facilitates the mood… but there is another dimension to To The End, a delirious affinity for analogue mavericks, space-age soundtrackers and vintage oddities. An album rich in memories and pictures.”
The album was released in May 2001 and was marked by the band’s final headline show in The Shelter. Good friend Karl McDermott from The Receipts had contributed backing vocals on the album and stood in on bass & BVs for live shows. Around that time Donovan was playing Vicar St and the band gave him a copy of the record and he responded with a wonderful note… “the sounds are mysterious and so mid euro atmosphere through the landscape you create – like Cohen the words are theatrical mini movies of the mind.” They played a few final gigs supporting Bob Dylan in Kilkenny that summer and then with Television and Echo & The Bunnymen at Vicar Street later that year. Both bands were big influences and the Bunnymen’s Ocean Rain was a big reference point for the European sound of To The End that Donavan had referred to – it was a great moment for the band when Ian McCullough praised them after the show saying “Great gig lads, very European sound!” And that was it. Revelino – To The End.
My Bones
Revelino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What could have you speak so low
Cause it would break all my teeth to say you are a friend to me
Your name is black, you shook my bones
You shook my bones
Starlight's in the sky seem so dim tonight
Could be a shadow across my eyes
Move like shadows across my eyes
Across my eyes
Your name with a magic art would place into my heart
A chill as cold as stone
And if it should come to pass then I would break at last
Your name is black, you shook my bones
You shook my bones
In the opening verse of Revelino's song "My Bones," the singer expresses skepticism towards someone who claims to be a friend. The lyrics suggest that the singer suspects the sincerity of this person's friendship, questioning why they would lie and speak negatively about them. The imagery of "breaking teeth" conveys the emotional pain that would come from acknowledging this individual as a friend. The repetition of "Your name is black, you shook my bones" emphasizes the impact this person's actions have had on the singer, shaking them to their core.
As the song progresses, the mood shifts to a contemplative tone with references to starlight and shadows. The dim starlight and shadows symbolize a sense of uncertainty and darkness surrounding the relationship with this individual. The mention of ghosts and dark love thoughts further reinforces the haunting nature of the connection, suggesting that the singer is grappling with conflicting emotions and memories tied to this person.
The following verse delves deeper into the power that this individual holds over the singer. The mention of "Your name with a magic art" implies a bewitching or manipulative quality to this person's influence. The imagery of a chill as cold as stone evokes a sense of foreboding and unease in the singer's heart. The potential consequences of this person's actions are portrayed as potentially shattering the singer, highlighting the toxic and destructive nature of their presence in their life.
In the final repetition of "Your name is black, you shook my bones," the lyrics bring the song full circle, underscoring the lasting impact of this individual on the singer's emotional and mental state. The repeated imagery of being shaken to the core suggests that the singer is grappling with the aftermath of their interactions with this person, feeling unsettled and disrupted. Overall, "My Bones" captures the complex emotions of suspicion, doubt, and vulnerability that can arise in relationships where trust is fractured and manipulation is present.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you are a friend of mine, I don't know why you're lying
You claim to be my friend, but I can't understand why you are being deceitful
What could have you speak so low
What could make you stoop to such a level
Cause it would break all my teeth to say you are a friend to me
It would be incredibly painful for me to acknowledge you as a friend
Your name is black, you shook my bones
The mention of your name fills me with dread and fear
Starlight's in the sky seem so dim tonight
The stars in the sky appear less bright than usual
Could be a shadow across my eyes
It feels like there is a shadow obscuring my vision
Ghosts that crowd the dark love thoughts of who you are
My mind is filled with haunting thoughts of your true nature
Move like shadows across my eyes
Those thoughts move through my mind like eerie shadows
Your name with a magic art would place into my heart
The mere mention of your name fills me with a sense of foreboding
A chill as cold as stone
A chilling feeling that is as cold and unyielding as stone
And if it should come to pass then I would break at last
If that scenario were to unfold, it would be the breaking point for me
Your name is black, you shook my bones
The fear and unease your name brings me is truly unsettling
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Brendan Tallon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind