17 February 1968
Inuit and Yupik are among the preferred terms today for Quinn and his people, rather than the outdated and improper one used in this song. That bloody Bob Dylan, eh?
The unfortunate nomenclature is a pity because otherwise ‘Mighty Quinn’ would be mightily enjoyable. The rolling piano chords and lilting flute are great fun, as is the sunny vocal of recently-recruited Mike d’Abo. (Also in this Manfred Mann line-up, on bass, is Klaus Voormann, Beatle-friend and artist behind the Revolver cover.) However, fair’s fair; I won’t give this one a score or post the video, and you can search it out yourself if you wish.
By the way, “Quinn the Inuit” would work instead and scan just fine, so perhaps someone could tweak it for today’s sensibilities. See how easy it is to be better than Bob Dylan?
Irish Number Ones 