Best Of Scottish Bagpipes And Brass Bands, The - Various Artists

Advantages: Beautiful and atmospheric
Disadvantages: Too short and not for everybody

...Before we start, a brief introduction to Celtic music. Originally Irish and Scottish (well, the Ireland and Scotland, as well as parts of England, of Celtic times (think William Wallace aka Braveheart)), Celtic music is, generally, not as popular as most other forms of classical-based music. Although there are many instantly recognisable Celtic songs, as well as artists (such as Enya, Celtus, Maire Brennan), people know very little about this beautiful form of music. Most Celtic songs have pipes, fiddles, powerful drumming, with maybe a bit of piano, guitar or even keyboards (like Celtus), as well as the Irish bagpipes and many strings offering sweet chords in the background. Quite often, there is also singing, either in English or, more traditionally, Celtic/Gailic. For this reason, I like to think Celtic music as a combination... Read review

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Advantages: Alot of top class pipers aswell as whistles and bands
Disadvantages: That more hasnt been made

...Well i was wondering across a music shop in the middle of nowhere and as usual i went down the world music aisle to see if they had any piping or folk cds and i came across this. Ever since i bought it that day it has never been out of my car cd player. It is a wonderful completion of world class musicians and pipers. The range of instruments from bagpipes to irish pipes to whistles is nice mix and is very easy on the ear. It really is a cd for those who like all kinds of Celtic music from pipe bands to low whistles. Some of the best tracks to be noted are: Quantum Leap - Well from one of the best modern bagpipe composers and players, Chris Armstrong really does get your heart leaping in this track. Maclean of pennycross - A nice selection of traditional music finishing off with a nice Mediterranean style piece. Sheenaghs Waltz... Read review

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Advantages: Good variety, not too slcik.
Disadvantages: Pop music enthusiasts may not approve.

...I bought this album on the strength of one track ("100 Years Of Solitude"). However, I soon realised that every other track on the album was as good as, if not better than, "100 Years Of Solitude". The songs are all instantly accessible, without sounding commercial. It's difficult to compare this album with any other artists, as the Levellers have a very distinct sound. Some parts of the album hint of an Irish descent, while others (particularly the bagpipes on "Julie"), are Scottish sounding. The music is sounds natural and has not been "over-produced". The result of this is that many of the singles released from this album were remixed for the commercial market, and some of these were released on "One Way Of Life: The Best Of The Levellers". This means that even if you already own "One Way Of Life", the self-titled "Levellers" is still... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful