Chieftains Vol.8 - Chieftains (The)

Advantages: Great sound, very different, interesting guest singers
Disadvantages: Not a sound that everyone will find they like

...I have always had trouble writing music ops. I find it very difficult in transferring one medium (music) into another (writing). But I thought I would give it a stab with one of my all time favorite albums. Long Black Veil by the Chieftains is probably one of my top ten favorite’s albums of all time. Now, I will admit that it is not popular music, nor it is it for everyone. Many people would find it an odd choice. Irish music isn’t for everyone. However, I think this album may have more general appeal than the other albums by the Chieftains. Why would I think that? Because this album isn’t just the Chieftains. It is songs played by the Chieftains but the songs are sung by a variety of popular singers, such as Mick Jagger and Sting. Now, I know what you must be thinking. Mick Jagger singing Irish Folk Music. Yes, you... Read review

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Advantages: a breath of fresh air in a world of over produced music
Disadvantages: none

...and at the same time older traditional numbers sound new until all you are left with is this punkesque folk melting pot. Largely played on acoustic instruments, mandolins, banjos, guitars, accordions and the like, this is still very much a folk line up, but the intensity and snotty nosed delivery is what sets these boys apart from what you were expecting. And if you had to hastily rethink what the band are about due to the opening number, as if to mess with your head, the next song "The Battle of Brisbane" is total Irish pub folk music. As if to pay homage to their roots this is one of two instrumentals on the album, and both this and the later "Dingle Regatta" could be the Dubliners or the Chieftains. And if you thought that you had been treated to both extremes of the band in swift succession, "The Auld Triangle" gives you a new dimension to the band... Read review

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Advantages: Wonderful source material; appealing arrangements with long shelf life; excellent sound; BBC Concert Orchestra.
Disadvantages: Sharon's violin, Corrs' vocal harmonies underused; bubblegum track, 'Old Town'.

...underscoring helps a lot. Listen, for instance, to those stirring martial drums on 'Brid Og Ni Mhaill' and 'My Lagan Love'. On the latter, the drums evoke the song's origins in Ulster, Northern Ireland, and 'The Troubles' attendant to that place. (A host of other artists have also covered this popular air, including Kate Bush, the Chieftains, Sinéad O'Connor, and Charlotte Church.) Yet the Corrs can't seem to totally kick the bubblegum habit. 'Old Town', heard earlier on the Corrs' live MTV concert video, is a piece of pablum written by Philip Lynott of the Irish hard rock band, Thin Lizzy. Curiously, the trumpet sounds a lot like the brass on the Beatles' 'All You Need is Love'. For what it's worth, the track does cut the sweeping mellowness that pervades the album, and perks things up a bit. Mitchell Froom has produced an excellent recording... Read review

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