The Chieftains, Vol. 8

by The Chieftains

Overview

The Chieftains' second album for Columbia Records was a distinct departure from the pattern of their previous releases in its structure. The opening number, "The Session," is exuberant enough, but for a change the percussion section is relatively restrained throughout, and it's the whistles (and especially the pipes and the fiddle later) that drive the piece, for a Bolero-like opening that builds across more than four minutes. And then it's off to the gentle, lyrical "Doctor John Hart," featuring harpist Derek Bell, before the group jumps into the boisterous "Sean Sa Cheo." And so it goes, through the rollicking "If I Had Maggie in the Wood," the lush fiddle showcase "The Dogs Among the Bushes," and the gently sentimental "Miss Hamilton," where plucked stringed instruments of all sorts get to generate their prettiest sounds. The mix of tempos, moods, and timbres alternate markedly throughout this, one of the more rich and diversely textured albums in the group's output, closing out with the seemingly boundless good spirits of "The Wind That Shakes the Barley/The Reel with the Beryl," all pipes and percussion at their brightest. The highlights, in addition to those already named, include the hauntingly lyrical tone poem "Sea Image" -- which one would like to see redone orchestrated with the group -- and the brooding "An Speic Seoigheach." Those are the profoundly serious moments on this record, but there's hardly a moment that's not profoundly beautiful, and not a second that's not worth hearing, over and over. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2008
Label:	Sbme Special Mkts.
UPC:	0886972423524
Rank:	9316

Tracks

1. The Session
2. Doctor John Hart
3. Sean Sa Cheo
4. Medley: An Tsean Bhean Bhocht/The Fairies' Hornpipe
5. Sea Image
6. If I Had Maggie in the Wood
7. An Speic Seoigheach
8. The Dogs Among the Bushes
9. Miss Hamilton
10. The Job of Journeywork
11. Medley: The Wind That Shakes the Barley/The Reel With the Beryle

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Chieftains   Primary Artist
Martin Fay   Fiddle,Violin,Percussion
Se¿¿n Keane   Fiddle,Violin
Kevin Conneff   Bodhran
Derek Bell   Harp,Tiompan,Harmonica,Irish Harp,Medieval Harp
Sean Potts   Whistle,Tin Whistle
Paddy Moloney   Pipe,Whistle,Tin Whistle,Uillean Pipes,Wind Instruments
Michael Tubridy   Flute,Concertina,Tin Whistle,Wind Instruments

Technical Credits

Lawrence Cohn   Reissue Producer
M. Fayer   Composer
Doug Bennett   Engineer
Angus Forbes   Photography
Cornelius Lyons   Composer
Martin Fay   Arranger,Composer
Smay Vision   Design
David McGee   Liner Notes
David Mitson   Mastering
Alan Frame   Liner Notes
Abe V¿¿lez   Packaging Manager
Se¿¿n Keane   Arranger,Composer
Traditional   Composer
Steven Berkowitz   A&R
Turlough O'Carolan   Composer
Derek Bell   Arranger,Composer
Sean Potts   Arranger
Jeffrey Peisch   Project Director
Mark Wilder   Mastering
Darren Salmieri   A&R
Paddy Moloney   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Michael Tubridy   Arranger
Patti Matheny   A&R
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction