The Best of the Chieftains

by

The Chieftains

Edit

The title of this album is rather deceptive: it's not a selection from the Chieftains' entire catalog of recordings, but instead from the 3 albums (7, 8, and 9) that they put out on the Columbia label in the late 70's. That said, it's a worthy addition to anyone's Irish music library: it showcases the band at the pivotal point when they underwent major personnel changes and began to expand into less traditional ventures such as film scores. I've owned the three albums in question for years (and bought this one because the old vinyl was wearing out); this selection includes most of my favorite tracks from those albums, and shows what a solid, spirited, high-quality band they were from the start. (But it's instructive to compare the flute solos in the "Chase Around the Windmill" set with those from the earlier albums: with all due respect to Michael Tubridey, I feel that the addition of Matt Molloy, with his thoughtful and beautifully phrased flute playing, gave the group much more depth.)

The Chieftains have been around for nearly 50 years and have released around 40 albums. During that time they have had many changes of lineup and engaged in many collaborations and crossovers. To select tracks from just 3 albums from a 3-year period and call it 'The Best of' is misleading, to say the least. It would make a good 'Best of Vol 2', if a selection from the pre-Columbia years had been the 'Best of Vol 1'. The liner notes struggle to rationalize the selection by calling it 'an overview of a dramatic phase' in the band's history. Maybe so. The notes end by saying 'this is only a chapter in an epic tale'. Quite so.

That said, there's some first rate Irish music here, perfect for your Paddy's Day party. This is the sort of thing that, if you like this sort of thing, you'll like this. Just don't be misled into thinking you are getting 'the best of'. You are getting 'some fine examples of'.

[PeterReeve]