Customer Reviews

Bonny Bunch of Roses

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Seamus Ennis is, of course, a giant in 20th century Irish music, both as a musician and as a musicologist. This recording was made in '58 I believe and features tunes and songs from his collecting. The tunes are played on both pipes and on tin whistle. If you're looking mainly for Ennis' marvellous piping, I'd recommend getting "The Wandering Minstrel" from Green Linnet Records. The liner notes are rather sparse on this also. A good recording, but not as essential as his other recordings.

This recording from 1959 - not 1960 - features Seamus Ennis in 14 recordings of traditional Irish music. This album was made in a time when the music from the oral tradition was just starting to be widly recorded and circulated. The Tradition label, which was founded by Paddy Clancy of 'The Clancy Brothers' fame and Diane Hamilton, was instrumental in recording and distributing the music of these obsure artists. These performances are not as polished and mistake free as some later recordings, but that is some of the charm of these earlier recordings. These performances are also top notch, showcasing Seamus Ennis in his prime.
Now, on to the technical side. Rykodisc is the first (and only) company so far to go back to the original master tapes and reissue this fabulous music. However, it appears time has not been kind to these tapes. I've listened to many albums from the reissue catalog, and this particular album has suffered the effects of time. There are frequent tape drop-outs, and places where the tape jumps a little. However, these problems are not annoying enough to detract from the album. Since Ryko has done a great job reissuing the other albums, I trust that everything was done to try to present this album in the best way possible. Overall, a good buy for a cheap price.