Customer Reviews

The Celts

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Despte this being a soundtrack compiling music from '86, Enya wouldn't have even needed "Watermark" for her to be accepted into the new-age music world if this CD had been produced earlier! I'm telling you, this CD is WONDERFUL! I'm desperately searching for words to describe it - magical, fantastical, even poignant! All those seriously touching tunes of every single track can even make you cry if you listen to them repeatedly; the best thing is, you never get sick of feeling sentimental when listening to Enya's music on this album! The lyrics by Roma Ryan have been beautifully crafted to tell a historical story melodiously and in a creatively poetic style. But Enya's tunes that can suit them so masterfully proves her to be the undoubted queen of new-age music and even soundtrack composers! They're such that they really put you in the shoes of the moments the Irish Celts encountered, both sad and rejoiceful. An excellently produced masterpiece that can make history for itself! You HAVE to purchase "The Celts"; listen out for it's title track, "Aldeberan", "I Want Tomorrow", "To Go Beyond", "Epona", "Bard Dance", "Sun in the Stream" and, most importantly, "Fairytale". The latter single is simply an extremely touching piece of instrumental-cum-vocal music. It's highlight would be that in its prologue - Enya crafts through it with an instrument so mystical, you'd just want to listen to the music and even probe into what instrument she uses! This applies, but to a lesser extent, to all her other tracks, earning her the rightful, admirable title of a Maiden of Mystery in the musical world. Buy this CD, y' all; and WELL-DONE to you, Enya!

For fans who were enthusiastic with Enya's Watermark (1988), it was tough to find more of her material. The only other album available at the time, and difficult to locate, was her debut titled simply Enya (1986) on the Atlantic label. Although I prefer the black and white cover art of the original release, The Celts is a Reprise re-release of Enya's debut. The album is a score for a BBC-TV series titled The Celts. With that in mind, most of the material here is suitable as "background" music for a soundtrack: delicate, melodic and unobtrusive so as not to distract from the television program, but to add an aural dimension. As background music, The Celts is serene and soothing. Despite its overall tranquil quality, several tracks are dynamic and immediately memorable. The opening track, `The Celts', has a gorgeous melody which is repeated several times throughout the album giving it continuity. `I Want Tomorrow' features a dark and foreboding string arrangement over Enya's alluring and melodic vocals. The recording of Enya's voice is unusual: it sounds as though it is 100 miles away giving the song (and others) a detached and ethereal quality. The appeal of The Celts, and Enya's other work, is not her synthesized New Age savvy, but the incorporation of Celtic influences. One might categorize The Celts as an Ethnic Alternative to New Age. Several compositions are sung in Gaelic (Deireadh an Tuath, Triad, Dan y Dwr), a beautiful language for music and especially enticing when presented by such a gifted singer as Enya. Overall, The Celts lacks the energy and dynamics of Watermark, but it is melodic, dreamlike and enchanting.

I have had this album so long I forgot when I bought it. I lose sense of time and the harshness of reality when I listen to Enya. I am glad to have the original recording on the Atlantic label that has no title, except that beautiful black and white photograph of her kneeling with her dogs. This album has 15 wonderful, mystical tracks of only one woman, whose music is so unique it deserves its own classification.

No other musical artist that has ever lived has ever done what Enya did with that harp on track 2, "Aldebaran." If you really want to know what the angels enjoy, then close your eyes and take in this chorus of arpeggios and crescendos that will renew your mind and your spirit.

What Enya does with the overdubbing of her voice is produce a layered, chorus-like sound that is nothing short of glorious. She sings in English and also Gaelic, and with either it doesn't really matter. It's Enya! "The Sun in the Stream," "Triad" and "To Go Beyond" typify the purely floating lyrics she uses that make you wish you also Irish (I am!). No matter where you come from, however, "The Celts" imparted spirit is universal--that of joy and peace. It's not religious, but to say that Enya's work cannot move your spirit would not be factual. This is why Enya helps me to reduce and eliminate my mood swings, irritability, anger, the rage from this world--in essence, anything "bad"--and helps me get back on course towards heaven. It's not about being corny. If it were not true, I would have told you. Ten stars out of five for Enya.

If you like feeling good, and I mean a real contentment even with the pressures of this world, then buy this album today. Play it constantly. Use Enya as a "prescription" for emotional well-being. Everything else goes on hold when Enya is on. If you already have "The Celts," well, then you already know.

In truth, this is Enya's second album, the soundtrack from "The Frog Prince" being her first, and this album being released a year before "Watermark". This is, however, the first CD of the Enya we know and love and therefore the first "essential" Enya CD.

Being a soundtrack, the music has a cohesive whole to it and it's difficult to pick favorite cuts when the music does flow together as it does. I would say that the strong instrumental opening, "The Celts", and the dramatic "Bodicae" are highlights.

This CD comes with a beautiful booklet containing the descriptive backgrounds of each cut, and also containing some beautiful pictures of Enya. The photograph by the notes on Bodicae is tremendous...what wouldn't I give to have that as a poster for my abode!

I must admit that this is probably the least played of her "essential" CD's in my collection, and each time I play it, I wonder why I don't play it more often. I think it's because the experience of listening to it is so exquisite, that I play it as a special treat on special occasions. Regardless, this CD is pure Enya and that should be reason enough for buying it.

This is my favorite Enya album. It's interesting to hear her do a musical interpretation of the Celtic era, because rather than singing old Celtic ballads or singing ABOUT the Celts, she puts together a musical symphony that simply makes you feel as though you've been transported back in time to that era.

Always a subtle artist, Enya has created an album of musical "bits" that tell an invisible story of a time gone by. Some of the pieces feature a little bit of gentle Gaelic singing. But most pieces are instrumental only, and they range from pieces that sound like warriors on the brink of a raid, to pieces that sound like women sharing secrets of magic. One piece sounds like a sun rising over rolling hills. How can a piece of music "sound" like that? I don't know. You have to hear it to understand. It invokes a vision.

I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys Celtic music or who is interested in the age of the Celts' glory. Though subtle, this music transports you back in time better than ballads ever could.

And I would also recommend this to Enya fans, because whether or not you're intrigued by the topic, this is one of her very best albums.

The Celts may be Enya's least known album, but it's definitely not weak because of that. In fact the music was produced for a BBC documentary about the celts. The album became her debut and was released in 1987 as "Enya". Five years later (after the successes of Watermark and Shepherd Moons) the album was re-recorded as "The Celts". The album lacks famous tracks though you may recognize Boadicea from Fugees - Ready Or Not and Mario Winans - I Don't Wanna Know. However I think the title track, The Celts, can be compared with her global hits. Most of the tracks are influenced by the traditional Irish music. The Celts is a great album but I recommend you to start with Watermark, Shepherd Moons or The Memory of Trees as they all contain her well known hits.

Here comes a short description of the tracks on The Celts:

1. The Celts - Gaelic; great, pretty powerful, special*
2. Aldebaran - Gaelic; wonderful, special*
3. I Want Tomorrow - English; beautiful, pretty calm
4. March Of The Celts - Gaelic; pretty powerful, special*
5. Deireadh An Tuath - Gaelic; mysterious, special *
6. The Sun In The Stream - Instrumental; beautiful, relaxing
7. To Go Beyond I - Instrumental; extremely beautiful
8. Fairytale - Instrumental; very sweet, relaxing
9. Epona - Instrumental; very nice
10. Triad: St. Patrick/Cú Chulainn/Oisin - Gaelic; mysterious, special*
11. Portrait (Out Of The Blue) - Instrumental; beautiful, relaxing
12. Boadicea - Instrumental; relaxing, mysterious, special*
13. Bard Dance - Instrumental; very nice
14. Dan Y Dwr - Welsh; mysterious, special*
15. To Go Beyond II - Instrumental; extremely beautiful

* Hard to say why these songs are special, but perhaps because they don't sound like any other musical stuff. There's only one person that's able to create songs like these and her name is - Enya. You must hear them, but don't forget to try her other albums such as Watermark, Shepherd Moons and The Memory Of Trees.

Enya has some of most beautiful vocals I have ever listened to. Her music contains multi-layered chorus that are misty and echoing.

The Celts is a 1992 re-issue of her 1986 debut album entitled Enya. Nothing is different about this version except that Portrait is extended to 3 minutes. The Celts is more simple and not as synthesized as the highly successful 1988 follow-up Watermark which I consider her strongest outing to this day. The Celts has fewer vocals than on her later works. I must admit this album is short and some of the songs seem like unfinished recording demo tapes but I still give it a five anyway because of how stunning this CD is. Enyas also sings in Welsh on one song on this album. Something she hasn't done since.

The title track is a gorgeous intense, song with the most haunting vocals Enya has ever done. It's a very 80s sounding song with strong ambient synthesizers and strong rhythm. This song is a bit similar to Orinoco Flow but I like this one a bit more mainly because it's more mysterious. This song I could listen to when it stormy but with the sun shining a orangey hue the curtain of rain. I love the bell echoing away at the ending. I only the song were extended to about 5 minutes for more listening pleasure. I hope Enyas next album will have a feel like the title track. Aldebaran is a very mysterious song with synthesizers that give a feeling of the tingling rain combined with the distant vocals giving a feel of the song coming from a hundred miles away. I Want Tomorrow is one of Enyas most unique tracks she has ever done. It's the only song on this album where she sings in English. The song begins as a dark minor note with strong Cello strings. At the minute and 20 second mark it becomes a sunny major note song with an electric guitar as opposed to the staccato pizzicato strings that dominate some of Enyas more recent material. This song is my second favorite. The song becomes a minor note again for about 20 seconds before it becomes a major note again for the rest of the song. March Of The Celts is a mellow song with a more ethnic feel with distant pianos and synthesizers. This song has a production similar to the title track although this one sounds very different from that one. Deareadh An Tuath is a short one and three quarter minute piece with an ominous droning major note and Gaelic vocals. Sun In The Stream is a beautiful song with Ulliean pipes. I could play this one when out by the stream with the sun reflecting of the rippling water. To Go Beyond part I is a short track that ends before you can start enjoying it. Fairytale is like a lullaby for the soul with a quiet melody and little vocals. I find this song to be similar to Marble Halls. Fairytale is a perfect song for a snowy night. Epona is a short instrumental that seems like an unfinished demo tape. It's nice but it's only one and a half minutes long. Triad is a three songs in one track. The first part is entitled St Patrick. This part is gorgeous with ambient synths and beautiful multi-layered vocals. The second part is Cu Chulain. Cu Chulain is more electric with more 80s sounding synths like the buzzy sounding synths like those on the title track. The third and final part is called Oisin which has more pianos and repetive vocals. Portrait(Out Of The Blue) is a nice piano instrumental. The version one here is longer than on the original 1986 self-titled version. Boadicea is what made me a fan of Enya. It's a very dark, haunting track with distant vocals and dark electronic keyboards. This song is like the quiet before the storm. This is my favorite song off this CD. This song I enjoy more than even Orinoco Flow which I also enjoy. Bard Dance is a nice little instrumental which I also would consider like an unfinished demo tape. Dan Y Dwr is dead identical to Deareadh An Tuath but this song has our beloved Celtic chartreuse singing in Welsh. This song bolstered my interest in Welsh. I am trying to find good books on the Welsh language. To Go Beyond Part II is the full version. TGB has Cello strings no unlike those in the minor note parts of I Want Tommorow. It also has a violin for a pleasant surprise. This song closes out this powerful debut.

I found this CD to be quite an amazing and underrated gem in Enyas catalog. This album is not as dynamic or as powerful as the Watermark LP which Enya found her breakthrough. But this CD is a five star anyway.

One thing I thought up of Enya doing in the future is collaborating with the New Age meistro Patrick O'Hearn. Just imagine Enyas gorgoues multi-layered vocals combined with the electronic bliss of O'Hearns electronic keyboards. I would like to hear an Enya/O'Hearn song that had a feel like a darker version of The Celts title track but with the electronic ambient bliss of O'Hearns trademark sound that dominated his Between Two Worlds. It would be a huge seller and would shatter new grounds for both artists. I can smell it.

And I think Enya should stop for a moment and put together a B-Sides rarities collection CD. There are more than ten of them. It would showcase an even broader spectrum of Enyas amazing talent.

Even if neither of the above happens Enya will still remain one of my favorite female singers of all time. I recommend this CD. It's amazing. In fact I say get all of Enyas album including her Day Without Rain album.

Well I,m pretty much out of words now.
I hope many of you find my review helpful.

Michael Carr

I love enya, for my own personal taste, she has an absolutely beautiful voice and style. It's enchanting and moving. 'Celts' is brilliant, 'Fairy Tale' is charming, as with the rest, if you're looking for something moving and rich with subtle endeavor and melodic sounds, you won't be dissapointed. Again, this is for people who really appreciate good music, period.
Have a nice day.

If you're the shallow sort who heard Enya's music after 'a day without rain' and only listens to the popular sort of thing you'll hate this CD. I say that as fair warning. For the rest of us, it's highly reccomended. The song for which the CD is named, captures the spirit of the whole beautiful CD, but only attempt if you are a seasoned Enya fan.

My mom had this CD for the longest time and I finally popped it in my CD player and was soon engulfed in the hauntingly ethereal music that is Enya. I've been an Enya fan for a while now, thanks to my mom's extensive collection of CDs, and by far, I think this is her best album. Though it may not be as well known as Watermark, it's still wonderful. "The Celts" is a beautiful instrumental that will lure from a bad day and into a sea of relaxation. This is the only way to unwind. "I Want Tomorrow" is sad, yet pretty, the cello adding new light to Enya's haunting lyrics. I cannot say more because the other reviews already said what was needed. An excellent five stars and perfect addition to one's CD collection.