Customer Reviews

The Chieftains: The Authorized Biography

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful history book of the Chieftains. The book is very informative about their love of Irish heritage, the traditional music, and all the wonderful groups, singers, musicians that they have shared the stage and recordings. Paddy has a great sense of humor, and he is the glue that holds the group together and make them what they are. I own a lot of the Chieftains recordings, videos, and I look for more products that they have made. We were sadden for the loss of their great harpist, piantist, Derek Bell. We all miss him.RIP

Mr. Glatt appears to have enjoyed carte blanche access to these fabulous musicians but his book reads like he spilled his notes and put them in the book in random. One moment he's praising founder Paddy Moloney for his computer-like brain, the next we're supposed to laugh that Paddy is five hours late for a major recording session.

There's some fun stuff here, but the weeds are thick!

The Chieftains are an enigma in more ways than one. Unlike so many other musicians they have stood the test of time. In this book we learn about how they came into being, and at the same time we are alos exposed to a wealth of knowledge about traditional Irish nmusic. Before I read this book I liked the sound, but I didn't know too much about where it had come from. Now, through the insights of John Glatt, I have come to appreciate it at a much higher level. It makes for fascinating and informative reading, even if you come to it with little or no knowledge of the group. It is accompanied by a comprehensive discography (at time of publishing), which is an ideal source of reference. I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.

I purchased this CD because of my interest in Nanci Griffith as a songwriter, musician, and performer. Nanci does not disappoint as she breathes life into the narrative of fellow musicians and collaborators, the Chieftains. It is her familiarity with them as friends and musicians which adds to the excitement of the performance. Nanci has already won three grammies, been nominated for seven, and this should have been her fourth.

Nanci Griffith does a fabulous job narrating the audio version of the Chieftain's autobiography. Her voice is as sweet and flowing as the melodious tunes she sings.

Irish music is very hot. It is amazing how many successful Irish bands (of all types) have emerged from this tiny Island of 5 million. Yet in no small way can they all point to a single pioneering band that helped put Irish music on the map.

The Chieftains are more than simply a successful collection of great musicians who have toured the world for over 30 years. When they started, in the mid 1960's, there was little interest in traditional music in Ireland. In Ireland, Irish music wasn't considered to be "hip" and broadcasts were limited to relatively unimaginative ceili music. The most famous Irish musicians of time, the Clancy Brothers, were not even living in Ireland when they began.

The Chieftains took traditional Irish music and infused it with a new energy and style. They soon developed a cult following, but after doing the sound track for the movie Barry Lyndon (early 70's) their popularity exploded. Even after upwards of 30 albums, they and constant touring, their popularity never falters.

The Chieftains : The Authorized Biography by John Glatt tells the story of how it all happened. If it weren't all true, it would sound wildly improbable.

For anyone interested in Irish music, this book is a must.

The story of the Chieftains is fascinating, but unfortunately, I don't think the audio book version does it justice. I found Nanci Griffith's reading of the story to be very rushed and lacking in feeling and emotion. At various times, interviews with different band members are inserted. Many of the interviews are full of background noise, sounding like they were conducted at a party. I really don't know much about the editing process, but it seems that some of this superfluous noise could have been removed to make the speaker's voice more audible. I found it hard to believe that this recording was nominated for a Grammy. I was eager to listen to a great book, but was disappointed. I recommend sticking to the print version.