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This is an album that contains remakes of some of the songs the Irish Rovers have recorded over the years. I am not a big fan of remakes, but this album is an exception. The new arrangements of the old songs are fantastic. Their remake of "The Irish Rover" is the best recording they have made of that song. Their remake of "The Unicorn" captures the feeling of their original 1968 version. If you are thinking of checking out the Irish Rovers in concert, this would be a great album to go by as they still sound as great as they did 35 years ago.

Though the Rovers' fame as Irish folk-artists has been eclipsed in the past few decades by The Chieftans, among others, their legacy as an immensely popular act throughout the '60s has allowed them to retain a strong following to this day. Having originally formed in Canada (to which they'd emigrated from various parts of Ireland), they quickly found their way into the folk clubs of the early-1960s USA, where they added Irish roots to the then-booming folk-revival scene.

Most American listeners will know the Rovers only from their 1968 hit single of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn," or their early '80s recording of Tom Paxton's "Wasn't That a Party?" But their back catalog is filled with Irish ballads, drinking songs and family stories, accompanied by classic Irish guitar, whistle, accordion and multi-part singing. The Rovers typically avoided political statement (being a mixed band of Protestants and Catholics), though songs like "Orange and Green" do comment obliquely on The Troubles.

This newly recorded release finds the Rovers still in strong voice, and as joyous as ever. Only Will Millar is missing from the original lineup (he left the group in 1995), and new members, John Reynolds, Wallace Hood and Sean O'Driscoll all make strong contributions. These tracks appear to have been recorded in the mid-90s (the liner notes to do not say, but with Millar's absence and Jim Ferguson's presence, and noting that Ferguson passed away in 1997, 1996 seems likely), and revisit many of the Rovers' best-loved songs.

3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings.

I bought this album for "Unicorn" and "Wasn't That A Party", which were as fun as I remember. The other songs on this album were VERY enjoyable. A couple of slow ballads, a couple of pub songs, and the rest are lively tunes about colorful characters. You don't have to be Irish to enjoy this CD. It'll get your toes tapping!

The Irish Rovers were the first celtic band I ever heard and left a lasting impression on me. This record consists of revisits on some of their hits and other great irish tunes.

Will Millar and the late Jimmy Ferguson are no longer part of the lineup, but the new version continues the great tradition of wonderful music. "The Last Of The Irish Rovers" opens the album in rollicking fashion, followed by the best track on the cd, "Star Of The County Down". Joe Millar's signature baritone is found on "My Boy Willie" and "Lovely Isle Of Innisfree". The underrated Wilcil McDowell shines all over, especially on "The Jigs".

"Gypsy Rover", "Muirsheen Durkin (Nancy Whiskey)" continue on, closing up with their trademark "Wasn't That A Party". The Rovers still can sing an irish song better than anyone and their instrumentation surprisingly is almost better than older records. The production on this record is quite good, having some songs almost being overdone. Any fan of the Rovers must pick this up, and if you like irish music and haven't heard of them, do yourself a favor and get acquainted.

I love this CD. But then I am a fan of theirs. This album is a collection of songs they have recorded over the years. I saw that one of my favorite Irish Rover songs, the "Unicorn" was on the album and was one of the reasons I bought the album. I thought the whole album was great. If you love Irish music, you can't go wrong with this album. You don't have to be Irish to love this music.

The Irish Rovers are folk musicians who believe in a good time. Authentic music, yet completely lacking in pretentiousness.

This is not the full original band (a founding member left, new players added very strong talents to the band), and the album does not contain the original renditions of their old standards. But this does not detract one iota from the fine quality of the album.

The Rovers still got it!

The Hipster gives it a Big Thumbs UP!

made me think of when i was a kid watching irish rovers on tv
with my dad