The Fairie Round

Shelley Phillips | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 14, 2001)
• Original Release Date: January 1, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Gourd Music
• ASIN: B000005C2F
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,934 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

As an independent label, we've worked hard to develop a distinctive sound — part-folk, part-classical, all-acoustic instrumental music. We feel our music is indeed unique, and we've never compromised in our determination to produce only the highest quality, most beautifully packaged recordings.

We include detailed liner notes for those who are curious about the history and background of the music.

Gourd has licensed music to Warner Bros. Music, Narada, Hearts of Space, Windham Hill, The Disney Channel, A&E and The History Channel. Selections from the Gourd recording The World Turned Upside Down were featured on the Ken Burns documentary Thomas Jefferson. Three Gourd recordings were featured on Ken Burns’ latest project ( a documentary on Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton) on PBS.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, at times otherworldly, acoustic music, March 29, 2001

By 

Carl McColman (Clarkston, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fairie Round (Audio CD)

If you think Celtic folk music is mostly a matter of half-drunken guys singing "The Unicorn" at a smoky Irish pub, then give this CD an open-minded listen. The shimmering virtuosity and sheer lovely performance alone makes this an exceptional recording, but the superb production is equalled by the rich colors of Shelley Phillips' musical palette. Phillips, along with her husband Barry and fellow acoustic virtuosos Neal Hellman and Barry Coulter, has arranged a set of traditional and early-music tunes for oboe, harp, cello, dulcimer, English horn, whistle, guitar, bassoon, and flute--with the result being an album that blurs the line separating folk from chamber music. Yes, it is beautiful, at times achingly so. This music never overpowers, but gently seduces the listener with its understated elegance. And for those listeners of a mystical/spiritual turn of mind, songs like the traditional "Chanter's Tune" or Turlough O'Carolan's "Planxty Burke" evoke a sense of otherworldly yearning -- as if it were the Good People themselves playing this music. Highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Renaissance Feeling, June 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fairie Round (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of Shelley Phillips for some years and am ever so happy to purchase her recordings. "The Fairie Round" is my favorite recording because it evokes a "Renaissance feeling," as though you have stepped back in time to centuries gone by and are dancing at a courtly gathering or frolicking in a wild, green pasture. My toddler loves it, too. Track number eight is her favorite and she dances everytime she hears it. Well worth the purchase.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful performance, December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fairie Round (Audio CD)

This is one of my favorite compact discs. Shelley Phillips (and others) gives a wonderful performance of a wide variety of early music. Highly recommended.