Customer Reviews

The Greatest Journey: Essential Collection

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Yes, it is basically just clips from the other Celtic Woman DVDs, BUT the documentary ALONE is worth buying.

If you are a big Celtic Woman fan you will really want this. The hour long "The Story So Far" Documentary is fantastic, and a great behind-the-scenes look at how Celtic Woman all came about, and the girls' thoughts about it so far. Great interviews with all of the girls, and a great view of how they interact with each other. I really loved this documentary, and to me, it is what makes this DVD worth the cost. Plus, this is a great DVD if you are looking to share the magic of Celtic Woman with someone else who is not familiar with them. It really goes through all the great hits and well-loved songs. They've added in some beautiful shots of Ireland in between the songs and they do compliment the music so well!

As for new stuff, CW will be filming a new DVD this summer, so be on the look out for that.

Long live Celtic Woman, and bring on the Spring 2009 tour!!!!!

I am a Celtic Woman Fan and received my copy of the "Greatest Journey, Essential Collection" DVD and CD yesterday. I watched the DVD last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was wonderful seeing Meave in the group again and my eyes literally teared when I saw Hayley in the group again. I thoroughly enjoyed the DVD. It seemed like the sound and picture had been considerably enhanced over previous releases and many of the camera shots were from a different angle. It looks and sounds great and I'd recommend it to anyone whether as a personal aquisition or as a gift whether or not you are a Celtic Woman fan. This is just a great DVD with excellent technical qualities, bright and vivid colors; clear and sharp sound, etc. There were super landscape shots from many of Ireland's beautiful and historic places. They were woven into the songs.

I just listened to the CD and was pleased. This CD/DVD is not a release of new songs -- rather a collection of material previously recorded. Whether this is truly the "essential" Celtic Woman is an individual choice. I would have come up with a different grouping, but that's okay. I "think" I detected Lynn Hillary's voice on one or two songs, but I could be mistaken. Lisa (the backbone of the group) is there, and so is Meav, which surprised me a bit -- since a couple of the songs sound like fresh recordings (although of the same tunes). I am anxious for Lynn Hillary to be given the spotlight sometime in the future, as she has an outstanding voice. Since she is also a songwriter, I'm hoping Celtic Woman will let her take the spotlight at their next recording session or taped live spot. Check out her "Take Me With You" CD (not easy to find) and listen to it a few times then make your own judgment. I think she's a natural for this group as long as they let her talents be heard.

Writing this review is a bit complicated because I need to target it toward two audiences--Loyal fans of Celtic Woman, and those who are fairly new.

First of all let me say that the Greatest Journey DVD is a collection of tracks from both of their award winning shows and therefore, nothing new. That said, for those NEW to the Celtic Woman experience, the DVD is a good introduction to the beauty and talents of these remarkable Irish women and will give you an incite into what you can expect to find in both of their previous DVDs. A nice addition is the footage of Ireland interspersed between the various tracks. It gives it a nice transition. But for those of us devoted Celtic Woman fans, it is simply a repeat of what we already have in our collections making it unnecessary to buy the CD, unless of course, you happen to like this particular mix of tracks.

For loyal fans of Celtic Woman there is a 55 minute documentary presentation on the history of Celtic Woman which I enjoyed thoroughly. Now you have to ask yourself the question, "Is it worth the current retail cost?" Personally I enjoyed the presentation even if it did contain some repeated material from New Journey's special features. Watching what goes on behind the scenes and the amount of work associated with show I found very interesting.

Now to the downside, for "Orinoco Flow" the video bounces back and forth between the song as presented in the Original Show and New Journey, making watching it annoying when seeing the girls suddenly appearing is different dresses. Switching shots wouldn't be so bad if it where just the orchestra and choir shots, but for the girls it causes a problem. They should have stuck the just one show or the other. The same applies to the closing Reprise track. It is shot awkwardly. Finally, in "Mo Ghile Mear", the drum solos are cut short before Mairead's entrance, but that edit is done well. Other than that, this time there are no major edit glitches like those occurring in New Journey and Christmas Celebration.

Well that is my opinion. Please feel free the comment below or to email me personally.

This DVD is one hour and thirty minutes long and was released October 28, 2008. This DVD is somewhat of a compilation. It feature clips of their past tours. The DVD comes with 27 songs. Some of the songs included are: Harry's Game, Green The Whole Year Round, The Voice, The Isle Of Inisfree, The Sky, The Dawn, And The Sun, Dulaman, Shenandoah Condraction, The Soft Goodbye, and You Raise Me Up. Also included in this DVD is a documentary about the Celtic Woman. The singing as always is great by the ladies; inlcuding the violin playing as well. This is a great DVD to own.

The Best Of The Best!! I could probably be considered a tad biased here. I (personally) can't get enough of CELTIC WOMAN. I listen to their CDs every day and watch at least parts of their DVDs every evening. (Who needs TV)! (I've seen CW in concert 12 times already, with 6 more concerts scheduled, during the upcoming Spring 2009 "Isle Of Hope" Tour). You could say I'm a bit of a fan, I guess. Well, let's be honest ... I LOVE THEM TO PIECES!! Of all the concerts I've attended over the years, CW STILL remains the BEST OF THE BEST!!

This new CW release, both the CD and the DVD, are a kind of "Greatest Hits" type of release. There are a couple of new numbers, we have not heard from CW before, included plus, lots of stunningly beautiful shots of the Emerald Isle herself, between the songs on the DVD.

To me, of course, both the CD and the DVD are worth every penny. If you are the hardcore CW fan that I am, you will more than likely agree. If you are merely a casual CW fan and not quite as 'committed' to them as I am, you may find too many of the same songs from prior releases, not enough to justify buying either the CD or the DVD. But, before you completely dismiss these new releases as merely "Greatest Hits", let it be known that, on the CD, you have two numbers ... "The Call" (incredible and could possibly, possibly, become the new CW 'Anthem' as "The Sky And The Dawn And The Sun" was during the "A New Journey" Tours and related CD/DVD releases) and ... "Pie Jesu" which features the absolutely stunning, stunning voices of LYNN HILARY and CHLOE AGNEW. Their voices, in this number, both solo and together (in harmony) ... are positively angelic!!

And on the DVD, besides the incredible views of the beautiful Irish Landscape, the Documentary portion of this release is, in and of itself, well worth the price. This is something many, many people, even some diehard fans of CW, probably have never seen. This alone will leave you yearning for more.

So, all that said and considering that I am one of the most dead serious, hardcore, diehard, most rabid CELTIC WOMAN fans on the face of the earth, and would recommend ANYTHING they do, I do still recommend both the newest CD and DVD releases, even to more 'casual' fans of CW. There is some new material here, on both the CD and the DVD, which you have not seen or heard. (CW Ltd is not releasing any new material, other than what is contained on this CD and DVD here, prior to the launch of the all-new "Isle Of Hope" Tour in February 2009).

No matter how you slice it, CW just keeps getting better.

Bill in CT

There are many reasons to purchase this excellent, albeit, review collection, but the greatest one in my opinion is the talk you will encounter with Mr. Music himself, the genius that not only in song selections, but in talent refinement. David Downes is the maestro both in front of an audience with his vigorous direction and sensitive piano playing. But he is much more than that. Youthful in appearance and precise in his language, David will tell you if you listen closely to his words how the "magic" ( as Orla put it in her interview-she charmingly said, "something happened, we don't know quite what it was- a bit of magic)occured to make CW the MUST SEE MUST HAVE DVD and CD collections that we all cherish. We love each and every presentation and David says he chose the songs HE likes to hear, with contrasts-peaceful-then rousing. I trust his choices and I laud his own compositions: "The Blessing", "One World" and the superb, "The Soft Good-bye". The purchase of this DVD is a must for all CW fans, and for New Comers because of the wonderful words of David Downes and how he loves music, loves the voices of these singers he prods and polishes to perfection.He also says in another interview,"I can't get enough of Mairead Nesbitt", the dancing fiddler with the flying blond tresses- He knew she would weave the tapestry around these singers... You actually want to break down in tears when they sing-it is such a wonderful media experience and now with their new over 50 cities tour-people from New York to California and points in-between will get the benefit to enrich their lives brought to us by this Irish Musical Genius that is David Downes-buy it today and learn from him why CW is what it is today at this point and time in history. AND . . . Maeve fans (of which I am one) will NOT be disappointed-she is there with her regal polished lilting soprano gracing the stage and blending with the others who are exceptional performers in their own talents-including the wonderous Hayley Westernra -the enchanting , compelling Lisa Kelly, the youthful voice from heaven- Chloe Agnew and the Irish embodiment of polished presentation in songs for now and long ago -Orla Fallon which makes us long for Ireland and the spiritual journey we can take by listening to her-and to all of them
Please buy this so you can Listen to David Downes- the inspiration of CW

If you haven't seen Celtic Women on one of their many PBS specials, you are missing out. These ladies are amazing, on video and live. If you enjoy this kind of music, then I urge you to catch a glimpse of them. My little girls (4 and 6) love them and I am thrilled to be exposing them to something other than pop music!

This show is far better on DVD than on CD because there is dancing and movements that must be seen to really enjoy the show. The music is outstanding with 5 beautiful, clear voices along with the "Fiddle Fox". The five women in Celtic Woman sing in English, Latin and Gaelic. What a performance!

I was first introduced to Celtic Woman's music when I saw their debut concert on PBS.

Celtic Woman is made up of vocalists Chloe, Lisa, Meav, and Orla and fiddle player Mairead. All of them are very talented young ladies.

Their music is a mix of Irish music and pop music.

This CD/DVD combo is a good "best of" collection that is perfect for new fans.