Customer Reviews

Lore

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you only buy one Clannad album, make it Lore. This just does not get any better!! With their mix of English and Gaelic, with haunting melodies, perfect vocals....ah, pure MAGICK!!!

I have literally worn this CD out!!

This was the first album I purchased of Clannad's. I was first interested in this group after learning that Maire (lead singer) was Enya's sister. I love the atmospheric effects and impressive vocals of this album and truely enjoy it, even though I do not speak gaelic yet. I would recommend this album to anyone interested in new age celtic music. If you are looking for more traditional celtic music without as much of a new age emphasis, I would recommend the Chieftans. It is definately an album worthy of being in your collection.

This HAS to be my favourite Clannad album and one of my favourite albums! Croi Croga's beautiful chanting is very haunting along with the whole song! Alasdair MacColla has that vibrant Celtic beat along with an updated tune and Broken Pieces is absolutely beautiful!

This is one of my all time favorite CDs. If you like Clannad or Enya, you'll love the haunting vocal and instrumental blends on this CD. The more I listen too it, the more I like it.

I find this recording somewhat disappointing. I've listened to nearly every album by Clannad before and after this one and I have to say that this one is far from the best and I certainly do not find it less pop than the other Clannad albums of the 90s, as some of the other reviewers claimed.

The album has 11 tracks on it and I found only three songs up to standard (seeing what a talented band such as Clannad is capable of putting out).

The opening track, "Croi Cróga", is strong and sounds promising. If you like "I Will Find You", you'll probably like this one as well. "Dealramh Go Deo" is also a very good song without any unneeded pop influences, and features great vocals in the traditional of Caislean Óir and Theme From Harry's Game. The final track on the album is a beautiful instrumental piece and has a pure Celtic feel to it, like Loch Na Cailli on Landmarks, which Clannad would released after this one. Track 7 is perhaps also still above average but that's absolutely it.

The five songs (nearly half!) that are in English are not at all what I had hoped. "Trail of Tears" and "A Bridge..." are still more or less OK, but surely not more than that. Of the other songs "Seanchas" I thought to be the worst.

If you do not mind, or even like, the mixture of pop with new age and Celtic music, then I guess this record is not at all bad. But personally, all my favorite songs by Clannad are the more traditional Celtic pieces, with hardly any pop influences in them (or with some, none at all)

For people solely interested in the Celtic/New Age side of Clannad I would suggest either to buy a compilation/Best Of album (as their are many of those released and the majority of them feauture most of the tracks that are really worthwhile) or an early Clannad album. Magical Elements is a good compilation for example, that gives you 16 songs, nine of which are absolutely brilliant, plus some of the better songs that have some pop/jazz in them. Still if I was to make an own compilation it would look different but that's understandable.

If you still like to try out several recordings by Clannad I would definately recommend the following albums instead of Lore (in given order):

Magical Ring
Banba
Crann Ull
Landmarks (Fado is the best song they ever recorded in my opinion)
Fuaim
Legend
Dulaman
Anam

Sirius is probably worse than this one though, I would leave that one as well...

This is one of my very favorite Clannad releases! Outstanding tracks include Croi Croga, Seanchas, A Bridge That Carries Us Over, From Your Heart, Alasdair MacColla, Trathnona Beag Areir (especially haunting) and Dealramh Go Deo. The Gaelic songs are great for those trying to learn some Gaelic, especially the Donegal Gaeltacht. Buy it!

I have listened to a LOT of this group, and I must say that this is Clannad at their best. Though Clannad has a tendency to repeat songs on consecutive CD's, this one is refreshingly devoid of that. Croi Croga, the very first track, is among the best on the album, and Alasdair MacColla is among the best I've ever heard. Other excellent songs include Trail of Tears and From Your Heart, but there is nothing worse than "good" on this CD. This is truly a great from a great group.

After two great pop jazz album Clannad take a surprising new turn in their sound to create a masterpiece of major proporsions. This album has a far less jazz\pop feel and a more mystical feel and I love it. Clannad prove that they are real masters at reinventing themselves. Many of the songs on here are far different than their two previous albums which are masterpieces themselves.

Croi Croga is a very dark almost Gothic song with stunning vocals, etheral chants, thundering drums, and a very dark misty grey feel. Seanchas is total contrast to Croga. It's a very sunny track with a great jazz-pop vibe and great vocals and this song is great. This song could,ve made a dent on the pop charts. A truly fabulous song. A Bridge That Carries Us Over is a slow and very somber track with a very wintery feel like crossing a bridge over the stream on a snowy evening. From Your Heart is similar to Bridge but a bit more upbeat but still maintaining the snowy evening feel. Alasdair MacColla is a great but short pop oriented song. Broken Pieces is a great with some Celtic harps and a very natural sound. I could listen to this one when traveling through the forest on a snowy day. Trathnone Beag Arair is a beautiful song with acoustic guitars and a flute. This song could be like a sort of return to their more folk sounding days. Definately one of the highlights on this album. Trail Of Tears is a sort of Celtic-pop song with amazing vocals, haunting chants, Celtic harp playing and a beatiful new agey feel. Dealreamg Go Deo is stunning! People who loved the Harry Game theme will love this one. This song is like that one but much better and with a strong new agey sound. This is the winner on this album. Farewell Love is similar to Broken Pieces. A great song. Fonn Mhartha is a beautiful closer to this great album. It's a beautiful song with Celtic harps and gorgeous flutes.

This could rank as one of Clannads strongest albums to date. Those who are looking for another Anam or Banba might be a bit dissapointed with this album but they are just too narrow-minded. I recommend this album to all fans of Clannad. Even some fans of their more Irish folk music might enjoy this one too.

Everytime I listen to this album while walking through the forest on a snowy day I literally am in aural paradise. This album is breathtaking on all fronts and is an essential recording for New Age fans. Go out and buy it. You'll be glad you did.

<EOM>

After disappointing pop-albums like Sirius, Banba and Macalla, Clannad is back with more than the best of them. Maybe they just had loads of time to take the best out of the mysticism and ambiental sounds of Themes from Harry's Game and Last of the Mohicans, Na Laethe Bhi and Caislean Oir. This is an album where Celtic music and new age lovers meet. This is an album with a completely new dimension of Clannad sound. Even such pop-stuff like Bridge and Seanchas have their grace, far from being annoying like majority of other Clannad's pop-trash. This is the best album by Clannad if we exclude the early folk-albums. This is the best new age album and this is one of the best albums in general. It doesn't matter if you like such music - this album you will LOVE!

Lore is one of those rare works that combines all of a band's strong points. From their trademark layered vocals to a new more, say contemporary beat, on 'From Your Heart'.

The true highlights, though all are very well crafted and produced songs, are 'Croi Croga', which was suppose to be on the "Braveheart" sound track, but was pulled before release. It's a wonderful chant filled song that would have fit well into "Braveheart". 'Bridge that Carries Us Over' is truely a haunting song that speaks of learning to compromise with others and in different situations. 'From Your Heart' has one of the most beautiful piano sections that I've ever heard. It's very simple, but very moving as well. This song also has the funky little beat in it that is somewhat unexpected, but works. 'Alsadair MacColla' is a traditional Scottish walking song and is brillantly done. 'Trail of Tears' is about the Cherokee nations tragic journey into oblivion. 'Dealramh Go Deo' i! s almost an acapella type song with their wonderful layered vocals.

Overall, a superb CD and probably my favorite, of the more contemporary vain. I highy recommend to anyone who wishes to give Clannad a first listen or a veteran fan.