Magical Ring

Clannad | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000002WP9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,614 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and Addictive!, May 17, 2001

By 

duggalolly (beyond the waterfall) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Ring (Audio CD)

The album MAGICAL RING by Clannad is essential for anyone curious about Irish/Celtic music. It is the first Celtic CD I have purchased (though I also own Clannad's "Pastpresent" compilation, which is more pop than Celtic). Magical Ring captures Clannad at a high point in their career, when they still had a semi-traditional folk sound, but were adding just enough modern touches to their music to give it an edge. Thus, they are able to maintain their integrity while still making their music accessible to a wider audience. A good example is the track "Passing Time", which has a very Irish-sounding melody added to a modern pop hook, with synthesizers unobtrusively added to the mix. On a few songs, Clannad serves up traditional Irish folk without any pop touches at all, as on the song "Coinleach Glas An Fhomhair", which is sung in Gaelic. No matter what language they use, Clannad's music is filled with haunting melodies and rich vocal harmonies, which give the album a mystical atmosphere. It is easy to get swept up in the mood of music, and when the CD ends, I usually end up pressing the repeat button and taking the journey all over again. This masterpiece album is a great introduction to Irish music, and captures Clannad at their most focused and creative! I will definitely be buying more from this genre-bending, barrier-breaking band.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short but oh so Sweet, June 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Magical Ring (Audio CD)

The first time I listened to this disc I was amazed at how quickly it had passed... I thought I had just lost track of the time being immersed in the music... but alas at a shade over 1/2 hour this disc goes fast... oh well, that's what shuffle and repeat settings are for! I've litterally left this disc in shuffle-repeat for an entire work day and was still typing to the music at the end of the day.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spooky and Cool, February 11, 2002

By 

Kyle G. Brown (Apex, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magical Ring (Audio CD)

While I don't listen to this album as much as say "Macalla", this is still one of my favorite Clannad albums. Here they (mostly) successfully transitioned from being a traditional Irish folk act to carving their own unique niche in the musical landscape -- undoubtably the founders of the whole "new age" music genre.

In particular, there are some very interesting tracks that really stick with you -- "NewGrange" is one of those songs that send shivers down your spine. The often-heard "Theme from Harry's Game" is simply beautiful. No other word describes it. There's a reason it's been used so often in commercials and movie soundtracks.