Customer Reviews

Tir NA Nog

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

 

 

This album which I accidentally discovered so many years ago, written by an obscure (at the time) Irish pair of songwriters, steeped in folk tradition and yet intensely modern, has always enthralled me and continues to do so today, because of it's rare, other-worldly yet wonderfully tender atmosphere, it's poetic, intelligent and often humorous lyrics, the beautifully interwoven voices of the two singers.... It's a rare gem.

If I were to be invited to choose my ten all time great albums this would be a strong contender. This collection of songs has a wonderful atmosphere to it. The singing and the music is beautifully crafted and delivered. In the 1970s when I was immersed in Led Zeppelin, Stones, Jethro Tull, Yes etc - this gem struck a cord for me - and I'm not even a great fan of folk music!

Way back in the year dot before their albums I used to go see these guys at the Coffee Kitchen in Kildare street church halls even school house prefab buildings along with folkies like The Taras ,Clannad,Emmitt spiceland to name a few.Tir Na Nog were one of the best.This cd is a classic along with their other cds.Get anything you can by them.They are one of the great overlooked artists of the 70's.

My favorite Tir Na Nog song is Looking Up, but it's not the version on this CD.

This album (their first) wasn't released in the US. When the time came to release their 2nd album (A Tear and a Smile) in the US, they added a dramatically redone version of Looking Up on the US version (only) of A Tear and a Smile. They also added The Lady I Love (a UK single, and my 2nd-favorite Tir Na Nog track) to the US version of A Tear and a Smile.

Any American who buys the Tir Na Nog CD expecting to hear the punchy version of Looking Up that got played on FM radio in the US in the early 70s is likely to be disappointed by this limp (relatively speaking) earlier version.

Probably needless to say, there was plenty of room on either or both of the Tir Na Nog and Tear and a Smile CDs to add the 2nd version of Looking Up (not to mention The Lady I Love) as bonus tracks. Also needless to say, they're not "bonus tracks" to any American buyer looking for a CD version of the 2nd US album. But those tracks don't appear on either CD -- and that kind of sucks, IMHO.

CD sales are tanking and record companies wonder why people aren't more sympathetic. This is why.