What's Spinning, Vol 14

Clannad's hits, In A Lifetime

Have you heard of Clannad before?

If not, I'm asking you to give them a listen. Clannad is an Irish folk band that was formed in 1970. They sing in English as well as traditional Irish.

This album, In A Lifetime, is a compilation of their greatest hits that span decades. It is also a good starting point for someone to explore their discography. It gives a perfect balance of their songs sung in Irish as well as English. This is done all the while showing their maturity as a band and how their sound shifted from a folk-rock feel in the early to late 70s to an easier listening feel in the 80s as the music landscape changed in Ireland and England.

One member of their band you might recognize from the old commercials that you could buy a CD called, Pure Moods. Enya was a part of the group for many years.

The song that got them international acclaim was the theme from the BBC show, Harry's Game. A lot of the lyrics in the song use the ancient Irish mouth music technique called, Portaireach.

I truly enjoy all of their music but the album I discovered first was, Legend, the soundtrack to the British TV show, Robin of Sherwood. This album was so successful they won a BAFTA for Best Original Television Music, the first Irish band to do so.

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Clannad - In A Lifetime

BMG, 2020