Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Clannad, BMG 2020.
Clannad is one of the greatest bands to come out of Ireland and, when you consider the incredible wealth of musical talent to emerge from the Emerald Isle, to be so listed is no mean feat.
This band, which originates from County Donegal, consists of family members from two branches of the Brennan clan and includes Ciaran Brennan, Pol Brennan, Moya Brennan and Enya Brennan along with their twin uncles, Noel and Padraig Duggan.
The band produced two of the greatest singing voices to emerge from Ireland – Moya and Enya Brennan.
I first came across Clannad’s music in the early eighties when I was searching for some atmospheric sounds for a stage production which had Celtic roots.
The track that caught my attention was The Theme From Harry’s Game, found on the Magical Ring album. Harry’s Game was a three-part TV series about the political troubles in Northern Ireland.
The mix of traditional Irish music with folk and rock, and especially with lyrics sung in Irish, created the right backdrop to underpin the drama.
In A Lifetime is a multi-format career-spanning anthology containing tracks from their 50+ year career. It comes in a 37-track 2-CD set, 2-CD deluxe, 2-LP deluxe vinyl, and an expanded 100+ track Bookpack, as well as digital versions.
It’s hard to overstate Clannad’s importance to the development, and world-wide appeal, of Irish music. Their music is haunting and ethereal and evocative of all things Irish.
Their 16 Studio and three live albums are an enduring body of work that has been credited as a major influence by an incredibly diverse range of artists from traditional music through folk to rock and pop.
Bono declared Moya Brennan to be “one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced”, and he duetted with her on Clannad’s 1985 hit single (and the song that gives this anthology its title), In A Lifetime.
In A Lifetime is being released to coincide with a world-wide farewell tour which will take place throughout 2020. I don’t know if they will be touring Australia but if they do, I’ll be there.
