The Long Black Veil
The Chieftains
RCA
Reviewed by Bernie Brian
The Chieftains were bringing Irish traditional music to world audiences long before the recent upsurge in interest in Irish music and certainly before WOMAD existed. They have been doing it for over 30 years and probably half as many albums.
However, they have never been contained by tradition, releasing joint albums with many contemporary artists such as Roger Daltry of the Who, Elvis Costello, Ricki Lee Jones, Marianne Faithfull and Van Morrison. Band leader Paddy Moloney also believes the Chieftains were one of the first international bands to use a didgeridoo on a recording.
The only thing that guides them is their love of music and the need to have a good time playing it. Their previous album, Another Country, investigated how the music brought into North America by Irish migrants was the source of much US country music. This album included artists such as Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins and Emmy Lou Harris and won three Grammy awards.
In their new album they follow this tradition and have teamed up with Sting, Ry Cooder, Sinead O'Connor, Mark Knopfler and the resurrected Tom Jones. However, it's the inclusion of the Rolling Stones, who have probably been together as long as the Chieftains, that makes this album somewhat of a collector's item.
But this album is no R&B/Celtic fusion. The Chieftains need not worry about losing their mantle as the world's premiere Irish traditional band, for the Stones add little to their rendition of "Rocky Road to Dublin". Yet this is a fun album, and it must have been a sight to see Paddy Moloney with his monkish hair cut and roguish grin standing beside the weathered Keith Richard as he belts out the "Satisfaction"riff. Moloney writes in the cover notes that it was "perhaps the most enjoyable of all our recording sessions".
The Stones are not the only legends to have some input. Tom Jones sings "Tennessee Waltz" in his deep Welsh voice in the presence of the dying Frank Zappa. The slow, rather deadpan "Love is Teasin'" does little justice to Marianne Faithfull's unique voice. While Sinead O'Connor's voice seems frail at times, she does a beautiful version the memorial to the 1916 uprising, "The Foggy Dew". Van Morrison even makes a rather corny love song sound special. Sting reveals another side to his talent when he sings a traditional air in Gaelic. This 18th century Jacobite song dedicated to the Stuart kings was the original music of "The Red Flag".
The Chieftains are all accomplished musicians, many of them classically trained. If you doubt it just listen to Matt Molloy's flute on the two instrumental tracks "Ferny Hill" and "Dunmore Lassies". The former is one of the few jigs on the album, while the latter includes the haunting guitar of Ry Cooder. In all, probably an album mainly suited to those who like Irish traditional music, but with such an array of talent maybe it's got something for everybody.