Search - Battlefield Band :: There's a Buzz

Exemplary Battlefield Band, Necessary Album!

Gwen A Orel | Millburn, New Jersey United States | 02/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Caveat: this is one of the albums that caused me to be a Celtic music devotee/fanatic in the first place. If you buy this disc, you too may find yourself driving for hours to catch Celtic concerts when they're within 500 miles of you, turning down social engagements to stay home and listen to NPR's "Thistle and Shamrock," and spending your nest egg on cds!It simply is beyond the powers of any true music lover not to smile at "The Green Plaid," a song in which a lassie regrets not going with her lover in the 25th Regiment, who promised he'd roll her in his plaid when they sailed on the sea-- it's catch, and fades out in a bluegrass/jazzy jam that is irresistible. I've had it on at least two compilation tapes to date.And track 9, which is two songs melded into one-- "One Miner's Life" and "The Image of God," two songs about the devastatingly hard life of a coal miner, including a reworking of a poem by Joe Corrie, a poet/miner with the lines "me made after the image of God? Is that not a laughable tae" (tale; song is in broad scots) is a melodic punch in the stomach. Reid''s singing perfectly captures both the bitterness and the resignation of the tune.And the instrumentals are truly memorable! Some are traditional pipe and fiddle tunes arranged by the band-- both upbeat and lyric-- and some are originals; track 8 combines both with marvelous rhythm changes and mood.This is a reissue of one of Battlefield Band's best albums ever (first issued in 1982), with the classic line-up of Brian McNeill (fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki et al), Alan Reid, Duncan MacGillivray, and Ged Foley. If you go to their website you can learn what has become of all the band-- all have gone on to major successes in their fields (winning medals for piping for example-- Duncan MacGillivray-- or playing with other stellar bands-- Ged Foley). Only Alan Reid is currently still with the band today. This album is truly a "supergroup" of talent, and though it has variety in the numbers somehow it all comes together to create a consistent mood, one that is somehow all at once upbeat, reflective, cheery, wistful and wholly addictive.The original cover was a wonderful azure blue, which captures the breadth and depth of the music better than the cd's reissue. But let me put it this way: I'm keeping both the cd and my original viny.You see, my original vinyl's cover had been signed, after all. (one of those concerts I drove miles to see!)A great start to a beginner's library, and a necessary fix for any Celtic music addict!"