Sissel Irish Film Orchestra Van Morrison - Long Journey Home 1998 Television Miniseries (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

Our very favorite cd

11/20/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the one we never tire of listening to..the one that gives goose bumps and tears in the eyes no matter how many times you hear it. Sissel (Were You At the Rock?) is unbelievable...Sinead O'Connor on Skibbereen...wow. The whole thing from start to finish is the absolute best. It touches your soul and will open your eyes to what the Irish have gone through and brought to this country with them. I have Irish blood, and I can feel it when I listen to these songs....the sorrow, the hope, the humour! Thanks to all who put the series together and gave us this music."

A Celtic Must!

Callie | Portland, OR United States | 02/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to admit this is one of the best Celtic albums I've heard! Like most Irish music, it reflects the beauty and heart of the Irish homeland, but what makes this album especially unique is that it also depicts the feelings of the Irish in America for their homeland. Each of these songs are really good and bring the heart of Ireland to America.Shenandoah- This song sounds like a combination of American gospel and Irish music. It is of American origin, but shows many of the feelings of the Amercians and Irish shared. Van Morrison the the chorum put a lot of rythm and beauty in the words.Main Theme- This track goes to the tune of "The Dawning of the Day", or "Raglan Road". Hearing this song makes me think of the words of the poem by Patrick Kavanagh. I really love the Chieftains' interpretation of this melody.Paddy's Lamentation/Ships Are Sailing- This song was veryu dramatically performed by Mary Black who has such an excellent voice, I regret never hearing her music before! The topic of the song is the hardships the Irish went through when some camm during the Civil War. Mary Black puts a lot of meaning and sincerity in the lyrics and melody alike. She is so good! Mairtin O'Conner, the master accordian who has been everywhere from Riverdance to Clannad, brings an uplifting melody in "Ships Are Sailing".Emigration Theme- This music actually allows one to picture images, thoughts, and feelings of that time. Thousands of people were leaving home to come to a new land. Were they scared? excited? You have to interpret yourself.The Bard of Armagh/Streets of Laredo- This is one my favorites, performed by the great singer Vince Gill. The lyrics are so beautiful and uplifting. Those in Ireland still remembered those who left and those who left still remembered those who stayed.Skibbereen- Sinead 0'Connor does just as surprisingly well for this song as she did for "Factory Girl" on "Tears of Stone". She does well at dramaticising the mood, and telling stories in songs. "Skibbereen" tells of the dark hardships emigrants experienced before they left their native land. Sad and poignant, it touches feelings and thoughts.The Night Larry Was Strechted- This is a fun jig to listen to. Long ago, the Irish brought many jigs to America that Americans fell in love withWhite Potatoes- This Gaelic song is one of the best Gaelic songs I've ever heard and Paddy Moloney made an excellent arrangement on the uillean pipes. This song shows how sad poor farmers were to discover their crops and food were gone. It has an English translation, but I wish it also had the Gaelic words.Famine Theme-This song brings all of the heartbreaking sorrows of that time period. This music does not just seem like the music you would hear in a documentary, but the music of the past and the stories of the tragedies. Muldoon, the Solid Man/Grandfather's Tune- This is kind of a funny song, which was sung very well by Mick Moloney. It brings much joy and pride to the Irish, which helped many escape the horrors of the famine.An Raibh Tu Ag An Gcarraig?- This is one of the best songs, performed by the very excellent Norwegian singer, Sissel, who also sang in the score to "Titanic". Her beautiful Scandanavian voice captures your attention and whispers the special message of the song. It also has well done keyboarding and fiddle music by other Scandanavian performers. The lovely words, enchanting harmony, and poignant feeling makes this song irresistable.O'Carolan's Farewell- This song is by the ancient composer O'Carolan. It is very dramatic in feeling.Bean Phaidin- This is a very simple song, performed by Kevin Coneff of the Chieftains. He sings in Gaelic and plays the bodhron. It has good rythm and sound. I wish it had a translation.O'Donnel's Lament/ Reel With the Beryle- Eileen Ivers knows how to help give a Celtic touch. She playes with slow beauty at first, but moves on the the up beat jig. She brings a lot of energy to the fiddle.American Theme- Oooh, this is such a good second to last track! It has very good instrumentation, but what is really good is the whole meaning of it. It brings a feeling of patriotism, honor, glory, and prosperity. For the Irish left Ireland in poverty and distress, but were reborn as Americans. The sound of the drum and echoes of whistles brings triumph and joy. Long Journey Home Anthem- This is by far the best song on the whole album. The music is just as patriotic and triumphant as the previous track. It has orchestra, traditional instruments, drums, and powerful voices by the men of Anuna. There also are the beautiful lyrics, written and sung by Elvis Costello. I just love the verses and meaning of the words. It brings the heart of both Ireland and America! "Red, white and blue; Green, white, and gold".So, this is one of the best Celtic albums I've heard. I still rank "Celtic Solstice" by Paul Winter and Friends as the best Celtic album I've ever heard, but this album I place as second. Third is "Legends" by Phil Coulter and James Galway. Anyway, this album is a must have! and a worth getting."

A must for all Irish-Americans and Americans in general

Sally Burnell | Kent, Ohio USA | 08/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This soundtrack to the acclaimed television mini-series is heartbreakingly beautiful in its selection of music to represent the Irish diaspora. Surprising are the renditions of traditional songs by artists as diverse as Vince Gill, Sinead O'Connor and Van Morrison, and the orchestral pieces bring tears to my eyes, they are so beautiful. As the descendent of several waves of Irish migration in the past two centuries, it makes me wonder what prompted some of my own Irish ancestors to leave their homeland and come here. This music will break your heart, make you tap your toes joyfully and will make you both smile and cry, true Irish stuff if ever I heard it. I feel both intense sadness and pride at my Irish roots when listening to these songs and instrumental pieces, and if you have even a drop of Irish blood in you, or just wish you were Irish, I urge you to listen to this album. The music will haunt you long after you finish listening, and this is one album you will want to play again and again. A great companion album is the soundtrack to the television mini-series "Out of Ireland", another documentary about the Irish diaspora in the United States. You will find some of the same acclaimed Irish and Irish-American artists on that album as you will this album, such as Mick Moloney and Eileen Ivers. Paddy Moloney and the Chieftains obviously put a lot of love into this album and it shows in the choices of pieces they selected to represent the Irish struggle both in Ireland and in the US. A brilliant compilation of artists and music, and highly recommended, even if you aren't Irish, but just wish you were. If you are Irish, keep that box of Kleenex handy - you're going to need it!"

Complete Artist & Track List

T. S. Hunter | Cedarpines Park, CA, United States | 02/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"1. Van Morrison & the Chieftains - "Shenandoah" (3:52)

2. The Irish Film Orchestra - "Main Theme" Instrumental (4:25)

3. Mary Black - "Paddy's Lamentation/Ships Are Sailing" (4:47)

4. The Irish Film Orchestra - "Emigration Theme" Instrumental (5:08)

5. Vince Gill - "The Bard of Armagh/The Streets of Laredo" (5:03)

6. Sinead O'Connor - "Skibbereen" (4:15)

7. The Chieftains & Friends - "The Night Larry Was Stretched/Jig" (2:27)

8. Liam O' Maonlai - "White Potatoes" (3:31)

9. The Irish Film Orchestra - "Famine Theme" Instrumental (3:37)

10. Mick Moloney - "Muldoon, the Solid Man/Grandfather's Tune" (3:42)

11. Sissel - "An Raibh Tu' Ag An gCarraig?" (5:30)

12. Derek Bell with the Irish Film Orchestra - "O'Carolan's Farewell to Music" Instrumental (2:30)

13. Kevin Conneff - "Bean Pha'idin" (1:44)

14. Eileen Ivers - "O'Donnell's Lament/Reel with the Beryle" (2:45)

15. The Irish Film Orchestra - "American Theme" Instrumental (2:57)

16. Elvis Costello with Anu'na - "Long Journey Home Anthem" (4:16)

If you like these kind of compilations, may I suggest a couple that are better than this one. The first is called "Common Ground: Voices Of Modern Irish Music", which I consider the best of the contemporary Irish artists doing traditional songs.. it has songs by U2, Crowded House, Elvis Costello, Sinead O' Connor, Kate Bush, Christy Moore, and many others (ASIN: B000002U4V). Then after you get that one, check out the soundtrack for the movie "Gangs of New York"... with songs by U2, Peter Gabriel, Afro Celt System, and many others (ASIN: B00007DT8M). Unfortunately, though, they left out the Sinead O' Connor song from that movie "Paddy's Lamentation", which can be found instead on her album of all traditional Irish songs "Sean-Nos Nua", which is absolutely spellbinding (ASIN: B00006L4HB). If you want some more great contemporary Irish artists doing traditional songs on compilations, do a song search and type in "Clannad" (that is Enya's sister's band, one she used to be a part of), she is on a grip of Irish/Celtic compilations. Happy Hunting! :) 7.5/10"

Alignment in the Heavens

Pat McCormack | Ponte Vedra Beach, FL | 09/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first song, having the finest folk vocalist (Van Morrison), accompanied by folk's finest band (Chieftains) rendering folk's most unfathomly beautiful song (Shenandoah) is an alignment undeserved by mortals.The biggest surprise is that the rest of the album keeps pace with the exquisite first song. Especially notable is Vince Gill in The Bard of Armagh/The Streets of Laredo. Country fans will appreciate Gill in a new (Green) way."

Search - Sissel, Irish Film Orchestra, Van Morrison :: Long Journey Home (1998 Television Mini-series)

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