Search - Tannahill Weavers :: Cullen Bay

Wonderful variety of music- good program notes

08/23/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Tannahill Weavers make every day Scottish history come alive in "Cullen Bay". The wonderful variety of music along with GREAT program notes make this CD a very enjoyable listen. Not having a sound card in my PC, I took a chance on this CD by just the name of the songs. I wasn't disappointed. The Tannehill Weavers are a great group. Am looking forward to hearing more from them!"

Beautiful traditional Scottish music

Saint Blackangel | Covington, VA USA | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was fortunate enough to catch a live show of the Tannahill Weavers some years ago in our little town and I've been a fan ever since. Cullen Bay is my favorite of their CDs by a narrow margin; it runs the gamut from lively to sorrowful and makes you feel every moment of it. A song-by-song summary (Instrumentals don't have descriptions because they usually change pace and feel several times):



1. The Standard on the Braes o' Mar/The Haughs o'Cromdale: The Standard on the Braes o'Mar is a song about the raising of the Jacobite standard at Braemar during the Jacobite rebellion. It's a very cheerful song, considering the subject matter. History buffs with interests particularly in the Western European area will recognize references to Prince Charles and Donald Cameron of Lochiel. The Haughs o'Cromdale is instrumental.



2. The Fiddler/The Fiddler's Jig/Jenny Dang the Weaver/The Reel of Tulloch: Instrumental.



3. Joy of My Heart: A very soft, serious song. It's more or less an ode to the island of Mull (referred to as the Gaelic "Eilean Mulligh" in the song).



4. Aikendrum: My favorite song on the album; conversely, the song I know least about. It's done a capella, totally without instrumentation, and somehow this gives it an unusual weight to my mind. It appears to describe a period during the Jacobite rebellion, but I can say little more than that.



5. Samuel the Weaver/The Panda/Thunderhead/The Cannongate Twitch/Allan MacDonald's Reel: Instrumental.



6. Kintail: Instrumental



7. A Night Visitor's Song: What a great song! It's an account of the age-old tradition of a lad sneaking off in the night to the home of the girl he's trying to court, calling up to her window to get her attention, and hopefully getting in to lay by her side for the night - until the morning comes and he must flee before her angry father comes around.



8. Cullen Bay/Dalnahassaig/S'iomadh Riud a Chunnaic Mi/Alick C. MacGregor: Instrumental



9. Braw Burn the Bridges: A truly mournful song about having to leave a loved one. The specific love is never named; while likely a woman, it could well be simply one's home. It's a beautiful, beautiful song that will at the very least leave you feeling reflective and quite possibly heartsick.



If you've never listened to traditional Scottish music, this would be a good place to start. If you have, then this will reaffirm your love affair with bagpipes, fiddles, heather and history."