Track Listing

1. Up Against the Buachalawns
2. Boil the Breakfast Early
3. Friel's Kitchen
4. No. 6 the Coombe
5. O'Sullivan's March
6. Sea Image
7. Speic Seoigheach
8. Dogs Among the Bushes
9. Job of Journeywork
10. Oh! The Breeches Full of Stitches
11. Chase Around the Windmill
12. Wind That Shakes the Barley/The Reel With the Beryle

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7868 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2002-02-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
The tracks on The Best of the Chieftains are drawn from The Chieftains 7, The Chieftains 8, and Boil the Breakfast Early--three of the band's recordings from the late 1970s. This was the period when former Bothy Band and Planxty flautist Matt Molloy and vocalist/bodhran player Kevin Cunniffe joined up and finally fulfilled Paddy Maloney's vision of what the band should sound like. It also marks the last time the Chieftains recorded pure, unadulterated traditional Irish music. Not long after making these albums, the band set off on a new career that has included numerous movie and TV soundtracks, collaborations with pop stars of various stripes, and guest appearances with symphony orchestras. Although some purists decry the band's later attempts at crossover, the near perfection of tracks such as the exquisitely performed suite of dance tunes "Chase Around the Windmill" show that the Chieftains had taken the old tunes about as far as they could go. The group may have gone on to make better-selling records, but they never topped the traditional grace and charm of the songs on The Best of the Chieftains. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews

A blast from the past
The title of this album is rather deceptive: it's not a selection from the Chieftains' entire catalog of recordings, but instead from the 3 albums (7, 8, and 9) that they put out on the Columbia label in the late 70's. That said, it's a worthy addition to anyone's Irish music library: it showcases the band at the pivotal point when they underwent major personnel changes and began to expand into less traditional ventures such as film scores. I've owned the three albums in question for years (and bought this one because the old vinyl was wearing out); this selection includes most of my favorite tracks from those albums, and shows what a solid, spirited, high-quality band they were from the start. (But it's instructive to compare the flute solos in the "Chase Around the Windmill" set with those from the earlier albums: with all due respect to Michael Tubridey, I feel that the addition of Matt Molloy, with his thoughtful and beautifully phrased flute playing, gave the group much more depth.)

It doesn't get any better than this
This anthology is incredible. Irish traditional music just doesn't get any better than this! The selections are timeless, the orchestration is always perfect. Paddy Maloney's pipes and whistles really drive the music and the late great Derek Bell's brilliant Celtic harp playing is top-notch! Anyone who enjoys Irish traditional music should own this collection...preferably on CD!

Irish Music
If you are going to have an Irish party, this is the best music to have. The music is varied, jigs, reels and knee slapping songs that liven up any event and get you dancing.