Capernaum

by The Tannahill Weavers

Overview

The Tannahill Weavers are in the class of the modern Scottish folk bands; not only do they boast great singers and focus primarily on traditional material, but they also make tasteful use of the Highland bagpipes. Don't laugh. For many listeners, that's a serious issue; the Highland pipes have a sound that you either love or hate. The Weavers help you love it by putting great care into their arrangements. For example, the opening medley on this disc features no fewer than five traditional fiddle tunes (performed in under five minutes), and that approach is part of what makes those skirling pipes so easy on the ear; by the time you get tired of hearing one melody you've already heard two more. Then they throw themselves into the serious vocal work on the title track, and you think you've died and gone to Aberdeen -- or Edinburgh, given the tune's subject matter. "Capernaum" is a setting of Lewis Spence's poetic lament over the bloody and repressive history of that city, and the melody is a bracing dirge sung with authority by the Weavers, who handle the dense, tight harmonies with passionate ease. The next track is a heartwrenching ballad called "The Plooboy Laddies," and from this high point on, the album's quality basically never falters. Instrumentals and songs are fairly evenly distributed, and the liner notes include a handy glossary of Scots Gaelic terms used in the lyrics. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	09/06/1994
Label:	Green Linnet
UPC:	0048248114622
Rank:	39843

Tracks

1. The Blackbird Set: Blackley of Hillsdale/The Blackbird/The Hankie Dance
2. Capernaum
3. The Plooboy Laddies/John Murray of Lochee
4. The Unicorn Set: The Unicorn/Trip to Pakistan/An Andro
5. The Braes O' Balquhidder
6. The Hieland Sodger
7. The Carls O' Dysart
8. The Log Splitter Set: Caradale Bay/The Log ...
9. The Sound of Taransay
10. The Brewer Laddie/Cathkin Braes
11. The Bergen
12. Gray Bob's Set: Gray Bob/Cutty's Wedding/Loch Carron/Gray Bob
13. Captain Ward/The Streaker
14. Hame

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Tannahill Weavers   Primary Artist
Les Wilson   Vocals,Bouzouki,Keyboards
Roy Gullane   Guitar,Vocals
Kenny Forsyth   Pipe,Bagpipes,Whistle (Human)
Phil Smillie   Flute,Vocals,Bodhran,Whistle (Human)
John Martin   Cello,Viola,Fiddle,Vocals

Technical Credits

Nik Kinloch   Engineer,Engineer
Jez Lowe   Composer
Robin Rankin   Mastering
Roy Gullane   Composer
The Tannahill Weavers   Arranger,Producer
Stuart Morrison   Composer
Phil Smillie   Composer
Maggie Smillie   Editing
Donald Sanders   Paintings
Lewis Spence   Composer
Brian Wittman   Art Direction
Robert Tannahill   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Ed Miller   Composer