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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was to be the last Clannad album that featured their names spelt out in the original Irish Gaelic. Making them into a commercial commodity, the industry quickly realised they had to use the phonetic English spelling - and it was all downhill from this point onward. People who appreciated good music at the turn of the 1970s/1980s already knew about Clannad from Radio Caroline and Mi Amigo - they never made the miniscule blinkered Radio 1 shortlist, too sophisticated for the audience - and the band had already put out a handful of decent folk-pop albums. In fact those albums had made their name and established their fan base - which Magical Ring very quickly destroyed as the band transitted into a global undifferentiated pop franchise. With the exception of the Theme from Harry's Game, and one or two of the more well-penned pop songs here, the album is immediately forgettable, a clutch of wannabee songs that can't be let out on their own. Clannad were in the process of dropping the Gaelic-folk element of their music and expanding the anonymous pop side. Admittedly as a purely pop act they were very good, if you like fleeting momentary pop music that comes into and then goes out of fashion faster than an skirt made of raw meat. But in order to shift units and fill performance venues outside of southern Ireland they had to kowtow creatively to the industry demands. Apart from the OST "Legend" and a dabble into electronica - "Atlantic Realm" - the band just slipped off the radar of serious music fans after this. You'll find a lot of their releases (including this one) going for one penny plus postage on Amazon second hand lists....their good early stuff still fetches premium.
This album is worth a place in your music collection for what it represents, not what it sounds like.
This album is worth a place in your music collection for what it represents, not what it sounds like.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A beautiful album, containing a mixture of Irish and English vocals. Contains the angelic voice of Eithne Ni Bhraonain, (or ENYA as she is now known), and her family as backing vocals/instruments . Also contains tracks without vocals, such as The Fairy Queen, and the memorable theme from Harry's Game. All in all a top album, which is perfect for de-stressing or general listening.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Haunting and Addictive!
18 May 2001
Format:Audio CD
The album MAGICAL RING by Clannad is essential for anyone curious about Irish/Celtic music. It is the first Celtic CD I have purchased (though I also own Clannad's "Pastpresent" compilation, which is more pop than Celtic). Magical Ring captures Clannad at a high point in their career, when they still had a semi-traditional folk sound, but were adding just enough modern touches to their music to give it an edge. Thus, they are able to maintain their integrity while still making their music accessible to a wider audience. A good example is the track "Passing Time", which has a very Irish-sounding melody added to a modern pop hook, with synthesizers unobtrusively added to the mix. On a few songs, Clannad serves up traditional Irish folk without any pop touches at all, as on the song "Coinleach Glas An Fhomhair", which is sung in Gaelic. No matter what language they use, Clannad's music is filled with haunting melodies and rich vocal harmonies, which give the album a mystical atmosphere. It is easy to get swept up in the mood of music, and when the CD ends, I usually end up pressing the repeat button and taking the journey all over again. This masterpiece album is a great introduction to Irish music, and captures Clannad at their most focused and creative! I will definitely be buying more from this genre-bending, barrier-breaking band.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
My all time favorite musical composition!
12 April 1999
Format:Audio CD
I purchased this CD for the song "Theme Form Harry's Game" and I had not heard any other material from it. I fell in love with the entire CD after the first listening. It's one of those timeless works you can listen to over and over and never get tired of. It takes you on a mysterious and spiratual journey of "old world / celtic" musical imagery. It moves from soft harps and lyrics to whimsical (all most irish pop) themes to throbing and threatening trials of passage. A must for anyone who appreciates celtic music, new-age, or who needs a score for their "quite time."
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Short but oh so Sweet
15 Jun 1999
Format:Audio CD
The first time I listened to this disc I was amazed at how quickly it had passed... I thought I had just lost track of the time being immersed in the music... but alas at a shade over 1/2 hour this disc goes fast... oh well, that's what shuffle and repeat settings are for! I've litterally left this disc in shuffle-repeat for an entire work day and was still typing to the music at the end of the day.
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