Track Listing

1. Mo Ghile Mear
2. Long Black Veil
3. Foggy Dew
4. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
5. Changing Your Demeanor
6. Lily Of The West
7. Coast Of Malabar
8. Dunmore Lassies
9. Ferny Hill
10. Tennessee Waltz
11. Tenessee Mazurka
12. Rocky Road To Dublin

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20887 in Music
• Released on: 1995-01-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

From Amazon.com
Over the years this Irish folk band has recorded with James Galway, Roger Daltrey, Nanci Griffith, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, and many more. For The Long Black Veil, they made their biggest haul yet: the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Marianne Faithfull, Mark Knopfler, Sinead O'Connor, Tom Jones, Sting, and Ry Cooder. Knopfler, Faithfull, and O'Connor wander off-key in their vocals. Sting, Jones, and Mick Jagger stay on key in theirs, but never quite connect with their chosen songs nor with the ancient folk tradition the Chieftains tap into each time they play. A powerful musical connection is forged three times on the album, however. Morrison patiently builds his own "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" to a grand climax over flute and pipes; Ry Cooder adds a mysterious Mideastern guitar part to an instrumental version of "Dunmore Lasses;" and on "The Rocky Road to Dublin," Charlie Watts's ceili-swing drumming holds together a loose adventurous jam session which features Kevin Coneff's lead vocal and wild exchanges of the Chieftains' twin fiddles and the Rolling Stones' guitars. Three epiphanies may not be enough to justify the Long Black Veil project, but you can find a whole album of such moments on Van Morrison & the Chieftains' 1988 Irish Heartbeat, one of the greatest Irish recordings ever made. --Geoffrey Himes

CD Description
With traditional instruments abounding, Celtic folk band the Chieftains are joined by some of the most distinctive vocalists in rock music for a tour of the Irish soul. Drenched in fiddles, Uileann pipes, harp, bodhran, and flute, THE LONGBLACK VEIL is a rousing triumph in this band's illustrious 30-year career.
Sting's vocals are showcased on "Mo GhileMear", a Scottish ayre and keening call to arms. "The Long Black Veil", a Lefty Frizzell song popularised by the Band, features Mick Jagger displaying an inherent American hills folk influence. "The Foggy Dew" and "He Moved Through the Fair", two Sinead O'Connor-led traditional tunes, glow with hervibrant voice. A powerful Tom Jones joins his Celtic brothers on the "Tennessee Waltz/Tennessee Mazurka" medley, posingcomparisons between American and Irish folk music. Straightout of a smoky pub, the sensational, fog-and-gravel-voiced Marianne Faithfull contributes a sage "Love Is Teasin'". Rounding out the mostly traditional set is Ry Cooder, Mark Knopfler, and the soulful Van Morrison who reprises his "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"
The Chieftains are revered by many, and some of their more famous fans have paid them a splendid musical tribute with THE LONG BLACK VEIL.

Customer Reviews

WOW...SIMPLY AMAZING!
This is a terrific CD, with its wild meld of celtic, pop, folk, and country strains. The Chieftains, accompanied by such music greats as Sting, Mick Jagger, Sinead O'Connor, The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, among others...who would have thought such an assemblage would result in such a cohesive recording of such wildly divergent music? Of particular note are Sting's mournful rendition of "Mo Ghile Mear" and Sinead O'Connor's stylization of "The Foggy Dew" and "He Moved Through The Fair". Mick Jagger also does justice to "A Long Black Veil". This CD is simply a great recording overall!

Fiddles, whistles and rock stars!
This CD certainly proves that The Chieftains have friends in high places! This album is packed full of rock stars (Mick Jagger, Sting, Sinead O' Connor, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Tom Jones and Marianne Faithfull) singing traditional Irish songs. This is an interesting album and the songs do work better than I expected them too. This is a lively collection of songs and none of the artists sound out of place, but I think I would still prefer hearing these songs sung by folk singers. Nonetheless this is a good introduction to The Chieftain's style of music and an essential buy if you are a fan of the artists involved.

Long Black Veil - A taste of modern Irish music at its best
Long Black Veil

The Chieftains and their haunting Irish music are much like their beloved dark stout - you either love them or hate them. If you fall into the former group then this is a classic CD that has to find a place in your collection. If you fall into the latter body simply click to another review!