Three comments
Capercaillie album five, I think, released ‘91. Nice recording, lacking in tunes maybe, but Karen’s voice is lovely. I took five minutes to draw the unknown tune names from the recesses of the internet, and they are, hopefully, correct. I’m a bit curious about the opposing Scots Gaelic and Irish graves on the song titles - it seems odd.
Karen Matheson - vocals
Marc Duff - whistles, bodhran, wind synthesiser
Manus Lunny - bouzouki, guitar, vocal
Charlie McKerron - fiddle
John Saich - bass, guitar
Donald Shaw - accordion, keyboards
“Delirium” - Capercaillie
I think two tracks on this album are quite outstanding. One is the Gaelic song Breisleach ("Delirium"), which is exactly about that: it is a transcendent song of desire, extraordinary enough in the English translation which I have read - it must be in the sleeve-notes - and graced here with as transcendent a tune. The words were written by Aonghas MacNeacall and the tune by Donald Shaw, according to the band’s website. Karen Matheson sings here.
The other is McPhail’s Reel, a traditional, fairly simple but beautiful four-part reel played at a moderate speed against a restrained backing, gradually built up.
Some of Capercaillie’s stuff passes me by, but the above tracks are, in my humble(?) opinion, quite perfect. These *are* really good musicians.
“Delirium” - Capercaillie
Available at http://www.CelticTurnTable.com