Haunting sounds from Clannad

Press, 28 November 1984, Page 18

Haunting sounds from Clannad

By

ALLAN FRANCIS

CLANNAD. Magical Ring. 10 tracks by the vocal group, Clannad, on RCA VICTOR VPLI 7466. I have never heard of Clannad, nor do they rate any liner notes — badly needed, on this exciting group, their intentions and their personal history. They certainly raise questions. From this deep silence apparently this very talented ensemble do not need any other advertising, aside from their unique vocalising style. There are five members pictured on the cover, so presumably the strong sound is solely from this meagre number. There is an intensity from this quintet that defies any hint that this is background music, something to fill out blank moments. Intensely atmospheric, with a message that does not need words, Clannad rise from the depths of ancient folk lore, though whose, I have no idea. Equally obscure are the titles of each number. (I hesitate to call them merely "songs”), such names as “Seachran Charn tSiail” or “Ta Me Mo Shui” or “Thios Fa’n Chosta” suggest something far more potent than words and music. The members’ names read like their song titles — Padraig 0 Dugain, Pol 0 Braonain and brother Ciaran 0 Braonain etc. And there is music, again uncredited, very much in keeping with the idiom of misty moors, goblins and stones in wind-swept fields. This, surely, is one of the most compulsive recordings of an unknown quantity I have heard for years. THE FLIGHT OF THE CONDOR. Original Soundtrack of the TV series. 8.8. C. RECORDS REB 440. A flight of the more routine kind is portrayed here by 8.8. C. Records, who use two Chilean bands playing instruments that are indigenous to South America, cane flutes and so on. There is also a mandolin-

type instrument made from armadillo shell and a drum made from a hollowed-out tree trunk. This use of primitive instruments lends an air of authenticity to the series, enhanced by the well-chosen photographs within the cover. Unlike Clannad, the constant repetition of melody does not wear quite as well so by the end of side 1 the music has said just about all that is possible to extract from this section of the medium. It is colourful, different, though a trifle limited in its appeal without the backing of the visual. SAHARA. 11 tracks written by Martin Winch and played by a group of N.Z. musicians for RCA VPLI 0444. A boppish selection of bright, on-going numbers from a local musician, and played with spirit, forms the oasis of this entire album. It appears to cross the boundaries of jazz and pop in much the same fashion as so many others are attempting at present. Attempting is the operative word because not all succeed, so what we end up with is a hotch-potch of oil and water 1 non-mixtures that appeal to nobody. This is certainly not the case with Sahara. Martin Winch has applied his multiple talents to good purpose by enlisting the services of some of the best players available in New Zealand and arranged his forces with great care. On two of the tracks, the well-known vocalist, Denise Harris, features — “Snakes and Ladders” and “Claudio” — and she, too, is very much in tune with her environment Unlike a lot of groups who are inclined to take themselves too seriously, Sahara have injected a splash of tongue-in-cheek humour into their playing. It is all made to sound easy, with plenty of wry solos. A few strings lend a touch of modernity, and are lead by Peter Schaffer in what must have been one of his final appearances in this country.