Tim Gomersall dares to make the case for Clannad

Where Beatmag Defends The Indefensible

Greetings, traveller, I am going to attempt to defend the celtic/folk/world-music/new age group, Clannad, and to a certain extent, folk music as a whole. Not the modern iteration of the term, which the music media has bastardized to describe anything with an acoustic guitar in it, but the real meaning of folk; music that keeps traditional instruments and methods alive, preserving the sounds of our past and using them in a contemporary way. Yet talk to most people about folk music these days and their minds are scarred with the images of Jack Johnson or Damien Rice. Sorry kids, but that ain’t folk music!

There was a time when folk music was good. Think Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel or Pentangle (the latter who spawned the solo careers of John Renbourn and Burt Jansch). Now these bands are all considered cool again as folk has become mainstream and the years of ridiculing your dad for owning such records are finally over. After all, good music is always respected eventually, no matter how ridiculous the band members look (see Steeleye Span, above). Well, all except one band – Clannad, but this is probably because they were never cool in the first place. I honestly can’t think of one band throughout the spectrum modern music with less street cred. The fact that they looked like characters from ‘Lord Of The Rings’, played instruments with names forgotten in the 14th century and produced new-age Celtic folk laid to rest to any chance of being considered trendy. But, although I’m inclined to err on the side of caution as it may well destroy my reputation for life, I think they are a great band.

A quick heads up for the under 25s: Clannad are a family-based band that formed in the ‘70s in Donegal, Ireland, consisting of Maire, Pol and Ciaran Brennan and their uncles, Padraig and Noel Duggan. Then in 1982 they were joined by sister, Eithne. In Ireland and Germany they picked up a huge following but the big breakthrough was in 1984 when they produced ‘Legend’, the soundtrack to the British TV series ‘Robin of Sherwood’. It was at this point, as a child, that I first heard Clannad and became hooked on the album. It has never worn off. I still listen to it regularly today.

At the time ‘Robin Of Sherwood’ came out it was considered a ground-breaking achievement and went on to receive an Ivor Novello and a BAFTA. This was due to the way they had fused Celtic instruments with state of the art synthesizers and heavily multi-tracked vocals, creating a new and intriguing sound. You can certainly hear from where many ‘90s chill-out artists drew their influence, and even now, with our never ending fascination for vintage synths, it still remains an important document.

To really experience the album properly, though, it needed be heard as the backing music for the TV show. Although the original series was well-written (unlike the pile of televisual sick the BBC have thrown up for the modern re-make), it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as dark and fantastical had it not been for a soundtrack that fitted it so well. With the possible exception of ‘Twin Peaks’, it is almost unheard of for a program to be just as memorable for its soundtrack as it’s script.
The new sound they developed on ‘Legend’ was part of a long journey though, for they had released seven albums up until this point. From 1973 to 1979 they released much traditional Celtic music with Gaelic vocals on albums such as ‘Clannad’, ‘Clannad 2’, and ‘Dúlamán’, but it was in the ‘80s when they started to innovate and add synthesizers, electric guitars and English vocals, making them more accessible to a wider audience. Following a live album in 1979 they released ‘Crann Ull’ (1980), ‘Fuaim’ (1982) and then ‘Magical Ring’, the last featuring a lost gem in the form of the theme from 1983 TV series, ‘Harry’s Game’. It is on this album (which went gold and also won an Ivor Novello) that you can really hear their trademark sound emerging.

Unfortunately it seems that fame went to their heads Following ‘Legend’. In 1985 the album ‘Macalla’, described on their website as “a majestic piece of art”, was packed with pretentiousness, power ballads and ambient tracks that sound like the lovechild of Fleetwood Mac and a New Age relaxation CD. The cherry on the cake is a nauseating duet with Bono called ‘In A Lifetime’. By this time, nearly all the folk roots of the band have been dropped for a far more chart savvy pop sound.
A possible reason for this change in direction, and this heralds yet another similarity with Fleetwood Mac, was singer Maire’s drug habits. Her first marriage failed due to her experimentation with drink and drugs, and she admits in her 2000 biography to having taken large amounts of cocaine during the ‘80s. A less likely bugle-hound would be hard to imagine. Around the same time, her sister Eithne was forging her own solo career under the new moniker Enya. The spotlight moved swifty – Enya was catapulted to fame with her 1988 breakthrough album ‘Watermark’. In 2001 and 2002 she was the biggest selling female artist in the world and still remains in the top 20 best selling female artists of all time.

The story of Clannad is one that is all too familiar in the music world, but it’s the kind of rise and fall that you would expect to happen to a rock band rather than a Celtic folk outfit. I’m not suggesting that Clannad are musical heroes, but they did break new ground and write some very good music along the way. And in these times where the charts are dominated with novelty indie rock and wrist-slitting ballads that emulate rather than innovate, its great to know there are bands who respect the past, the ancient folk heritage, while contemporizing their sound to move forward. Surely this is one of the ways great music is made….

Filed under: Devil's Advocate, Life, Music by Flexmaster Nylon
1 Comment »

One Response to “Devil’s Advocate”

1. Granville Merzig says:

   February 3, 2010 at 3:01 pm

   I wish getting over a broken heart can be so easy as following a few steps.. but its not