From another thread:
For the worst version, listen to Van Morrison w/ the Chieftains. I’m surprised Paddy put up with that crap towards the end.
Mo Ghile Mear sung by Sting is another one.
Any other annoying versions by Chieftain guests come to mind?
Dude, that whole CD sucks! The Stones on Rocky Road to Dublin?
Gack! And, I like Nickel Creek, but that was a sad collaboration.
Where’s the track listing of Long Black Veil when you need it?!? 
BTW, have you ever heard Sting and the Chieftains cover Leonard Cohen’s Sisters of Mercy. Funny, and not bad.
The Van Morrison was from “Celtic Heartbeat”, and yes, most of “Long Black Veil” was pretty bad. Any others?
No, are you serious?
10 or 15 years ago there was a Chieftains special on TV. Their guest for that one was Roger Daltrey. I am not making this up. They did about four Who songs. The only thing I remember is Behind Blue Eyes, which Daltrey sang with just guitar accompaniment, and the guys played a jig between a couple of the verses. Truly horrible.
Slip jig, slip jig, second generation I’m a soldier at 13 …
They also do that on “An Irish Evening”
I actually like it better than the original “Behind Blue Eyes”
Oops, right. On “Long Black Veil”, Van Morrison did “Have I Told You
Lately That I Love You?”
Sure am. Published on an LC tribute production called, Tower of Song.
(The best thing on that album, btw, is Bono’s version of Hallelujah.)
Actually, the album wast “Irish Heartbeat.” I say this to be sure people know which one not to buy! 
I think the only songs Van didn’t completely murder on that album were "Star Of The County Down"and “Ta Mo Chleamhnas Deanta” which isn’t to say that they were good, just more listenable than the rest of it. I think that “She Moved Through The Fair” was undoubtedly, no contest, the worst ever.
"It will not be long, not be long, not be long… not be long…It will not be long, not be long, be long, not be long, til our wedding day, til our, til our…wedding day, not be long, it will not be long, not be long, wedding day, not be long, not be long, Van Morrison does not be long, not belong singing with an Irish group of any kind. 
took the words out of my mouth!
That marriage made in hell when they went down the “old plank road”-
Nashville 
I guess it was fun for them, playing with the bluegrass folk,but that whole thing was an irritant to fans of both styles. Ewwwwwwwwweeeeee.
I want Hazel Dickens to record with them. That would be fun.
What I like about these, even though they are often not the best recordings of those tunes/songs, is that there is a connection, and communication, the comaradarie that makes the recording session possible, and the fact that, in spite of the lack of ‘credentials’ in ITM, Bluegrass, Rock, Jazz, etc. that any members of the group may or may not hold, there is fun, and music, and it crosses barriers rather than succumbing to them. That’s apparently laughable to some of you, but I am not ashamed to say that I enjoy them. 
You rock!
Well spoken.
–James
I’d have to agree too. If you’re looking for the Chieftains’ traditional style, you won’t like these. But to see how their type of music can blend with music from other genres, these recordings are a lot of fun. Try to listen to them without preconceived notions of how the songs are “supposed” to sound.
I certainly have no issues with a band stepping out of their norm to experiment or just have fun, I actually think it’s fantastic that they have bridged the gap between so many music genres. I don’t particularly care for any of that Plank Road stuff but that may be mostly because I don’t care much for modern country. However, I’m sad to see that they are doing these collaborative projects more than their regular stuff as of late. That isn’t what I listen to the Chieftains for. If I wanted to hear that, I’d listen to country. I haven’t sworn them off or anything, I still saw them live the last time they came through AZ and enjoyed it very much.
My prior complaints were just that Van Morrison really really butchered so many songs with them. I don’t understand how Paddy could have possibly thought “hey, this recording sounds good enough to put our name on it”. I also couldn’t stand the Tom Jones version with them of “Tennessee Waltz” but then again, that’s because I just hate Tom Jones (so much so that I have a hard time capitalizing his name, 
). I won’t discredit the band because they’ve collaborated with some artists (term used loosely) that I don’t particularly care for. I believe that they still have the same talent that they always have. Not to mention, I doubt that there are many bands who have been actively recording and touring for over four decades who are playing the exact same music that they were on their first album. I think that kind of a life (in the pro. music industry) is on a completely different plain of existence than, say, a man who has been playing traditional fiddle in various pub or house sessions for forty years.