I just got the Best of the Chieftains from half.com and I LOVE it! It’s my first Chieftains album. Since they have so many does anyone recommend another one of their albums?
Also, since I just recently found out about the group Lunasa, what would be a good album to start with for someone who hasn’t heard them yet?
And is there another group you’d recommend? How do you guys like Gaelic Storm?
Without reservation, I recommend Chieftains5 as their best (i.e., my favorite).
Lunasa: my favorite is Otherworld.
I have all the Chieftains trad recordings and all of Lunasa’s releases, so I can say I’ve compared them.
Tony
Along with Otherworld, I’ll also suggest The Merry Sisters of Fate by Lunasa. I like all their material, but am partial to these. A few other bands you might want to check out:
Solas
Danu
Dervish
Altan - especially with Frankie Kennedy
Martin Hayes/Dennis Cahill
Flook
Kila
if you like the Chieftains, check out Fire In the Kitchen - recorded in Nova Scotia with some amazing Canadian players.
i recommend chieftains third album, and lunasa first ( still with mike mc goldrick and john mc sherry in group). i prefer earlier recordings of chieftains( up to chieftains nine aka boil the breakfast …) no 7 is also very good. for example i don’t like no 5 very much, but …
marin
IMHO, The earlier the Chieftains album, the better.
Check out the Bothy band, De Dannan,Altan and suchlike.
BTW, may I be the first one to declare that you have a very charming Avatar.
Slan,
D.
Bothy Band is a great suggestion always! For me, I’ve liked the Chieftains - Water From the Well the best I think…though all are good on their own merits.
For Lúnasa stuff, it kinda depends on what you’re looking for. Their first album seems to have the most energy to me, and it’s mostly all live recordings. Otherworld is great for sheer musicianship and downright funky grooves. Merry Sisters is good too, but has slipped from my favorite spot. Honestly, I didn’t care much for the two latest at all; Redwood and Kinknitty Sessions. Both sounded recycled and dare I say…boring to me.
Just another piper’s 2 cents.
B~
I am fondest of the Chieftains 5, and 7. Cillian Vallely, the piper from Lunasa has a great CD out with his brother Niall called Callan Bridge. I highly recommend almost everything by PLANXTY. Davy Spillane is a good one to listen to for both piping and low D whistle. And let’s not forget the Tannahill Weavers, especially their earlier stuff.
A lot of good suggestions. I think you’ll enjoy Capercaillie too.
Cheers,
Aaron
Oh yeah, I am surprised I forgot Capercaillie…great stuff!
Lunasa: the first (self-titled) and the most recent (Knitsomething Sessions) are the ones i like. But their performance in the Kennedy Center that is available off the Internet is better than either. Lunasa is a band that does a LOT better live than in recordings.
Good suggestion, glauber. There are 2 Lúnasa performances you can listen to for free from the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage Archives.
Cheers,
Aaron
For the Chieftains, my favorite is The Long Black Veil.
Lunasa…ALL of the them.
Other recommendation…absolutely Bothy Band.
Mike
If you have RealPlayer installed, I can send you files (small) that link to RTERadio1 streaming audio archives of Danu, Kevin Burke, Martin Hayes.
Other streaming audio performances in the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage series to listen to might be:
The Wrigley Sisters (Scottish, one of my favorites), Flook, The Cottars (Canadian).
Here’s a link to the Millenium Stage archives search:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/archive.html#search
Best wishes,
Jerry
I agree. I love the Tannies! 
SilverStrand, I’m not all that familar with the various chieftains albums,
except the album that you have, so I can’t help there.
As for Lunasa, the first one.
Michael McGoldrick and John McSherry’s At First Light is excellent.
I also highly recommend a cd I found at my local library: Allan and John Kelly’s Fourmilehouse. (a small miracle,
considering that I live smack in the middle of yee-haw country-bluegrass music region 
:roll: )
And no cd collection is complete without Flook!! 
I just got the same Cd a few days ago. In my opinion it is alright not really trad enough for me but some songs are. 