On 2002-02-22 09:56, LeeMarsh wrote:
Happy Birthday, Sara (and Sarah).
If you like the Enya record you might want to check out Clannad. Enya used to be the lead singer for Clannad. Clannad had done a lot of movie and tv work including Patriot Games, Last of the Mohicans, and most of theme work for the British version TV series Robin Hood.
Enya was not really the lead singer for Clannad. Enya (which is the phonetic spelling of her Irish name, Eithne) is the kid sister of the Brennan siblings (Maire Ni Bhraonain, Pol and Ciaran O Braonain), who together with their twin uncles (Noel and Padraig O Dugain), started Clannad in the early seventies. Enya was part of Clannad for a short time, I believe two years in the early eighties, playing keyboards, and backing up her sister, "Moya" Brennan. Enya may have done lead vocals on a few tracks. Most Clannad lead vocals are by Maire, who also plays the harp, and who has gone on to record a few solo CD (the first was called "Maire" I think).
Following their success with the theme music to Harry's Game and some BBC documentaries, Clannad became more and more New Age. I guess Enya's presence in the line-up didn't help. Now they have come to almost typify the "Cletic New Age" sound.
To hear some good Clannad music, I recommend going back to their early albums, such as "Clannad 2" and "Dulaman" and the live album "Clannad on Tour" (which contains a breathtaking acappella song). Clannad 1 has long been out of print, I think. There is some creditable tin whistle playing by Pol O Braonain and some truely stunning singing. At the time, it was wild and revolutionary for five young, long-haired family members from Gweedore in the Donegal backwaters to sing the old, nearly forgotten songs in Gaelic. Nobody except the old-timers sang in Gaelic when they started out, certainly no on in popular music, and without early Clannad, who knows if singing in Gaelic would ever have become popular and if Maire Ni Mhaonaigh would have had the same success?
One last note on the little sister: Clannad really became successful when they started working with producer Nicky Ryan (who had just come of working on the last Planxty album before the break). Nicky Ryan then went on to work with Enya on her solo albums, and it is Ryan who is at least as responsible for the familiar Enya-sound as is Enya. Enya has said as much herself.
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Sara, happy birthday!
Enjoy Your Music,<br><br><b>Lee Marsh</b><br>
