Post Description

Silly Wizard - The Early Years (1976)
 MP3 CBR 320Kbps / 102 Mb | 11 tracks | Covers
Celtic / Scottish Folk | Lapwing Records LAPCD130 | RAR 3% Rec. | Time: 39:07 | 

The reissue of debut album Silly Wizard.
“They're still sounding quite tentative on this, their first release. Freeland Barbour handles the accordion well, and Andy M. Stewart's voice is clearly something special, but arrangements and playing are a bit loose. ~ Steve Winick, AllMusic

Niles J. Frantz, AllMusic

Generally considered the world's finest performers of traditional and contemporary Scottish music -- and with good reason. Silly Wizard's music is at once driving and sensitive, powerful and poignant, at times hypnotic, often humorous, with sensitive group interplay and virtuoso-level musicianship, particularly from brothers Phil (accordion, keyboards, whistles, guitar, vocals) and Johnny (fiddle) Cunningham. Their repertoire includes centuries-old instrumental dance music along with traditional and contemporary narrative ballads: tales of joy and woe, of men and women, of time and travel, of love and loss. Silly Wizard is not just another folk music group; they rank with the greatest creators and performers from any country from any time.

Several members of the group, particularly the Cunningham brothers and vocalist Andy Stewart, have made solo and duo recordings and have performed and recorded with other artists, primarily Scottish traditionalists. These recordings are also well worth investigating, but get the Silly Wizard stuff first.

Tracklist:

01 - Pibroch
02 - Jenny Gray's Whiskey
03 - The Wind That Shakes The Barley,The Ale Is Dear
04 - Carlisle Wall
05 - My Love's In Germany
06 - Election Jig
07 - The Heron Election Ballad No. 4
08 - Atholl Braes,The Drunken Piper
09 - The Shearing
10 - The Fairy Dance
11 - Land O' The Leal