The Essential Chieftains

Disc 1
1	Lots of Drops of Brandy 3:43
2	O'Sullivan's March (Theme from Rob Roy) 3:59
3	An Poc Ar Buile/The Dingle Set Live 5:57
4	Carolan's Concerto Live 3:05
5	The Wind That Shakes the Barley/The Reel with the Beryle 2:51
6	Sea Image 6:11
7	Boil the Breakfast Early 3:55
8	The Women of Ireland (Love Theme from Barry Lyndon)/The Morning Dew 5:15
9	Full of Joy Live 2:31
10	The Green Fields of America 5:39
11	Santiago de Cuba 3:39
12	The Donegal Set Live 5:46
13	Jabadaw 3:06
14	The Bells of Dublin/Christmas Eve 3:06
15	The French March 4:51
16	The Stone Live 6:23
17	The Munster Cloak/Tabhair Dom Do Lamh (Give Me Your Hand) 4:29
18	Chasing the Fox from The Ballad of the Irish Horse 3:26
Disc 2
1	I Know My Name / The Corrs 3:52
2	Shenandoah / Van Morrison 3:52
3	Country Blues / Buddy Miller 3:13
4	Ladies Pantalettes/Belles of Blackville/First House of Connaught / Béla Fleck 4:14
5	The Foggy Dew / Sinéad O'Connor 5:20
6	Red Is the Rose / Nanci Griffith Live 3:25
7	The Squid Jiggin' Ground/Larry O'Gaff / The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 3:16
8	Lambs in the Greenfields / Emmylou Harris 3:21
9	Guadalupe / Los Lobos 2:51
10	Mo Ghile Mear (Our Hero) / Sting 3:20
11	Cotton-Eyed Joe 2:42
12	Molly Bán (Bawn) 4:45
13	Long Journey Home / Anúna 4:17
14	Love Is Teasin' / Marianne Faithfull 4:37
15	The Rebel Jesus / Jackson Browne 3:49
16	Il Est Né/Ca Berger / Kate McGarrigle 5:19
17	Jimmy Mó Mhíle Stór 4:37

Barnes & Noble

This double-disc collection from Ireland's most beloved traditional ensemble spans their lengthy history with tracks from 1977 to 2002, and neatly traverses their inclinations from Celtic conservationism to globe-trotting experimentation. The Essential Chieftains also does a good job in representing some of the star power that Paddy Moloney's men have managed to draw around their efforts. Five cuts from Down the Old Plank Road, their second trip to Nashville, spotlight Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Edgar Meyer, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Buddy & Julie Miller, for starters. Tears of Stone, their all-star Irish effort, featured the Corrs and the Rankins, both cited here. Elsewhere in the '90s were collaborations with Linda Ronstadt, Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull, Los Lobos, Ricky Skaggs, Ry Cooder, Sinéad O'Connor, Jackson Brown, and myriad film and concert orchestras. But things were not always thus, as the first disc in this collection reminds us. Treading lightly over material covered in depth on The Claddagh Years and other comps, The Essential culls late-'70s gems that show the streamlined proficiency of the group, whose definitive lineup includes Moloney, Sean Potts, Martin Fay, Kevin Conneff, Mick Turbidy, and the late harpist Derek Bell. Certainly no need for all the boldface names back then. Yet if this set spends more time tracking the ensemble's peregrinations from Ireland to France to China to Nashville (twice) and back, that -- along with the guest stars -- is an essential part of the Chieftains' story. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

RCA Legacy's The Essential Chieftains breaks the legendary Irish collective's career into two sections. The first disc focuses on 18 of the group's finest traditional works like "Boil the Breakfast Early," "The Wind That Shakes the Barley/The Reel with the Beryle," and "Donegal Set," while the second disc relies on 17 of the band's billion or so collaborations, such as "Mo Ghile Mear" with Sting, "Shenandoah" with Van Morrison, and "Foggy Dew" with Sinéad O'Connor. At this point in their long and storied career -- 40 albums over 40 years -- a truly comprehensive anthology would have required the box set to end all box sets, but this Essential collection is fair enough for purists and accessible enough for casual fans to fill the void until that time comes. Reverend Lee Power