MACALLA

Picked this one up while living in Wiltshire in 1986 cuz I was so blown away by the video of "In a Lifetime" on the tele. The band had been heretofore unknown to me (though they had been mentioned to me during my travels in County Donegal and Northern Ireland the previous year) and the music really grew on me quickly with Side One becoming a mainstay on my record player and car tape deck for the rest of the year. Side Two took a bit longer to get to know and like though the power and beauty of "Blackstairs" and "Northern Skyline" eventually won me over. The album even led me to venture into the band's back catalogue with some success though no Clannad album ever charmed me as well as this one (though a couple of the "best of" CDs have made their way into my collection--mostly based on my appreciation for and attraction to the band's contributions to radio, film, and television theme music).

Five star songs: "Caisleán Õir" (2:06), "The Wild Cry" (4:41), and the three songs cited above.