Turas 1980

Banish all thoughts of the New Age-accented, ambient-washed sound that made Clannad a crossover phenomenon following the attention-grabbing success of ‘Theme from Harry's Game’ in 1982. This double-disc set, recorded live by Radio Bremen but never broadcast or commercially released, dates from two years earlier and finds the Donegal family five-piece in relaxed mood. At the end of their first decade together, there's an easy-going reciprocity, plenty of intricately constructed instrumental textures and caramel-rich harmonies, all spotlit by Moya Brennan's tremulous, ethereal voice. The recorded sound dips in focus occasionally and there is audience applause (and some interaction) throughout, with spoken introductions to most of the 20 tracks, all of which inks in the sense of a live occasion. Sounding pleasingly fresh and quietly vital, with Brennan's voice by turns bright, husky and wispy, this album provides a snapshot of a band on the cusp of a celebrity that would find them leaving behind the satisfying directness and pure simplicity of expression in evidence here. Don't expect fireworks, but completists will certainly want to add this to their collection, if only for the rousing jazz-folk fusion of ‘Nil Sé'n Lá’.