Past Present
This set covers the years during which Clannad went from being a popular Irish group singing in Gaelic to an international phenomenon, with genre-bending songs and duets with pop stars leading the way. "Theme from Harry's Game" is here, of course (thanks to its massive popularity, the song was used to hook listeners into several of Clannad's regular releases, so it's only natural for it to be on the anthologies, too), as are duets withU2's Bono ("In a Lifetime"),Bruce Hornsby("Something to Believe In"), country-rockerJ.D. Souther("Sirius"), andJourney'sSteve Perry("White Fool"). The collection isn't all about stunt-casting, though. There are some fine examples of the group's soundtrack work ("Robin (The Hooded Man)" and "Lady Marian" from the U.K. television seriesRobin of Sherwood), ethereal pop crossover pieces ("Newgrange," "Closer to Your Heart"), and a pair of previously unreleased songs ("The Hunter," "World of Difference").--Daniel Durchholz