Rare Air

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

Hard To Beat
Used - LP - SIF 1073
1987 Original In Glossy. Bagpipe Driven Rock For Audiophile Featuring Superdisc Quality Sound. more

Mad Plaid
Used - LP - FF 333
1984 Original. LP Appears Glossy, Unplayed. 4 1/2 Stars All Music Guide. "This Isn't Just The Oddest Looking Celtic Band You've Ever Seen, It Is Also The One With Possibly The Most Unique Sound In Folk Fusion History. Rare Air's Sound Is Built Around Two Bagpipers, A Guitarist, And A Percussionist Who Plays Anything But A Bodhran, The Traditional Irish Drum. In Fact, Trevor Ferrier Plays Indian Tabla Most Of The Time, And Once You Hear How Good This Instrument Sounds With The Pipes You'll Wonder Why It Hasn't Been Done More Often. Mad Plaid Was The First Album This Group Recorded After Changing Its Name From Na Caberfeidh, A Fine Old Gaelic Name That The Band's Fans Couldn't Agree How To Pronounce. The Album Is Composed Of A Series Of Traditional Medleys That Are Given Singular Character By The Unusual Instrumentation. One Highlight Is "Ansa: One For Alan," A Tranquil French Dance Tune Given Hypnotic Force By Rare Air's Brilliant Pairing Of Different Instruments On Each Verse. The Harmony Of Bagpipe, Synthesizer, And Banjo-Like Cittern Is One That Probably Was Never Heard On Earth Before This Band Tried It, But The Combination Is Unforgettable. Bagpipe Music Is Rarely Described By Adjectives Such As Pretty Or Soothing, But This Beautiful Tune Is Both Of Those. Elsewhere, The Band Shows That It Can Raise The Roof With Anybody, As On The Title Tune And "Celtic Air Force." Na Caberfeidh Never Showed Quite This Level Of Boldness In Innovating On Its Folk Roots, And On Subsequent Albums Rare Air Moved So Far From Those Roots That Something Was Lost. Mad Plaid Marks The Time That The Band Got The Balance Absolutely Perfect." Richard Foss, AMG. more