Just as the title implies, 1991's
25 Years of Greatness
is a career-spanning 32-track compilation covering most of the highlights of
the Wolfe Tones
' first quarter of a century. There is the important caveat, however, that like many
folk
groups,
have recorded many of their most popular songs several times, and this collection tends to favor more recent and/or more arranged versions of the Spartan originals that graced early albums like
Let the People Sing
. That's not as much of a problem as it would be with some groups, however, as
have wisely resisted any temptation to "update," "modernize," or otherwise ruin a traditional
Irish folk
style that has worked for them for so long; even the
Fairport Convention
-like electric track of the new
"Rock On Rockall"
has a bracingly traditional feel to it. This is the
Wolfe Tones
set to have if you're having just one, but there's plenty more where this came from. ~ Stewart Mason