To Drive the Cold Winter Away
From The Right Wiki
| To Drive the Cold Winter Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Album Cover-To Drive the Cold Winter Away.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 11, 1987 | |||
| Genre | Folk · seasonal recording | |||
| Length | 44:29 | |||
| Label | Quinlan Road | |||
| Producer | Loreena McKennitt | |||
| Loreena McKennitt chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | File:Star full.svgFile:Star full.svgFile:Star full.svgFile:Star half.svgFile:Star empty.svg[1] |
To Drive the Cold Winter Away is Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt's second studio album, released on January 11, 1987. It pays homage to her childhood memories of music for the winter season, the most vivid of which "came from songs and carols recorded in churches or great halls, rich with their own unique ambience and tradition."[2] To capture that remembered ambiance, McKennitt kept the arrangements sparse, celebrating the beauty of simplicity. She also chose to leave the found sounds of life in the performances, which were recorded on location in churches and great halls:[3]
- The Church of Our Lady in Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Glenstal Abbey, A Benedictine Monastery near Limerick, Ireland
- Annaghmakerrig (The Tyrone Guthrie Centre) in County Monaghan, Ireland
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In Praise of Christmas" (traditional) | 6:06 |
| 2. | "The Seasons" (traditional) | 4:55 |
| 3. | "The King" (traditional) | 2:04 |
| 4. | "Banquet Hall" (McKennitt) | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Snow" (Archibald Lampman, McKennitt) | 5:35 |
| 6. | "Balulalow" (traditional) | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Let Us the Infant Greet" (traditional) | 3:46 |
| 8. | "The Wexford Carol" (traditional) | 6:07 |
| 9. | "The Stockford Carol" (McKennitt) | 3:02 |
| 10. | "Let All That Are to Mirth Inclined" (traditional) | 6:52 |
| Total length: | 44:29 | |
Song information
- "The King" features vocals by Cedric Smith. Shannon Purves-Smith plays Viols on two other tracks. Everything else was done by McKennitt.
- "Snow" uses the words of the poem of the same name by Archibald Lampman. It was included on a Windham Hill Records album titled Celtic Christmas (1995).
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | — | 84,000[4] |
References
- ↑ "To Drive the Cold Winter Away - Loreena McKennitt | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ↑ To Drive the Winter Cold Away, n.d., retrieved 2008-09-27
- ↑ Quinlan Road Ltd. (2006) [1987], To Drive the Winter Cold Away Liner Notes (PDF), retrieved 2008-09-27
- ↑ "McKennnit to unleash 'Book of Secrets'". Billboard. 23 August 1997. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
