To Beat the Band, my second exposure to Celtic Clan on CD, is a closer approximation to the show I saw at Boston's Black Rose (which is odd, since it's the earlier of the two recordings).

The band is Frank Ryan, Hughie Purcell and Billy Hardy. The album is a mix of live tracks from several venues and a few studio cuts.

There is another collection of instrumental sets here, plus diverse songs like "The Foggy Dew," the bawdy "The Scotsman," "The Leaving of Liverpool" and "Follow Me Up to Carlow." Purcell also recites the amusing "Hughie's Nightmare" and sings the oddly fitting "Mack the Knife."

Unfortunately, there are a few hitches, too. Little things, mostly, but they peck away at the overall strength of the album. For instance, the mixer of this album faded out of "Molly Malone" a few notes too soon. Ryan's humorous pretense that he can't keep up with the accellerating pace of "Rattlin' Bog" is funny at first, but it wears thin. On the same track, Ryan keeps giving the audience a cue to join in the song, but he usually gets silence in return -- a fatal mistake on a live recording. Likewise, there is too much chatter from the crowd in the background of the slow-paced "Raglan Road."

There's no doubt that Celtic Clan is stronger on stage than in the studio, but given that Boston is a far commute, I'm glad to have the band on disc.