On June 23, 1995, Four to the Bar officially released Another Son, its second full-length album, with a record-release party at New York City folk landmark Tommy Makem's Irish Pavilion. It would turn out to be a standing-room only event, and the beginning of a national tour during which they would share billing with acts like Freddie White, Cherish the Ladies, Trisha Yearwood, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

The album received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. Dirty Linen magazine called the band's original songs "powerful" and "profound." Rock 'n' Reel said the recording was "haunting." The Daytona Beach News-Journal called it "an eclectic mix of ballads, reels, and uptempo story songs."

But in spite of this success and the band's fast-rising star, Four to the Bar stopped performing together in late 1995, and distribution for this celebrated CD came to a halt. Not surprisingly, the band's influence did not:

--Saratoga Springs' hugely popular Celtic group The McKrells covered Four to the Bar's "Something's Come In" on both 1997's Better Days and 1999's The McKrells Live

--Irish trad supergroup Solas included a unique version of "The Newry Highwayman" on its self-titled debut in 1996

--Even as late as 1999, for their contribution to Bleecker Street, an homage to early-1960's folk, Black 47 chose "I Ain't Marching Anymore," the Phil Ochs song that Four to the Bar resurrected on Craic on the Road.

Now, the Irish Side has arranged for a limited re-release of this classic recording. If you're familiar with this album, you already know about the strength of the songwriting, the emotional sweep from tragic to comic, and the resonant vocals of David Yeates, quite possibly the best folk singer since Liam Clancy.

Whether the band will ever be back on stage again is a question only the lads themselves can answer. In the meantime, though, we have the recordings. The Irish Side is proud to be able to make this dynamic, soulful collection available once again.