Welcome to stage 27, Scotland, yes i've taken the ferry from Oslo to Aberdeen and landed in the lands of the bagpipes, the tough guys, the highlanders....
The Gaels of Dál Riata, an Irish tribe called the Scots, peopled Argyll. From this people came Cináed mac Ailpín, who united the Kingdom of Scotland in 843, when he became the King of the Picts and Scots.The name Scotia has been used to refer to Scotland since at least the beginning of the 10th century, when it first appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as a reference to the Land of the Gaels. Scottish kings adopted the title Basileus Scottorum or Rex Scottorum (meaning High King of the Gaels), and Rex Scotiae (King of Gael-land) some time in the 11th century. In modern times the word Scot is applied equally to all inhabitants regardless of their ancestral ethnicity, as the nation has had a civic, rather than an ethnic or linguistic, orientation for most of the last millennium.
The Scots have their own lawsystem, the UK Parliament retains active power over Scotland's taxes, social security system, the military, international relations, broadcasting, and some other areas explicitly specified in the Scotland Act 1998 as reserved matters. The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority for all other areas relating to Scotland, and has limited power to vary income tax - also known as tartan tax - but has never exercised this power. The programmes of legislation enacted by the Scottish Parliament have seen a divergence in the provision of public services compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. For instance, the costs of a university education, and care services for the elderly are free at point of use in Scotland, while fees are paid in the rest of the UK.
2.2 of the 5 million Scots reside in the Greater Glasgow area, however the capitol is Edinburgh, a major european financial center. The education system in Scotland is distinct from the rest of the United Kingdom and was the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education. Schooling was made compulsory for the first time in Scotland with the Education Act of 1496 since it forced all nobles and freeholders to educate their eldest sons in Latin, followed by the Arts, and Scots law. Then, in 1561, the Kirk set out a national programme for spiritual reform, including a school in every parish. As a result the Scots had a higher percentage of its population educated at primary, secondary and tertiary levels than any other country in Europe for hundreds of years.
The Scottish music scene is a significant aspect of Scottish culture, with both traditional and modern influences. An example of a traditional Scottish instrument is the Great Highland Bagpipe, a wind instrument consisting of one or more musical pipes which are fed continuously by a reservoir of air in a bag. The Clàrsach, fiddle and accordion are also traditional Scottish instruments, the latter two heavily featured in Scottish country dance bands. Scottish emigrants took traditional Scottish music with them and it influenced early local styles such as country music in North America.
These days however, i noted something unexpected the current crop of bands is very poor, in fact considering the impact Scots had in the early eighties things have gone downhill, maybe its because most bands make a indie-guitar music, which has been done for some time, decades, but in the dance or electronic music scene they are almost totally absent, or in metal or goth, in fact i was a bit shocked when i saw listings of scottish bands. Have they all been usurped by the english music industry ? As a consequence my 2 scottish posts will contain much more old work than usual and thus some nice vinyl rips.
The Fire Engines - Lubricate your living room (80 * 49mb)
Fire Engines are a post-punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland. The band was a part of the same literary art-punk scene as the Scars and their most famous contemporaries, Josef K. They grew out of the Dirty Reds which had actor Tam Dean Burn as singer. Inspired themselves by the Voidoids and James Chance, the songs are a tangy lobster-pot of short sharp shocks, chaotic riffing, unpredictable beats and vocal epilepsy. Vocals and guitar were done by David Henderson, guitar by Murray Slade, bass by Graham Main, and on drums, Russell Burn. They were noted for Get Up And Use Me/Everything's Roses (Codex 1980), and singles and LPs in 1981.
They recently released a limited edition collaboration single with Franz Ferdinand. The single contained a Franz Ferdinand cover of the Fire Engines song "Get Up and Use Me" with Fire Engines covering Franz Ferdinand's "Jacqueline". Aswell as a kinda rerelease on cd of Lubricate with some singles titled "Codex Teenage Premonition"(05).
After the dissolution of The Fire Engines, Davey Henderson formed Win with Ian Stoddart (Bass), ex-Fire Engine Russell Burn (Drums/Keyboards), Emmanuel Shoniwa (Guitar/Bass), Simon Smeeton (Guitar/Bass) and William Perry (Keyboards) in 1983. A more determinedly pop act than The Fire Engines, Win were soon being critically praised and made 2 albums before splitting up.
01 - Plastic Gift
02 - Get Up & Use Me
03 - Sympathetic Anaesthetic
04 - Discord
05 - New Thing in Cartons
06 - Hungry Beat
07 - Lubricate Your Living Room pt.1
08 - Lubricate Your Living Room pt.2
The Fire Engines @ Base
The Fire Engines @ MySpace
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Associates - The Affectionate Punch (80 * 343mb)
Billy MacKenzie and Alan Rankine formed The Associates in Dundee, Scotland, in 1976. They released a self-funded 7" of Boys Keep Swinging mere weeks after David Bowie had released his original. This scam got them a publishing deal with Bowie's publishers and a proper record deal. By 1980 they were touring with The Cure, and signed to Fiction Records, for whom they recorded The Affectionate Punch. At the turn of the year they relocated to Situation 2 and put out a string of singles, later compiled on the album Fourth Drawer Down, recorded using money from major labels who were expecting demos to be produced with their cash... In tandem with their increasing consumption of coke and speed, the groups' music became increasingly deranged and experimental. John Murphy and Mike Dempsey (ex-The Cure) became official members.
The Associates signed with WEA in 1982. Martha Ladly joined as back-up singer. Billy and Alan immediately scored a string of UK top 20 chart hits. The album Sulk made the UK top 10, winning album of the year awards in the UK music press. The groups drug use was at a peak - Billy & Alans behaviour was becoming somewhat erratic. On the eve of their biggest ever UK tour MacKenzie pulled out. A US deal with Island was consequentially lost. Deciding that he couldn't continue, Alan Rankine left the group. From this moment on, The Associates were to be just that: Billy MacKenzie solo, with different associates for each release.
01 - The Affectionate Punch (3:31)
02 - Amused As Always (4:19)
03 - Logan Time (4:15)
04 - Paper House (4:46)
05 - Transport To Central (4:58)
06 - A Matter Of Gender (4:34)
07 - Even Dogs In The Wild (3:27)
08 - Would I… Bounce Back? (3:59)
09 - Deeply Concerned (3:44)
10 - A (3:51)
Bonus
11 - You Were Young 4:07
12 - Janice 2:34
13 - Boys Keep Swinging (Mono) 3:40
14 - Mona Property Girl 3:26
MacKenzie started recording a follow up album. 1984s Perhaps cost WEA £250,000. It took 3 years and 4 production teams to record - twice (dissatisfied with the original production Billy "lost" the first versions' master tapes, forcing a re-recording). The album had some chart success, but WEA were dissatisfied, and started pressuring MacKenzie to follow a more straightforward pop-soul direction. Frustrated by WEA's lack of support, MacKenzie focussed on collaborations, most notably with Yello (featuring on One Second, Flag, Baby and writing The Rhythm Divine).
1988's comeback single, a cover of Blondie's Heart Of Glass, failed to chart. WEA refused to release its parent album, The Glamour Chase, and with MacKenzie over a million pounds in debt to the label The Associates were dropped.
Circa quickly signed MacKenzie and in 1990 released Wild And Lonely, the last album of original music under the The Associates name. 1992's album, the Thomas Fehlmann / Boris Blank-produced Outernational was issued under the artist name Billy MacKenzie. Even though the album had good reviews in the press and Baby was single of the week in Melody Maker, the album stiffed - partially due to Circa winding down operations.
Aside from an aborted Associates reunion with Alan Rankine in the mid-90s, MacKenzie remained a solo artist, collaborating in the 90s with Peach, Barry Adamson, Paul Haig and Apollo Four Forty amongst others. At the end of 1996, after four years without a deal, he signed with Nude Records.
Tragically his first release for the label was a post-humous one. The death of his mother in 1996 was likely the trigger of an emotional breakdown that led him deeper and deeper into a depressed state. Billy MacKenzie died aged 39, on 22nd January 1997 from an overdose of prescribed and over-the-counter pills.
Affectionate Punch, Fourtdrawer Down and Sulk are all available in remastered format.
The Associates - Perhaps (85 * 376mb)
01 - Those First Impressions (4:43)
02 - Waiting For The Loveboat (6:55)
03 - Perhaps (6:32)
04 - Shampout (6:02)
05 - Helicopter Helicopter (4:09)
06 - Breakfast (5:34)
07 - Thirteen Feelings (4:39)
08 - The Stranger In Your Voice (6:15)
09 - The Best Of You (5:37)
10 - Don't Give Me That I Told You So Look (5:12)
The Associates @ Base
The Associates @ You Tube
The Associates @ Amazon
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Boards of Canada - Geogaddi ( 02 ^ 369mb))
Growing up in a musical family, brothers Michael and Marcus Eoin began playing instruments at a young age. They experimented with recording techniques at around the age of 10, using tape machines to layer cut-up samples of found sounds over compositions of their own. In their teens they participated in a number of amateur bands, however, it wasn't until 1986 when Marcus was invited to Michael's band that Boards of Canada was born.
In 1995, the band released the first work from the Hexagon Sun studio, the EP Twoism. Like earlier Music70 releases, it was produced in a self-financed limited run and was privately distributed, primarily to friends and labels, it was considered of such high quality to be subsequently re-pressed in 2002. The precursor to Music Has the Right to Children was released in 1996. Titled Boc Maxima, it was a semi-private release that is notable for being a full-length album. Boc Maxima's work was later used for Music Has the Right to Children (98), considered to be a masterpiece by many. They followed with another EP "In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country"(2000). Boards of Canada's unique sound is a product of their strong use of analog equipment, mix of electronic and conventional instrumentation, use of distorted samples as well as live and radio or film lyrics, and their layering and blending of these elements. They avoid a purely synthetic sound which gives their music a warmer, emotive quality, often meant to inspire nostalgia.
This album Geogaddi was released in 2002. It was described by Sandison as "a record for some sort of trial-by-fire, a claustrophobic, twisting journey that takes you into some pretty dark experiences before you reach the open air again." Geogaddi's development involved the creation of 400 song fragments and 64 complete songs, of which 23 were selected (one of which is complete silence).
Though never an actively touring band, Boards of Canada did perform a handful of shows. Early shows saw them supporting Warp labelmates Seefeel and Autechre in a scattering of UK dates. They also participated in a few festivals and multi-artist bills, including two Warp parties. Until 2005 they kept the fact they were brothers and not just childhood friends hidden from the media, apparently they didnt want to be compared to the Hartnoll Brothers (Orbital). Their latest full album 2005's Campfire Headphase is much in line with their previous Warp work.
01 - Ready Lets Go (0:57)
02 - Music Is Math (5:21)
03 - Beware The Friendly Stranger (0:40)
04 - Gyroscope (3:32)
05 - Dandelion (1:14)
06 - Sunshine Recorder (6:12)
07 - In The Annexe (1:22)
08 - Julie And Candy (5:34)
09 - The Smallest Weird Number (1:13)
10 - 1969 (4:20)
11 - Energy Warning (0:35)
12 - The Beach At Redpoint (4:18)
13 - Opening The Mouth (1:11)
14 - Alpha And Omega (7:02)
15 - I Saw Drones (0:27)
16 - The Devil Is In The Details (3:56)
17 - A Is To B As B Is To C (1:37)
18 - Over The Horizon Radar (1:08)
19 - Dawn Chorus (3:56)
20 - Diving Station (1:25)
21 - You Could Feel The Sky (5:15)
22 - Corsair (2:48)
23 - Magic Window (1:52)
BOC @ Base
BOC @ MySpace
BOC @ YouTube
BOC @ Amazon
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Mogwai - Happy Songs (03 ^ 260mb)
Named themselves after those gremlins who inturn derive the name from the Cantonese word mo gwai meaning "ghost", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon". Stuart Braithwaite and Dominic Aitchison formed Mogwai in 1995 and since then, they have become one of the most influential and best known post-rock bands. They compose lengthy instrumental guitar-based pieces in the post-rock tradition. Mogwai's style has easily identifiable connections to genres like shoegaze, math rock, art rock, and occasionally instrumental metal.
Happy Songs is a rather ironic title for their 4th album "Happy Songs" is a beautiful instrumental post-rock album with a very mellow and relaxed feel, melodies and guitar float in the air while solid percussion and string arrangments keep things grounded while exploring new heights at the same time. Last year saw the release of Mogwai's 5th album "Mr Beast", which the followed in the fall with the music score to Zidane; A 20th century portrait.
01 - Hunted By A Freak (4:18)
02 - Moses? I Amn't (2:59)
03 - Kids Will Be Skeletons (5:29)
04 - Killing All The Flies (4:35)
05 - Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep (3:05)
06 - Ratts Of The Capital (8:27)
07 - Golden Porsche (2:49)
08 - I Know You Are But What Am I? (5:17)
09 - Stop Coming To My House (4:53)
Mogwai @ MySpace
Mogwai @ Base II
Mogwai @ YouTube
Mogwai @ Amazon
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Skids - Best of (01 ^ 151mb)
The Skids, it seemed, picked their moment well. Comprising the songwriting axis of Richard Jobson (vocals) and Stuart Adamson (guitar), together with the rhythm section of William Simpson (bass) and Tom Kellichan (drums), they rode into British consciousness on the new wave backwash to the ebbing tide of punk. The release of their self-financed, attention-grabbing Charles EP came at the time Richard Branson's Virgin label were busy accruing an eclectic roster of post-punk hopefuls. Consequently, with almost indecent haste, the band were tethered to what was to prove an optimistic eight-album deal.
On the flip side of their first Virgin single, "Sweet Suburbia" (1978), the band proclaimed themselves to be "Open Sound", which was essentially a description of the soaring histrionics of Adamson's guitar style. When married to the martial rhythms of the drumming and the bellowing, chant-like vocals of Jobson, this sound conspired to lend their repertoire a rousing, anthemic quality. It was heroic music which at its best, as on the first album, Scared To Dance (1979), seemed to capture the drama and turbulence of battle. Unfortunately, the sound was an all-too-graphic reflection of the band's own stormy relationships, a turbulence which was to settle only with the departure of Adamson in the summer of 1981.
The Skids' decline was in large part due to the portentous designs of Richard Jobson, who sought to mould the band into a vehicle for his ever more convoluted lyrics. This became most evident in the recording of the second album, Days In Europa (1979). Following the departure of original drummer Tom Kellichan in the traditional rock'n'roll style (i.e. after the first album), the Skids recruited a temporary replacement in the form of ex-Rich Kids drummer and Jobson cohort, Rusty Egan, and a producer in the form of ex- Be-Bop Deluxe man Bill Nelson. Together, both Nelson and Egan contrived to free the band from the strictures of punk-pop in favour of a more polished, almost danceable sound. Ultimately it was a case of too many cooks, and the resultant album proved to be a misguided attempt at redefining the Skids' sound. This in turn alienated a great many fans, and also cost them the services of bassist Simpson during the troubled tour that ensued.
For Jobson and Adamson it was back to the drawing board, and 1980 saw a rejuvenated Skids with a new rhythm section in the form of Russell Webb (bass) and Mike Baillie (drums). The resultant album, The Absolute Game (1980), produced this time by Mick Glossop, was a commercial success, giving the band their first and only British Top 10 album. Artistically, too, it heralded a return to form, dispensing with the excess baggage of the previous outing and playing to the dual strengths of Adamson's guitar stylings and Jobson's lyrical bombast. Unfortunately, this rejuvenation coincided with Jobson's increasing commitment to a burgeoning London scene. Adamson's departure had as much to do with geographical differences as to musical and personal ones; a point evinced by Adamson's eventual return to Dunfermline, from where he formed the internationally successful Big Country.
Following Adamson's departure, the final dissolution of the band was soon to follow. Unfortunately, however, not before Jobson and Webb issued a dour and ill-conceived concept album, Joy (1981), which served only to illustrate that, when Adamson left, he took all of the best tunes with him. Not surprisingly the album failed to chart, a sorry end to a short career which had begun with so much spark and promise. (Discogs)
01 - Charles
02 - Sweet Suburbia
03 - Into the Valley
04 - Goodbye Civilian
05 - Walk on the Wild Side
06 - the Saints Are Coming
07 - Working For The Yankee Dollar
08 - Charade
09 - All The Young Dudes
10 - Melancony Soldiers
11 - TV Stars
12 - Snakes and Ladders
13 - Circus Games
14 - Animation
15 - And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
16 - Masquerade
17 - Fields
18 - Hymns For a Haunted Ballroom
The eleven track Joy was issued fall 81 and marks a concerted effort to update traditional Scottish music into the age of modern rock recordings. The sound is fundamentally more pastoral than previous Skids efforts. Gone are the layers of harmonically treated electric guitar. The lyrical concerns of strife, war and brotherhood are Jobson staples. Though the band recorded a BBC radio session and shot a music video for Iona, promotion problems at Virgin forestalled a tour. With patchy coverage, no live support and a difficult change in musical direction, the record sank without a trace. Critical reception was mixed at best. Well this album is unreleased on cd, maybe a release might generate critical reappraisal now that fixed ideas of what a rock band should sound like have been loosened, you can judge for yourself here.
Skids - Joy (84 * 68mb)
01 - Blood And Soil (3:58)
02 - A Challenge (The Wanderer) (6:10)
03 - Men Of Mercy (1:11)
04 - A Memory (5:05)
05 - Iona (ft Mike Oldfield) (7:15)
06 - In Fear Of Fire (0:42)
07 - Brothers (3:11)
08 - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (5:30)
09 - The Men Of The Fall (6:26)
10 - The Sound Of Retreat (2:54)
11 - Fields (Ft the Associates) (4:32)
Skids FanSite
Skids @ YouTube
Skids @ Amazon
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The Blue Nile - A Walk Across The Rooftops (84 * 422mb)
The Scottish folk-ambient band the Blue Nile has enjoyed a mystique contrived by its inaccessibility and the infrequency of its recordings, but it has also made a series of critically acclaimed discs. The band was formed when friends Paul Buchanan (singer/songwriter/guitarist) and Paul Joseph Moore ( keyboardist) met Robert Bell (bass) shortly after graduating from the University of Glasgow in the late 1970s. Although their individual degrees didn't reflect their future career trajectory (English Literature, Electronics and Mathematics, respectively), their mutual friendship grew out of their shared interest in music, and they began writing and recording together. They recorded their own single, "I Love This Life," which was distributed by Robert Stigwood's RSO Records just before the company closed its doors. When local Hi-Fi manufacturer Linn Electronics heard their music, the company offered the band money to record a track that would showcase the sonic range of the company's high-end audio equipment. Linn was so pleased with the result, they formed their own record label in order to release The Blue Nile's debut, A Walk Across the Rooftops, in 1984.
Without much support or touring the album took some time to find its audience, though it briefly reached the U.K. charts and led to high expectations for a second album. This came in 1989 with Hats, which reached the British Top 20, throwing off three chart singles, "The Downtown Lights," "Headlights on the Parade," and "Saturday Night." The album also made the lower reaches of the American charts as the Blue Nile embarked on its first tour, a 30-date journey taking place in the British Isles and the U.S. In the ensuing years, the band members switched record labels, signing to Warner Bros., and contributed to recordings by Robbie Robertson and Julian Lennon. In 1996, The Blue Nile finally released their long-anticipated follow-up to Hats, entitled Peace at Last. In a radical departure from the band's prior two albums, the record is primarily driven by Buchanan's acoustic guitar. Even a gospel choir makes a brief appearance on the leadoff single, "Happiness". Despite the release of Peace at Last on a major label, the album sold poorly, and the critical reaction to the album was more mixed.
After the longest gestation period between albums -- eight years -- The Blue Nile released High in 2004. Although acoustic guitar is still present on some tracks, the overall musical sound is more reminiscent of Hats, and as a result, the record has once again received almost universal critical praise.
1 - A Walk Across The Rooftops (4:54)
2 - Tinseltown In The Rain (5:53)
3 - From Rags To Riches (5:59)
4 - Stay (4:55)
5 - Easter Parade (4:29)
6 - Heatwave (6:26)
7 - Automobile Noise (5:08)
Bonus
08 - I Love This Life 4:02
09 - Heatwave (Rhythm Remix) 5:50
10 - St. Catherine's Day 4:42
11 - Tinseltown In The Rain (Mix) 6:31
12 - The Second Act 4:39
13 - Stay (Little Mix) 3:34
14 - Regret 3:37
The Blue Nile @ Base
The Blue Nile @ YouTube
The Blue Nile @ Amazon
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Scars - Author ! Author ! (81 ^ 479mb)
18-10-06 rho-xs post
Scars were cocky, provocative and brash, and how they never became pop stars remains a mystery , attention to detail was central to their art, and these kids were perfect material for the State Arts design group to produce the best range of pop T-shirts ever. The people involved with State Arts were also involved in setting up the style-mag i-D, and Scars contributed a song for a free flexi with an early edition. The song, “Your Attention Please”, seems curiously apt again, being a setting of a 60s Peter Porter poem about impending nuclear terror. .
Scars’ relationship with Pre resulted in a few singles and one LP. It also saw the teenage upstarts adopt a startling new image with a look inspired by Viviene Westwood’s World’s End pirate collection. This made Scars seem like comrades of Bow Wow Wow and Adam and the Ants, unfortunately-with hindsight.
26-02-07
In October 2006, small events (like my vinyl rip-haha) that had been put into motion began to coalesce. It was announced at that time that Author! Author! would be remastered and finally released on CD format with additional tracks added in. In December 2006, the tapes were fully restored to playable mode at Abbey Road Studios by EMI, the record company that currently has ownership of the album masters, with an anticipated release date of sometime before the end of 2006. However, the remastering and CD transfer processes were put on hold pending an ISRC issuance. After this, the tapes were remastered by Steve McLaughlin and transferred to CD format, to be offered primarily on the de facto official site and with a finalized release date of February 23, 2007 (announced in January of the same year). The CD is also being made available on Amazon UK. All versions will include extra tracks from the band's various PRE/Charisma Records singles releases. Your attention please, now 10 years later it's all here...
01 - Leave me in the autumn
02 - Fear in the dark
03 - Aquarama
04 - David
05 - Obsessions
06 - The lady in the car with the glasses on
07 - Je t'aime
08 - C'est la mort
09 - Your attention please
10 - All about you
bonus
11 - Silver Dream Machine 3:59
12 - She's Alive 3:03
13 - All About You (Single Version) 4:01
14 - Author! Author! 2:54
15 - Love Song 3:11
16 - Psychomodo 3:01
17 - They Came And Took Her 2:49
18 - Romance By Mail 2:39
Remasterd Author ! Author ! + @ amazon.uk
Scars All about you @ YouTube
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The Gaels of Dál Riata, an Irish tribe called the Scots, peopled Argyll. From this people came Cináed mac Ailpín, who united the Kingdom of Scotland in 843, when he became the King of the Picts and Scots.The name Scotia has been used to refer to Scotland since at least the beginning of the 10th century, when it first appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as a reference to the Land of the Gaels. Scottish kings adopted the title Basileus Scottorum or Rex Scottorum (meaning High King of the Gaels), and Rex Scotiae (King of Gael-land) some time in the 11th century. In modern times the word Scot is applied equally to all inhabitants regardless of their ancestral ethnicity, as the nation has had a civic, rather than an ethnic or linguistic, orientation for most of the last millennium.
The Scots have their own lawsystem, the UK Parliament retains active power over Scotland's taxes, social security system, the military, international relations, broadcasting, and some other areas explicitly specified in the Scotland Act 1998 as reserved matters. The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority for all other areas relating to Scotland, and has limited power to vary income tax - also known as tartan tax - but has never exercised this power. The programmes of legislation enacted by the Scottish Parliament have seen a divergence in the provision of public services compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. For instance, the costs of a university education, and care services for the elderly are free at point of use in Scotland, while fees are paid in the rest of the UK.
2.2 of the 5 million Scots reside in the Greater Glasgow area, however the capitol is Edinburgh, a major european financial center. The education system in Scotland is distinct from the rest of the United Kingdom and was the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education. Schooling was made compulsory for the first time in Scotland with the Education Act of 1496 since it forced all nobles and freeholders to educate their eldest sons in Latin, followed by the Arts, and Scots law. Then, in 1561, the Kirk set out a national programme for spiritual reform, including a school in every parish. As a result the Scots had a higher percentage of its population educated at primary, secondary and tertiary levels than any other country in Europe for hundreds of years.
The Scottish music scene is a significant aspect of Scottish culture, with both traditional and modern influences. An example of a traditional Scottish instrument is the Great Highland Bagpipe, a wind instrument consisting of one or more musical pipes which are fed continuously by a reservoir of air in a bag. The Clàrsach, fiddle and accordion are also traditional Scottish instruments, the latter two heavily featured in Scottish country dance bands. Scottish emigrants took traditional Scottish music with them and it influenced early local styles such as country music in North America.
These days however, i noted something unexpected the current crop of bands is very poor, in fact considering the impact Scots had in the early eighties things have gone downhill, maybe its because most bands make a indie-guitar music, which has been done for some time, decades, but in the dance or electronic music scene they are almost totally absent, or in metal or goth, in fact i was a bit shocked when i saw listings of scottish bands. Have they all been usurped by the english music industry ? As a consequence my 2 scottish posts will contain much more old work than usual and thus some nice vinyl rips.
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Who said there can only be one...
The Fire Engines - Lubricate your living room
The Associates - The Affectionate Punch
The Associates - Perhaps
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Mogwai - Happy Songs
Skids - Best of
Skids - Joy
The Blue Nile - A Walk Across The Rooftops
Scars - Author ! Author !
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Who said there can only be one...
The Fire Engines - Lubricate your living room
The Associates - The Affectionate Punch
The Associates - Perhaps
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Mogwai - Happy Songs
Skids - Best of
Skids - Joy
The Blue Nile - A Walk Across The Rooftops
Scars - Author ! Author !
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The Fire Engines - Lubricate your living room (80 * 49mb)
Fire Engines are a post-punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland. The band was a part of the same literary art-punk scene as the Scars and their most famous contemporaries, Josef K. They grew out of the Dirty Reds which had actor Tam Dean Burn as singer. Inspired themselves by the Voidoids and James Chance, the songs are a tangy lobster-pot of short sharp shocks, chaotic riffing, unpredictable beats and vocal epilepsy. Vocals and guitar were done by David Henderson, guitar by Murray Slade, bass by Graham Main, and on drums, Russell Burn. They were noted for Get Up And Use Me/Everything's Roses (Codex 1980), and singles and LPs in 1981.
They recently released a limited edition collaboration single with Franz Ferdinand. The single contained a Franz Ferdinand cover of the Fire Engines song "Get Up and Use Me" with Fire Engines covering Franz Ferdinand's "Jacqueline". Aswell as a kinda rerelease on cd of Lubricate with some singles titled "Codex Teenage Premonition"(05).
After the dissolution of The Fire Engines, Davey Henderson formed Win with Ian Stoddart (Bass), ex-Fire Engine Russell Burn (Drums/Keyboards), Emmanuel Shoniwa (Guitar/Bass), Simon Smeeton (Guitar/Bass) and William Perry (Keyboards) in 1983. A more determinedly pop act than The Fire Engines, Win were soon being critically praised and made 2 albums before splitting up.
01 - Plastic Gift
02 - Get Up & Use Me
03 - Sympathetic Anaesthetic
04 - Discord
05 - New Thing in Cartons
06 - Hungry Beat
07 - Lubricate Your Living Room pt.1
08 - Lubricate Your Living Room pt.2
The Fire Engines @ Base
The Fire Engines @ MySpace
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Associates - The Affectionate Punch (80 * 343mb)
Billy MacKenzie and Alan Rankine formed The Associates in Dundee, Scotland, in 1976. They released a self-funded 7" of Boys Keep Swinging mere weeks after David Bowie had released his original. This scam got them a publishing deal with Bowie's publishers and a proper record deal. By 1980 they were touring with The Cure, and signed to Fiction Records, for whom they recorded The Affectionate Punch. At the turn of the year they relocated to Situation 2 and put out a string of singles, later compiled on the album Fourth Drawer Down, recorded using money from major labels who were expecting demos to be produced with their cash... In tandem with their increasing consumption of coke and speed, the groups' music became increasingly deranged and experimental. John Murphy and Mike Dempsey (ex-The Cure) became official members.
The Associates signed with WEA in 1982. Martha Ladly joined as back-up singer. Billy and Alan immediately scored a string of UK top 20 chart hits. The album Sulk made the UK top 10, winning album of the year awards in the UK music press. The groups drug use was at a peak - Billy & Alans behaviour was becoming somewhat erratic. On the eve of their biggest ever UK tour MacKenzie pulled out. A US deal with Island was consequentially lost. Deciding that he couldn't continue, Alan Rankine left the group. From this moment on, The Associates were to be just that: Billy MacKenzie solo, with different associates for each release.
01 - The Affectionate Punch (3:31)
02 - Amused As Always (4:19)
03 - Logan Time (4:15)
04 - Paper House (4:46)
05 - Transport To Central (4:58)
06 - A Matter Of Gender (4:34)
07 - Even Dogs In The Wild (3:27)
08 - Would I… Bounce Back? (3:59)
09 - Deeply Concerned (3:44)
10 - A (3:51)
Bonus
11 - You Were Young 4:07
12 - Janice 2:34
13 - Boys Keep Swinging (Mono) 3:40
14 - Mona Property Girl 3:26
MacKenzie started recording a follow up album. 1984s Perhaps cost WEA £250,000. It took 3 years and 4 production teams to record - twice (dissatisfied with the original production Billy "lost" the first versions' master tapes, forcing a re-recording). The album had some chart success, but WEA were dissatisfied, and started pressuring MacKenzie to follow a more straightforward pop-soul direction. Frustrated by WEA's lack of support, MacKenzie focussed on collaborations, most notably with Yello (featuring on One Second, Flag, Baby and writing The Rhythm Divine).
1988's comeback single, a cover of Blondie's Heart Of Glass, failed to chart. WEA refused to release its parent album, The Glamour Chase, and with MacKenzie over a million pounds in debt to the label The Associates were dropped.
Circa quickly signed MacKenzie and in 1990 released Wild And Lonely, the last album of original music under the The Associates name. 1992's album, the Thomas Fehlmann / Boris Blank-produced Outernational was issued under the artist name Billy MacKenzie. Even though the album had good reviews in the press and Baby was single of the week in Melody Maker, the album stiffed - partially due to Circa winding down operations.
Aside from an aborted Associates reunion with Alan Rankine in the mid-90s, MacKenzie remained a solo artist, collaborating in the 90s with Peach, Barry Adamson, Paul Haig and Apollo Four Forty amongst others. At the end of 1996, after four years without a deal, he signed with Nude Records.
Tragically his first release for the label was a post-humous one. The death of his mother in 1996 was likely the trigger of an emotional breakdown that led him deeper and deeper into a depressed state. Billy MacKenzie died aged 39, on 22nd January 1997 from an overdose of prescribed and over-the-counter pills.
Affectionate Punch, Fourtdrawer Down and Sulk are all available in remastered format.
The Associates - Perhaps (85 * 376mb)
01 - Those First Impressions (4:43)
02 - Waiting For The Loveboat (6:55)
03 - Perhaps (6:32)
04 - Shampout (6:02)
05 - Helicopter Helicopter (4:09)
06 - Breakfast (5:34)
07 - Thirteen Feelings (4:39)
08 - The Stranger In Your Voice (6:15)
09 - The Best Of You (5:37)
10 - Don't Give Me That I Told You So Look (5:12)
The Associates @ Base
The Associates @ You Tube
The Associates @ Amazon
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Boards of Canada - Geogaddi ( 02 ^ 369mb))
Growing up in a musical family, brothers Michael and Marcus Eoin began playing instruments at a young age. They experimented with recording techniques at around the age of 10, using tape machines to layer cut-up samples of found sounds over compositions of their own. In their teens they participated in a number of amateur bands, however, it wasn't until 1986 when Marcus was invited to Michael's band that Boards of Canada was born.
In 1995, the band released the first work from the Hexagon Sun studio, the EP Twoism. Like earlier Music70 releases, it was produced in a self-financed limited run and was privately distributed, primarily to friends and labels, it was considered of such high quality to be subsequently re-pressed in 2002. The precursor to Music Has the Right to Children was released in 1996. Titled Boc Maxima, it was a semi-private release that is notable for being a full-length album. Boc Maxima's work was later used for Music Has the Right to Children (98), considered to be a masterpiece by many. They followed with another EP "In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country"(2000). Boards of Canada's unique sound is a product of their strong use of analog equipment, mix of electronic and conventional instrumentation, use of distorted samples as well as live and radio or film lyrics, and their layering and blending of these elements. They avoid a purely synthetic sound which gives their music a warmer, emotive quality, often meant to inspire nostalgia.
This album Geogaddi was released in 2002. It was described by Sandison as "a record for some sort of trial-by-fire, a claustrophobic, twisting journey that takes you into some pretty dark experiences before you reach the open air again." Geogaddi's development involved the creation of 400 song fragments and 64 complete songs, of which 23 were selected (one of which is complete silence).
Though never an actively touring band, Boards of Canada did perform a handful of shows. Early shows saw them supporting Warp labelmates Seefeel and Autechre in a scattering of UK dates. They also participated in a few festivals and multi-artist bills, including two Warp parties. Until 2005 they kept the fact they were brothers and not just childhood friends hidden from the media, apparently they didnt want to be compared to the Hartnoll Brothers (Orbital). Their latest full album 2005's Campfire Headphase is much in line with their previous Warp work.
01 - Ready Lets Go (0:57)
02 - Music Is Math (5:21)
03 - Beware The Friendly Stranger (0:40)
04 - Gyroscope (3:32)
05 - Dandelion (1:14)
06 - Sunshine Recorder (6:12)
07 - In The Annexe (1:22)
08 - Julie And Candy (5:34)
09 - The Smallest Weird Number (1:13)
10 - 1969 (4:20)
11 - Energy Warning (0:35)
12 - The Beach At Redpoint (4:18)
13 - Opening The Mouth (1:11)
14 - Alpha And Omega (7:02)
15 - I Saw Drones (0:27)
16 - The Devil Is In The Details (3:56)
17 - A Is To B As B Is To C (1:37)
18 - Over The Horizon Radar (1:08)
19 - Dawn Chorus (3:56)
20 - Diving Station (1:25)
21 - You Could Feel The Sky (5:15)
22 - Corsair (2:48)
23 - Magic Window (1:52)
BOC @ Base
BOC @ MySpace
BOC @ YouTube
BOC @ Amazon
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Mogwai - Happy Songs (03 ^ 260mb)
Named themselves after those gremlins who inturn derive the name from the Cantonese word mo gwai meaning "ghost", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon". Stuart Braithwaite and Dominic Aitchison formed Mogwai in 1995 and since then, they have become one of the most influential and best known post-rock bands. They compose lengthy instrumental guitar-based pieces in the post-rock tradition. Mogwai's style has easily identifiable connections to genres like shoegaze, math rock, art rock, and occasionally instrumental metal.
Happy Songs is a rather ironic title for their 4th album "Happy Songs" is a beautiful instrumental post-rock album with a very mellow and relaxed feel, melodies and guitar float in the air while solid percussion and string arrangments keep things grounded while exploring new heights at the same time. Last year saw the release of Mogwai's 5th album "Mr Beast", which the followed in the fall with the music score to Zidane; A 20th century portrait.
01 - Hunted By A Freak (4:18)
02 - Moses? I Amn't (2:59)
03 - Kids Will Be Skeletons (5:29)
04 - Killing All The Flies (4:35)
05 - Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep (3:05)
06 - Ratts Of The Capital (8:27)
07 - Golden Porsche (2:49)
08 - I Know You Are But What Am I? (5:17)
09 - Stop Coming To My House (4:53)
Mogwai @ MySpace
Mogwai @ Base II
Mogwai @ YouTube
Mogwai @ Amazon
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Skids - Best of (01 ^ 151mb)
The Skids, it seemed, picked their moment well. Comprising the songwriting axis of Richard Jobson (vocals) and Stuart Adamson (guitar), together with the rhythm section of William Simpson (bass) and Tom Kellichan (drums), they rode into British consciousness on the new wave backwash to the ebbing tide of punk. The release of their self-financed, attention-grabbing Charles EP came at the time Richard Branson's Virgin label were busy accruing an eclectic roster of post-punk hopefuls. Consequently, with almost indecent haste, the band were tethered to what was to prove an optimistic eight-album deal.
On the flip side of their first Virgin single, "Sweet Suburbia" (1978), the band proclaimed themselves to be "Open Sound", which was essentially a description of the soaring histrionics of Adamson's guitar style. When married to the martial rhythms of the drumming and the bellowing, chant-like vocals of Jobson, this sound conspired to lend their repertoire a rousing, anthemic quality. It was heroic music which at its best, as on the first album, Scared To Dance (1979), seemed to capture the drama and turbulence of battle. Unfortunately, the sound was an all-too-graphic reflection of the band's own stormy relationships, a turbulence which was to settle only with the departure of Adamson in the summer of 1981.
The Skids' decline was in large part due to the portentous designs of Richard Jobson, who sought to mould the band into a vehicle for his ever more convoluted lyrics. This became most evident in the recording of the second album, Days In Europa (1979). Following the departure of original drummer Tom Kellichan in the traditional rock'n'roll style (i.e. after the first album), the Skids recruited a temporary replacement in the form of ex-Rich Kids drummer and Jobson cohort, Rusty Egan, and a producer in the form of ex- Be-Bop Deluxe man Bill Nelson. Together, both Nelson and Egan contrived to free the band from the strictures of punk-pop in favour of a more polished, almost danceable sound. Ultimately it was a case of too many cooks, and the resultant album proved to be a misguided attempt at redefining the Skids' sound. This in turn alienated a great many fans, and also cost them the services of bassist Simpson during the troubled tour that ensued.
For Jobson and Adamson it was back to the drawing board, and 1980 saw a rejuvenated Skids with a new rhythm section in the form of Russell Webb (bass) and Mike Baillie (drums). The resultant album, The Absolute Game (1980), produced this time by Mick Glossop, was a commercial success, giving the band their first and only British Top 10 album. Artistically, too, it heralded a return to form, dispensing with the excess baggage of the previous outing and playing to the dual strengths of Adamson's guitar stylings and Jobson's lyrical bombast. Unfortunately, this rejuvenation coincided with Jobson's increasing commitment to a burgeoning London scene. Adamson's departure had as much to do with geographical differences as to musical and personal ones; a point evinced by Adamson's eventual return to Dunfermline, from where he formed the internationally successful Big Country.
Following Adamson's departure, the final dissolution of the band was soon to follow. Unfortunately, however, not before Jobson and Webb issued a dour and ill-conceived concept album, Joy (1981), which served only to illustrate that, when Adamson left, he took all of the best tunes with him. Not surprisingly the album failed to chart, a sorry end to a short career which had begun with so much spark and promise. (Discogs)
01 - Charles
02 - Sweet Suburbia
03 - Into the Valley
04 - Goodbye Civilian
05 - Walk on the Wild Side
06 - the Saints Are Coming
07 - Working For The Yankee Dollar
08 - Charade
09 - All The Young Dudes
10 - Melancony Soldiers
11 - TV Stars
12 - Snakes and Ladders
13 - Circus Games
14 - Animation
15 - And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
16 - Masquerade
17 - Fields
18 - Hymns For a Haunted Ballroom
The eleven track Joy was issued fall 81 and marks a concerted effort to update traditional Scottish music into the age of modern rock recordings. The sound is fundamentally more pastoral than previous Skids efforts. Gone are the layers of harmonically treated electric guitar. The lyrical concerns of strife, war and brotherhood are Jobson staples. Though the band recorded a BBC radio session and shot a music video for Iona, promotion problems at Virgin forestalled a tour. With patchy coverage, no live support and a difficult change in musical direction, the record sank without a trace. Critical reception was mixed at best. Well this album is unreleased on cd, maybe a release might generate critical reappraisal now that fixed ideas of what a rock band should sound like have been loosened, you can judge for yourself here.
Skids - Joy (84 * 68mb)
01 - Blood And Soil (3:58)
02 - A Challenge (The Wanderer) (6:10)
03 - Men Of Mercy (1:11)
04 - A Memory (5:05)
05 - Iona (ft Mike Oldfield) (7:15)
06 - In Fear Of Fire (0:42)
07 - Brothers (3:11)
08 - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (5:30)
09 - The Men Of The Fall (6:26)
10 - The Sound Of Retreat (2:54)
11 - Fields (Ft the Associates) (4:32)
Skids FanSite
Skids @ YouTube
Skids @ Amazon
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The Blue Nile - A Walk Across The Rooftops (84 * 422mb)
The Scottish folk-ambient band the Blue Nile has enjoyed a mystique contrived by its inaccessibility and the infrequency of its recordings, but it has also made a series of critically acclaimed discs. The band was formed when friends Paul Buchanan (singer/songwriter/guitarist) and Paul Joseph Moore ( keyboardist) met Robert Bell (bass) shortly after graduating from the University of Glasgow in the late 1970s. Although their individual degrees didn't reflect their future career trajectory (English Literature, Electronics and Mathematics, respectively), their mutual friendship grew out of their shared interest in music, and they began writing and recording together. They recorded their own single, "I Love This Life," which was distributed by Robert Stigwood's RSO Records just before the company closed its doors. When local Hi-Fi manufacturer Linn Electronics heard their music, the company offered the band money to record a track that would showcase the sonic range of the company's high-end audio equipment. Linn was so pleased with the result, they formed their own record label in order to release The Blue Nile's debut, A Walk Across the Rooftops, in 1984.
Without much support or touring the album took some time to find its audience, though it briefly reached the U.K. charts and led to high expectations for a second album. This came in 1989 with Hats, which reached the British Top 20, throwing off three chart singles, "The Downtown Lights," "Headlights on the Parade," and "Saturday Night." The album also made the lower reaches of the American charts as the Blue Nile embarked on its first tour, a 30-date journey taking place in the British Isles and the U.S. In the ensuing years, the band members switched record labels, signing to Warner Bros., and contributed to recordings by Robbie Robertson and Julian Lennon. In 1996, The Blue Nile finally released their long-anticipated follow-up to Hats, entitled Peace at Last. In a radical departure from the band's prior two albums, the record is primarily driven by Buchanan's acoustic guitar. Even a gospel choir makes a brief appearance on the leadoff single, "Happiness". Despite the release of Peace at Last on a major label, the album sold poorly, and the critical reaction to the album was more mixed.
After the longest gestation period between albums -- eight years -- The Blue Nile released High in 2004. Although acoustic guitar is still present on some tracks, the overall musical sound is more reminiscent of Hats, and as a result, the record has once again received almost universal critical praise.
1 - A Walk Across The Rooftops (4:54)
2 - Tinseltown In The Rain (5:53)
3 - From Rags To Riches (5:59)
4 - Stay (4:55)
5 - Easter Parade (4:29)
6 - Heatwave (6:26)
7 - Automobile Noise (5:08)
Bonus
08 - I Love This Life 4:02
09 - Heatwave (Rhythm Remix) 5:50
10 - St. Catherine's Day 4:42
11 - Tinseltown In The Rain (Mix) 6:31
12 - The Second Act 4:39
13 - Stay (Little Mix) 3:34
14 - Regret 3:37
The Blue Nile @ Base
The Blue Nile @ YouTube
The Blue Nile @ Amazon
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Scars - Author ! Author ! (81 ^ 479mb)
18-10-06 rho-xs post
Scars were cocky, provocative and brash, and how they never became pop stars remains a mystery , attention to detail was central to their art, and these kids were perfect material for the State Arts design group to produce the best range of pop T-shirts ever. The people involved with State Arts were also involved in setting up the style-mag i-D, and Scars contributed a song for a free flexi with an early edition. The song, “Your Attention Please”, seems curiously apt again, being a setting of a 60s Peter Porter poem about impending nuclear terror. .
Scars’ relationship with Pre resulted in a few singles and one LP. It also saw the teenage upstarts adopt a startling new image with a look inspired by Viviene Westwood’s World’s End pirate collection. This made Scars seem like comrades of Bow Wow Wow and Adam and the Ants, unfortunately-with hindsight.
26-02-07
In October 2006, small events (like my vinyl rip-haha) that had been put into motion began to coalesce. It was announced at that time that Author! Author! would be remastered and finally released on CD format with additional tracks added in. In December 2006, the tapes were fully restored to playable mode at Abbey Road Studios by EMI, the record company that currently has ownership of the album masters, with an anticipated release date of sometime before the end of 2006. However, the remastering and CD transfer processes were put on hold pending an ISRC issuance. After this, the tapes were remastered by Steve McLaughlin and transferred to CD format, to be offered primarily on the de facto official site and with a finalized release date of February 23, 2007 (announced in January of the same year). The CD is also being made available on Amazon UK. All versions will include extra tracks from the band's various PRE/Charisma Records singles releases. Your attention please, now 10 years later it's all here...
01 - Leave me in the autumn
02 - Fear in the dark
03 - Aquarama
04 - David
05 - Obsessions
06 - The lady in the car with the glasses on
07 - Je t'aime
08 - C'est la mort
09 - Your attention please
10 - All about you
bonus
11 - Silver Dream Machine 3:59
12 - She's Alive 3:03
13 - All About You (Single Version) 4:01
14 - Author! Author! 2:54
15 - Love Song 3:11
16 - Psychomodo 3:01
17 - They Came And Took Her 2:49
18 - Romance By Mail 2:39
Remasterd Author ! Author ! + @ amazon.uk
Scars All about you @ YouTube
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