It’s St. Andrew’s Day today—Scotland’s national day. We didn’t really need an excuse, but it gave us a reason to put together another Scots folk music jukebox. This isn’t an attempt to be definitive: just some of our favourites from this year and other years. Contributors: Colin Randall is CR, Steve Peck is SP, and Andrew Curry is AC.
Battlefield Band: The Roving Dies Hard. When I was reviewing folk for The Daily Telegraph, I seemed to be bombarded with the albums of the Battlefield Band. Such was the excellence of the band, formed in 1969 by five Strathclyde University students, that this was no hardship. From their prolific repertoire, this song stands out a mile. Brian McNeill’s lyrics provide bite-sized autobiographies of wandering Scots and their exploits overseas. And the fusion of roaring bagpipes. flute, sax and strings is spellbinding. A work of genius. (CR)
Shelagh McDonald: Dowie Dens of Yarrow. Prior to her mysterious disappearance in 1971, McDonald was on the verge of folk stardom, attracting the likes of Richard and Danny Thompson, Dave Mattacks, and Keith Christmas to play on her two albums. Bolstered by McDonald’s arrangement and Sandy Roberton’s production, this age-old ballad is recast as a dynamic prog-folk classic. Layers of swirling organ and thunderous drums punctuate Shelagh’s crystalline, bell-like voice as it weaves the tragic tale of love and betrayal. Drummer Harvey Burns is magnificent; pay close attention starting at the 2:59 mark, and especially when he comes in for the kill at 5:30. (SP)
Listen to Dowie Dens of Yarrow on Youtube. Click here.
Emily Smith: King Orfeo. Emily Smith has a distinguished track record—including Scots Trad Singer of the Year, among other accolades—and has most recently been working with her husband Jamie McLennan as a duet. But I’ve taken here one of her solo tracks, which showcases her fine voice and strong arrangements. (AC)
Scott William Urquhart: A Sunset Fading. Hailing from Stirling, Scotland, this highly respected contemporary fingerstyle guitarist adds new textures to his latest album, Another Way Around. It was released earlier this month. With wife Cecilia on backing vocals and son Danny on cello, it’s a true family affair. While some guitarists take esoteric approaches to melody, Urquhart puts it front and center, making it natural to add complementary vocals and lyrics. The beauty of nature is integral to all his work. A Sunset Fading sounds best on the back deck basking in the orange, yellow, and purple of the coming night sky. (SP)
You can listen to A Sunset Fading on Bandcamp. Click here.
Archie Fisher: The Broom A’ the Cowdenknowes. I became reacquainted with this beautiful ballad of lost love when Archie died in November, aged 86, and I wanted to illustrate my appreciation with examples of his work. From his 1976 album Will Ye Gang, Love, it dates from at least as far back as the 17th century and its mournful lyrics are set to a gorgeous melody which many attribute to David Rizzio, the lover of Mary, Queen of Scots. (CR)
Rab Noakes: Drunk Again. Taken from his self-titled 1972 record, _Drunk Again _is one of Noakes’s signature tunes. Its punchy, sing-along-at-the-pub melody betrays a tale of inebriated futility that many can relate to, myself included. His rousing voice carries a plaintive ache as it rises above a forlorn fiddle. Noakes was always a man of the people, and never more so than here. Fortunately, he quit the sauce in 1982. Almost completely unknown in the States, I was very lucky to stumble upon his music as recently as 2018. Rab’s profound impact on me is a story for another day. (SP)
Listen to Drunk Again here.
Shooglenifty: Air Chuairt. The rowdy Scots fusion-folk band Shooglenifty have been going now for 30 years, which I’m not sure I would have expected when they burst on the scene with Venus in Tweeds in 1994. I loved that record, with its tartan nod to Velvet Underground, but I’ve gone here for something a lot more recent: Air Chuairt, from their 2020 record Acid Croft Vol. 9. It translates, approximately, as ‘wandering’, and it features a lively Gaelic lyric about a wandering fiddler heading west in search of music. (AC)
James Yorkston: 6.30 is Just Way Too Early. James Yorkston has been a fixture on the Scots folk music scene for a couple of decades now, and he’s had a higher profile recently because of his interesting collaboration with the former Cardigan Nina Persson, which got them an appearance recently on Later… With Jools Holland. But I’ve always loved his first record, Moving Up Country, because of its warm arrangements and tender lyrics. In the spirit of Steve’s close reading of the Shelagh McDonald track earlier, the organ surge at around 2’31” always gives me a thrill. And James Yorkston is right: 6.30 is way too early to get up, especially in the dead of winter. He’s touring (solo) in December. (AC)
Listen to 6.30 Is Just Way Too Early on Youtube. Click here.
Bitter Withy: Bitter Withy. Another early example of Scots folk music at its finest. Bitter Withy was a trio, Andy Ramage, Lesley Hale and Tich Frier, that made occasional forays to folk clubs south of the border, including mine. For years I mistakenly believed Barbara Dickson was the female singer; She corrected me, also informing me that Lesley Hale had died “far too young” (in 2009, aged 62). Bitter Withy is an old English song recorded by many, the Kingston Trio, Young Tradition and John Tams among them. But I always associate it with the trio that took its name from the song and performed it a cappella, and exquisitely, Hale shining on lead vocals with able support from the men. (CR)
Listen to Bitter Withy on Youtube. Click here.
Dick Gaughan: Floo’ers O’ The Forest. Dick Gaughan is one of the giants of Scots folk music, and his 1970s BBC recordings have just been released for the first time, thanks to the sterling efforts of the music writer Colin Harper. Gaughan’s not been able to perform since a stroke in 2016, and most of his ‘70s recordings have been buried in the vaults of the secretive Celtic Music. You can listen to Dick Gaughan: Live at the BBC 1972-79 at Bandcamp—and buy it on CD and digital there as well. Floo’ers O’ The Forest is on the record, although not in this version. (AC)
We’ve put most of these songs onto a playlist on Spotify:
And enjoy our 2024 St Andrew’s Day Jukebox here:
Do visit the Salut! Live Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2902595146676633.
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