Classic Scottish Albums: The 100 Greatest Albums Of The Last Five Minutes.
Post categories: Classic Scottish Albums, Music, Programmes, Scotland
|11:55 UK time, Thursday, 24 June 2010
When we're putting together an outline for a new series of Classic Scottish Albums one of the big questions is always this: will we be able to get a new interview with the artists and further will the producer's nervous system be able to cope with the little foibles of agents, managers and record companies in securing said interview?
Oh my Lord, the things we've almost done. Original CSA head honcho Fiona Croall once phoned me and said:
"Listen, love, I know you're busy but you might have to go to Sicily to interview Jim Kerr at his (five star) hotel." I was all, yeah, cool, no problem, let's see if it works with my schedule and then had to affect something other than abject devastation when she called to tell me that actually we could do a phone interview instead. There were also shenanigans with Bobby Gillespie. Not the first time that sentence has been uttered I'll wager. A proposed interview for the Screamadelica edition of CSA was On! Off! On! On! Off! for a number of weeks when, with one day before the final programme edit, I was asked if I could do it in some caff in North London. Tomorrow. Some time between 9 and 3.
No such problems existed for new CSA producer Victoria McArthur in securing an interview with Glasvegas who gave freely of their time and would have given more freely still had Denise Allan ("The Marlon Brando / Godfather of rock and roll" according to cousin and Glasvegas guitarist Rab Allan) not intervened with firm good grace. James and Rab Allan really were a joy to meet and talk with - open, honest, funny, sweet natured if a little weary after an evening of Scrabble with Ian McCulloch of the Bunnymen. In fact their openness seemed to chime so perfectly with the challenging honesty of that first Glasvegas album. So truthful that you kind of go, ouch that really hurts.
A leading magazine published one of those 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time lists some years back and there were some bizarre placings. For example I seem to remember Oasis' relatively contemporaneous Be Here Now (their worst album?) beating Abbey Road and Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill beating London Calling by a whopping margin. Whit?? It's a risk you take when constructing any of these lists or as in our case deciding what constitutes a Classic Scottish Album. Glasvegas is certainly the youngest of all 22 of the albums we've chosen over the years but for my money is well worth the inclusion. Some will certainly disagree.
What do you think? Any ideas? I know I have loads more Classic Scottish Albums I want to explore, in fact I could sketch out another four series in about ten minutes but I'd also love to hear from you. Please leave comments on the blog with your suggestions.
Thanks for listening to this series.
Davie Scott
Comment number 1.
At 02:44 25th Jun 2010, norriemaclean wrote:Hi - great article again. Like you I could make a very quick list of some albums I think are real gems. But I thought the following four would be interesting choices:
Frankie Miller - the Rock
The Skids - Absolute Game, a complete masterpiece in my opinion.
The Lost Soul Band - Friday the 13th...
Stephen Lindsay - Kite
Justin Currie - What Is Love For, again a masterpiece!!
Did I say 4???
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Comment number 2.
At 15:21 25th Jun 2010, Scotch Get wrote:#1
So, this is where you've been hiding!
Sorry, Norrie. (I love typing that. heehee).
Your request for 'Too Shy' by Kajagoogoo didn't get played last night.
Maybe next time!
>8-D
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Comment number 3.
At 13:02 28th Jun 2010, Davie Scott wrote:hi norrie
I think there might be pressure to cover 'waking hours' by del amitri before getting to JCs solo album but good suggestion...likewise with the first Big Dish record before we get to the (very good) Kite by SL...The Skids a ve good suggestion too....
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Comment number 4.
At 14:01 28th Jun 2010, tom clelland wrote:Davie - hi
Thanks for another great series -
Here's a few suggestions for Scottish albums not covered yet -
Live at the Kelvin Hall - the Kinks
Waking Hours - del Amitri
Meet Danny Wilson
Caroline Now (Various)
Across the milky way (the Pearlfishers)
Faultlines (Karine Polwart)
A Handful of Earth (Dick Gaughan)
May you never lack a scone (Jock Tamson's Bairns)
Tom Clelland
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Comment number 5.
At 14:24 28th Jun 2010, joetgmt wrote:Just some quick suggestions, although I have a feeling you might have done one or two of these on previous series:
Cocteau Twins - Heaven or las vegas or Four Calendar Cafe
John Martyn - Solid air
Idlewild - Remote Part
The Blue Nile - Hats.
The shamen - en-tact
a future classic album in my opinion will be Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters by twilight sad. Too soon to be classed as a classik just now in my opinion but defintely one of my favourites in the past few years.
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Comment number 6.
At 16:09 28th Jun 2010, Davie Scott wrote:Tom - thanks for the post. As to The Pearlies ATMW and V/A Caroline Now, you really are too kind. We'd need to get someone else to present 'em of course... It's very interesting to see your more trad choices. Capercaillie's Delirium narrowly missed the cut this time round. I just played at Glastonbury in the McIntosh Ross band with Ged Grimes on bass. Ged of course is ex Danny Wilson and we were actually (Ged included)waxing MAJORLY lyrical about Meet Danny Wilson. Really brilliant. joetgmt thanks - you're right, we featured Solid Air and HOLV and also the Blue Nile's AWATR...I like the suggestion of Idlewild and The Shamen tho...
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Comment number 7.
At 19:06 28th Jun 2010, norriemaclean wrote:I would love to hear shows on any of the albums listed above. Any Del Amitri or Big Dish album would be an excellent choice and I must admit I had thought Meet Danny Wilson would have been done! Great album and I was lucky to catch one of their first gigs in Glasgow School of Art. Great night, great album.
Is there a list of the albums done to date?
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Comment number 8.
At 19:11 28th Jun 2010, theshay wrote:Good chat, beautiful music and a remarkable album. A wonderful listen.
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Comment number 9.
At 19:57 28th Jun 2010, Davie Scott wrote:thanks theshay - i can only concur on the wonderful music of Glasvegas - they are wonderful too.
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Comment number 10.
At 19:59 28th Jun 2010, Davie Scott wrote:norrie - so far we have made programmes on the following...
Average White Band: The White Album
Aztec Camera: High Land Hard Rain
Belle And Sebastian: The Boy With The Arab Strap
Bert Jansch: Bert Jansch
Big Country: The Crossing
The Blue Nile: A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Cocteau Twins: Heaven Or Las Vegas
Deacon Blue: Raintown
Donovan: Sunshine Superman
Gerry Rafferty: City To City
Glasvegas: Glasvegas
Incredible String Band: Incredible String Band
The Jesus And Mary Chain: Psychocandy
John Martyn: Solid Air
Lloyd Cole: Rattlesnakes
Orange Juice: You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever
Primal Scream: Screamadelica
The Proclaimers: This Is The Story
Sensational Alex Harvey Band: NEXT!
Simple Minds: New Gold Dream
Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque
The Waterboys: This Is The Sea
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Comment number 11.
At 21:54 28th Jun 2010, markovanhaddock wrote:Hi Davie, this has had me scratching my head, and I had posted a few on Facebook. For your consideration:
BMX Bandits - Star Wars (in fact any Bandits album could really be in there, up to the divine Bee Stings, but I loved the feeling of a collective in Star Wars)
Cosmic Rough Riders - Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine (Isn't Danny Wylie truely underated?)
Trashcan Sinatras - Happy Pocket or Cake - How do you choose?
Momus - Hippopotamomus - His finest I think, despite a 0 out of 10 review in, I think, the NME
Close Lobsters - Headache Rhetoric, good old Paisley fuzz
Hipsway - Hipsway, a great soulful pop album
Love and Money - Strange Kind of Love, James Grants smoothest moments, lovely
Big Dish - Swimmer
Soup Dragons This is our art or Lovegod
Meet Danny Wilson, Off kilter pop, lovely
Kevin McDermott Orchestra - Mother Natures Kitchen
And of course your own Strange Underworld of the tall poppies, cos Cherry Sky is in my top ten all time songs.
No doubt I will be back with more, but hey it IS a start :)
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Comment number 12.
At 22:12 28th Jun 2010, Barry McL wrote:Hi Davie
thanks for posting the full list of programmes to date, I read it and crossed four from my list straight away.
Heres my suggestions:
Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat, or Past Present Future
A programme on Al would be great he's got a pretty interesting background.
The Associates - Sulk
BMX Bandits - Life Goes On
Frankie Miller - Full House
Mogwai - Young Team
Camera Obscura - Lets Get Out Of This Country
Josef K - The Only Fun In Town
The Rezillos - Cant Stand The Rezillos
All in no particular order of course
Barry
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Comment number 13.
At 22:17 28th Jun 2010, JimR wrote:Gun - Gallus
Nazareth - Razamanaz
Big Country - The Crossing
Goodbye Mr Mackenzie - Good Deeds & Dirty Rags
Stone The Crows - Teenage Licks
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Comment number 14.
At 03:52 29th Jun 2010, norriemaclean wrote:The Bathers - Kelvingrove Baby?
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Comment number 15.
At 10:25 29th Jun 2010, Mick Lamont wrote:I'd go with:
Kevin McDermott Orchestra - Mother Nature's Kitchen,
Capercaillie - Delirium,
Love and Money - Strange Kind of Love
and an outside nomination: The Uncle Devil Show.
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Comment number 16.
At 18:18 29th Jun 2010, markovanhaddock wrote:I can't believe I missed Friends Again, trapped and unwrapped and The Bathers Unusual places to die. Shame on me. I like Finitribes Unexpected Groovy Treat as well.
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Comment number 17.
At 18:34 29th Jun 2010, markovanhaddock wrote:and Win, Uh! Tears Baby (a trash icon) - a superb album
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Comment number 18.
At 08:46 30th Jun 2010, Davie Scott wrote:marvonhaddock - i would dearly love to cover Friends Again. I mentioned them in the Big Country blog - truly a great underrated Scottish band. I shared a label, an A&R guy and a producer with them in 1984 and watched on with great admiration. Brilliant songs (James Grant, Chris Thompson) and a great sounding band.
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