You Could Go: Capercaillie and "Thiocfadh Leat Fanacht"

Capercaille brings us today's random tune. Capercaille is a Scottish folk band formed in the 1980s and named after the Scottish wood grouse. They perform traditional Gaelic songs along with songs in English of their own composition or by others, and often mix traditional songs with modern recording techniques, rhythms and instrumentation. At first sticking fairly closely to traditional styles and instrumentation, in the 1980s Capercaille added funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitar to traditional songs. In 1992, their EP A Prince Among Islands was the first Gaelic language record to reach the top 40 of the UK singles charts They have since been moving back toward more traditional music while retaining a slight fusion sound. This song, Thiocfadh Leat Fanacht, is from their 1997 album Beautiful Wasteland. There were a bunch of people in an online forum in 2008-09 trying to find a translation to this song, which seems to be sung in Irish Gaelic and asks young people to travel the world but to never forget (or an exhorts them to always come back to) home.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capercaillie_(band)

Waiting for the Boy: Capercaillie and "M'Ionam"

Capercaillie brings the random tune for today. A Scottish band founded in the Argyll region of Scotland in the early 1980s, Capercaillie is known for mixing traditional Gaelic tunes with modern recording techniques and instrumentation. Capercaillie started as a purely traditional band, but in the 1990s they began mix funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitars into their repertoire of traditional tunes. Lately they have been reverting back to more traditional instrumentation while retaining a light fusion feel to their music. In 1992, they recorded the first Scottish-Gaelic song to crack the UK Top 40. They have released eleven studio albums, four of which have made the UK Albums chart, and one live album. They also have two compilation albums and have performed on two soundtracks. This song, M'Ionam, can be found on their 1997 CD Beautiful Wasteland. The song seems to be about, to me, a mother who is waiting for her son to return to her with gifts from his sailings to the Indies.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capercaillie_(band)

Wants to Dance a Reel: Capercaillie and "Sardinia"

Today's random song is by the first band to get me (Mike) interested in music from outside of America. Capercaillie is a Scottish band founded in the Argyll region of Scotland in the early 1980s. Known for mixing traditional Gaelic tunes with modern recording techniques and instrumentation, Capercaillie started as a purely traditional band. In the 1990s, they began mix funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitars into their repertoire of traditional tunes, but lately they have been reverting back to more traditional instrumentation while retaining a light fusion feel to their music. In 1992, they recorded the first Scottish-Gaelic song to crack the UK Top 40. They have released eleven studio albums, four of which have made the UK Albums chart, and one live album. They also have two compilation albums and have performed on two soundtracks. This song, Sardinia, can be found on their 1997 CD Beautiful Wasteland. The song asks "How will my girl dance a reel, with a couple in her way? How will my girl dance a reel, with a foursome on the floor?"

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capercaillie_(band)

At the Pub: Capercaillie and "Finlay's"

Scotland provides the backdrop for this very funky Celtic tune by Capercaille. Capercaille is a Scottish folk band formed in the 1980s. They are named after the Scottish wood grouse. They perform traditional Gaelic songs along with songs in English of their own composition or by others, and often mix traditional songs with modern recording techniques, rhythms and instrumentation. At first sticking fairly closely to traditional styles and instrumentation, in the 1980s they added funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitar to traditional songs. In 1992, their EP A Prince Among Islands was the first Gaelic language record to reach the top 40 of the UK singles charts They have since been moving back toward more traditional music while retaining a slight fusion sound. This song, Finlays, is from their 1997 album Beautiful Wasteland, and this version of the song is from their 2002 Live in Concert album (they end this version of Finlays with a snippet of Puirt a Beul, a song from their 1987 album Crosswinds). BTW: This is the band that started my long foray into world music after I saw them in the early stages of their career at Milwaukee's Irish festival in the late 1980s. I absolutely love them!