Blue Rampart: Capercaillie and "Am Mur Gorm"

Today's random tune is by Capercaille. 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, Am Mur Gorm, is from their 1997 album Beautiful Wasteland. The song refers to a pair of mountain ranges collectively known as The Cuillin on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

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)

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)

Klingons Might Like It: Capercaillie and "The Haggis"

Today's random tune is by Capercaille and called The Haggis, referring to a Scottish pudding consisting of sheeps heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with salt and encased in a sheep's stomach. Sound unsavory? The tune isn't! 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. The Haggis is from their 1987 album Crosswinds.

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)

History Coming to Life Again: Capercaillie and "Waiting for the Wheel to Turn"

Our random song for today is rooted in some of the darkness of Scotland's history, and the hope for redemption. The song is performed by Capercaillie, 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, Waiting for the Wheel to Turn, can be found on their 1991 CD Delirium, on the remix album Get Out (1992), and on the 1998 compilation album Dusk Til Dawn. This version above is their original 1991 version and video - they also have a longer remix version, seen below.

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)

Like a Bug in a Rug: Capercaillie and "Puirt a Beul/Snug in a Blanket"

Capercaillie performs our random tune for today, called Puirt a Beul/Snug in a Blanket. A Scottish folk band formed in the 1980s, Capercaillie are named after the Scottish wood grouse. Capercaillie performs 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 the more traditional while retaining a slight fusion sound. Puirt a Beul/Snug in a Blanket is from their 2006 album Crosswinds and on their 2007 CD Heritage Songs.

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)

My Beautiful Island: Capercaillie and "Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraidh"

Capercaille gives us a lament sung in Gaelic called Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraidh. The song, which is sung by someone who presumably was shipped off to Australia, looks back longingly on an island called Barra.

Barra is the most beautiful island

The island of my heart's desire

When I often sang in the company

Of serene and beautiful young ladies

And although I'm alone today

In Australia of the trees

I'll never forget the Gaelic language

Which is engraved on my mind

Capercaillie 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. Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraidh can be found on their 1987 album Crosswinds, and on their 2007 album Heritage Songs.

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.

Pure Grief: Capercaillie and "Ailein Duinn (Dark Alan)"

Capercaille tones down our random tune for today with a moody piece called Ailein Duinn (Dark Alan). Capercaillie 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. Ailein Duinn can be found on their 2005 best hits album called Dusk Till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie, and another best of album, Grace and Pride: The Anthology 2004-1984 (2004). As far as we can tell, it was released originally in 1995 on their To the Moon album, but it was also released in 2017 on Capercaillie's re-recorded songs that appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Rob Roy. Ailein Duinn is a traditional lament, written for female voice by Annie Campbell for her lost love Alan Morrison, a sea captain who was lost at sea shortly before they were to be married. Campbell composed the lament and then apparently committed suicide - her body washed ashore near where Morrison's was found.

Sounds Like a Fun Place: Capercaillie and "Finlay's"

Funky? Scottish? Capercaille brings the funk to a Celtic tune! Capercaillie 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.

Renegade: Capercaillie and "Outlaws"

Our song today is by Capercaillie, a Scottish band founded in the Argyll region of Scotland in the early 1980s. Known for their mixing of traditional Gaelic tunes with modern recording techniques and instrumentation, Capercaillie started as a purely traditional band. In the 1990s, they began mix in funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitars into their repertoire of traditional tunes, but lately have been going 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, Outlaws, can be found on their 1992 album Get Out, and on the 1998 compilation album Dusk Til Dawn.

Come with Me: Capercaille and "Coisich a Ruin"

Today's song is by Capercaillie, a Scottish band founded in the Argyll region of Scotland in the early 1980s. Known for their mixing of traditional Gaelic tunes with modern recording techniques and instrumentation, Capercaillie started as a purely traditional band. In the 1990s, they began mix in funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitars into their repertoire of traditional tunes, but lately have been going 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, Coisich a Ruin, can be found on their 1991 album Delerium, on the 1998 compilation album Dusk Til Dawn, on the 2002 live album Live in Concert, and on the 2004 anthology Grace and Pride.

Evicted: Capercaillie and "Four Stone Walls"

Today's song is by Capercaillie, a Scottish band founded in the Argyll region of Scotland in the early 1980s. Known for their mixing of traditional Gaelic tunes with modern recording techniques and instrumentation, Capercaillie started as a purely traditional band. In the 1990s, they began mix in funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitars into their repertoire of traditional tunes, but lately have been going 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, Four Stone Walls can be found on their 1993 album Secret People, and on the 1998 compilation album Dusk Til Dawn. The song refers to the Highland Clearances, in which aristocratic Scots landlords in the 18th and 19th centuries, often with help from the English, practiced wholesale and often brutal evictions of farmers in the Scottish Highlands which resulted in the enclosure of common lands and an agricultural switch from farming to sheep raising.

A Pendulum Shifts: Capercaillie and "Waiting for the Wheel to Turn"

Today's song is about a dark chapter in Scotland's history, and the hope for some redemption. The band, Capercaillie, is a Scottish band founded in the Argyll region of Scotland in the early 1980s. Known for their mixing of traditional Gaelic tunes with modern recording techniques and instrumentation, Capercaillie started as a purely traditional band. In the 1990s, they began mix in funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitars into their repertoire of traditional tunes, but lately have been going 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, "Waiting for the Wheel to Turn" can be found on their 1991 CD Delirium, on the remix album Get Out (1992), and on the 1998 compilation album Dusk Til Dawn. This version above is their original 1991 version and video - they also have a longer remix version, seen below.

Is There Anything Else For Dinner: Capercaillie and "The Haggis"

Today's random tune is by Capercaille and called The Haggis, referring to a Scottish pudding consisting of sheeps heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with salt and encased in a sheep's stomach. Sound unsavory? The tune isn't! 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. The Haggis is from their 1987 album Crosswinds.

An Unrequited Love: Capercaillie and "Am Buachaille Ban"

Today's song's theme is made up of heartrending lyrics of unrequited love. It is brought to you by Capercaille, a Scottish folk band formed in the 1980s. Capercaille 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, A Buachaille Ban, is from their 1987 album Crosswinds,

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!

Gentrified: Capercaillie and "Waiting for the Wheel to Turn"

I first heard the word "gentrification" in the mid-eighties when I was doing volunteer work in the inner-city. At the time I thought that the term meant white people coming into black neighborhoods, buying up the real estate and forcing the original inhabitants out. I have learned that is only one possible outcome. Gentrification happens, of course, when any group of people with money comes in, buys up real estate and moves in, driving out the original inhabitants and changing the cultural character and flavor of the neighborhood. Given this definition, it is perfectly plausible that non-whites can gentrify non-white neighborhoods, and non-whites could even gentrify poor white neighborhoods. However, that doesn't happen very often in the United States, which is why gentrification has a just-below-the-surface ethnic and racial component. The main point is that people are forced out through the forces of capitalism and the very cultural underpinnings that made the neighborhood what it was is lost forever. Neighborhoods in northside Chicago are being gentrified by young, white people, and corporations gentrified Times Square. Brooklyn is being gentrified by people who can't afford to live in Manhattan, and San Francisco is being gentrified by waves of high paid tech workers.  Low income housing in New Orleans is torn down and replaced with high income apartments and condominiums.

Today's song, Waiting for the Wheel to Turn, references a similar process in the British Isles. The lyrics speak eloquently to this phenomena: 

Remember the Buachaille Mor
Reaching for the skies from the barren shores
Watching over the village of burns
And counting the days since the gael kept home

 Well, the stranger claims it now
Sitting like a king with his gold from the south
Don't you see the waves of wealth
Washing away the soul from the land?

It speaks to the loss of culture and tradition:

Yes, you're taking it all away
The music, the tongue and the old refrains
You're coming here to play
But you're pulling the roots from a dying age

It also relates this phenomenon to The Clearances, the Highland Clearances policies in the 18th and 19th centuries that allowed Scottish farmers to be forced off of their lands to make way for aristocratic sheepherding.  The original Clearances were government policies, but the latest waves of these types of things in the developed world are capitalism at work.

I am divided on whether this phenomenon is inevitable or even harmful.  I lament the losses that come with gentrification of any kind, and certainly people and cultures are hurt by it.  But I am also open to the fact that change happens and can lead to dynamism in decaying neighborhoods, just as new participants in things like arts, music and literature can provide bursts of creativity.

I'm glad therefore that groups like Capercaillie keep the old traditions alive while also giving them new relevance by infusing them with new styles and instrumentation. Capercaillie is a Scottish band founded in the Argyll region of Scotland in the early 1980s. Known for their mixing of traditional Gaelic tunes with modern recording techniques and instrumentation, Capercaillie started as a purely traditional band. In the 1990s, they began mix in funk bass lines, synthesizers and electric guitars into their repertoire of traditional tunes, but lately have been going 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. Waiting for the Wheel to Turn can be found on their 1991 CD Delirium, on the remix album Get Out (1992), and on the 1998 compilation album Dusk Til Dawn. The version above is their original 1991 version and video, but if you want to hear their longer remix version I am posting it below.

The Band That Started It: Capercaillie and "Puirt a Beul/Snug in a Blanket"

I've told the story on this blog before. How I was persuaded to go to Milwaukee's Irish Fest by Megan back in the late 1980s. How I dissed Irish music in my ignorance, believing that all it consisted of was schmaltzy ballads sung by accented tenors. How we walked in to the festival grounds and I heard something that I'd never heard before - traditional music with rhythms that were almost modern. That band was Capercaille, at the beginning of their career which has now stretched almost 30 years.

It was Capercaille that really started me on the road to appreciate world music. Back then world music was, to me, Celtic music: the smattering of songs that Peter Gabriel put out that had African singers and rhythms (I didn't even know the name of the singer, Youssou N'Dour, on Gabriel's In Your Eyes nor of his fame until many years later), and Ladysmith Black Mambazo's contributions to Paul Simon's Graceland album. My music world was small, limited to 70s and 80s rock, new wave, pop and a smattering of disco and funk. I had no idea when I walked into the festival grounds that day that synthesizers, a bass groove and a modern guitar accompaniment over traditional Gaelic tunes would lead to a sea change in my openness to other cultures and other artistic styles. And, this change occurred gradually. But it happened, and I have Capercaille to thank for that.

Capercaille is a Scottish folk band formed in the 1980s. They are named after the Scottish wood grouse. Capercaille performs 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 the more traditional while retaining a slight fusion sound. This song, Puirt a Beul/Snug in a Blanket, is from their 2006 album Crosswinds.