Capercaillie (band)
Encyclopedia
Capercaillie is a Scottish folk band, founded in the 1980s by Donald Shaw
and fronted by Karen Matheson
. They have seen four of their albums placed in the UK Albums Chart
, and continue to perform and record to the present day.
, a region of western Scotland
and is named after the Western Capercaillie, Tetrao urogallus, a bird native to Scotland.
The band recorded its first album, Cascade, in 1984.
Their 1992 EP
, A Prince Among Islands, was the first Scottish Gaelic-language record to reach the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
, peaking at #39. Another of their singles
, "Dark Alan (Ailein duinn
)" reached #65 in the same listing in June 1995.
The albums Secret People
(1993) reached #40, and To the Moon
(1995) peaked at #41 in the UK Albums Chart
.
They have adapted traditional Gaelic songs and music using modern production techniques, and often mix musical forms, such as "Cosich A' Ruin", which combined traditional lyrics with drum and bass
.
Donald Shaw (musician)
Donald Shaw is a Scottish musician, composer, producer, and one of the founding members of the group Capercaillie. His sister is fiddler Eilidh Shaw....
and fronted by Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson OBE is a Scottish folk singer, who frequently sings in Scottish Gaelic. She is lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Heritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lead vocals, either alone or jointly with Elaine Morgan...
. They have seen four of their albums placed in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, and continue to perform and record to the present day.
History
The group originates from ArgyllArgyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
, a region of western Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and is named after the Western Capercaillie, Tetrao urogallus, a bird native to Scotland.
The band recorded its first album, Cascade, in 1984.
Their 1992 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, A Prince Among Islands, was the first Scottish Gaelic-language record to reach the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, peaking at #39. Another of their singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Dark Alan (Ailein duinn
Ailein duinn
Ailein duinn is a traditional Scottish song for solo female voice, a lament that was written in Gàidhlig for Ailean Moireasdan by his fiancée, Annag Chaimbeul . In 1788, Ailean, a sailor, set off with his ship to Scalpay, Harris, where he and Annag would be married...
)" reached #65 in the same listing in June 1995.
The albums Secret People
Secret People
Secret People is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie. It reached number 40 in the UK album charts. It was re-released in North America by Valley Entertainment in 2003.-Track listing:# "Bonaparte" – 4:43...
(1993) reached #40, and To the Moon
To the Moon
-Track listing:# "To The Moon"#*"A Nighean Donn" #*"A Ghealaich" # "Claire in Heaven" # "Nil Si I Ngra" -Track listing:# "To The Moon"#*"A Nighean Donn" (Trad. Arr. Capercaillie)#*"A Ghealaich" (Norman Maclean; arranged by Capercaillie)# "Claire in Heaven" (Manus Lunny)# "Nil Si I Ngra" -Track...
(1995) peaked at #41 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
They have adapted traditional Gaelic songs and music using modern production techniques, and often mix musical forms, such as "Cosich A' Ruin", which combined traditional lyrics with drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
.
Studio and soundtrack albums
- Cascade (1984)
- Crosswinds (1987)
- The Blood Is StrongThe Blood Is StrongThe Blood Is Strong is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie originally issued in 1988 and reissued in 1995 with six extra tracks by Survival Records...
(1988) - SidewaulkSidewaulk-Track listing:# "Alasdair Mhic Cholla Ghasda" – 2:30# "Balindore" – 4:00# "Fisherman's Dream" – 3:56# "Sidewaulk Reels" – 4:49# "Iain Ghlinn' Cuaich" – 3:20...
(1989) - DeliriumDelirium (Capercaillie album)Delirium is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie released in 1991 by Survival Records. It was issued in North America by Valley Entertainment in 2002.-Track listing:# "Rann Na Móna" – 3:50...
(1991) - Secret PeopleSecret PeopleSecret People is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie. It reached number 40 in the UK album charts. It was re-released in North America by Valley Entertainment in 2003.-Track listing:# "Bonaparte" – 4:43...
(1993) - To the MoonTo the Moon-Track listing:# "To The Moon"#*"A Nighean Donn" #*"A Ghealaich" # "Claire in Heaven" # "Nil Si I Ngra" -Track listing:# "To The Moon"#*"A Nighean Donn" (Trad. Arr. Capercaillie)#*"A Ghealaich" (Norman Maclean; arranged by Capercaillie)# "Claire in Heaven" (Manus Lunny)# "Nil Si I Ngra" -Track...
(1996) - Beautiful WastelandBeautiful Wasteland (album)Beautiful Wasteland is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie. It was reissued in North America by Valley Entertainment in 2002.- Track listing :# "M'Ionam"# "Inexile"# "The Tree"# "Am Mur Gorm "# "Beautiful Wasteland"...
(1997) - Glenfinnan (Songs of the '45) (1998)
- Nàdurra (2000)
- Choice LanguageChoice LanguageChoice Language is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie. The promo cd was issued in a cardboard sleeve with a different track listing and one alternate song title that differed from the final release.-Promo track listing:...
(2003) - Roses and TearsRoses and TearsRoses and Tears is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie. It is their first studio album in over five years.The new title is Roses and Tears rather than the previously mentioned Call it a Day...
(2008)
Live and remix albums
- Get OutGet Out (album)Get Out is an album by folk rock band Capercaillie originally issued in 1992 and rereleased in 1999 by Survival Records with five bonus tracks...
(1992) - Capercaillie (1994)
- Live in ConcertCapercaillie Live in ConcertCapercaillie Live in Concert is the first "live" compilation album by folk rock band Capercaillie. It features a recording of the band's performance at celtic Connections in 2002...
(2002)
Compilations
- Dusk Till Dawn: The Best of CapercaillieDusk till Dawn: The Best of CapercaillieDusk till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie is the first "best of" compilation album by folk rock band Capercaillie, covering the period 1991-1998...
(1998) - Grace and Pride: The Anthology 2004-1984Grace and Pride: The Anthology 2004-1984Grace and Pride: The Anthology 2004–1984 is the first "anthology" compilation album by folk rock band Capercaillie. It was reissued in North America by Valley Entertainment in 2005.-Track listing:# "Who Will Raise Their Voice?"# "Mile Marbhaisg"...
(2004)
Current members
- Karen MathesonKaren MathesonKaren Matheson OBE is a Scottish folk singer, who frequently sings in Scottish Gaelic. She is lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Heritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lead vocals, either alone or jointly with Elaine Morgan...
— Vocals - Donald ShawDonald Shaw (musician)Donald Shaw is a Scottish musician, composer, producer, and one of the founding members of the group Capercaillie. His sister is fiddler Eilidh Shaw....
— Keyboards, accordion - Charlie McKerron — Fiddle
- Michael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrick is a flute and tin whistle player. He also plays the Uilleann pipes and low whistle. He is well known for his ability to skate switch and regular with the same level of ability.-Bands:...
— Flute, whistle, Uilleann pipesUilleann pipesThe uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a... - Manus LunnyManus LunnyManus Lunny is an Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist from County Donegal, Ireland. He is the brother of multi-instrumentalist and producer Dónal Lunny.-Biography:...
— BouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, guitar - Ewen VernalEwen VernalEwen Vernal is a Scottish musician.Born in Glasgow to a musical family, Vernal began taking piano lessons at 8 years old—inspired by a Beatles-singing mother and a choir-leading, saxophone-playing father...
— Bass - Che Beresford — Drums
- David Chimp Robertson — Percussion
Former members
- Marc Duff — BodhránBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, whistle, wind synth, rauschpfeifeRauschpfeifeThe rauschpfeife is a musical instrument of the woodwind family, originally popular in Europe in the mid-16th Century. In common with the crumhorn and cornamuse, it is a wooden double-reed instrument with the reed enclosed in a windcap... - John Saich — Bass, guitar
- James Mackintosh — Drums
- Shaun Craig — Guitar, bouzouki
- Martin MacLeod — Bass, fiddle
- Joan Maclachlan — Fiddle, vocals
- Anton Kirkpatrick — Guitar
- Wilf Taylor — Drums