Capercaillie (band)

Capercaillie
Capercaillie at Nuremberg, 2005
Background information
Origin	Oban, Scotland
Genres	Celtic music
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Survival Records Vertical Records Valley Entertainment
Associated acts	Clannad, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Altan
Website	www.capercaillie.co.uk
Members
Karen Matheson Donald Shaw Charlie McKerron Michael McGoldrick Manus Lunny Ewen Vernal Che Beresford David "Chimp" Robertson
Past members
Joan MacLachlan Anton Kirkpatrick Shaun Craig Martin Macleod Marc Duff John Saich Wilf Taylor James Mackintosh

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,^[1] and continue to perform and record to the present day.

History

The group originates from Argyll, a region of western Scotland and is named after the Western Capercaillie, Tetrao urogallus, a bird native to Scotland.^[2]

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.^[3] Another of their singles, "Dark Alan (Ailein duinn)" reached #65 in the same listing in June 1995.^[1]

The albums Secret People (1993) reached #40, and To the Moon (1995) peaked at #41 in the UK Albums Chart.^[1]

They have adapted traditional Gaelic songs and music using modern production techniques, and often mix musical forms,^[4] such as "Cosich A' Ruin", which combined traditional lyrics with drum and bass.

Discography

Studio and soundtrack albums

• Cascade (1984)
• Crosswinds (1987)
• The Blood Is Strong (1988)
• Sidewaulk (1989)
• Delirium (1991)
• Secret People (1993)
• To the Moon (1996)
• Beautiful Wasteland (1997)
• Glenfinnan (Songs of the '45) (1998)
• Nàdurra (2000)
• Choice Language (2003)
• Roses and Tears (2008)

Live and remix albums

• Get Out (1992)
• Capercaillie (1994)
• Live in Concert (2002)

Compilations

• Dusk Till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie (1998)
• Grace and Pride: The Anthology 2004-1984 (2004)

Current members

• Karen Matheson — Vocals
• Donald Shaw — Keyboards, accordion
• Charlie McKerron — Fiddle
• Michael McGoldrick — Flute, whistle, Uilleann pipes
• Manus Lunny — Bouzouki, guitar
• Ewen Vernal — Bass
• Che Beresford — Drums
• David Chimp Robertson — Percussion

Former members

• Marc Duff — Bodhrán, whistle, wind synth, rauschpfeife
• 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

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 92. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
2. ^ "Capercaille:Roses and Tears: by George Graham". The Graham Weekly Album Review # 1525. http://georgegraham.com/reviews/capercal.html. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
3. ^ Eur (2002). International who's who in popular music. Europa Publications Limited. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gZIjT8PgJMEC&pg=PA315&lpg=PA315&dq=prince+among+islands+top+uk+top+40&source=bl&ots=Xy0XgLOc6Y&sig=z8sGQRnmwZ84WrkYOWM6hkMOhBU&hl=en&ei=ruopTa_5OeOAhAeztqS_Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=prince%20among%20islands%20top%20uk%20top%2040&f=false. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 
4. ^ "Capercaille". National Geographic. http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/capercaillie_20592/en_US. Retrieved 9 January 2011. 

Notes

The band's "Skye Waulking Song", based on the waulking (working) process which is common to the historic lifestyle of the music's origin, is used in the Edexcel Music GCSE Specification from 2009 onwards as a representation of traditional folk music.

External links

• Capercaillie's official website
• Vertical Records website
• Capercaillie's Valley Entertainment Artist Page
• Capercaillie's Complete Discography
• An outdated but somewhat useful FAQ of Capercaillie (covers activity up to 1995)