Capercaillie: Alasdair Mhic Cholla Chasda / Rory MacLeod

Capercaillie performing at Celtic Connections

[@jimthomson2684]

Thirty years ago I, like many young(ish) lowland Scots, was going through a Runrig phase. Gaelic rock was the thing for us. Back then I had a wee boat moored at Port Sonachan on Loch Awe and fished from there in the summer. The local boatman was a man named Norman Macleod and he taught me over several seasons how to be safe on that big stretch of water. Out of fishing season I would go there to work on my wee boat and I had an old cassette player blasting out Runrig as I worked. Norman was not impressed by Runrig and said I should find something better. But he never told me what he meant by better. So one night I came home from work, turned on the tv and caught the end of a BBC Scotland programme. There was a band I didn't know singing a Gaelic song I'd never heard but it was brilliant and I had to find out more. Remember it's 1990's so no digital rewind. So I called directory enquiries and asked for the number of the BBC Scotland studios. Then I phoned them and asked if they could tell me who the band was on that programme. Turned out to be Capercaille, the song was Coisich a Ruin and I've been a fan ever since. Next time I went to Loch Awe to work on the boat I had Capercaille's Delirium album playing on my old cassette player and it got Norman's approval. But he already knew about them. And he said to me "Karen Mathieson is a local girl, she comes from a wee village just across the water over there !".

[@adventureswithaurora]

I love this story!

[@bobbyshafto3259]

Love the story,well worth enquiring who they were. First time I heard them was when Prince Charles went to Bernera,interviewed by Selina Scott "A Prince Among Islands". Since then I've bought umpteen of their fabulous albums,mainly on cd (Crosswinds on cassette) and seen them 6 times.....they're utterly amazing.

[@johnmcnatty1710]

Nothing wrong with a run rig phase though

[@FIOREDIACACIA]

Vi ascolto dall' Italia, precisamente da Pisa. Siete fantastici, amo la vostra sonorità ❤

[@erict956]

The Bodhrán player Marc Duff who's originally from Oban lives beside me and we were part of the team who brought the Mod to Falkirk in 2008. So many live gigs with so many people enjoying proper grass roots music. Just to let you know that Marc is a lovely wee guy with so much talent.

[@hybridangel3403]

It's nice listening to this. My great grandad Romney is from Scotland he had a plantation in the caribbean.

[@yvonnemason9137]

The best thing is seeing the very obvious fun they are all having playing this! Capercaillie rock!

[@bobbyshafto3259]

What a collection of fabulous musicians ! Absolute TOP QUALITY.

[@vickycampbell6311]

Absolutely brilliant! My favorite band of all time!!! What a line up! Thankyou!

[@georgehill6726]

Still inspiring after all these years.

[@marekpapaj]

The Best feeling. Best wishes from Poland!

[@timdanby6802]

Oh for crying out loud,my feet are tapping all over the place again listening to Karen and Capercallie!

[@alexsmith2526]

makes me so home sick - stuck here in AUSTRALIA -

[@fionaphillips3458]

I feel the pull of the place too

[@Larstig81]

Same here. Love this kind of music! ☺

[@Valhalla88888]

Best Celtic/Scots/Pictish band ever 🥳

[@Skyebright1]

Scottish Gaelic, we don’t know much about the Pictish language

[@hybridangel3403]

My great great great grandfather is Scottish I felt drawn to this song

[@themysticmuse1111]

Saw them in 91. Best live show I've ever seen. I've seen a lot,too.

[@svitirur1665]

great celtic music

[@Lorri555]

They are still so fabulous..

[@edwinvanderkooij8713]

Perfect language ! Perfect music !

[@Michajeru]

This is wonderful. Celtic music touches my soul.

[@queerchoreography54]

They are consistently great. I usually complain about other Celtic groups who aren’t, but not this one!

[@TheBanjogeorge]

Taken from a great concert which was fantastic.

[@Beezerjuice]

Love this post. Had my toes to tappin, great group.

[@ombra004]

Thank you! She is wonderful, more and more!!!

[@TonyKitchen471]

That's pure class

[@guase1]

I was there..it was a beautiful night. please more videos about capercaillie and julie fowlis, thanks

[@machairflower]

always enjoy your postings! Thanks!

[@clairey6407]

Fantastic!!!!

[@dinclo29100]

Merci ...j'adore !!!

[@DruidofAlbion]

A rebel song broadcast on bbc. how wonderful :)

[@jimthomson2684]

Rebelling against what ? Please explain ?

[@DruidofAlbion]

@@jimthomson2684 Cant remember leaving that comment Jim .. great tune .. a real foot tapper

[@eugecolcu]

BRAVOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@andrewx7806]

soulful music.

[@sheilaburke6898]

Excellent!

[@lawsonbob]

I can't get enough of Karen.

[@aidenwinter1117]

I like this less energetic version slightly more than the original but I like both

[@fionaphillips3458]

Joyfulness

[@yolynaranjoespumadevenus402]

bello....

[@rogerscott9332]

Like fine whiskey.

[@ellynmacgregor8210]

Or (to be more Scottish about it) WHISKY. ;-)

[@soupdragon151]

Or as it is in the original gaelic, Uisge (Beatha) "the water of life" ;)

[@midgetfriz14]

OMG I was there it was awesome!! :D

[@donwilsmore3945]

Hi Mark ,the whistle player ...remember Danesbury fete in 85 ?...and also saw capercaillie at the Cambridge folk festival in 86 ...

[@sirderam1]

If your foot isn't tapping to this you'd better check to make sure you still have a pulse.

[@qpon66]

I see where Eluveitie got their source material from for Calling the Rain :P

[@nh6music]

Great! Where was the concert?

[@johnmacleod4481]

I'm trying without success to find a song called 'Peigi Ghordain I wonder if you know of it at all I'd be more than grateful to you ,thank you so much

[@cahillgreg]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJymlWiepNSHqdk

[@fabcillo]

Wonderful wonderful wonderful! tomtscotland, your postings are always excellent. Has the BBC broadcasted the whole concert? Or will in the near future? We count on you… :-)

[@tomtscotland]

Whole concert has been broadcast. I will be posting more Capercaillie soon.

[@JLBodhran]

tomtscotland Are you sure it was the whole concert? Not just a selection of tracks? Because i've seen an audience video of them doing Dr. MacPhail's reel which wasn't in the concert shown on Alba.

[@midgetfriz14]

***** The actual concert was about 2.5-3 hours and they only showed about an hour or something on alba :( It was probably the best concert I have ever been to!

[@JLBodhran]

Having seen them at folk festivals a few times, I was surprised at how... cold & stifiled the concert seemed on TV, but that's probably to do with how they mixed the audio for the broadcast. Plus in a big concert hall it would be like that anyway.

[@midgetfriz14]

***** The audience were quite subdued during the first half but there was pretty much a ceilidh going on down the front towards the end! I was near the back unfortunately.

[@1blastman]

Do they ever come to America?

[@ShikataGaNai100]

Karen Matheson FTW!

[@derekmcdonald8801]

Mi red d in e btoom

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Could we have a translation, please?

[@what-uc]

Celtic Lyrics Corner is the place to go

[@naoise8604]

Usefull Refs:- ------------- Good references for Scottish Tunes & Gaidhlig Songs (both in Gaidhlig & translations):- Ceol nam Feis: Collection of Songs and Music from the Scottish Gaelic Tradition ISBN-10: 0952868709 Ceol nam Feis 2 ISBN-10: 0952868717 To contact Scottish Gaidhlig speakers check out:- ------------- AnGealBhan CeolSCraic org GlaschuBeo Bord Na Gaidhlig FaceBook - MusicAndBanter

[@zebulongrasko]

Скрипочка присутствует. Скотты!

[@SoloTravelerOffTheBeatenPath]

This has to be one of the most bizarre videos I've ever seen lol

[@johnzab5091]

You had better get used to it... Gaelic is the main language of heaven!

[@ddzz9462]

How Is this song danced?

[@jamesoneill3922]

It's a walking song. Not for dancing to. But they are playing it in 4/4

[@sharperguy]

Yikes they need to turn the levels up on the backing singers. These TV sound guys don't know anything. Great performance though.

[@barbkatz1070]

Still great - a little too slick but with all the electronics, what can any one expect?/I guess the electronics will eventually ruin all authentic folk music. Not the fault of the band; the fault of what the audience demands.

[@edelahaye]

What electronics ? The keyboard, the bass, the sound system What's your point exactly. The real problem here is that the bagpipes are too weakly mixed to be heard and this is a pity. The rest is excellent.

[@georgehill6726]

Agreed