Capercaillie (band)

Capercaillie are a Scottish folk band, founded in 1984 by Donald Shaw and led by Karen Matheson, and which performs traditional Gaelic and contemporary songs in English. The group adapts traditional Gaelic music and traditional lyrics with modern production techniques and instruments such as electric guitar and bass guitar, though rarely synthesizers or drum machines.

They have sold over a million albums world-wide, including "three silver and one gold album in the UK". The BBC notes that the band has "achieved enormous global success both as a group and as individual musicians."

Origins

Originating from Argyll, a region of western Scotland, the band is named after the western capercaillie, sometimes called a wood grouse, a native Scottish bird.

Career

Their first album, ''Cascade'', was recorded in 1984. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band gave their last performance on 17 August 2019 at the Festival des Filets Bleus in Concarneau, Brittany, France. They performed live for the first time in two years on 6 August 2021 at the Wickham Festival in Hampshire.

After a further nine months off the road the band resumed touring, and between April and August 2022 performed in France, including Paris, Condette, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, Lorient in Brittany, and on the Tatihou islet in Normandy. They also performed concerts in Inverness and Glasgow.

They performed on 26 August 2023 at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival in the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England.

On 19 February 2024, the May release of a new album, ''ReLoved'', was announced. The album marks the band's fortieth anniversary and is their first studio release since 2013's '' At the Heart of It All''. It contains new arrangements of some of the band's work recorded with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. On the same day, the album's first single, "Tobar Mhoire", was released online.

Musical style

Capercaillie's repertoire includes both traditional Gaelic songs and tunes, as well as modern English-language songs and tunes, composed by other folk writers and musicians, or by members of the band. The group often adapt traditional Gaelic songs and music using modern production techniques, and often mix musical forms, combining traditional lyrics and tunes with modern techniques and instruments such as synthesisers, drum machines, electric guitar and bass.

Capercaillie's first two albums, ''Cascade'' and '' Crosswinds'' featured few modern instruments and the tunes and songs were played in a more traditional arrangement. However beginning with later albums such as '' Sidewaulk'', and the soundtrack of '' The Blood Is Strong'', Capercaillie began to experiment with adding funk bass-lines into certain tracks, as well as synthesisers and electric guitar. This fusion style gained Capercaillie chart success in the 1990s, on albums such as '' Delirium'' and '' Secret People'' (see Chart Success, below) and reached its peak in the albums ''To the Moon'' and '' Beautiful Wasteland'', with the remix albums '' Get Out'' and ''Capercaillie'' being released during this period.

Capercaillie have drawn back slightly from the heavy fusion style featured on their albums the 1990s, and their more recent albums from '' Nàdurra'' (2003) up to '' At the Heart of It All'' (2013) feature more traditional arrangements and instruments, while still retaining a slight fusion feel.

The opening track from their 2000 album '' Nàdurra'', "Skye Waulking Song", was used in the Edexcel Music GCSE Specification from 2009 to 2016. The song was in the world music section, and was used as a representation of traditional folk music combined with rock music.

Chart success

Their 1992 EP, ''A Prince Among Islands'', was the first Scottish Gaelic-language record to have a single that reached the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart: "Coisich A Ruin" peaked at No. 39. Another single, "Dark Alan ( Ailein duinn)" reached No. 65 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1995.

The album '' Secret People'' (1993) reached No. 40, and ''To the Moon'' (1995) peaked at No. 41 in the UK Albums Chart.

Discography

Studio albums

# ''Cascade'' (1984)
# '' Crosswinds'' (1987)
# '' Sidewaulk'' (1989)
# '' Delirium'' (1991)
# '' Secret People'' (1993)
# ''To the Moon'' (1995)
# '' Beautiful Wasteland'' (1997)
# '' Nàdurra'' (2000)
# '' Choice Language'' (2003)
# '' Roses and Tears'' (2008)
# '' At the Heart of It All'' (2013)
# ''ReLoved'' (2024) (re-recording of previously released tracks)

Live albums

* '' Live in Concert'' (2002)

Soundtrack albums

* '' The Blood Is Strong'' (1988)
* ''Glenfinnan (Songs of the '45)'' (1998, recorded in 1995)

Remix albums

* '' Get Out'' (1992) (a compilation album of B-sides, remixes & unreleased studio and live tracks)
* ''Capercaillie'' (1994) (a compilation album of re-worked and remixed tracks)

Compilation albums

* ''Dusk till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie'' (1998)
* ''Waulk Roots'' (1998) Tracks from early albums '' Crosswinds'' and '' Sidewaulk''
* ''Grace and Pride: The Anthology 2004-1984'' (2004)

Band members

Current members

* Karen Matheson – vocals (1984 – present)
* Charlie McKerron – fiddle (1986 – present)
* Michael McGoldrick – flute, whistle, uilleann pipes (1997 – present)
* Manus Lunny – bouzouki, guitar (1989 – present)
* Donald Shaw – keyboards, accordion (1984 – present)
* Ewen Vernal – bass (1998 – present)
* David "Chimp" Robertson – percussion (1997 – present)
* Che Beresford – drums (1998 – present)
* James Mackintosh – drums (1992 – 1993, 2000, 2013)

File:Karen Matheson 2007.jpg, Karen Matheson
File:FIL 2013 - Capercaillie - 8640.JPG, Donald Shaw
File:Charlie McKerron, Madrid, España, 2017 01.jpg, Charlie McKerron
File:Manus Lunny, Madrid, España, 2017.jpg, Manus Lunny
File:FIL 2013 - Capercaillie - 8694.JPG, Ewen Vernal
File:Michael McGoldrick, Madrid, España, 2017 05.jpg, Michael McGoldrick
File:David Robertson, Madrid, España, 2017 04.jpg, David Robertson
File:Che Beresford, Madrid, España, 2017 03.jpg, Che Beresford

Former members

*Marc Duff – whistle, recorder, wind synthesizer, bodhrán (1984–1995)
*Fred Morrison – Highland small pipes and low whistle (1995–1997)
*John Saich – bass, guitar (1988–1998)
*Shaun Craig – guitar, bouzouki (1984–1988)
*Anton Kirkpatrick – guitar (1988–1989)
*Martin MacLeod – bass, fiddle (1984–1988)
*Joan Maclachlan – fiddle, vocals (1984–1986)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1366 height:auto barincrement:30
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:70 top:0 right:15
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:1983 till:2015
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1983
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1984

Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:fiddle value:drabgreen legend:Fiddle
id:woodwind value:gray(0.5) legend:Flutes/Whistles/Recorders/Pipes
id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards/Accordion
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:bouzouki value:teal legend:Bouzouki
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums/Percussion
id:Lines value:black legend:Albums

BarData =
bar:Karen text:"Karen Matheson"
bar:Donald text:"Donald Shaw"
bar:Joan text:"Joan Maclachlan"
bar:Martin text:"Martin MacLeod"
bar:Charlie text:"Charlie McKerron"
bar:Marc text:"Marc Duff"
bar:Fred text: "Fred Morrison"
bar:Mike text:"Michael McGoldrick"
bar:Shaun text:"Shaun Craig"
bar:Anton text:"Anton Kirkpatrick"
bar:Manus text:"Manus Lunny"
bar:John text:"John Saich"
bar:Ewen text:"Ewen Vernal"
bar:James text:"James Mackintosh"
bar:Wilf text:"Wilf Taylor"
bar:David text:"David Robertson"
bar:Che text:"Che Beresford"

PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Karen from:01/01/1983 till:end color:vocals
bar:Donald from:01/01/1983 till:end color:keys
bar:Charlie from:01/01/1986 till:end color:fiddle
bar:Joan from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1986 color:fiddle
bar:Martin from:01/01/1983 till:01/12/1987 color:fiddle
bar:Marc from:01/01/1983 till:01/02/1995 color:woodwind
bar:Fred from:01/12/1994 till:01/12/1996 color:woodwind
bar:Mike from:01/12/1996 till:end color:woodwind
bar:Shaun from:01/01/1983 till:01/12/1987 color:guitar
bar:Anton from:01/12/1987 till:01/12/1988 color:guitar
bar:Manus from:01/12/1988 till:end color:guitar
bar:John from:01/12/1987 till:01/12/1998 color:bass
bar:Ewen from:01/12/1998 till:end color:bass
bar:James from:01/12/1991 till:01/12/1993 color:drums
bar:James from:01/12/2012 till:end color:drums
bar:Wilf from:01/12/1993 till:01/12/1997 color:drums
bar:David from:01/12/1996 till:end color:drums
bar:Che from:01/12/1997 till:end color:drums

width:3 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Karen from:01/01/1983 till:01/02/1984 color:keys
bar:Joan from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1986 color:vocals
bar:Martin from:01/01/1983 till:01/12/1987 color:bass
bar:Shaun from:01/01/1983 till:01/12/1987 color:bouzouki
bar:Manus from:01/12/1988 till:end color:bouzouki
bar:John from:01/12/1987 till:01/12/1998 color:guitar

LineData =
at:01/01/1984 color:black layer:back #Cascade
at:01/01/1987 color:black layer:back #Crosswinds
at:01/01/1988 color:black layer:back #Blood Is Strong
at:01/01/1989 color:black layer:back #Sidewaulk
at:01/01/1991 color:black layer:back #Delirium
at:01/01/1993 color:black layer:back #Secret People
at:01/01/1995 color:black layer:back #To The Moon
at:01/01/1997 color:black layer:back #Beautiful Wasteland
at:01/01/2000 color:black layer:back #Nadurra
at:01/01/2003 color:black layer:back #Choice Language
at:01/01/2008 color:black layer:back #Roses and Tears
at:01/01/2013 color:black layer:back #At The Heart

References

External links

Capercaillie's official websiteVertical Records websiteCapercaillie's Complete Discography
(covers activity up to 1995)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capercaillie (Band)
Celtic fusion groups
Scottish celtic rock groups
Scottish folk music groups
Musical groups established in 1984
Scottish folk rock groups
Green Linnet Records artists
Vertical Records artists
Scottish Gaelic bands