Ballads of the Book | |
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Studio album by Various Artists | |
Released | 5 March 2007 |
Genre | Folk, rock |
Label | Chemikal Underground |
Producer | Paul Savage, Andy Miller |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
NME | [1] |
Popmatters | [2] |
Ballads of the Book is a collaborative studio album, released on 5 March 2007, on Chemikal Underground. The project was curated by Idlewild lead vocalist Roddy Woomble, and features collaborations between Scottish musicians and Scottish writers. The album is considered a "joint effort" by all those involved. Ballads of the Book was produced at Chem19 studios by Paul Savage and Andy Miller.
The album's front cover was designed by Scottish author/artist Alasdair Gray, and painted by Richard Todd. The cover states that it is "for Edwin Morgan."
The album's liner notes include each of the poems in full.
Edwin George Morgan was a Scottish poet and translator associated with the Scottish Renaissance. He is widely recognised as one of the foremost Scottish poets of the 20th century. In 1999, Morgan was made the first Glasgow Poet Laureate. In 2004, he was named as the first Makar or National Poet for Scotland.
The Delgados are a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band is composed of Alun Woodward, Emma Pollock, Stewart Henderson, and Paul Savage (drums).
The Remote Part is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Idlewild, released on 15 July 2002 by Parlophone. As they were becoming increasingly aware of their label's interest in them and their demos, the band's musical direction was being steered by guitarist Rod Jones. For the first half of 2001, the band recorded songs with producers Stephen Street and Lenny Kaye. Due to the uneven nature of the songs done between tours, they spent some time reworking 20 tracks in the Scottish Highlands. They recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, RAK Studios in London, and Sawmills Studios in Cornwall with producer Dave Eringa. Described as an alternative rock and indie rock record, it lacked the punk rock elements of their previous work.
100 Broken Windows is the second studio album by Scottish rock band Idlewild, released on 9 May 2000. While touring in support of their debut studio album Hope Is Important (1998), the band wrote and recorded its follow-up in stages. Sessions were done between May and November 1999 at a variety of studios: Air in London, Jacob's in Surrey, Rockfield in Wales, and Electrical Audio, Chicago. Initial recording with Bob Weston resulted in unremarkable material, by which point they switched to working with producer Dave Eringa. Described as an indie punk album, 100 Broken Windows has been compared to R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü.
The Originals, often called "Motown's best-kept secret", were a successful Motown R&B and soul group during the late 1960s and the 1970s, most notable for the hits "Baby I'm for Real", "The Bells", and the disco classic "Down to Love Town." Formed in 1966, the group originally consisted of baritone singer Freddie Gorman, tenor/falsetto Walter Gaines, and tenors C. P. Spencer and Hank Dixon. Ty Hunter replaced Spencer when he left to go solo in the early 1970s. They had all previously sung in other Detroit groups, Spencer having been an original member of the (Detroit) Spinners and Hunter having sung with the Supremes member Scherrie Payne in the group Glass House. Spencer, Gaines, Hunter, and Dixon were also members of the Voice Masters. As a member of the Holland–Dozier–Gorman writing-production team, Gorman was one of the co-writers of Motown's first number 1 pop hit "Please Mr. Postman", recorded by the Marvelettes. In 1964 the Beatles released their version and in 1975 the Carpenters took it to number 1 again. This was the second time in pop history that a song had reached number 1 twice as "The Twist" by Chubby Checker, reached number 1 in both 1960 and 1961. In 2006, "Please Mr. Postman" was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Alasdair Roberts is a Scottish folk musician. He released a number of albums under the name Appendix Out and, following the 2001 album The Night Is Advancing, under his own name. Roberts is also known for his frequent collaborations with other musicians and writers, as well as for being a member of the folk supergroup The Furrow Collective.
Frances McKee is a Scottish singer and songwriter known best for her work in the Scottish indie band The Vaselines.
Mogwai Young Team is the debut studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. Produced by Paul Savage and Andy Miller, the album was released on 21 October 1997 through the Chemikal Underground record label.
De Rosa are a Scottish rock band from Bellshill. It consists of Martin Henry, Chris Connick (guitar), James Woodside (bass), Neil Woodside (drums) and Andrew Bush (piano/keyboards). The band have released three studio albums—Mend, Prevention, and Weem.
Alun Woodward, also known by the stage name Lord Cut-Glass, is a musician from Coatbridge, Scotland, and a founding member of influential Glasgow-based band The Delgados. The name Lord Cut-Glass comes from a character in the Dylan Thomas radio play Under Milk Wood.
Kris Drever is a Scottish contemporary folk musician and songwriter who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his debut solo album, Black Water. Drever is the vocalist and guitarist of the folk trio Lau with Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke. He has worked with other British folk contemporaries, including Kate Rusby, John McCusker, Ian Carr, Eddi Reader and Julie Fowlis.
Aye Write, originally stylized as Aye Write!, is an annual book festival which takes place in Glasgow, Scotland in late February or early March.
Prevention is the second studio album by Scottish indie rock band De Rosa, released on 2 March 2009 on both Chemikal Underground and Gargleblast Records. Regarding the album, guitarist Chris Connick stated that the album features "ten tracks of misery and place, from Lanarkshire," and noted that it "differ[ed] sonically from Mend quite a bit. The songs are more layered, and we used a lot more electronics and beats on this album. There’s also more emphasis on the album's coherence as a whole, and I think it plays better as a collection of songs than Mend did."
Alasdair James Gray was a Scottish writer and artist. His first novel, Lanark (1981), is seen as a landmark of Scottish fiction. He published novels, short stories, plays, poetry and translations, and wrote on politics and the history of English and Scots literature. His works of fiction combine realism, fantasy, and science fiction with the use of his own typography and illustrations, and won several awards.
The Fruit Tree Foundation was a Scottish musical project founded by Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones and former Delgados vocalist and guitarist Emma Pollock in 2010. Created in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation, the project's overall aim is to "raise awareness of mental health and challenge perceptions of mental health problems by creating great art."
RM Hubbert, commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, he has been an active member of the Glaswegian DIY music scene since 1991.
Holy Mountain is a psychedelic rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Andy McGlone, Pete Flett (drums) and Allan Stewart (Idlewild/Desalvo). The band is currently signed to Chemikal Underground Records.
No Selfish Heart is the first album by Rick Redbeard, the solo recording pseudonym of Scottish musician Rick Anthony. It was released on 28 January 2013 through Chemikal Underground Records to critical acclaim.
Julian Victor Corrie, better known by his stage name Miaoux Miaoux, is an English producer, musician and songwriter based in Glasgow, Scotland. He is signed to Chemikal Underground Records, who have released his albums Light of the North and School of Velocity. Prior to his solo career Corrie was a member of the Glasgow-based band Maple Leaves.