Iona Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 1978 |
Founder | Ossian |
Defunct | 1990 |
Genre | Folk |
Country of origin | Scotland |
Location | Cambuslang, Glasgow, Scotland |
Iona was a Scottish independent record label from 1978 to 1990.
The label was founded by the band Scottish folk band Ossian to publish their second album St. Kilda Wedding. The label continued to publish Ossian output as well as solo and other additional projects from the band members. In 1985, Iona published The Wellpark Suite by Billy Jackson which was commission by Tennents Lager for its centenary celebrations. The label was acquired in 1990 by Lismor Recordings. Iona published 13 original titles prior to 1990 which were expanded over the years to 74 before ceasing new productions and moving the complete catalogue into the new digital world.
Iona frequently used sound engineer Calum Malcolm [1]
No. | Artist | Title | Engineer | Studio | Sleeve Design | Format | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IR001 | Ossian | St. Kilda Wedding | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Edinburgh | Colin Browne, Design and Illustration; Raymond Pritchard, Photography | vinyl | 1978 | |
IR002 | Ossian | Seal Song | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Edinburgh; The Old Schoolhouse, Pencaitland, East Lothian | Colin Browne Designs; Norman Chalmers Photography | vinyl | 1981 | |
IR003 | Billy Kay & Jock Tamson's Bairns | Fergusson's Auld Reekie | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian | Colin Browne Designs | vinyl | 1981 | |
IR004 | Ossian | Dove Across The Water | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian | Hope and Browne, Edinburgh; Colin Browne, illustration | vinyl | 1982 | |
IR005 | Billy Jackson & Billy Ross | The Misty Mountain | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian | Colin Browne, Design; George Neill, illustration | vinyl | 1984 | |
IR006 | George Jackson & Maggie MacInnes | Cairistiona | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian | Colin Browne, Design; George Neill, illustration | vinyl | 1984 | |
IR007 | Ossian | Borders | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian | Colin Browne, Design; George Neill, illustration | vinyl | 1984 | |
IR008 | Billy Jackson | The Wellpark Suite | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian | Dean Park Associates, Design; Neil A. Walker, photography | vinyl | 1985 | Specially commissioned to celebrate the centenary of Tennent's Lager in Glasgow. |
IR009 | Ossian | Light on a Distant Short | Calum Malcolm | Ca Va Sound Workshops, Glasgow | Colin Browne/ Dean Park Associates | vinyl | 1986 | |
IR010 | William Jackson | Heart Music | Calum Malcolm | Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian | vinyl | 1987 | ||
IR011 | Tony Cuffe | When First I Went To Caledonia | Massasoit Community College, Mass. USA | vinyl | 1987 | |||
IR012 | Eclipse First | Eclipse First | vinyl | 1988 | ||||
IRCD013 | Eclipse First | Names and Places | CD | 1990 | ||||
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaelic monasticism for three centuries and is today known for its relative tranquility and natural environment. It is a tourist destination and a place for spiritual retreats. Its modern Scottish Gaelic name means "Iona of (Saint) Columba".
Thomas Daniel Mottola is an American music executive, producer and author. Mottola is currently the Chairman of Mottola Media Group and was previously the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columbia label, for nearly 15 years. Since 2000, he has been married to Mexican actress and singer Thalía.
Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s also included Donnie Munro, Malcolm Jones, Iain Bayne, and Pete Wishart. Munro left the band in 1997 to pursue a career in politics and was replaced by Bruce Guthro. Wishart left in 2001 and was replaced by Brian Hurren. The band released fourteen studio albums, with a number of their songs sung in Scottish Gaelic.
The Blue Nile is a Scottish pop band from Glasgow. The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early championing by established artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Peter Gabriel, the Blue Nile gained critical acclaim, particularly for its first two albums A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats, and some commercial success in both the UK and the US, which led to the band working with a wide range of musicians from the late 1980s onwards.
Catherine-Ann MacPhee is a Scottish Gaelic singer from Barra in the Hebrides, now resident in Canada. She has worked in the theatre and broadcasting as well as giving musical performances in Scotland, England, Canada and elsewhere. After a period living in Ottawa she moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2017.
Ossian are a Scottish traditional music group, formed in 1976.
Joy is the fourth studio album by Scottish punk rock and new wave band Skids. It was their first album after the departure of signature guitarist Stuart Adamson who went on to found Big Country. It represented a change of direction from rock towards folk music—amplifying the traditional Scottish element already hinted at in previous releases. This would be their last album until the release of Burning Cities over 36 years later.
Kenneth McKellar was a Scottish tenor.
William Jackson is a Scottish harpist and composer.
Calum Kennedy was a Scottish singer who performed in both English and Scottish Gaelic.
Play Gaelic is the first album by the Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig. It was released in 1978 on LP and tape by Neptune Records. In 1990 it was re-released on CD by Lismor Recordings with different cover art.
The Cutter and the Clan is the fifth album by Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig. It was the band's breakthrough album, taking them from cottage industry to the international stage. It was also the first Runrig album to feature keyboard player Pete Wishart - forming the "classic" line-up of the band through what would be their most commercially successful period. Originally recorded on the band’s own Ridge label, it was taken on board by Chrysalis Records as part of a 1987 major recording contract. Highlights include the song "An Ubhal as Àirde", which was later to become the first and only Scottish Gaelic language song to reach the UK Top 20, reaching #18 in 1995, following its use in an advert for Carlsberg lager.
Malcolm Ross is a Scottish guitarist. His musical career started when he played guitar in the Scottish band Josef K. They released a string of singles and an album, The Only Fun in Town, on Postcard Records in the early 1980s.
Calum Malcolm is a Scottish record producer, sound engineer and keyboardist, who is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dove Across The Water is a folk album by Ossian recorded and released in 1982. The original LP release was on Iona Records, with at least one rerelease on CD currently unavailable.
Colin Campbell and His Highland Band were a west coast swing band in Scotland through the mid-1960s to the 1980s. Dressed in Ancient Campbell tartan jackets, they released several albums, EPs, singles and cassette tapes for both the Beltona/Decca and Lismor Recording Companies.
St Kilda Wedding is a folk album by Ossian recorded and released in 1978. The original LP release was on Iona Records, with at least one rerelease on CD currently unavailable.
Seal Song is a folk album by Ossian, released in 1981. The original LP release was on Iona Records, with at least one re-release on CD.
New Celeste are a folk rock band from Scotland, originally formed in 1975, releasing seven albums over five decades, the most recent in 2016.