Scotland’s Greatest Album, Corrected (90s)

The Burd and I are battling to bring audio order to the STV Scotland’s Greatest Album, going backwards – this week we are in the 90s and offering a corrective to the STV list. Apart from resurrecting a former crush on Clare Grogan the list descended to a finale that spluttered out into its death throes. Our main bone of contention is that the list portrays Scottish music as a sort of pool of bland Middle of the Road prog rock. The format mean that the Proclaimers and Gerry Rafferty had two spots each, though the footage of Stealers Wheel did show Gerry on more substance than would fell a mule. Glazed.

Here’s our favourite 15 songs from Scottish artists in the 90s:

The Arab Strap – The First Big Weekend
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – Tony Adams
Edwyn Collins – Gorgeous George
The Blue Nile – Love Came Down
Trashcan Sinatras – Hayfever
Lloyd Cole – She’s a Girl and I’m a  Man
Primal Scream – Come Together
Nectarine No 9 – I Love Total Destruction
Martyn Bennett – Hallaig
Peatbog Faeries – Eiggman
Looper – Up a Tree
The Aliens – Astronomy For Dogs
Belle and Sebastian – A Space Boy Dream
Paul Haig – Surrender

Comments (9)

Leave a Reply to Morag Lennie Cancel reply

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  1. Morag Lennie says:

    Couldn’t believe they didn’t include Blue Nile or Billie McKenzie.

  2. Doug Daniel says:

    I know Joe Strummer’s mum was Scottish, and that was good enough reason for STV to include Rod Stewart, but I really think it’s stretching things a bit to include a Mescaleros song on the list. I mean, if you can include the Mescaleros, then you can include The Clash, despite practically being the official band of London, which then completely mucks up any choices for the 70s and 80s (although I dunno, maybe you’re intending to include something from Sandinista! anyway…)

    Anyway, if there is one Mescaleros track that I feel could be allowed on the list, it would be Arms Aloft (In Aberdeen). But then that would have been in the 00s list. If you must include a track from Rock Art & The X-Ray Style (which is an excellent album), I would actually go for Techno D-Day or Yalla Yalla. Not that Tony Adams isn’t a good track, but y’know, it’s about a guy that used to captain the English football side. Not very Scottish…

    I have to say, if there is one decade that I don’t think Scottish music was particularly strong, it was the 90s. We had some absolutely astounding artists in the 80s (for a start, if I was doing a top ten of 80s albums, regardless of nationality, it would definitely include Empires & Dance and New Gold Dream 81/82/83/84 from Simple Minds, and Head Over Heels and Treasure from Cocteau Twins), but by the 90s, most of them were past their best or defunct (apart from Cocteau Twins releasing Heaven Or Las Vegas, of course). As for the newer bands, they just didn’t seem to do anything for me. Try as I might, I just couldn’t get into Belle & Sebastian, for instance. But then, that’s just me. I know many people who absolutely love stuff like Belle & Sebastian and Arab Strap.

    1. Doug Daniel says:

      Having said all that, there seems to be a rather glaring omission on this list.

      Idlewild? Surely one of Little Discourage, These Wooden Ideas or Roseability is deserving of a place in this list?

  3. vronsky says:

    Why has the Iceland post re-appeared?

  4. I’d have loaded by primal scream instead

    where is the beta band?

    1. bellacaledonia says:

      The Beta Band made it on last weeks meta list…

  5. or snakedriver by the jesus and mary chain

  6. in fact, fuck the convention, i think we need the corries on this list.

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