BBC Scotland appears to be on a bit of a roll at the moment when it comes to documentaries.
In addition to the two I mentioned on Sunday tomorrow night sees The Proclaimers: This is the Story commemorating 30 years since the release of their debut album of the same name.
At the time many folk saw the Auchtermuchty twins Craig and Charlie Reid as something of a novelty act and I suspect that a few still do.
The reason? They had the audacity to sing with a Scottish accent something that was pretty rare if not unique back then.
If you think of all the acts that have followed who are happy to sing without bastardizing their mother tongue we surely owe them a debt of gratitude for not flattening all the vowels and throwing the R away.
The Proclaimers- Throw The "R" Away
The Proclaimers - Over and Done With
My favourite is Wherever You Roam from Like Comedy. Never fails to result in watery eyes and a lump in the throat.
ReplyDeleteThere is more to this pair than the broad accents and Letter From America. Very talented songwriters.
That first album is a damned fine record. Where did it all go wrong?
ReplyDeleteSunshine on Leith was an excellent album too
DeleteThereafter there has been the occasional good song but sadly a lack of consistency
I can't agree with you guys, Like Comedy is a very good album and there are a lot of other good tracks. Check out Act Of Remembrance, although maybe not at the moment CC. But all of the albums that I have I enjoy,
DeleteI bet that if you tried to sing even one line WITHOUT a Scottish accent, Stevie, you'd fail desperately :-)
ReplyDeleteYes has there ever been a more Scottish sounding pair of singers? - Your followers probably don't agree, but I loved the jukebox musical featuring their songs and Over And Done With was one of my favourite songs from it.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of interest I have just checked, and the post I wrote about The Proclaimers and Sunshine On Leith is by far my most viewed post now, having eclipsed even Debbie Harry in the last few months - I do have a feeling that it's down to being stumbled upon by the supporters of a certain football team, but still a lot of love out there for the twins I suspect!
The Proclaimers get a bum rap by many, but I think those first two albums are excellent.
ReplyDeleteIt's a more than decent debut LP and there's a few good songs on the follow-up. After that I thought too much of their material relied on rabble-rousing lyrics with tunes that were Runrig-lite in many places. Haven't paid any attention to them in decades.
ReplyDeleteRunrig-lite!
DeleteOuch!