More Elbow and I Guess I've Always Been - British, Musically.

OK, I've changed my opinion. "The Seldom Seen Kid" is THE best CD from Elbow, no question. I cannot stop listening to it. It is absolutely brilliant and one of those CDs that is great from start to finish. I've even inflicted my own ten year old son, Evan. He can't get "Grounds For Divorce" out of his head. Now, hey, wait a minute. I didn't pick which track he would latch on to - he did!

I just finished watching VH1's "Classic Albums" on Judas Priest's "British Steel" for the second time. I have to admit, I was an absolute Priest-head in my younger days. My cousin turned me on to "Unleashed In The East" and I subsequently went into all the back catalog of 'Priest and followed them until, I think, "Painkiller", at which time, I lost interest and/or they lost focus on what they were all about. Shortly after this Rob Halford left the band so I have my suspicions. Anyway, I'm glad he and the rest have mended the rifts and is back with the band. Frankly, they aren't the same without him and "Angel of Retribution" is certainly a return to real form.

Anyway, this got me to thinking. In my youth, I pretty much listened to Christian rock music from a very early age. Although this continued and does to this day (although I still only really listen to the stuff I grew up on as the new stuff just doesn't measure up), I have to say other than a short delusional period of peer pressure in elementary school to listen to Kiss, Rush was the first band I was really obsessed with. I guess I haven't lost that as I just saw them again a couple of weeks ago and I must say, they haven't lost anything. Absolutely incredible. But, that is not the topic of this blog. It is Britishness. Many folks ask me about this Scottish obsession of mine and as I state on my website, www.ScottishBrewing.com, I can't totally explain it. But, as I think back on my musical tastes once I actually acquired my own, I can truly say that they have, for the most part, always been British.

With the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robben Ford, and short stints long ago of REO Speedwagon and Kansas, everything else that I've maintained listening to has been British. Gary Moore is and probably always will be my favorite guitar player and I love nearly all of his albums (though there are some "clinkers" in the catalog) and I'm also a huge fan of Peter Green and his Splinter Group. Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Tigers of Pan Tang, Judas Priest, Saxon, Rogue Male, Anvil, all were my early heavy metal days. The only American bands worth anything then were (and still are) Metallica and Anthrax. During all this I also got hooked on Marillion while Fish was still with them and every album they recorded is worth every cent - incredible stuff!

Now, it is almost exclusively British bands and artists that occupy all my listening. Elbow, Biffy Clyro, Idlewild and Roddie Woomble, Emma Pollock, The Hazey Janes, Stereophonics, Frightened Rabbit, Trashcan Sinatras, the list goes on. I also thoroughly enjoy Amy Winehouse, Goldfrapp, and Duffy. In addition I'm a huge fan of traditional Scottish music of which the list is endless - Peatbog Faeries, Stuart Cossells, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Old Blind Dogs, Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis, Jenna Reid, Runrig, Karen Matheson and Capercaillie, Jim Malcolm, Battlefield Band, on and on.

So, I guess I've always been British...

Cheers!
Neil