The first episode of this series sees the biggest names in Scotland's early pop story tell their own unique tales in their own words and share how they went from bedroom dreamers to international superstars. Celebrated solo performers like Lulu and Donovan are joined by members of pioneering groups, including The Skids, Nazareth, The Incredible String Band, Josef K, The Average White Band, Middle of the Road, The Rezillos, The Beatstalkers and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. These musical mavericks had to invent Scottish pop from the ground up - and they did. The first act in Scotland's pop story takes in schoolboy skiffle, psychedelic folk revolution, a 'beat riot', gallus rock rebellion and the unique story of Scottish punk. Along the way, Scots have picked up guitars and formed bands, built a loyal following of fans, pioneered a touring circuit all over the country and broken fresh ground in new musical genres. This is the untold story of the first wave of Scotland's pop creativity; it takes in everything from the tale of how an Edinburgh schoolboy of the 50s became Scotland's first pop star to the dodgy early days of real rock legends. It covers a multitude of our favourite musical genres over three decades of musical invention: punk, 60s beat, hard rock, folk, new wave, funk and R&B, glam and pure, unadulterated pop. Contributors include: Pete Agnew and Dan McCafferty (Nazareth), Richard Jobson (The Skids), Zal Cleminson (Sensational Alex Harvey Band), Malcolm Ross (Josef K), Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Mike Heron (Incredible String Band), Davy Henderson (Fire Engines), Sally Carr (Middle of the Road), Fay Fife (The Rezillos), Rab Noakes, Billy Bragg, Alex Kapranos, Alan McGee, Lulu, Donovan. These musical mavericks invented Scottish pop. And they did it with a song in their hearts, a microphone in hand and a beat-up Transit van parked round the corner.
The second episode of this landmark series traces the humble beginnings of some of Scotland's biggest-ever bands to show how they evolved, riding the waves of the music industry in order to achieve unprecedented levels of commercial success. This programme looks at how Simple Minds grew from the ashes of punk and post-punk, and how they adopted new technology - the synthesiser - which set them on a course for world pop domination in the 80s. Through the prism of the synthesiser, it also looks at how Simple Minds contemporaries The Associates and Altered Images impacted the pop charts and made it OK to be weird on Top of the Pops. The second part of the programme looks at how Scotland in the 1980s experienced a pop enlightenment as bands such as Wet Wet Wet, Deacon Blue, Texas and The Proclaimers began to hit the charts with songs rife with social commentary. We see here that there is a lot going on underneath the shiny pop exterior of the 1980s. The timeless artistic tension between success and credibility is then explored through art-dance mavericks The KLF as we examine their contribution to the debate (at great personal cost!). These ideas are explored further through the realms of independent music featuring acts such as Primal Scream and KT Tunstall, before ending on a band that encompasses many of the themes in the programme - Chvrches. The show has a wide scope, covering synthpop, stadium rock, glossy pure pop, indie and arthouse dance. It is about the success that music can bring and the strange excesses that often go hand in hand with that success, whilst asking the central question - can you be successful and keep your credibility? Contributors include: Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Alan Rankine (The Associates), Emma Pollock (The Delgados), Martin Bulloch and Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit), Dougie Vipond and Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue), Tommy Cunningham (Wet Wet Wet), Charlie Reid and Craig Reid (The Proclaimers),
The third and final episode of this landmark series tells the story of the evolution of the Scottish music industry and the bands that helped nurture it and still support it today. Beginning in the 80s, the programme examines a generation of disaffected Scottish youth, who were desperate for music and pop culture that spoke to their experience of everyday life. This came with the bands The Jesus and Mary Chain and Cocteau Twins. It also looks at the birth of the the nascent indie scene in Bellshill, featuring bands such as Teenage Fanclub, BMX Bandits and The Soup Dragons. The second part of the programme shines a light on the part played by dance music through SOMA Quality Recordings and then looks at one of Glasgow's proudest exports, Chemikal Underground, who played host to acts such as Arab Strap, The Delgados and Mogwai. The final part brings the story fully up to date, showing that the music industry in Scotland has diversified in a way that supports artists who make music for the love of it, rather than to make loads of cash. Featured bands and artists include King Creosote, James Yorkston, Mogwai, Arab Strap, Teenage Fanclub, The Vaselines, The Pastels, The Delgados, Free Love f.k.a Happy Meals, Hudson Mohawke and Daft Punk. This is the story of the independent record industry in Scotland and why it continues to produce some of the most interesting and influential pop music in the world.
For many, Punk is seen as a movement of two cities – London and New York, both eternally sparring for the title of The Originator. But Scotland had its own distinctive Punk movement which laid the groundwork for a musical ethos that is still alive and well in the scene today. Bands like The Rezillos and Scars created their own punk movement before most of them even knew what a punk movement was. In doing so, they infused the scene with a do it yourself attitude that the next generation of musicians embraced wholeheartedly, taking Scottish pop in a new but still resolutely rebellious direction – New Wave.
The 60s was a crucial decade in pop music history. As it swung into life, bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones began to take over the world. This countercultural revolution was felt in Scotland too, as Beat groups such as The Poets and The Beatstalkers staked their claim on the scene. But it wasn’t just mop-top popsters that Scotland was producing, it also nurtured proto superstars like Lulu and true artistic individuals such as Alex Harvey and John Martyn, who would push the boundaries of pop music in increasingly shouty and psychedelic ways.
The early 1980s was an extraordinarily rich and varied time for pop music. New technology was appearing, pushing the boundaries of what was sonically possible. At the forefront of this technological revolution was the synthesizer. Previously only affordable for the few, by the early 1980s synths were relatively cheap; and Scottish bands were buying. From the pioneering early works of future stadium rockers Simple Minds, through the pop perfection of Altered Images, and into the weird and wonderful world of The Associates Scottish bands forged new ground in the early years of the decade, creating a lasting impression on the UK pop charts. They produced some of the best synth pop songs of all time - from Smalltown Boy to Sweet Dreams - and inspired generations to come. Today Scotland’s synth pop heritage lives on via hugely popular alternative act Chvrches, whose nostalgic but fresh take on the sound sells out stadiums around the world.
Today the Scottish musical landscape is dominated by indie guitar bands. But this vibrant alternative scene would perhaps not exist without the DIY rebellions of a network of friends in Glasgow and its surrounding towns in the 1980s.
This is the story of one of pop music’s most anarchic, perplexing and controversial groups - The KLF.
This is the story of how four friends came together to form Scotland’s most enduring independent label and the bands - from Arab Strap to Mogwai - that they championed.
A look at some of Scotland’s most successful and well loved alternative rock bands - from Idlewild to Franz Ferdinand, and Belle and Sebastian to Frightened Rabbit.
As a coda to Rip It Up Unwrapped, music journalist Lauren Martin guides us through some of Scotland’s best new alternative music, with a particular focus on her home town - Glasgow. Taking in everyone from afro-beat influenced indie kids Sacred Paws and experimental multi-instrumentalist Ela Orleans, to gothic synth pop band The Ninth Wave and cosmic performers Free Love, Lauren explores the rich variety of musical acts who have found a home in the city. She runs through some of her favourite local acts, like Spinning Coin, LAPS, and Lanark Artefax as well as highlighting the key aspects of what makes a Glasgow such a great place for musicians to live and work today - from record shops like Monorail, to distribution hubs like Rubadub, who support many local record labels. Also featuring music from C Duncan, Catholic Action, Walt Disco, Siobhan Wilson, Kathryn Joseph and Young Fathers and contributions from Vic Galloway, Stephen Pastel, Stuart Braithwaite, Alex Kapranos and Richard Chater of Rubadub.
