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74-555: Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included brothers and songwriters Rory MacDonald (bass, vocals) and Calum MacDonald (percussion). The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s, which was the band's most successful period commercially, also included Donnie Munro (vocals), Malcolm Jones (guitar), Iain Bayne (drums), and Pete Wishart (keyboards). Munro left

148-688: A greatest hits album , singles album or box set. Compilation albums may employ traditional product bundling strategies. According to sound technician Richard King , classical music compilations "may require more processing to match tracks coming from various sources and recording venues, as well as the different sizes of ensembles." In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said, "While compilation albums by album artists (as opposed to stylistically unified singles specialists) are often useless, sometimes they present themselves as events", citing as examples

222-541: A Runrig concert. Following the release of Mara , lead singer Donnie Munro grew more involved in politics. In 1997, he left Runrig to stand for a seat in the House of Commons for the Labour Party . However, he was not elected. Runrig began searching for a new frontman, and in 1998 they announced their selection of Bruce Guthro, a singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia . Runrig's tenth album, In Search Of Angels (1999),

296-616: A band including guitarists Dan Ar Braz and Gabriel Yacoub . Yacoub went on to form Malicorne in 1974 one of the most successful folk rock bands in France. After an extensive career that included a stint playing as part of Fairport Convention in 1976, Ar Braz formed the pan-Celtic band Heritage des Celtes , who managed to achieve mainstream success in France in the 1990s. Probably the best known and most enduring folk rock band in France were Tri Yann formed in 1971 and still recording and performing today. While Welsh folk music developed as

370-632: A combination of highland music and rock. The region of Brittany also made a major contribution to Celtic rock. The Breton cultural revival of the 1960s was exemplified by Alan Stivell who became the leading proponent of the Breton harp and other instruments from about 1960, he then adopted elements of Irish, Welsh and Scottish traditional music in an attempt to create a pan-Celtic folk music, which had considerable impact elsewhere, particularly in Wales and Cornwall. From 1972 he began to play folk rock with

444-476: A distinctive part of a pan-Celtic movement, early Welsh pop and rock music was more influenced by American and English artists than Irish and Scottish acts. By the end of the 1960s the Welsh rock scene included a number of internationally successful English language groups that included Badfinger , Amen Corner , Elastic Band , Budgie and Man . The Welsh rock scene would change markedly from October 1969, when

518-470: A few days of behind the scenes planning, Runrig announced another concert in the same location the night before. Tickets for this night sold out in less than six hours. It was a very emotional farewell, and the uncertain Scottish weather held out for their final rendition of "Loch Lomond." Many of the band's songs include references to Scottish history or culture. These include the band's name itself – which

592-601: A kind and compassionate nation through the "journey of kindness" made by the SconeStone across the world. Its keepers, each holding it for a week before passing it on, are expected to undertake a good deed. Its first keeper was the Reverend Neil Galbraith, who was presented with the stone on the same day. In March 2009, guitarist Malcolm Jones suffered a heart attack in Edinburgh whilst running to catch

666-669: A lifetime's work". In late 2013 it was announced that Runrig would embark on a Spring 2014 tour of England to continue the 40th Anniversary celebrations. Entitled "Party on the Tour" it would "draw inspiration" from the Party on the Moor show. Alongside the English dates, several European music festivals were announced for 2014. In December 2013 it was officially confirmed that Party on the Moor would be released on DVD. In January further details for

740-529: A rock version of a traditional Irish song. From this point they began to move towards the hard rock that allowed them to gain a series of hit singles and albums, but retained some occasional elements of Celtic rock on later albums such as Jailbreak (1976). Formed in 1970, Horslips were the first Irish group to have the terms 'Celtic rock' applied to them, and produced work that included traditional Irish/Celtic music and instrumentation, Celtic themes and imagery, and concept albums based on Irish mythology in

814-534: A shared heritage, but who are widely dispersed. However, perhaps the most significant consequence of Celtic rock has simply been as a general spur to immense musical and cultural creativity. Celtic rock has also influenced musicians from countries and regions without Celtic communities, with some of them, like the Balkans , spawning their own Celtic rock scenes, which contributed to the interest for Celtic music and culture in local public. The pioneers of Celtic rock on

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888-558: A small label called Simple Records in 1984, and two singles were released. The first was "Dance Called America". A longer version of the second single "Skye" appeared on the Alba Records compilation A Feast Of Scottish Folk Music, Volume One along with an early version of "Lifeline", both of which were previously unreleased on albums, and "Na h-Uain a's t-Earrach" which was the B-side to "Dance Called America". The band then engaged

962-718: A staple for Runrig – annually staging big outdoor shows in Scotland in summer. Runrig re-recorded " Loch Lomond " and release it as "Loch Lomond (Hampden Remix)" to raise funds for the BBC's annual Children in Need appeal. The song was released on 12 November 2007, and includes the Tartan Army , the name used to refer to supports of the Scotland national football team , and including Rod Stewart , on backing vocals. It reached No. 9 in

1036-581: A three-piece dance band known as 'The Run Rig Dance Band', the band played several low key events, and has previously cited a ceilidh at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow as their first concert. Runrig's music is often described as a blend of folk and rock music, with the band's lyrics often focusing upon locations, history, politics, and people that are unique to Scotland. Songs also make references to agriculture, land conservation and religion. Their 1995 single " An Ubhal as Àirde (The Highest Apple) " made history by becoming

1110-523: A total of five studio albums through Chrysalis Records. Along with The Cutter and the Clan , the other four albums were: Searchlight (1989), The Big Wheel (1991), Amazing Things (1993), and Mara (1995). On 22 June 1991, the band attracted around 50,000 people to an outdoor concert held in Balloch Country Park , near Loch Lomond. This was the largest number of people to attend

1184-505: A train. This forced the band to cancel a sizable tour of Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and Germany. After undergoing minor surgery, he took to the stage with Runrig again in May of the same year. During a routine check up with his doctors in June 2009, he was strongly advised to have heart bypass surgery, which forced the band to cancel a tour of Denmark. The operation was a success and, although

1258-510: A way that entered the territory of progressive rock all powered by a hard rock sound. Horslips are considered important in the history of Irish rock as they were the first major band to enjoy success without having to leave their native country and can be seen as providing a template for Celtic rock in Ireland and elsewhere. These developments ran in parallel with the burgeoning folk revival in Ireland that included groups such as Planxty and

1332-556: A well known Celtic Rock band during the 80s with the release of albums such as This Is The Sea and Fisherman's Blues . They also incorporated folk elements into their music. One of Scotland's most commercially successful and fondly-remembered rock acts, Big Country , also incorporated the influence of traditional Scottish music into their songs. While bagpipes had become an essential element in Scottish folk bands they were much rarer in folk rock outfits, but were successfully integrated into their sound by Wolfstone from 1989, who focused on

1406-520: Is Thanateros from Germany. Whereas in England folk rock, after initial mainstream recognition, subsided into the status of a sub-cultural soundtrack, in many Celtic communities and nations it has remained at the forefront of musical production. The initial wave of Celtic rock in Ireland, although ultimately feeding into Anglo-American dominated progressive rock and hard rock provided a basis for Irish bands that would enjoy international success, including

1480-527: Is Brian McCombe (born Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom) of The Brian McCombe Band, a pan Celtic group based in Brittany. In other Celtic communities, and particularly where Celtic speakers or descendants are a minority, the function of Celtic rock has been less to create mainstream success, than to bolster cultural identity. A consequence of this has been the reinforcement of pan-Celtic culture and of particular national or regional identities between those with

1554-438: Is a reference to a pre–agricultural revolution farming practice, run rig . Studio albums Celtic rock The style of music is the hybrid of traditional Irish , Scottish Gaelic , Welsh and Breton musical forms with rock music. This has been achieved by the playing of traditional music, particularly ballads , jigs and reels with rock instrumentation; by the addition of traditional Celtic instruments, including

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1628-606: Is particularly noticeable in the US and Canada, where there are large communities descended from Irish and Scottish immigrants. From the United States this includes the Irish bands Flogging Molly , The Tossers , Dropkick Murphys , The Young Dubliners, LeperKhanz, Black 47 , The Killdares , The Drovers and Jackdaw , and for Scottish bands Prydein , Seven Nations and Flatfoot 56 . From Canada are bands like The Mahones , Enter

1702-548: The Bothy Band . It was from this tradition that Clannad , whose first album was released in 1973, adopted electric instruments and a more ' new age ' sound at the beginning of the 1980s. Moving Hearts , formed in 1981 by former Planxty members Christy Moore and Donal Lunny , followed the pattern set by Horslips in combining Irish traditional music with rock, and also added elements of jazz to their sound. There were already strong links between Irish and Scottish music by

1776-459: The Celtic harp , tin whistle , uilleann pipes (or Irish Bagpipes), fiddle , bodhrán , accordion , concertina , melodeon , and bagpipes (highland) to conventional rock formats; by the use of lyrics in Celtic languages and by the use of traditional rhythms and cadences in otherwise conventional rock music. Just as the validity of the term Celtic in general and as a musical label is disputed,

1850-601: The Isle of Lewis and staging an outdoor show at Edinburgh Castle in July 2016. On 26 September 2017 Runrig announced that after 45 years they would be "pulling the curtain down" on their music careers. The band announced one final tour named The Final Mile, taking part in Germany, Denmark and UK, ending with one final show in Stirling 's City Park called The Last Dance . Tickets for The Last Dance sold out in minutes and, after

1924-524: The Isle of Man , which were also relatively small in population and more integrated into English culture and (in the case of Cornwall) the British State. As a result, there was relatively little impact from the initial wave of folk electrification in the 1970s. However, the pan-Celtic movement, with its musical and cultural festivals helped foster some reflections in Cornwall where a few bands from

1998-498: The Peatbog Faeries , piper Fred Morrison, King Creosote , Kathleen Macinnes, and Blair Douglas (a former member of the group) and his band. The show was part of Scotland's Year of Homecoming 2009. To underline this, First Minister Alex Salmond made an appearance on stage (introduced by his SNP colleague and former band member Pete Wishart ), and launched an initiative called 'SconeStone.' This aims to promote Scotland as

2072-513: The Pogues and U2 : one making use of the tradition of Celtic music in a new context and the other eschewing it for a distinctive but mainstream sound. Similar circumstances can be seen in Scotland albeit with a delay in time while Celtic rock culture developed, before bands like Runrig could achieve international recognition. Widely acknowledged as one of the outstanding voices in Celtic/rock

2146-579: The Sain record label released its first single. Founded as a label for both rock and folk musicians in the Welsh-language , and home to artists such as Dafydd Iwan , Meic Stevens and Ar Log , Sain would become Wales' biggest record label. With Sains success as both a folk and rock label, more and more folk musicians transitioned into rock music in the early 1970s, meaning that traditional Celtic element within Welsh folk music now became evident within

2220-495: The Tønder Festival , due to be held on 28 and 29 August 2014. In the summer 2015 issue of The Wire it was revealed that the album would be called The Story , and would be released in spring 2016. On 12 November 2015 the title track, and lead single, received its first radio play on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal . During an interview with the show's host Derek Murray, Calum Macdonald said that the upcoming album would likely be

2294-875: The UK Singles Chart . "Loch Lomond (Hampden Remix)" was named "The Best Scottish Song Of All Time" in November 2008. The band were presented the award by Lulu . On 5 December 2008, during the penultimate tour date at The Barrowlands , Glasgow, the band was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall Of Fame, by the Scottish Traditional Music Awards Director. On 29 August 2009, Runrig performed at Scone Palace for their third annual outdoor summer show (the second being at Edinburgh Castle in 2008). They were supported by acts such as

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2368-556: The Yugoslav rock scene were the pub / garage rock band Roze Poze in the mid-1980s. In the 1990s, bands like Orthodox Celts from Serbia and Belfast Food from Croatia popularized Celtic rock further, influencing a number of younger acts, like Irish Stew of Sindidun . Compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks , which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one performer or by several performers. If

2442-406: The dance band circuit in Scotland. From 1978, when they began to release original albums, Runrig produced highly polished Scottish folk rock, including the first commercially successful album with the all Gaelic Play Gaelic in 1978. From the 1980s Capercaillie combined Scottish folk music, electric instruments and haunting vocals to considerable success. Scottish Band The Waterboys became

2516-532: The 1960s, with Irish bands like the Chieftains touring and outselling the native artists in Scotland. The adoption of folk rock produced groups including the JSD Band and Spencer's Feat. Out of the wreckage of the latter in 1974, was formed probably the most successful band in this genre, combining Irish and Scottish personnel to form Five Hand Reel . Two of the most successful groups of the 1980s emerged from

2590-490: The 1971 Ray Charles LP A 25th Anniversary in Show Business Salute to Ray Charles , The Kink Kronikles (1972), and Changesonebowie (1976). Common types of compilation include: For multi-artist compilations, royalties are usually prorated. In most cases, each artist's per-record royalty rate (typically 12–14% in 1999) is divided by the number of artists on the album. Some record companies simplify

2664-653: The 1980s onwards utilised the traditions of Cornish music with rock, including Moondragon and its successor Lordryk. More recently the bands Sacred Turf, Skwardya and Krena, have been performing in the Cornish language . Ireland proved particularly fertile ground for punk bands in the mid-1970s, including Stiff Little Fingers , The Undertones , The Radiators From Space , The Boomtown Rats and The Virgin Prunes . Scotland also produced its fair share with acts including The Skids and The Rezillos . As with folk rock in England,

2738-632: The BPI. Since 1999, the band has gained attention in Canada, following Nova Scotian singer Bruce Guthro's entry to the band. In 2016, the band announced that it would retire from studio recording after the release of their fourteenth studio album, The Story (2016) and announced their final tour The Final Mile in 2017. In August 2018, Runrig performed the final shows of their farewell tour, entitled The Last Dance , in Stirling City Park beneath

2812-551: The Celtic Diaspora was the existence of large communities across the world that looked for their cultural roots and identity to their origins in the Celtic nations. While it seems young musicians from these communities usually chose between their folk culture and mainstream forms of music such as rock or pop, after the advent of Celtic punk relatively large numbers of bands began to emerge styling themselves as Celtic rock. This

2886-522: The City". On 28 April 2013 (to mark Runrig's first ever concert 40 years earlier) Runrig released their first single in 5 years entitled "And We'll Sing". At Party on the Moor former members Donnie Munro and Pete Wishart performed onstage alongside the current lineup and Blair Douglas made an appearance via a short video highlighting the changes in the band's lineup since 1973. This was the first time Munro had performed with Runrig since 1997, and for many it

2960-516: The DVD were released. On 31 March 2014 Runrig released the full, uncut concert on both DVD, CD and, for the first time ever for Runrig, Blu-ray . The band announced in issue 74 of The Wire magazine and on their official Twitter feed that they had begun work on their 14th studio album. It was also announced (informally) that to accommodate for the time it takes to write, record and produce an album they would not be playing any further live shows in 2014 after

3034-671: The Haggis , Great Big Sea , The Real Mckenzies and Spirit of the West . These groups were naturally influenced by American forms of music, some containing members with no Celtic ancestry and commonly singing in English. A band in England is the BibleCode Sundays . Like Celtic rock in the 1970s, Celtic metal resulted from the application of a development in English music, when in the 1990s thrash metal band Skyclad added violins, and with them jigs and folk voicings, to their music on

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3108-708: The Northern Meeting Park in Inverness . In November 2012, ahead of their planned Rewired Tour, the band announced a special 40th Anniversary Concert at the Black Isle Show Ground in Muir of Ord , near Inverness . The 40th Anniversary show was a weekend of live entertainment featuring 'special guests', entitled "Party on the Moor". Shortly after that they announced another "special" concert at Edinburgh Castle in July, entitled "Celebration in

3182-482: The SNP. Brian Hurren stepped in to take Wishart's place in the band. Wishart has been re-elected in each subsequent general election. The 2001 album The Stamping Ground was seen very much as a return to form after the lacklustre In Search Of Angels (1999), but 2003's Proterra divided opinion. In August 2003, Runrig played their 30th Anniversary concert on the esplanade at Stirling Castle, celebrating 30 years since

3256-539: The UK albums and singles charts, and toured extensively. With (for the first time) major-label support (from Chrysalis ), Runrig's fifth studio album, The Cutter and the Clan (1987), which had originally been released on the independent Ridge Records label before being re-released on Chrysalis, brought the band wider audiences in the United Kingdom, as well as in other parts of Europe. From 1987 to 1995, Runrig released

3330-504: The UK, Germany, and Denmark. However, with a Canadian frontman, Runrig began finding new fans in Canada and the United States. In 2001 , Pete Wishart , the band's keyboard player, left after being elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of Tayside North for the Scottish National Party . In the 2005 election he was again elected, this time for the new constituency of Perth and North Perthshire and again for

3404-525: The advent of punk and other musical trends undermined the folk element of Celtic rock, but in the early 1980s London based Irish band The Pogues created the subgenre Celtic punk by combining structural elements of folk music with a punk attitude and delivery. The Pogues' style of punked-up Irish music spawned and influenced a number of Celtic punk bands, including fellow London-Irish band Neck , Nyah Fearties from Scotland, Australia 's Roaring Jack and Norway 's Greenland Whalefishers . One by-product of

3478-474: The album The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth (1990). This inspired the Dublin based band Cruachan to mix traditional Irish music with black metal and to create the subgenre of Celtic metal. They were soon followed by bands such as Primordial and Waylander . Like Celtic punk, Celtic metal replicates the fusing of Celtic folk tradition with contemporary forms of music. A well-known representative of this style

3552-525: The band in 1997 to pursue a career in politics and was replaced by Bruce Guthro . Wishart left in 2001, also to pursue a career in politics, and was replaced by Brian Hurren. The band released fourteen studio albums, with a number of their songs sung in Scottish Gaelic . At the height of their success during the 1980s and 1990s, Runrig were described by Billboard as one of the "most celebrated" Gaelic language bands in Scotland. Initially formed as

3626-408: The band to cancel/postpone their Spring dates in Germany, due to start on 3 March 2010. In a statement released by the band on their official website they noted that Malcolm's health was "good" and that the problem was "purely a technical one". They also emphatically stated that "All other concerts planned for 2010 will go ahead." It was announced that the winter tour scheduled for winter 2010 would be

3700-467: The band was forced to cancel their show at the 35th Tønder Festival in Tønder , Denmark, Malcolm returned to the stage in late August 2009, at the band's big outdoor Scottish Homecoming show for 2009 at Scone Palace , Perthshire, Scotland. However, on 28 February 2010, just a week prior to an extensive German tour, it was announced that Malcolm would have to have yet another operation which in turn forced

3774-443: The band's first ten studio albums. Having established that they could continue without Donnie Munro, Runrig set to work on their eleventh studio album. Among their independently-released studio albums, The Stamping Ground (2001) was Runrig's most successful. Moreover, critics who had given mixed reviews to In Search Of Angels , praised The Stamping Ground as the quintessential Runrig album. The band continued to enjoy support in

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3848-681: The band's formation, and including visitors from previous line-ups, as well as guest artists including the Glasgow Islay Choir and Paul Mounsey . Runrig played their first U.S. concert, a benefit for the charity "Glasgow the Caring City", on 4 April 2006 at the Nokia Theatre in New York City. Founding member Blair Douglas joined the band onstage, playing accordion on several numbers. While the bulk of their 2007 tour

3922-426: The band. After the end of the 2010 tour the band collectively made the decision to take a year off. Calum and Rory had been concentrating on a long-gestating project outside of Runrig. The duo call themselves The Band from Rockall and released their debut album outside of Runrig at the end of April 2012. Keyboardist Brian Hurren also released his debut solo album, which he wrote, performed and produced himself, under

3996-445: The burgeoning Welsh language rock scene. Acts such as Edward H. Dafis caused a sensation by "going electric" and using rock instrumentation. This new Welsh language rock scene was also associated with Welsh nationalism , political activism and the campaign for the Welsh language. by the 1980s Celtic rock had firmly transitioned into the mainstream, and was now at the centre of Welsh language culture. With acts such as Ar Log touring

4070-533: The castle ramparts. An estimated 52,000 fans attended The Last Dance . Bruce Guthro died on 5 September 2023 from cancer. The band was formed in 1973 with brothers Calum and Rory Macdonald and their friend Blair Douglas. Donnie Munro joined the following year and they started to expand outside their native Isle of Skye . Douglas left the band in late 1974 and was replaced by Robert Macdonald. This line-up continued until 1978, when Douglas re-joined and Malcolm Jones became guitarist, both displacing Robert Macdonald. In

4144-500: The end of the 1960s Ireland already had perhaps the most flourishing folk music tradition and a growing blues and pop scene, which provided a basis for Irish rock . Perhaps the most successful product of this scene was the band Thin Lizzy . Formed in 1969 their first two albums were recognisably influenced by traditional Irish music and their first hit single " Whisky in the Jar " in 1972, was

4218-399: The equation and pay a rounded-off rate, either as a percentage or as a set amount, regardless of the total number of artists on the record. As of 1999 , these rates were around 0.5% to 1% or 15–16 cents per record. When a compilation album includes a track from a different record company, the royalties are split between the artist and the original record company. Unless specifically limited by

4292-545: The era is marked by the success of Wales' international Rock acts such as the Manic Street Preachers , Stereophonics , Super Furry Animals and Catatonia . However, current Welsh rock acts such as Calan and Bwncath continue to find success within the Celtic rock genre. Whereas other Celtic nations already had existing folk music cultures before the end of the 1960s this was less true in Cornwall and

4366-547: The first song to be sung in Scottish Gaelic to chart on the UK Singles Charts. In 2007, they re–released their 1983 debut single " Loch Lomond " with the Tartan Army , entitled " Loch Lomond (Hampden Remix) ". It debuted at number one in their native Scotland, remaining on the top spot for four weeks, and in the United Kingdom, debuted at number nine on the UK Singles Charts and earned a Silver certification from

4440-403: The last studio album that the band would release, also confirming the album's release date as 29 January 2016. On 13 November 2015, the single was released in both CD and digital download form accompanied by a music video. Shortly after the single was released, the band announced that along with a sizeable tour of the UK and Europe in 2016 they would both be headlining the 21st HebCelt Festival on

4514-596: The last tour for a year with the band planning no concerts in 2011 so that they could focus on other projects. The final date for 2010 was in the Barrowland Ballroom , Glasgow which is traditionally where the band finishes their Scottish tours. In a statement released by the office, they promised it to be "quite a party". On 1 November 2010, the band released a four-disc compilation, entitled 50 Great Songs . The release includes both studio and live performances, focusing primarily upon Bruce Guthro's time within

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4588-652: The name A Hundred Thousand Welcomes , the inspiration for the name coming from Bruce Guthro shouting the Gaelic equivalent of the phrase during "Beat the Drum" at Loch Ness. Guthro released another solo album, while drummer Iain Bayne was appointed manager of English folk-rock band Coast . The band re-united as a six-piece again in the summer of 2012 for the Rewired Tour, with the big Scottish outdoor show held in August at

4662-477: The original version of " Loch Lomond ". A later version was to become their signature song and closing song at concerts. The third Runrig album, Recovery (released in 1981), was a thematic record dealing with the rise and politics of Scotland's Gaelic community. 1980 saw the arrival of drummer Iain Bayne (from Scottish folk/rock band New Celeste ) and keyboard player Richard Cherns. In 1982, Runrig re-recorded "Loch Lomond" as their first single. They signed to

4736-431: The record, and in 2000, they also released a live album called Live at Celtic Connections 2000 , allowing fans to hear older Runrig songs sung by their new frontman. The year 2000 concluded with the release of an authorised songbook, Flower of the West – The Runrig Songbook . The book included lyrics, sheet music, photographs, and background information for 115 of Runrig's songs – nearly every album track and single from

4810-416: The recordings are from one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for release together as a single work, but may be collected together as a greatest hits album or box set . If the recordings are from several artists, there may be a theme, topic, time period, or genre which links the tracks, or they may have been intended for release as a single work—such as a tribute album . When

4884-475: The same year, Runrig's first album, entitled Play Gaelic , was released. All the songs were in Gaelic. It was re-released in 1990 as Play Gaelic, the first legendary recording . In 1979, Blair Douglas left Runrig again to pursue a solo career. 1979 also saw the release of Runrig's second album, The Highland Connection on the band's own label, Ridge Records. A somewhat transitional album, it features wailing electric guitars and ballads . The album also included

4958-574: The services of producer Chris Harley who brought to their recordings the benefit of his experience as a solo artist and a singer with The Alan Parsons Project and Camel. Runrig's fourth independent studio album, Heartland (released in 1985), combined Gaelic sounds with anthemic rock music. Richard Cherns left the band in February 1986 and was replaced by ex- Big Country member Pete Wishart . The period from 1987 to 1997 marked Runrig's most successful run, during which they achieved placings in both

5032-453: The term Celtic rock cannot be taken to mean there was a unified Celtic musical culture between the Celtic nations . However, the term has remained useful as a means of describing the spread, adaptation and further development of the musical form in different but related contexts. It was in Ireland that Celtic rock was first clearly evident as musicians attempted to apply the use of traditional and electric music to their own cultural context. By

5106-425: The tracks are by the same recording artist, the album may be referred to as a retrospective album or an anthology . Songs included on a compilation album may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for release together as a single work, but may be collected together as

5180-518: The traditional techniques of Welsh formal poetry. Jarman would later be credited by the musician Gruff Rhys with "severing ties with Celtic folk and serving as a bridge to a new wave of post punk ". The Welsh scene became divided between more traditional music and the new punk-folk bands such as Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion . While the 1990s saw the creation of the Fflach :tradd label and an increase in recognisably Celtic rock acts such as The Bluehorses ,

5254-467: The world with new renditions of "traditional Welsh folk music, haunting love songs, harp airs, melodic dance tunes and rousing sea shanties". Dafydd Iwan's 1983 song Yma o Hyd would become his biggest cross-over success. The late 1970s and 1980s also saw a backlash against Celtic rock. With many Welsh language acts such as Sains own Geraint Jarman finding success using more contemporary and global musical forms (such as reggae ) with lyrics conforming to

5328-457: Was a powerful statement seeing Guthro and Munro singing together as there had been heated debates about who should be the band's frontman, and who was the better frontman among many fans and critics. The gig was hailed as a success by fans and critics many calling it one of the best concerts Runrig have ever staged. Bassist, Rory Macdonald said that "in many ways, it was the perfect Runrig gig" whilst drummer, Iain Bayne called it "the culmination of

5402-440: Was released amidst some uncertainty about the band's future. Since their contract with Chrysalis had ended, Runrig chose to release In Search Of Angels on their own label, Ridge Records. As a result, the record received much less promotion than the previous five, and sales were considerably smaller. Runrig was also faced with the challenge of acclimatising their fans to a new lead vocalist. The band toured extensively in support of

5476-400: Was scheduled for Denmark, Germany, and England, an outdoor show, titled "Beat The Drum", was held at Loch Ness on 18 August 2007. It was staged at Borlum Farm, Drumnadrochit and attended by 18,500 people in heavy rain. Because of the unusually large number of support acts, it had been likened to an all-day music festival, Runrig being the headline act. This was the first in what was to become

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