Runrig

Runrig was a Scottish rock music group with touches of traditional Celtic music. They sang in English and Scottish Gaelic.

History

Part One

Originally the Dance Band Runrig, debuted as such at the Glasgow Kelvin Hall in 1973. It was made up of Rory MacDonald on guitar, Calum MacDonald on drums and Blair Douglas on accordion.

Donnie Munro joined the following year to give her more vocal input. Later Blair left and they were joined as accordionist by an old school friend, Robert MacDonald, who sadly passed away in 1986, after a long battle with cancer.

Until 1978 the band had been a part student occupation and it was in this format that their first album Play Gaelic was recorded on the Scottish label Limor Recordigns.

After this first step they felt that they could and should run their own record company to give them artistic and financial freedom to record their most ambitious second album.

Those were times of great risk and challenge, though certainly these have surrounded the entire history of Runrig. Ridge Records culminated in success and endowed the band with full professional status. Malcom was coaxed out of a glittering college career, Rory, a graphic designer, produced his latest masterpiece for ad agencies, and Donnie and Calum, teachers, couldn't get out of class fast enough anymore. In 1979 they went into the studio and recorded The HighLand Connection.

The band's sound was getting richer and there was a need to extend its musical parameters. They reinforced the rhythmic section with the union of a “Fifer” (fife: type of flute), Iain Bayne, taking charge of the drums, passing Calum to the percussion. This was the band that recorded the classic Recovery in 1981. Recovery was a concept album, dealing with the social history of Gaelic and introducing them to the struggle for the Gaelic language and cultures, which the band has always been a part of. It is from this environment that the core of the band has made its raison d'être musical, physical, emotional and spiritual.

After Recovery, the band felt the need to spread their wings from the Gaelic Highlands to reach larger audiences that seemed to have an interest in their music.

While certainly, as a Folk band, their songs reflected tradition, it was gratifying to reach new audiences who were interested in the band's music. It seemed now that the Gaelic could cross over and be accepted by a totally different environment. Once again there was the need to extend their musical parameters, by then already converted into a sextet, using the services of an Englishman, Richard Chern on keyboards. They had the dilemma of staying at Ridge Records or going out in search of bigger contracts. They started, then, this last path but it was not the right time and the recording company in question did not turn out to be the most suitable for the band. Thus they fully experienced the hegemony of commercial dictates over artistic ones with a London company.

Eventually the band returned to Ridge Records but only after a long delay, after which, in 1985, the 4th album, Heartland, was finally recorded. Richard left in 1986 to work in the theater and his vacancy was taken by another "Fifer", ex-BigCountry social worker Peter Wishart; formation, which lasted in the following decade. 1987 was clearly the year of the explosion. Highlights include a successful trip to Canada, the first time out to the Iron Curtain to play a festival in East Berlin, a live concert broadcast on ITV, a collaboration with the newly established kings of Rock'n'Roll U2 in Murrayfield. Stadium, Edinburgh and the publication of The Cutter and the Clan. The album was an incredible success for the Ridge label, taking Runrig from the rural industry to the national arena. It was time to sign with one of the booming record companies that had shown the most interest in the group; Chrysalis Records with its character of independence and musical integrity became an inseparable companion. In the summer of 1987 he signed a major international contract with the band and became the star of a total take on his life and work. The Cutter and the Clan was immediately reissued with Chrysalis quickly followed by the long awaited Once in a Lifetime. 1989 saw the release of Searchlight, which went straight to number 11 on the national charts, and was followed by a 50-date international tour of the UK and Europe, culminating in the Barrowlands. Scottish, with a concert recorded by STV for a future video.

The new decade started with a bang: just 30 scant minutes taken by the band in Glasgow's George Square were enough to lead the Hogmanay Show on the BBC. The STV network made a one-hour documentary recorded at the concerts in the BarrowLands that it broadcast in May. The response was overwhelming. The STV switchboard was then saturated for hours and the program had audience figures that were unbelievable for the network. 1990 also saw the release of the Capture the Hearth EP, which went straight into the singles charts at number 49. The opening at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow presented the opportunity to play multiple nights.. The result was 5 concerts with the “complete” sign. The long-awaited video City of Lights was published in November, entering the national charts with number 7. That year was completed with the tour of Alba. A busier year than expected, but there was still more to come.

Part Two

There are busy years and “full” years, and so it was in 1991. Listing all the events would not be enough to recount all the work of all those connected with the band but only a slight idea. The eighth and most successful album, The Big Wheel, went straight into the National Charts at #4. The open-air concert at Balloch Country Park on Loch Lomond, followed by 50,000 people, was an unbeatable opportunity to test Runrig's undoubtedly brilliant career. The Highlands and Islands tour brought them home again with a gigantic tent. The single Hearthammer broke into the Top 40 at number 25. Two more concerts on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle attracted enormous media interest, turning the Tour of The Big Wheel in international.

Another single, Flower of the West, was released and Tom Morton's book, Going Home, ended the year on top, immediately becoming a Scottish bestseller.. 1992 saw Runrig hard at work in the studios again as well as a number of festival appearances all over Europe. Fans saw the band heel Génesis twice; first Hockenheim, Germany and again at Roundhay Park, Leeds. Fans on the other side of the Atlantic, in Canada, had the opportunity to see them play in Toronto and Montreal, and they set foot in the United States for the first time to film in New York a documentary for STV entitled Air an Oir. On August 24th a new video, Wheel in Motion, was posted with live footage of the memorable Loch Lomond concert, the Highlands and Islands concert, Edinburgh Castle and other events around Europe. throughout 1991. At the same time, they continued to work on Air an Oir with Graeme Strong for Scottish Television. This film was broadcast on New Year's Eve, just saying goodbye to 1993 in the right direction.

November 1992 saw Runring return to Castle Sound studios in Pencaitland to record their next album which was completed by January 1993. The single, Wonderful, was released first, followed by the album. Amazing Things. It reached the highest position ever achieved on the Lists, entering the Gallup Ranking at number 2, just one point off the top. Wonderful and the second single, Greatest Flame, were both played on Top of the Pops due to their chart success. The rest of 1993 was used to promote the album, returning to live. The Amazing Things tour was the most successful ever and by the last show at Barrowlands on December 22, the band had played 99 concerts. They visited theaters in Germany and England for the second time, in addition to other notable performances in Ireland, London and the Scottish Fleadh.

Finland became new territory when they played the Turku Festival in August back home they entered the Top again and started a little tour of Castles and Canvases culminating with a pleasant return to the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in September. A high point of the year for Amazing Things was when the album won Best Record of the Year by the British Environment & Half. After getting some air and rest, 1994 was taken as a year to get away a bit, write and plan the new album. A live album came out at the end of the year and the follow-up studio album in early 1995. For the live album recording the band looked for imaginative outdoor venues to play in the summer, such as Tarlair in the North East of Scotland, Cologne in Germany and 2 nights at Stirling Castle whose performances were carefully recorded. The last night of the Amazing Things tour was also included.

Following a brief visit to Canada, Transmitting Live was published in November 1994 and was followed by a tour of Scotland, culminating in December with the show broadcast live on Hogmanay TV from Princess Street Garden., in Edinburgh. The new year of 1995 saw Runrig again in the framework of recordings. After a period of composition and rehearsals, they secluded themselves at the Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire to start recording their next album in April. Mara's sessions continued through the spring and summer at the nearby Castle Sound studios, near Edinburgh. In a short interlude of the recordings, the single Uhbal As Airde was released. Used as the soundtrack to a Carlsberg television ad, it garnered widespread public attention, achieving the highest-ever singles chart placement, number 18, and another Top of the Pops appearance. The most comforting fact of the song's success was the fact that it was the first Gaelic song to make the 20th position. In June a break from the studio was used to play a series of festivals and concerts in Europe. In particular, the first large open-air concert in front of 20,000 people in Germany in Loreley, on the banks of the Rhine.

Before the European shows the band played for Rod Steward at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen, and towards the end of August, they got a surprise invitation to heel the Rolling Stones, in Schuttorf, Germany. That day was particularly significant as they were required to play twice in the same evening, subsequently traveling to do their own concert in Jubek, supported by Mike and the Mechanics, which required careful planning plus a quick plane flight. The new album Mara was released in the autumn followed by another mini tour of Europe and the UK. The first single Things that Are entered the Top 40 and returned to its usual position on the Tops of the Pops. Mara's tour was the most ambitious to date, production wise and for many of the fans they were the most fantastic shows ever done. With the successful Mara over and parked, everyone thought that the band was at a crossroads and it was time to think about the future and their individual and collective aspirations. Donnie becoming more and more involved in Politics saw his increasing involvement in it as a process in front of Runrig.

Although everyone assumed it, no one was sufficiently prepared for the announcement to leave the band soon. The band entered the most doubtful and discontinuous period of its history. He didn't want to make any public statements for a certain period in case there was a change of plans and until everyone had given it enough thought. Somehow, everyone believed that they were facing the end of the formation that Runrig had had since 1986 and when they set a date it would be a decision agreed upon by all. Meanwhile the practice of daily work had to continue. It didn't matter what would come ahead. They were coming to the end of an era for the band and together with the record company they decided it was time to release a greatest hits: Best of Runrig. It would have been impossible for the band to decide on the final track listing then they thought it would be better to leave it up to the fans, which they did through the fan club. A fascinating market exercise: an album that was for the fans decided by themselves. Long Distance was released on October 7, entering at number 13 and kicking off a long and gushy tour through the fall of 1996 and spring of 1997, stopping once more to play at the already considered as the biggest street concert in Princess Street Garden, Edinburgh. The first single from the album was a cover of Rod Stewart's Rhythm of My Heart, recorded towards the end of the Mara sessions for possible inclusion in the film Loch Ness.

The last Long Distance show was in Bielefeld on the 12th of March and from there everyone returned home to put their individual aspirations into action and release their postponed individualities. Donnie was out campaigning for the General Election, having accepted the Liberal Party nomination where he took second place to Charles Kennedy, who happened to be a fan of Runrig. Malcolm took a breather from Runrig's music to immerse himself in projects of his own while Rory and Calum enjoyed the relative luxury of working on new material without the pressure of specific dates and goals. Everyone was waiting until the General Election was held and it was done. Donnie's future was made public and the band felt that the first to be informed should be the fans and they did so through their fan club magazine. Unfortunately with all the press interest Donnie had amassed during the election campaign, the media was flooded with speculation and rumors and eventually Aberdeen Castle had no choice but to lower the gates to shelter from the media bullying and went public.

Those were practical times. Donnie's departure had to mark it somehow and everyone was looking forward to the long-promised summer outdoor concert in Scotland. Stirling was considered the ideal venue, along with a series of concerts for his European fans in Denmark and a couple of nights for his English fans in Manchester. The Stirling concert was extended over 3 nights and added a return German concert to Tanzbrunnen, Cologne where part of the live album Transmitting was recorded. The final shows with Donnie were exciting for everyone and it was the best way to celebrate the end of an era in the band's existence and for Donnie to say a personal goodbye to him. The second night was recorded live for video release in late fall and although it was very popular it failed to capture all the emotion and spirit of the show. The last show on Saturday night was undoubtedly the band's most exciting and significant concert to date. The winter of 1997 arrived with the band reduced to 5 members and with the arduous task of auditioning singers for the new opening created with the annual Christmas tour on the horizon and with no one particularly excited for the next leg of the journey.

Part Three

1998 was the year that marked the band's 25th anniversary, and to celebrate the occasion they began work on a project that many fans had been asking for for a long time. A collection of Gaelic songs on CD. The recordings were collected, digitally remastered and released on The Gaelic Collection on Ridge Records in May.

The first part of 1998 was spent in more auditions although with constant disappointment and without any positive results, which meant that the band realized that the positive results would take time to arrive. By then they had already begun the recording of the next studio album whose work, from the beginning seemed controlled and exciting. After all the stress and difficulties of all those involved in it, things were gradually returning to normal and they were facing the changes in a positive way.

The long search for a new singer was finally coming to an end and by mid-July the band was able to announce that Bruce Guthro, from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, was to be the newest member of Runrig. Bruce had caught everyone's attention towards the end of the audition process and upon hearing him for the first time they knew instantly that they had something special on their hands. The new Runrig era had begun. Bruce again crossed the Atlantic to record 6 songs for the album and although it wasn't released until March 1999, fans were desperate to hear the new lineup live. The first concert was confirmed to be at the Tonder Music Festival in Denmark at the end of August, in a short appearance. The Next Stage tour was planned for fall and winter. Unbelievably it sounded as if, after much uncertainty, the band could enter the millennium recharged, refreshed and with much more enthusiasm than ever before.

Bruce's first show was a bit nervous but his popularity and acceptance would be complete during the concerts of the short Next Stage. Guthro was totally overwhelmed by the heat and the support he received from Runrig's fans. The album, In Search of Angles was released in early March 1999 and welcomed Runrig's return to Ridge Records in the UK and peaked at number 26 on the national charts. The single The Message was released a week before the album and although it was played extensively it was dropped from the singles charts because the rejuvenated label Ridge Records had not realized that industry rules regarding the format simple had changed. Too many B-sides had been included.

The album tour kicked off with 2 nights at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall before hitting the regular circuit. The second single Maymorning was timed to coincide with the general election of the new Scottish parliament on May 6 and was chosen by Scottish television to illustrate the information coverage of said elections during the campaign. The album tour continued throughout the summer with a series of open-air concerts and festivals in Denmark and Germany. At that time the coming millennium seemed to be exclusively in the minds of the people. The band seemed the natural candidate for Hogmanay entertainers. Many offers were considered but this seemed to be the most appropriate from the audience in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands.

January saw the band play for the first time at the already prestigious Celtic Connection folk festival. The show was a huge success and was recorded live for release on CD: Live at Celtic Connection. This, along with the release of a live video in Bonn, gave many fans the chance to see Bruce with the band live and the chance to see and hear the group's new sound. By then Bruce's new era at Runrig had been firmly established and the previous era could be evoked in December with the publication of Flower of the West, The Runrig Songbook: a comprehensive collection of every Calum and Rory song that had appeared on Runrig albums in the previous 25 years.

The way was clear for the next recording: album number 16, 9th in the studio. Since Bruce had reached the middle of recording the previous album, Angels, it was good to start a project from the beginning. The Stamping Ground, was a return to the roots, a traditional touch, reaffirming that the band was always trying to take contemporary musical paths and that it could break into century radio XXI. The process began with an ethnic drumming session at Ca.Va. in Glasgow followed by a fortnight's seclusion at Lundgaard Studios in Denmark, returning again to the mother studios in Scotland in the following months. Breaking the character of the group, they accepted the entry from Brazil of the Celtic fusionist Paul Mounsey, and with the production work of the Danish sound engineer Kristian Gislason. The album was published in the spring of 2001 with an unusual success among its fans; in the opinion of many, the best Runrig album ever made.

It was here that the band took another personal turn of the screw as a result of a new foray into Politics. Keyboardist Peter Wishart stood as a Scottish National Party candidate for North Tayside in the General Election. He was successful and left the band once again embroiled in auditions to replace him. Fortunately he was not so traumatic this time. A seasoned young musician named Brian Hurren was discovered right after his graduation from Perth Music College. The Stamping Ground tour began with 2 nights on the Isle of Skye and continued for 6 weeks. In Germany the band played on the legendary television show Geld Oder Lieben attracting what would undoubtedly be the highest audience ever achieved by the band before 5 million viewers. As a result of this performance, the German tour sold out and the album reached number 20 on the German charts.

Back in the UK, the singles Book of Golden Stories and Wall of China got more airplay than any of their previous recordings. Throughout the summer the Stamping Ground tour continued with various festivals and returned to Germany in December with the Whiskey and Gluhwein Christmas tour where a concert was filmed in Cologne for the Rockpalast TV series later broadcast on television and Internet. With the new band gaining confidence live it was clear that the new era of Runrig had evolved. With 2003 and the band's 30th anniversary in mind, it was decided to rush into the studio. Starting from the essence of the success of Stamping Ground with the engineer Kristian Gislason in the Arhus studio, Denmark, the process began in early 2002. This was going to be an essential pillar and a lot was moving around, especially recognizing the 30 years of the group. This sent them back to the influence of the Brazilian musician Paul Monsey. Following the success of Running to the Light, on Stamping Ground, Paul returned to put his stamp on the arrangements and production. As part of the project he rearranged 2 classic songs from the band from 1981's Recovery.

Proterra was recorded in 12 different studios around the world between 2002 and spring 2003. An exciting anecdote during the recording process occurred when in February 2003 it was presented to the band a CD recovered intact from the crash of the Columbia space mission. The tragedy shocked Runrig as astronaut Dr. Lauren Clark had long been a fan of the group and had contributed to the mission journal as she had used the song Runnig to the Light to wake up her companions on the Houston control center. It was Lauren's husband who presented the band with the framed CD. It was an exciting experience that took everyone away from the music for a while.

With the 2003 anniversary approaching, all spheres were focused on two pillars: the publication of Proterra and the anniversary concert on the esplanade of Stirling Castle, before the end of August. Throughout the summer festival circuit the band played a number of old songs: everything led to Stirling. It was to be the greatest occasion with personal significance for everyone involved in the group's march. Concert that would be recorded on a new album Day of Days, along with a video that would be published together. Last album for the moment.

Partial discography

• Play Gaelic (1978)
• Highland Connection (1979)
• Recovery (1981)
• Heartland (1985)
• The Cutter and the Clan (1987)
• Once in a Lifetime (1988)
• Searchlight (1989)
• The Big Wheel (1991)
• Amazing Things (1993)
• Transmitting Live (1994)
• Mara (1995)
• Long Distance..Best of (1996)
• Beat the Drum (1998)
• In Search of Angels (1999)
• Live at Celtic Connections (2000)
• The Stamping Ground (2001)
• Proterra (2003)
• Day of Days - Live - the 30th anniversary concert at Stirling Castle (2004) (also on DVD)
• Everything you see (2007)