Jock 'n' Roll

Featured Voter

Murray Easton, Carluke

Teenage Fanclub

1) Bandwagonesque – Teenage Fanclub
I was 15 when this LP of pop nuggets was released in 1991. I bought it on vinyl from Missing Records and played it to death, fascinated and enchanted by the
chiming guitars, glorious harmonies, humour and ability from a group of boys from Bellshill. I remember feeling strangely proud when ‘December’ was
used as the background music to a feature on Blue Peter. I may rate ‘Screamadelica’ as a better album but in my heart the Fanclub and ‘Bandwagonesque’, the beautiful pink album sleeve with a bag of dollars will
always be number 1.

2) Screamadelica – Primal Scream
1991 was quite a year for Scottish music as Creation and Bobby Gillespie unleashed this beast of an album. Gillespie’s musical taste and knowledge were never in doubt but few could have imagined the scope of his ambition and the lengths he would go to realise them. The Scream roped in Andy Weatherall on production duties and he took them higher than the sun. From the Stonesy ‘Movin’ On Up’ to the delicate trippy ‘Shine Like Stars’ this album took you on a trip to end all trips. Timeless. My abiding memory of this album is of playing it ten times in a row in the summer of 1994 on strawberries!

3) The Boy With The Arab Strap - Belle and Sebastian
I was lucky enough to catch B&S in Glasgow when they released ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister..’ but this was their first album I truly loved. Upbeat, clever, full
of humour, featuring all kinds of musical instruments, this was a band in love with making music and you could hear the results on vinyl. My favourite memory of this album actually occurred years after the release when I was walking home from a night out in Barcelona and heard the closing section of ‘Dirty Dream Number 2’ drifting out of an open window. My girlfriend and I stopped to listen. A lovely moment!

4) A Complete History – The Vaselines
I am sure this album counts after reading through the rules. Why am I voting for it? Memories of my teenage years and the fact it contains one of my favourite songs and Eugene Kelly played an acoustic set at my sisters 21st last year! I remember hearing ‘Molly’s Lips’ and ‘Son Of A Gun’ off Nirvana’s ‘Insecticide’ album and discovering that they were originally written and recorded by a band from Scotland called The Vaselines. I tracked down the album at Missing Records and remember feeling quite cool, as the lovely
female assistant seemed quite impressed when I asked for it. This is the sound of two people having fun. The results do vary but when they hit the mark they
really hit the mark. A landmark album if only for the fact that it resulted in Nirvana covering 3 of the songs. The two aforementioned and the glorious ‘Jesus Don’t Want Me For A Sunbeam’. My abiding memory is of my sister Carla from the Futuristic Retro Champions www.myspace.com/retrochamps singing backing vocals to ‘Son Of A Gun’ with Eugene at her 21st in 2006.

5) Destroy Rock’n’Roll – Mylo
This album was like a breath of fresh air for me when it arrived in 2004. I was lucky enough to get into it from the start so I could watch it’s meteoric rise.
This is a DIY punk album Noughties style. Recorded on a laptop in Mylo’s bedroom. It is jam-packed full of hooks, beautifully produced (obviously with a great deal of care by Mylo) and full of fantastic songs. It’s a strong album from start to finish. My main memory of this album is of going to see Mylo at a sold
out gig in King Tuts just after the album broke and then heading down to a Saltlick aftershow party at the Riverside Club and dancing on stage while Mylo dj’d!

6) Honey’s Dead - Jesus & Mary Chain
Another album from my teenage years! I guess that is a time when you fall in love with music and the albums from that time stay with you all your life. I remember buying this album on cassette from a record shop in Cadzow Street in Hamilton.

7) Life Goes On – BMX Bandits
This is by no means a classic album but I couldn’t do a list of favourite Scottish albums without including the BMX Bandits, a band that have made me smile on
many occasions since I discovered them. ‘Serious Drugs’ is a classic song.

8) Love – Aztec Camera
It’s got ‘Somewhere In My Heart’ on it – pop classic! Gets me singing along every time.

9) Truckload of Trouble - The Pastels
Laid back indie guitar album - brilliant.

10) KC OK - King Creosote
With a little help from The Earlies - melow gold.

Worst Scottish Album of all-time

The Meaning Of Love – Michelle McManus
McManus won a show called The X-Factor, something that she clearly doesn’t have. She wouldn’t even win the weekly karaoke competition in the Horseshoe. Now I can’t say I have actually heard this album but the very fact that it was allowed to be recorded, released and promoted is very, very sad.

And those, dear (and cheap) friends, are the Album Poll votes of Murray Easton. Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know on the Discussion Forum.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by individual Featured Voters are their own and in no way represent the views of jocknroll.com as a whole. Swearing is neither big nor clever but fuck it!