For 30 years Battlefield Band has been a training ground for some of the greatest Scottish musicians. The band's current brand of music was developed when Jenny Clark (vocals, guitar, cittern, dulcimer) and Duncan McGillivray (pipes and whistle) joined up with Brian McNeill and Alan Reid. Stand Easy, the album they recorded in 1979 still stands up as one of the band's finest. The next line-up included Dougie Pincock (bagpipes) and Jim and Sylvia Barnes, Alan Reid (vocals andelectric keyboards) and Brian MacNeill (fiddle). Alan has been a constant member ever since. Every line-up has had a bagpiper, and sometimes two. For a mainly instrumental and traditional band, the presence of electric keyboards is unusual but even more unusual is the absence of percussion. Every album revives some well-researched, long-dead Scottish songs and tunes as well as modern compositions (often original ones). The music ranges from the usual drinking, friendship and hard times to history, geography and politics.
The Battlefield Band
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For 30 years Battlefield Band has been a training ground for some of the greatest Scottish musicians. The band's current brand of music was developed when Jenny Clark (vocals, guitar, cittern, dulcimer) and Duncan McGillivray (pipes and whistle) joined up with Brian McNeill and Alan Reid. Stand Easy, the album they recorded in 1979 still stands up as one of the band's finest. The next line-up included Dougie Pincock (bagpipes) and Jim and Sylvia Barnes, Alan Reid (vocals and electric keyboards) and Brian MacNeill (fiddle). Alan has been a constant member ever since. Every line-up has had a bagpiper, and sometimes two. For a mainly instrumental and traditional band, the presence of electric keyboards is unusual but even more unusual is the absence of percussion. Every album revives some well-researched, long-dead Scottish songs and tunes as well as modern compositions (often original ones). The music ranges from the usual drinking, friendship and hard times to history, geography and politics. As one the most well-travelled folk bands of the past 20+ years it is no surprise that there have been some exhausted members.
Current members are: Alan Reid, Mike Katz, Sean O'Donnell & Alasdair White
Alan Reid - Keyboards/Accordion/Guitar/Vocals (also only remaining, founding member of the band)
Alasdair White - Fiddle/Whistle/Banjo/Bazouki/Highland and Small Pipes/Bodhran/...
Mike Katz - Highland pipes/small pipes/various whistles/bass guitar
Sean O'Donnell - vocals/guitar
Note: Sean O'Donnell is the most recent addition to Battlefield Band. Irish, he replaced former Irish vocal/guitarist Pat Kilbride July 2005.
Past members include:
Brian McNeill - fiddle, writes detective novels
Jen Clark - vocals and multi-instrumentalist (still doing amazing things with the dulcimer) is currently based in Edinburgh and doing some exciting work with Iain Macinnes and Mairi Campbell
John McCusker - fiddle, replacing McNeill seemed like an impossible task, but McCusker, still a teenager at the time did it. After a few years he went solo, adopted a Mohican hair-cut and married Yorkshire folk singer Kate Rusby
Davy Steele - (1948 - 2001) sang with Drinkers Drouth, Ceolbeg and Clan Alba as well as making solo albums.
Dougie Pincock - (bagpipes) now director of the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music (Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd) in Plockton.
Duncan MacGillivray - (bagpipes) has won many piping competitions
Iain MacDonald - (bagpipes) is now the musician in residence at the Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye.
Alistair Russell - (guitar, vocal) during his 13 years in the band he claims to have travelled one million miles. Now acclaimed as a soloist.
Pat Kilbride - (guitar, vocal) lived in Brittany, Belgium then the USA. He has recorded with "The Kipps Bay Ceilidh Band".
Ged Foley - (guitar, vocal) has recorded with Patrick Street and the House Band
Discography
Battlefield Band (1976)
At the Front (1978)
Stand Easy (1979)
Preview (1980)
Home Is Where the Van Is (1980)
The Story So Far (1982)
There's a Buzz (1982)
Anthem for the Common Man (1984)
On the Rise (1986)
Music in Trust Vol 1 (1986)
After Hours - Forward to Scotland's Past (1987)
Celtic Hotel (1987)
Music in Trust Vol 2 (1988)
Home Ground - Live From Scotland (1989)
New Spring (1991)
Quiet Days (1992)
Opening Moves (1993)
Threads (1995)
Across The Borders (1997)
Rain, Hail or Shine (1998)
Leaving Friday Harbour (1999)
Quiet Days (1999)
Happy Daze (2001)
Time and Tide (2002)
Best of Battlefield 1976 - 2003
Out for the Night (2004)
Brian MacNeill's solo albums:
Monksgate (1978)
Unstring Hero (1985)
The Busker And Devil's Only Daughter (1985)
The Back o' the North Wind (1991)
No Gods (1995)
To Answer the Peacock (1999)
Brian McNeill and Tom McDonagh:
Horses for Courses (1993)
Brian McNeill and Iain MacKintosh:
Stage by Stage (1995)
Brian McNeill and Alan Reid:
Sidetracks (1981)
Iain MacKintosh and Brian McNeill:
Gentle Persuasion (1997)
Alistair Russell:
Getting to the Border (1984)
A19 (2002)
Alistair Russell and Chris Parkinson:
Paddy Goes To Huddersfield (2001)
Alan Reid:
The Sunlit Eye (1997)
John McCusker:
John McCusker (1995)
Yella Hoose (2000)
Goodnight Ginger (2003)
Blazin' Fiddles (includes John McCusker):
Blazin' Fiddles (2003)
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