Music & Merchandise

The Live Music Guide Scotland

Album of the Month – November 98

Dougie McQuillan FULL METAL ANORAK

With an album cover like that even a Scottish folk musician deserves a fair hearing. And with a first track like West Highland Girl he deserves a good review.

Kinda like a Scottish-folk pop equivalent of Van Morrisson’s Brown Eyed Girl, but with more vigour, this lively little number bounces along with great heart and good humour. The sort of rock n’ roll type song where a bloke constantly praises a girl he’s head over heels with We’ve all heard plenty of the like, but with fiddles, accordion and a Scot’s accent it verges on the brilliantly ridiculous, but heart-warmingly so.

Even if folk’s not your flagon of home brew in any shape or form, beg, borrow or steal yourself a listen to this track – it’s one of the best I’ve heard this year.

The albums other track are of a more typical folk ilk, but still lively and spiced up with electric guitar and keyboards. Not so much folk rock as folk roll. There are a couple of traditional and even the odd bit of rum-tiddley-aye-ayes, but in true folk tradition all the songs are based on memories and experiences. Where I Come From is about drinking by the shore in Leith, whereas Six Months In A leaky Boat is a tribute to the punk band Split Enz who went on to become Crowded House.

Soundwise this is very reminiscent of the Waterboys, but owing to a lifetime of travel and gigging with countless folk bands Dougie McQuillan’s lyrical content is more credible, and thus this is folk with a pop edge rather than pop-based folk.

Reviewer Tall Paul R

The Tain. March 2000.

Essential Celtic Albums of the Nineties.

(edit) to follow the ex-pogue I must bring attention to the relatively unknown Dougie McQuillan . A strong voiced Scot with scant concern for the more established tastes as he blasts his way through his highly energised FULL METAL ANORAK. Although mostly overlooked in reviews he gives a modern twist to the Scottish sound with seriously witty pop songs mixed with the traditional. This, perfectly bridges the void between Shane’s (McGowan) Pot’ and Van Morrison‘s Days Like These....

Highlights = West Highland Girl and Heroes. MB