Reviews

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. MBAlbum Review Scotsman I magazine. Saturday 13th November 98

Reviewer; Alistair Clark

Interesting. While some of the younger folkies are desperately trying to offload the pop baggage of their teens, McQuillan seems to be saying: “Nae chance pal!”. Working virtually as a one man band, not only singing, songwriting and playing most of the instruments but coping with the programming and engineering too, the former Avalon vocalist throws his head back and delivers his lusty, exuberant brand of folk-rock with persuasive power and confidence. No, it’s unlikely to charm the ears of the true traditional anoraks, what with all the pounding percussion and electronics, and it may be too raw’n’roll to work on the intellectual fusion level, but when McQuillan hits top gear, as in his impassioned Heroes, he demands attention, and gets it. There’s a nice wee number about the transformation of the shore area at Leith and a version of the lovely old song Black is the Colour, but for most of the way the emphasis is on hard-driving rock riffs rather than folky chordings. (AC)

LIVE REVIEW

EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS

Dougie McQuillan and Cranachan Finnegan's Wake. **** Friday 8th October 1998. Reviewer; Drew McAdam

Edinburgh-based Dougie McQuillan turned up with some of his musician friends for a pubband night, and turned the whole thing into a roaring party. The boys launched into a selection of spectacular foot stompin' numbers. While McQuillan thrashed his guitar, clearly enjoying every minute of it, the others followed in his wake. His voice - powerful yet marvellously clear - was perfectly suited to the band's thundering versions of Dirty Old Town and Whiskey In The Jar. The playlist even included a couple of Waterboys' numbers. Not many bands could get away with recycling a classic like Fisherman's Blues, but the band was more than up to the task - which gives some indication of their musical ability.

By skilfully combining violin, guitar and vocals with Lawrie Ball's keyboard skills and Roy Martin's driving bass, the band produced a marvellously rounded sound that had a significant section of the crowd spontaneously break into a jig. As the band piled on the pressure, more joined the dance which continued without a break for the rest of the night.

With the hi-energy Irish material out of the way, McQuillan slowed the proceedings right down with a couple of numbers from his new album Full Metal Anorak. The remarkably talented Gregor Borland - fiddler with Burach - was a joy to behold as he laid down a sweeping background for the deeply moving Black Is The Colour. Other tracks from the album included the unbelievably bizarre West Highland Girl, Rovin' Journeyman and the spectacular Heroes.

With John Swanney featuring on electric guitar Ali "Basher" Wilson thumped out a driving beat for the drum-led version of Will Ye Go, a number at which everybody from the Silencers to The Corries have had a crack at one time or another. However, none have produced a version as fine as this. It was an impressive performance, McQuillan's own material comparing favourably with the traditional classics. He is clearly a highly gifted individual - both as a writer and performer - with a talent that deserves a bigger stage.

Drew McAdam