Disintegrating Glaswegian rockers Tear Gas recruit veteran frontman Alex and quickly establish themselves as one of the most thrillingly entertaining live acts of the mid-seventies. Their three sell-out shows at Glasgow Apollo in 1975 pass into rock
folklore and they release a string of consistently high quality albums peaking with 1974's The Impossible Dream.
2: THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND Formed in Edinburgh in 1965, their debut album caused a stir in folk music circles. Led by the extraordinarily creative talents of Robin Williamson and Mike Heron, by 1968 they had virtually reinvented the genre and were internationally revered. Forty years on The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter still stands as a landmark recording; a richly textured concoction of psychedelia shot through with vivid biblical imagery and childhood whimsy.
3: THE FRANKIE MILLER BAND Glasgow has always produced outstanding blues singers, and back in the seventies Frankie's band were the hottest ticket this side of downtown Chicago. 1975's classic album The Rock had a totally authentic feel with the singer belting out seemingly autobiographical self-penned songs such as Bridgeton and Drunken Nights in The City.
4: THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND So, Scottish bands can rock, they can sing the blues, but have they got soul? The Average White Band proved that they most certainly did, garnering instant acclaim with their 1973 debut. A move to Atlantic Records the following year catapulted them into the big-league State-side on the back of million-selling, chart-topping Pick Up The Pieces.
5: THE BATTLEFIELD BAND The ever-evolving Battlefield Band have been a much-loved institution from Brian McNeill's early days through whizz-kid John McCusker's remarkable debut to the current line-up with piping supremo and apparent ZZ Top escapee Mike Katz. Possibly the only Scottish band to go down a storm in Uzbekistan.
The full article contains 312 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
