Runrig Album: “Cutter and the Clan”

I first heard Runrig in a German CD store in the fall of 1991 and have been a fan ever since. Unfortunately, this Scottish group is virtually unknown in the U.S. They combine traditional Scottish musical sensibilities with rock. It is an excellent combination. "Hearts of Olden Glory" and "Alba" are standout tracks, but my all-time favorite song by them is "Rocket to the Moon." It is available here on this album. Another great Runrig album (probably their best) is "Runrig - Live," the album that I first heard by them. Hopefully Amazon.com will also carry that one soon. At any rate, "The Cutter and the Clan" is a fine album.

Okay, so the production is a bit too 80s, but "The Cutter and the Clan" is still the strongest album Runrig has ever made. Four of the band's best and best-known songs are here; "Rocket to the Moon", "Protect and Survive", the melodic but powerful "Pride of the Summer", and the soaring "Hearts of Olden Glory".

And the rest is NOT filler; rather it's excellent songs like "Alba", "Worker for the Wind", and "The Cutter". And as 80s as the production may seem (a little too clean, a sometimes-fake drum sound, you know the signs), it doesn't rob the MacDonald-brothers' songs of the grandour that their best material possesses.

At this point in their career Runrig had evolved into a rock band rather than a folk group, but the Scottish folk is still present in almost every song (not just the two that Donnie Munro sings in gaelic). There aren't too many wailing guitars here, even though this is a traditional drums-bass-guitars-keyboards-setup, and the drums do bite, but the melodies are beautiful and by far the most memorable of any Runrig album.

Runrig anno 1987 was melodic rock n' roll which had incorporated the best of folk. Highly recommended!

Great studio album of some of their most biggest hits though I personally prefer their live versions such as "Once In a Lifetime". This band unlike many other celtic music has no fiddle section but have a drummer and a percussionist - a very unique sound. The lyrics are intelligent and wonderful poetry. You will want to travel to the Scottish Highlands after listening to this - I did.