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  • The Battlefield Band
 Scottish Folk Groups
The Battlefield Band

The Battlefield Band's beginnings were in 1969, when Alan Reid, Brain MacNeill, Sandra Lang and Jim Thomson would play weekend gigs at Glasgow's Iron Horse pub. The band was named after the Battlefield area of Glasgow, where Brian had a flat. Years of dodgy gigs in pubs and personel changes ensued.

It wasn't until 1973 that the band played in a folk club, and it compelled them to make a greater effort to play well. Their first album was released in 1976... [I'll continue the Battlefield Band story later...]

Some of The Battlefield Band's recordings are detailed below:


Battlefield Band

Battlefield Band
The Battlefield Band: Volume 1 (Arfolk SB349, 1976)

Side One: Richmond/Le Reel du Pendu; Farewell to Nova Scotia; Dennis Murphy's Slide; The Bonnie Whaling Lassie; The Bonnie Wee Lassie Whi Never Said No; The Highland Brigade at Waterloo/The 74th's Highlanders/The 93rd's Farewell to Gibralter
Side Two: The Rybuck Shearer; The Fourposter Bed/Staten isalnd/Colonel Rodney; The Back i' Benachie; Revie's Reel/Mary McMahon; The Forfar Sodger; Paddy's Green Shamrock Shure

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, cittern, viola, concertina, mandoline); Alan Reid (organ, vocal, guitar); Ricky Starrs


Battlefield Band The Battlefield Band: The Battlefield Band (Topic 12TS313, 1977)

Side One: Silver Spear/Humours of Tulla; The Shipyard Apprentice (Archie Fisher/Norman Buchan/Bobby Campbell); Crossing the Minch/Minnie Hynd/Glasgoe Gaelic Club; The Brisk Young Lad; Birnie Bouzle; Compliments of the Band: Sir David Davidson of Cantray (Joseph Lowe)/A A Cameron's Strathspey/Scott Skinner#s Compliments to Dr MacDonald (JS Skinner)
Side Two: Bonnie Jean/Paddy fahey's Reel/Joseph's Fancy/The Hag's Reel; It Was All for Our Rightful King; The Inverness Gathering/Marquis of Huntly's Strathspey (Marshall)/John MacNeill's Reel; Miss Margaret Brown's Favourite (Nathaniel Gow)/Deserts of Tulloch; The Cruel Brother

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, cittern, viola, concertina, mandoline); Alan Reid (organ, vocal, guitar); John Gahagan (whistle, concertina); Jamie McMenemy (cittern, vocal, Portuguese guitarra);


At the Front The Battlefield Band: At the Front (Topic 12TS381, 1978)

Side One: Lady Carmichael/South of the Grampians (Porteous)/Mickie Ainsworth (Cooper); The Bachelor; Ge Do Theid Mi Do M'Leabaidh; The Battle of Harlaw; Jenny Nettles/The Grays of Tongside (Andrew Bain); Tae the Beggin'
Side Two: The Tamosher; The Blackbird and the Thrush (Carolan)/The Moray Club; Lang Johnnie Moir; The Brown Milkmaid/Dunnottar Castle/Maid of Glengarrysdale/Disused Railway; The Lady Leroy; Stirling Castle/Earl of Mansfield (J McEwan)

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, bouzouki, cittern, mandolin, viola, concertina); Alan Reid (electric piano, pedal organ, vocal, piano); Pat Kilbride (guitar, vocals, bodhran, cittern); Jamie McMenemy (mandolin, cittern, whistles, vocals, bouzouki);


Monksgate 1

Monksgate2

Monksgate3
Brian McNeill: Monksgate (Escalibur BUR801, 1978)

Side One: Queen of Sluts/Willie Is a Bonnie Lad; The Flowers of the Thorn; The Oyster Girl/The Centenery/Shane's Fancy; Master Crowley's Reel/Bobby Casey's Reel (Casey); The Duke of Fife's Welcome to Deeside (Skinner)/Belladrum House/Witch of the Wave; Rowley Burn (Charlton)/Roxburgh Castle
Side Two: Planxty Charles Coote/Planxty Hugh O'Donnell (both Carolan); The Bag of Potatoes/The Lig Pig Lamenting the Empty Trough/Brian O'Laimhin; Monksgate; The hag At the Spinning Wheel; The Eclipse/The Mathematician (Skinner); Modest Miss France (McNeill)/The Marchioness of Huntly/Miss Shephard (Skinner)/Pretty Peg

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, cittern, mandolin, viola, concertina); Alan Reid (pedal organ); Angus MacGregor (Northumbrian Pipes); Neil Evans (guitar); Nan Trench (flute); Pat Knowles (electric piano); Jamie Knowles (pedal organ); Jamie McMenemy (Portuguese gitarra); John Gahagan (whistle) Sandy Stanage (guitar); Dave Munro (uillean pipes);


At the Front The Battlefield Band: Stand Easy (Topic 12TS404, 1979)

Side One: Miss Drummond of Perth/Fiddler's Joy/Traditional Reel/The Shetland Fiddler; Seven Braw Goons; Miss Drummond of Perth's Favourite Scotch Measure/Miss MacLeod's Minuet; My Last Farewell to Stirling/Cuidich'n Righ; I Hae Laid a Herrin' in Saut/My Wife's a Wanton Wee Thing/The Banks of the Allan; The Battle of Falkirk Muir
Side Two: John D Burgess/The Braemar Gathering; I Hae Nae Kith I Hae Nae Kin; Miss Lyall/Small Coals for Nailers/Bleaton Gardens; Christ Has My Heart Ay; Joe McGann's Fiddle/Center's Bonnet

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, bouzouki, cittern, mandolin, viola, concertina, banjo, vocal); Alan Reid (electric piano, Hammond organ, pedal organ, vocal, piano, synthesisers); Jenny Clark (dulcimer, guitar, vocals, whistle, cittern); Duncan MacGillivray (Highland pipes, whistle, vocals, mouth organ, guitar)


Home The Battlefield Band: Home Is Where the Van Is (Temple TP005, 1980)

Side One: Major Malley's March/Major Malley's Reel/Malcolm Currie (William Gray); Bonny Barbry-O; Look Across the Water (Brian McNeill)/Mrs Garden of Troup (Robert Petrie)/The Keelman Ower Land; Braw Lads o' Galla Water; Up and Waur Them A' Willie; Joseph MacDonald's Jig (trad/MacGillivray)/The Snuff Wife/Thief of Lochaber
Side Two: Cockle Geordie/Miss Graham/Miss Thompson; The Boar and the Fox; Blackhall Rocks (Ged Foley); The Lads o' the Fair (Brian McNeill); The Cowal Gathering (John MacClellan)/The Iron Man (JS Skinner)/Dancing Feet (GS MacLennan)/Dick Gossip's Reel; Mary Cassidy (Alan Reid)

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, bouzouki, cittern, mandolin, viola, hurdy-gurdy, banjo, vocal); Alan Reid (electric piano, organ, vocal, pianos, synthesiser); Ged Foley (mandolin, guitar, vocals, Northumbrian pipes); Duncan MacGillivray (Highland pipes, whistle, vocals, mouth organ, guitar, vocals)
with Robin Morton (bodhran); Martin Colledge (tenor banjo)


So Far The Battlefield Band: The Story So Far (Temple TP007, 1982)
A compilation album

Side One: 74th's Farewell to Edinburgh/A Cup of Tea; The Shipyard Apprentice (Archie Fisher/Norman Buchan/Bobby Campbell); Johnny Armstrong/Captain Ross; The Atholl Gathering; Miss Drummond of Perth's Favourite Scotch Measure/Miss MacLeod's Minuet; Rantin' Rovin' Robin; Joseph MacDonald's Jig (trad/MacGillivray)/The Snuff Wife/Thief of Lochaber
Side Two: Ge Do Theid Mi Do M'Leabaidh; Wae's Me for Prince Charlie; Miss Margaret Brown's Favourite (Nathaniel Gow)/Deserts of Tulloch; Seven Braw Gowns; Lady Madeleine Sinclair/The Spey in Spate (JS Skinner)/The Duke of Perth; The Bachelor; Lord Huntly's Cave (JS Skinner)/The Lady In the Bottle (Archie G Kenneth)/Stewart Chisholm's Walkabout (Stuart Finlayson)

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, viola, cittern, vocals, bouzouki, mandolin, concertina), Alan Reid (keyboards, vocals, guitar), Ged Foley (Northumbrian pipes, guitar), Sylvia Barnes (dulcimer, bodhran, vocals), Jim Barnes (guitar, cittern), Jamie McMenemy (vocal, whistles, giterra, cittern) Duncan MacGillivray (Highland pipes, guitar, mouth organ, whistle) John Gahagan (concertina, whistle), Pat Kilbride (guitar, vocals) Jenny Clark (cittern, dulcimer)
with Robin Morton (bodhran), Martin Colledge (tenor banjo), Dave Munro (Uillean pipes)


Buzz1

Buzz2
The Battlefield Band: There's a Buzz (Temple TP010, 1982)

Side One: Bessie MacIntyre (W MacLean)/Johnny MacDonald's Reel (J Center)/Roddy MacDonald's Fancy; Shining Clear (L Stevenson/A Reid); Sir Sidney Smith's March; A Chance as Good As Any (B McNeill)/Reid's Rant (A Reid); Lord Haddo's Favourite; Tending the Steer (trad/MacGillivray)/Sandy Thompson (J Wilson)/The Calrossie Cattle Wife (D MacGillivray)
Side Two: The Presbyterian Hornpipe/The Watchmaker's Daughter (B McNeill)/The Hurricane (JS Skinner); The Battle of Waterloo/Kilcoy's March/The Quaker; One Miner's Life (Ed Pickford)/The Image of God (J Corrie/A Reid); Kantara to el'Arish (W Ferguson)/Christmas Carousal/Willie Roy's Loomhouse; The Green Plaid

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill; Alan Reid; Duncan MacGillivray (Highland pipes);


Anthem The Battlefield Band: Anthem for the Common Man (Temple TP015, 1984)

Side One: The Four Minute Warning: The Tide's Out/James MacLellan's Favourite (Duncan Johnstone)/Dougie's Decision (John Gahagan)/The Ferryman (Donald MacLeod)/Lady Doll Sinclair; The Old Changing Way (Richard Thompson); The Hook of Holland (B McNeill)/Dominic MacGowan (Duncan Johnstone); The Snows of France and Holland (B McNeill) Sauchiehall Street Salsa: McHugh's Other Foot (John Gahagan)/The Man with Two Women
Side Two: Anthem (James Oswald); The Yew Tree (B McNeill); Port of Call (Kieran Halpin); Ina MacKenzie/ The Braes of Mellinish/Troy's Wedding (Colin Magee); Miners' Wives (J Corrie/A Reid); I Am the Common Man (J Corrie/A Reid)

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, mandocello, guitar); Alan Reid (keyboards, vocals); Dougie Pincock (whistles, Highland pipes, small pipes, flute); Alistair Russell (cittern, guitar, vocals)


On the Rise The Battlefield Band: On the Rise (Temple TP021, 1985)

Side One: John MacKenzie's Fancy (J Barrie)/The Train Journey North (T Anderson); Carnlough Bay; The Pilgrim's March/Scarlet and Black (Brian McNeill)/The Struggle (D Pincock)/Struy Lodge (William Ross); Montrose (Brian McNeill); She's Late But She's Timely (Alan Reid); Bad Moon Rising (J Fogerty)/The Rising Moon Reel (D Pincock)
Side Two: The Clumsy Lover (Neil Dickie)/The Unmade Bed (D Pincock); The Dear Green Place (Alan Reid); The Gale Warning (R Seton)/The Anchor's Steam Reel (Brian McNeill)/The Farmer's Daughter; Island Earth No More (J Corrie/Battlefield Band)/Flight of the Eaglets (Wm Ross); After Hours (C McGettigan)Green Gates/The Ship in Full Sail

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, mandocello, mandolin, guitar, vocals, cittern); Alan Reid (keyboards, vocals); Dougie Pincock (whistles, Highland pipes, small pipes, flute, tom-tom, mandolin, bodhran); Alistair Russell (guitar, vocals)


Music In Trust Various: Music In Trust (Temple TP022, 1986)
with Alison Kinnaird, Brian McNeill, Dougie Pincock, Alan Reid

Side One: The Sweet Maid of Mull (AC Beaton)/Macleod of Mull (Donald Macleod); Frideray (Pincock/Reid); Cro Cinn t-Saile/The Kilbarchan Weaver; Lady Haddo (M MacDonald); The Silver Darlin's (McNeill/Pincock); The Duchess of Gordon (Marshall); The St Kilda Girls Lament/The St Kilda Wedding March
Side Two: Anster Market (McNeill)/The East Neuk of Fife; Brodick Castle (Alan Reid); Dunkeld Steeple (Niel Gow)/Killiecrankie; Mo Run Geal Og; Glenfinnan Highland Gathering/Lady MacKenzie of Gairloch/The Five Sisters (Pincock); Held In Trust (Kinnaird)

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Alison Kinnaird (clarsach, vocals) Brian McNeill (fiddle, viola, concertina, cittern, guitar); Alan Reid (keyboards, vocals); Dougie Pincock (whistles, Highland pipes, flute);


Celtic Hotel The Battlefield Band: Celtic Hotel (Temple TP027, 1987)

Side One: Conway's Farewell (Dougie Pincock)/Andy Renwick's Ferret (Gordon Duncan)/Short Coated Mary; Seacoalers (Brian McNeill); return to Kashmagiro (D Pincock)/The Cuddy with the Wooden Leg (Brian McNeill); Jock the Can (Alan Reid); The Rovin' Dies Hard (Brian McNeill); Muineira Sul Sacrato Della Chiesa/Hy O Y Frwynen/E Kostez an Henbont
Side Two: The Celtic Hotel (Robin Morton/Battlefield Band); The Left-Handed Fiddler (JS Skinner)/The Floating Crowbar/The Ships Are Sailing/Lucy Campbell/June Apple; We Work the Black Seam (Sting); The Tail o' the Bank (Alan Reid); Togail Curs Air Leodhas (trad/D Pincock); Cran Tara (D Pincock)/Madadh Ruadh (D Pincock)

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill (fiddle, mandocello, mandolin, electric guitar, vocals, cittern, bouzouki); Alan Reid (keyboards, vocals); Dougie Pincock (whistles, Highland pipes, small pipes, flute, bodhran, soprano sax, alto sax, low whistle); Alistair Russell (guitar, vocals)


Home Ground The Battlefield Band: Home Ground (Temple TP034, 1989)

Side One: Skinner's Compliments to Dr MacDonald (JS Skinner)/The Ivory Reel (B McNeill)//Miss Susan Fedderson (B McNeill)/Tuireadh Iain Ruaidh/The Ladies from Hell (J MacMillan)/The Roes Among the Heather/Islay's Charms (Iain C Cameron)/The Banks of the Allan; The Yewe Tree (B McNeill); After Hours (C McGettigan)/Whiskey In the Jar/Green Gates/The Ship in Full Sail; Farewell Johnny Miner (Ed Pigford); The Four Minute Warning: The Tide's Out/James MacLellan's Favourite (Duncan Johnstone)/Dougie's Decision (John Gahagan)/The Ferryman (Donald MacLeod)/Lady Doll Sinclair;
Side Two: John MacKenzie's Fancy (J Barrie)/Dr John McInnes' Fancy/The Train Journey North (Tom Anderson); The Rovin' Dies Hard (B McNeill); Fare Thee Well Whisky; Peace and Plenty (B McNeill); Band of a Thousand Chances: Land of a 1000 Dances (Kenner/Domino)/The Dashing White Sergeant/Donald Where's Your Trousers (McLeish/Kennedy)/The Fairy Dance/Let's Twist Again (Appell/Kalmann)/Mrs McLeod of Raasay/With a Little Help from My Friends (Lennon/McCartney)/The Atholl Highlanders

All tracks traditional except where indicated

Brian McNeill, Alan Reid, Iain MacDonald, Alistair Russell


New Spring The Battlefield Band: New Spring (Temple TP045, 1991)

Side One: Inverary Castle (Wm Laurie)/Calum Beag/Lucy Cassidy (George Macintyre); The Green and the Blue (Alan Reid); Seann Bhriogais Aig Uilleam/Lady Margaret Stewart; Working Away (Alistair Russell)/The Toastie Jig (Iain MacDonald/John McCusker); The Prince of Wales/Angst Agus Angus (Alan Reid)/Let There Be Drams (Alan Reid/John McCusker)
Side Two: Miss Sarah MacManus (Iain MacFarlane)/The Appropriate Dipstick (Iain MacDonald/Phil Cunningham)/Cape Breton Fiddlers' Welcome to Shetland (Willie Hunter); The Devil Uisge Beatha (Alan Reid); The Golden Eagle/O'er the Moor to Maggie/The Highland Man Kissed His Grannie/Wissahickon Drive (Liz Carroll); I Feel Like Going Home (Charlie Rich); Farewell My Love/Auchindoun/Tom Paine's Strathspey (John McCusker)/The Sands of Loch Bee (John MacDonald)/The Handshaker (Allan Angus MacDonald)/Cailleach An Dudain

All tracks traditional except where indicated

John McCusker (fiddle, whistle, accordeon, keyboards, cittern, vocals); Alan Reid (keyboards, vocals); Iain MacDonald (Highland pipes, whistes, flute, vocals); Alistair Russell (cittern, guitar, vocals)


 Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Perthshire | nigelgatherer@mac.com