Runrig - The First Review. Review on The Stamping Ground - Runrig

First off, I wish to thank MS for making this category available for me. I apologize for LowOiL taking so long to pen it. It has been a burden on my heart for some time now for not doing so. Anyway...

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Runrig is a Scottish origin band dating back to the 70's. Started by the two Macdonalds brothers (Rory on guitar and Calum on drums) , and this duo still remain the heart of the group today. After 30 plus years (started in 1973) they are still going strong and still selling out packed stadiums, even with the main stream media ignoring them and their accomplishment. Thank goodness, fans don't, and flock to concerts from all over the world.

The band released it's first album, without much fanfare around 1978. It was done in the Gaelic language (old language from Scotland). Aptly titled ''Play Gaelic'' it was a flop and only later became successful after the band's third album ( Recovery ) in 1981 (when diehard fans began collecting prior music from them). Runrig slowly did less Gaelic language songs after the first album to reach a broader audience, but still include a song or two on each album in Gaelic, a trend they still do today (and some of the traditional songs are the fans favorites). I personally love this Gaelic song ... (I will not even tell you the title, and it is in very low quality thus not to upset the net monster mp3 monsters)... but I will temporarily host it for a day or two... It will probable be the first time most you have even heard a Gaelic word spoken..

https://lo-l.com/runrig.mp3

After 30 years, how does Runrig continue to sell out concert halls? You just have to see them to understand. I have never been to one of their concerts personally (since they have never came to America), but I have bought several of their videos and every ''live'' album released. To me, it is the sway in their voices, the magic in how each member works together, it is in the way the fan and Runrig link together, you can tell there is a love relationship, this relationship still feels fresh and new, you can tell the band loves it audience (and their music)... Runrig takes it fans seriously, something few pop acts do nowadays.

Donnie Munro was the long time lead singer, but has recently left for a political career, Riggies thought it would spell the end of world, but the Malcom brothers did a worldwide search for a suitable replacement for Monro, thus now Bruce Guthro taking up the standard as Runrig’s lead vocalist. He is doing a superb job of it too.

Unfortunately, so many Runrig fans (called [b]Riggies[/b]) attend concerts, that not only do you have to be early to get tickets, but getting a seat where you can still see the whites in their eyes, is very expensive. I hope to one day see Runrig in the US, but after 30 years, I am starting to lose faith. Runrig has fans on both coast of the US, but very little airplay has left the group to find fans basically through word of mouth. I was introduced to them via a penpal in California about 17 years ago. I have been solidly hooked since then...

BTW.. this is the middle of my review, I want to test something... Please only rate my review lowly. Please no high ratings, I just want to see if people are actually reading this review before rating it... So if you rate my review highly, then it proves that you have not read it completely... You are cheating... Please make no mention of this sneaky test in the comments section, because that would tip off the others to my little test... So once again, please only rate my review in the bottom two ratings. If you rate it highly, I will assume you did not read this the whole review...

A ''MS skimmer'' will be my new term...

Anyway,,, I would like to list some of my favorite songs by this band...

Rocket to the Moon - one of the more lively songs, a bit simplistic, but you find yourself coming back for more time and time again....

Alba --- There is an intrinsic highly seductive tribal element in Alba, Pure Gold, folk/rock at it's greatest. I prefer the live version best...

Ard -- Gives me chillbumps to this day. No body could pull this song off with class other than Runrig... The vocals make you want to become Scottish. It is almost like an unspoken love language that few have ever heard...

Harvest Moon -- Ditto to the chillbumps, and again, proof that there is nobody that can come close to Runrig's style of folk/rock. When Munro slows down the tempo to just his solo, you just have to stop what you are doing and listen. No person can portray that sorta of passion/love the way Monro does. The song finishes with a soulful (black gospel) twist that just adds dimension. Sheer musical genius.

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Anyway, please take a minute or two to listen to the low sample rate mp3 I placed up above (for a very short period). This is rock music at it's finest transformed into such precisional national heritage, so powerful it could be dangerous in the wrong hands. . Then go out and buy all [b]15[/b] albums.. I have, and I will continue to grab anything this band puts out in the future.

If you like what you hear, then a good place to start to gain more firsthand knowledge is the band's official web site... https://runrig.co.uk

After [b]fully[/b] reading my review, please rate it. Comments are welcome too.