B-A-G-P-I-P-E-S
May 19, 2010 2:03 PM Subscribe
Recommend me your favorite bagpipe-centric music.
I'm sure you've been in the situation where you've listened to too much accordion music and need some bagpipes to balance things out.
I need the most delicious bagpipe music you've ever heard. I don't care about the culture or the genre, but the bagpipe has to be heavy in it — none of this where the bagpipe's playing a little ditty next to a loud guitar and a loud vocalist. I mean, guitars are cool, vocalists are cool, but if I'm listening to this music and not immersed in bagpipe drones it is not what I'm looking for right now.
Feel free to share your most passionate bagpipe obsessions. The more excited you are about your bagpipe music, the more I would be delighted to hear it.
I'm sure you've been in the situation where you've listened to too much accordion music and need some bagpipes to balance things out.
I need the most delicious bagpipe music you've ever heard. I don't care about the culture or the genre, but the bagpipe has to be heavy in it — none of this where the bagpipe's playing a little ditty next to a loud guitar and a loud vocalist. I mean, guitars are cool, vocalists are cool, but if I'm listening to this music and not immersed in bagpipe drones it is not what I'm looking for right now.
Feel free to share your most passionate bagpipe obsessions. The more excited you are about your bagpipe music, the more I would be delighted to hear it.
Another great bagpipe song is Scotland the Brave, which incidently is sampled in a very catchy way in Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners.
posted by amyms at 2:13 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by amyms at 2:13 PM on May 19, 2010
Sorry, I should mention that the sample in Come On Eileen isn't bagpipes (just threw it in for a cross reference).
posted by amyms at 2:20 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by amyms at 2:20 PM on May 19, 2010
Hellbound train
Although I reject your premise. Too much accordion music is impossible.
posted by Lemurrhea at 2:20 PM on May 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Although I reject your premise. Too much accordion music is impossible.
posted by Lemurrhea at 2:20 PM on May 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Too much accordion music is impossible.
It isn't "too much" in a long-run sense, but these last two weeks have seen a little too much Guy Klucevsek and Accordion Tribe. That lovely soft sound needs to be harshed up. Hence begpipes!
posted by Rory Marinich at 2:22 PM on May 19, 2010
It isn't "too much" in a long-run sense, but these last two weeks have seen a little too much Guy Klucevsek and Accordion Tribe. That lovely soft sound needs to be harshed up. Hence begpipes!
posted by Rory Marinich at 2:22 PM on May 19, 2010
You very much want Corvus Corax. I saw them a year or two ago in concert; there aren't many bands that have four bagpipers. You may in particular want their stuff prior to Cantus Buranus; they've been doing a lot more fully orchestrated (albeit still bagpipe-heavy) stuff since then. They're part of a medieval music scene in Germany; you'll find a lot of other bands with many bagpipes there. For bands with a fairly similar repertoire, you'll want Cornix Maledictum, Ohrenpeyn, Cultus Ferox, Schlemish, and maybe Schandmaul or Wolfenmond. Saltatio Mortis and In Extremo do more rock/metal based stuff; bands like Psalteria and Estampie (and a bunch of others) have stuff that's generally on the softer end of the spectrum, with a lot more singing.
(I assume you've got some Irish and Scottish stuff already?)
posted by ubersturm at 3:24 PM on May 19, 2010
(I assume you've got some Irish and Scottish stuff already?)
posted by ubersturm at 3:24 PM on May 19, 2010
Response by poster: I've got a mix of things. I actually don't have much at all bagpipe-related; I have Corvus Corax's Venus Vena Musica, I have a Montbel album, I enjoy Carlos Nunez, but I don't have any Scottish/Irish that's specifically focused on bagpipe. So if you have any to offer, it's very welcome!
posted by Rory Marinich at 3:28 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by Rory Marinich at 3:28 PM on May 19, 2010
Tattoo, by Mike Oldfield. Starts out synthesizer, but give it a minute. NEVER fails to give me the Bagpipe Chills (which, by the way, I believe must be genetic-- my mother's a Scot.)
posted by holterbarbour at 4:03 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by holterbarbour at 4:03 PM on May 19, 2010
Well, there's always Bagpipe Techno.
In my humble opinion, the best bagpipe player in the world is Christopher Layer (and a sweeter man you will never meet).
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:07 PM on May 19, 2010
In my humble opinion, the best bagpipe player in the world is Christopher Layer (and a sweeter man you will never meet).
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:07 PM on May 19, 2010
Houston band Clandestine, featuring piper E.J. Jones, has rabid fans. I'm especially fond of their first album, The Ale is Dear.
Jam session (This one takes a while to get going, but it's well worth the wait.)
The Hare Reels
These guys are so infectious that my mother, who is tone deaf and says she "doesn't really get the whole 'music' thing", asked me for a copy of their album after hearing two songs.
posted by MexicanYenta at 4:29 PM on May 19, 2010
Jam session (This one takes a while to get going, but it's well worth the wait.)
The Hare Reels
These guys are so infectious that my mother, who is tone deaf and says she "doesn't really get the whole 'music' thing", asked me for a copy of their album after hearing two songs.
posted by MexicanYenta at 4:29 PM on May 19, 2010
Paddy Keenan's The Long Grazing Acre is uillean pipes (the Irish kind played with a bellows/elbow combination) and it is so amazingly good. SO GOOD.
posted by corey flood at 5:00 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by corey flood at 5:00 PM on May 19, 2010
Strongly seconding Rufus Harley--the Rhino Handmade box, if you can find it, is especially good.
posted by box at 5:05 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by box at 5:05 PM on May 19, 2010
Though I loathe bagpipes to the very depth of my being, the album A Hawk & a Hacksaw and the Hun Hangár Ensemble has some awesome non-Celtic piping.
posted by scruss at 5:48 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by scruss at 5:48 PM on May 19, 2010
Dropkick Murphys.
A lot of their stuff is heavy on the Bagpipes, and Scruffy Wallace is a mean piper. I love the opening of their shows with just him playing.
posted by 543DoublePlay at 5:56 PM on May 19, 2010
A lot of their stuff is heavy on the Bagpipes, and Scruffy Wallace is a mean piper. I love the opening of their shows with just him playing.
posted by 543DoublePlay at 5:56 PM on May 19, 2010
If I'm listening to bagpipes, then I want the full military feeling, the regimental players, like the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards "Flower of Scotland." The Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch have a beautiful song called "Pogo's Salute" dedicated to a member of their regiment who was killed in action in Afghanistan, but I can't find a recording online.
For an orgy of bagpipes, there's the Edinburgh Tattoo, 10,000 pipers and drummers in the shadow of the castle.
posted by gladly at 6:13 PM on May 19, 2010
For an orgy of bagpipes, there's the Edinburgh Tattoo, 10,000 pipers and drummers in the shadow of the castle.
posted by gladly at 6:13 PM on May 19, 2010
I'm usually an Irish music girl, but I've been rocking out to Denez Prigent lately. A Breton traditional singer who has recently moved into more pop-rock arrangements. If you can, check out specifically his concert at Interceltiques 2001, track "E trouz ar ger". This combines Breton pipes (via recording, disappointing to me), Uileann pipes, and Scots. More bagpipes than should be legally allowable on one stage!
posted by LN at 7:01 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by LN at 7:01 PM on May 19, 2010
I'm rather happy nobody else has yet mentioned Bulgarian music, because that gives me the opportunity to plug the oft-ignored gaida. You can hear it accompanying almost any modern-day folkloric artist in Bulgarian music, but for that "sheer undulating ocean of bagpipes" sound, run do not walk to this astonishing rendition of "Bela Sum, Bela, Yunache" (available on this quite wonderful album).
posted by mykescipark at 9:17 PM on May 19, 2010
posted by mykescipark at 9:17 PM on May 19, 2010
BBC Radio Scotland has a weekly bagpipes show.
And the ninth track on the Baraka Soundtrack is amazing: see and listen here.
posted by foxjacket at 10:29 PM on May 19, 2010
And the ninth track on the Baraka Soundtrack is amazing: see and listen here.
posted by foxjacket at 10:29 PM on May 19, 2010
The Tartan Terrors are great fun, especially live. They have an awesome live show.
Hedningarna has some songs that are heavy on Swedish bagpipe.
You also may like Hardanger fiddle music.
posted by QIbHom at 11:45 AM on May 20, 2010
Hedningarna has some songs that are heavy on Swedish bagpipe.
You also may like Hardanger fiddle music.
posted by QIbHom at 11:45 AM on May 20, 2010
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posted by amyms at 2:11 PM on May 19, 2010