After a career lasting 18 years and 12 studio albums, the electrifying sound of Capercaillie in full flight, live on stage, is finally captured in this collection. Recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow on 25th January 2002, in front of a 2,500 sell-out audience, this album has a total playing time of approximately 72 minutes. Capercaillie Live In Concert, contains several previously unreleased titles and brand new arrangements of some of their best known songs, with tracks from all of their albums from 1989 onwards. However, this is no backward looking "greatest hits live" recording, The band continues to innovate and there is a definite new feel, a new energy and vitality to this recording which reflects a subtle shift in the band's overall sound. This album is the perfect showcase for the band in their natural environment.
Karen Matheson: vocals Manus Lunny: guitar & backing vocals Charlie McKerron: fiddle Donald Shaw: accordion, keyboards & backing vocals Michael McGoldrick: flute, whistles, uillean pipes, & bodhran Ewen Vernal: bass & backing vocals David ‘Chimp’ Robertson: percussion & bodhran Che Beresford: drums
Media Reviews
A Rolls Royce amongst a sea of Ford’s in the field of what we call ‘folk’ music.
You can’t go wrong with a Capercaillie CD can you? In my opinion no you can’t and I feel I should know having followed the band avidly throughout their career.Donald Shaw’s keyboard pads have proved pivotal in sculpturing the overall sound and now we finally see the group as the slick, smooth running machine it is. A Rolls Royce amongst a sea of Ford’s in the field of what we call ‘folk’ music. Still standing head and shoulders above the rest the accordion, flute and fiddle work-outs as on the challenging ‘Kepplehall’ prove Michael McGoldrick, Charlie McKerron and Donald have lost none of their flair for a good instrumental set. On Manus Lunny’s beautiful composition ‘Nil Si I Ngra’ Karen Matheson once again proves the ace up the sleeve with vocals to die for. The rhythm section of Ewen Vernal, David ‘Chimp’ Robertson and Che Beresford underpin the topline with a groove that sits comfortably in jazz lending the band even more weight as a consumer friendly product for, let’s face it, that’s what it is. As folk enthusiasts, we should be proud to count Capercaillie as one of our own! folking.com
An ordinary title for a rather extraordinary album.
An ordinary title for a rather extraordinary album. Live albums can often merely recycle existing studio glories either in lacklustre, auto-pilot performances or as crowd-pleasing 'occasional' moments that don't transcend the frisson of being there at the gig. But this hefty 71-minute slice of Capercaillie's tremendous performance at this year's Celtic Connections festival takes none of those easy ways out, instead presenting a really vital set that mixes several previously unreleased titles with some fresh and valid new renditions of previous successes. Continually evolving band arrangements, while enviably tight, allow for an element of looseness that enables individual band members the flexibility to stretch out the grooves without compromising the impact of the music.
And that applies equally to the faster-paced selections (tune-sets like Kepplehall and The Rob Roy Reels) and the more sumptuous (songs like Nil Si I Nigra). Singer Karen Matheson's in particularly gorgeous voice throughout, with unerring beauty of tone and breathtaking control of pacing. The oft-proven instrumental talents of the various front-line players (piper and whistle virtuoso Michael McGoldrick, fiddler Charlie McKerron, bouzoukist Manus Lunny and accordionist/keyboardist Donald Shaw) come into their own here in a way you might not expect, subtly weaving through the light and airy group texture rather than taking flashy solos at the slightest prompt: dexterity, stylistic panache and an energetic fluidity within the band context.
The band's studio albums, fine though they've been (especially of late), haven't been able to quite capture the front-line musicians' rather special interactive skills, here underpinned and subtly steered across the contours of the tunes by the three-man rhythm section, no element of which is ever redundant. This album is proof that innovation, if carried through with a combination of mellow, relaxed energy and thoughtfulness that conveys a genuine respect for the traditional heritage, can make for a genuinely invigorating musical experience. Capercaillie are on a roll, sure enough.
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