Notes
Produced by: Euan Morton and Bob Dawson Recorded, mixed and mastered by: Bob Dawson, Bias Studios Vocals: Euan Morton Piano, accordion, Hammond organ: Jon Carroll Bass, guitar, mandolin: Jim Roberts Violin: Christina Wheeler Percussion: Steve Fidyk Picture it... Scotland, 1977. Virginia Wade had won the Wimbledon title for Britain, Elvis Presley had sadly passed away at the age of 42, David Berkowitz had finally been apprehended, and over in Falkirk, Central Scotland, the nine months of my incubation were done and I was being welcomed into the world. OK, so maybe that last bit was only important to my Mother... Since those heady days of Celtic summer, I have grown from the adorable boy you see on the front cover of this record into a well-traveled and even more well worn man. After moving to London during my 20's, I ended up in New York City, the United States of America. Funny, but it was that arrival in the US that made me realise how special it was to be Scottish. I have met so many relatives of my forebears here, and seeing how proud they were of their ancestry fills me with my own sense of pride and belonging. Like the roots of a giant tree, spreading outwards, many Scots have crossed oceans and deserts, taking a small part of the home nation with them wherever they go. One is never more patriotic than when one is away from home. Distance also made me understand the true value of my upbringing in that beautiful, bucolic land. It has been nearly a decade since I have been able to return, and in planning a trip home recently I was overwhelmed with nostalgia for days gone by. The songs I remembered hearing when I was a little boy began running through my head again. I felt a calling. A chance to say 'thank you' to the place I will always call home. Thank you for making me Scottish. There will be those out there who will question the validity of some of these songs. Are they really all "Scottish?" Well, the answer is no. In fact, the only connection two of them have to Scotland is that when I heard them for the first time they were being sung by a Scottish singer (the wonderful Eddi Reader). But I'm not trying to capture your idea of Caledonia - I'm here to share mine. These songs were my journey, and my Scottishness exists in all of them. Even the Irish one! Dear listener, enjoy. Think of home, wherever that may be, and be proud. She makes us who were are today...
