Why Scotland Has Produced Nothing Great Musically compared to Manchester

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Joy Division vs Simple Minds. Smiths vs Deacon Blue. Stone Roses vs Primal Scream. Bay City Rollers.

― Harry Genius, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

My God - you're right. Well argued.

― david h(owie), Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Richard Youngs..you lose

― brg30, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

"???????? ??????!"

― david h(owie), Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

gareth gates, phil collins, pwl, take that, cast, bluetones.....need i go on.

― stirmonster, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

momus vs the railway children

― Karl J Kretzschmar, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

isn't gareth from bradford? along with terrorvision and... no-one else, ever.

there's a point. west yorkshire's musical pedigree is limited to also- rans and knobs like embrace, sisters of mercy and a vague saving grace in the formation of soft cells. whilst the south has everything from joe to jarvis cocker, and keeps hammering on with the fat truckers, who i seem to be alone in my keeness on. i can see no good reason for this.

― matthew james, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Associates vs Simply Red, Rezillos vs The Drones, John Martyn vs John the Postman.

― Alexander Blair, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

bluetones? they are from Brentford aren't they?

anyway, runrig.

― jel --, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

alex harvey vs. john lydon

― stirmonster, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

fire engines?

― your null fame, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Does this question even justify an answer??

Anyway: Aztec Camera, Orange Juice, etc, etc, etc...

― Mary, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

why hasnt the isle of wight produced any good disco bands?

― jack cole, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Jesus and Mary Chain vs. Level 42?

― Sean Carruthers, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Cocteau Twins vs. Godley & Creme?

― Sean Carruthers, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

um.

bert jansch belle & sebastian the beta band arab strap mogwai ballboy dick gaughn

― Sean, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

boards of canada... better than any manchester electro ever. peerless! you manchester hineyholes.

― Fundamentalist Christian Right Wing Extremist, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Level 42 over JAMC, anytime anyplace anywhere. Scotland really is a desert, isn't it? "Hair of the Dog" and "Rocks" notwithstanding

― dave q, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Tho "Theme for Great Cities" = classic

― dave q, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

david q:: Meh! Bah!

― david h(owie), Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

But Simple Minds 1979-82 was like the entire Joy Division/New Order catalogue and a good few other bands compressed into a white-hot burst of creativity.

― Tim, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

x10.

― david h(owie), Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyway, Scotland can write England into a cocked hat.

― david h(owie), Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

fite!!

― mark s, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the way david q mentions the rainiest band in the world ever (JAMC) in the same sentence as "Scotland really is a desert".

― david h(owie), Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Tho "Theme for Great Cities" = classic

The only one of their tunes I remember fondly.

― DeRayMi, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Level 42 over JAMC, anytime anyplace anywhere.
dave q = mark s shockah?

― Sean Carruthers, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

So... Taking Sides: The Delgados vs. Northern Uproar, then?

― Mr Swygart, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

A fun joke.

― Ally C, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Deacon Blue, Deacon Poo more like

― sonicred, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Because of our crap diet, drink problems, bolshy attitudes and bad teeth - unfortunately the Pogues had no vacancies.

Oh, and any possibility of tolerance for our ginger hair was fucked up by Mick Hucknall.

― Ray M, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Why Scotland Has Produced Nothing Great Musically compared to Manchester?

I've read a lot of dumb questions. I really have. Congrats on whoever came up with this.

― Jerry, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, the Bluetones are Brentford through and through. They had a B- side recently about an ex Brentford FC player.

― Kevin Crumbs, Sunday, 4 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Cliched vision of What Scottish Music Is Really About (Simple Minds, Deacon Blue, Bay City Rollers, Del Amitri, Runrig, Proclaimers)

versus Actual Genuine Scottish Music (Jesus & Mary Chain, Slam, Cocteau Twins, Incredible String Band, The Exploited, Scott Brown and the hugely influential Scottish techno scene of 1990-95, the Associates, BMX Bandits, Rezillos, Bis, Howie B, Boards of Canada, Delgados, Arab Strap, Aztec Camera, ... and that's just off the top of my head!)

BTW I Seem to remember that a number of 80s vintage US alt-rock groups (eg Sonic Youth) actually regard the 80s dynasty of guitar bands from Greater Glasgow (Exploited, J&MC, BMX Bandits, Soup Dragons, Captain Amaerica/Eugenius, etc.) hugely influential. Dunno if they think the same about famous Macnhester bands, but in that famous NME front cover picture of Kurt Cobain during the first Nirvana UK tour, I seem to remember he was wearing a Captain America band T-shirt, as opposed to, say, a Joy Division one.

And for a time, the Jesus & Mary Chain were so popular with "inidie" types in France that they virtually became the French Joy Division!

Old Fart!!!!

― Old Fart!!!!, Monday, 5 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

inidie = indie

― Old Fart!!!, Monday, 5 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

The English might be constipated, pompous and ugly (i.e. not rock) but at least they have a sense of humour about it, whereas the Scots might lack aforementioned traits to such a cartoonish degree but fucking hell do they ever take themselves seriously, which they express by bragging or complaining ad infinitum (i.e. they are hip- hop, just like the Irish). (I'm in love with grossly offensive sweeping stereotypes, take or leave analysis accordingly)

― dave q, Monday, 5 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

(that's 'aesthetically' ugly btw, which is def. not rock. 'moral' ugliness is rock of course - but only if it's entirely unconscious. brits too self-conscious for that whereas Americans ideally UNconscious)

― dave q, Monday, 5 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Ho ho Dave, you obviously haven't seen Pro Forma or Tha Magnificents then!!! In fact, when I saw the latter band supporting US laptop punks Blechtum from Blechdom (who use a lot of intentionally humour in their act), they were by far the funnier band!!!! And let's not forget clubnights Abnormals Anonymous @ CCA and The End Of The Month Club, which are bloody excellent precisely because they don't take themselves too seriously. In fact, the latter night releases tons of hilarious mp3s, most famously the "TL(C)lunk-Click" mp3 bootleg. Come to think of it, there's a suprising amount of Scots, and Glaswegians in particular, involved in the UK mp3 bootleg scene. (eg McSleazy and Freelance Hellraiser spring to mind) I mean, come on, do you think Freelance Hellraiser sticking Nelly's "County Grammar" vocals over the TV theme from "Grange Hill" was meant to be a serious statement?!?!!?!?

But, hey don't let deflect you from your incisive deconstruction of the British psyche, Dave! :)

(Maybe I should start up a thread called "The Moon Is Made Of Green Cheese: discuss" and see what happens...)

― Old Fart!!!, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

If I ever start a band, I want it to be called The French Joy Division.

― mt, Sunday, 11 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

good name mt- when you release a rec tell me and I'll get it.

― Julio Desouza, Sunday, 11 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

(Maybe I should start up a thread called "The Moon Is Made Of Green Cheese: discuss" and see what happens...)
Where in the UK are Wallace & Gromit supposed to be from?

― lyra in seattle, Sunday, 11 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

Dear lord another one. Mancs really do feel superior to everyone don't they?

Why isnt it Manchester vs London?

― Robbie j, Friday, 8 April 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

Do mancs still feel superior?

― Algerian Goalkeeper, Saturday, 19 February 2011 00:54 (fourteen years ago)

alex harvey vs. john lydon

― stirmonster, Friday, August 2, 2002 7:00 PM (8 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^man that's a tough one

― he do the waka lyfe (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 19 February 2011 00:59 (fourteen years ago)

John Lydon is now 8 years older than Alex Harvey was when he died. Can't get my head round that one for some reason.

― Tom D (Tom D.), Saturday, 19 February 2011 14:22 (fourteen years ago)

yeah we all wish he'd died several years ago i know

― fat balls for wild birds (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 February 2011 14:25 (fourteen years ago)

What's Manchester produced recently? Demdike Stare and other Modern Love stuff (right?)

― forest zomby (Vasco da Gama), Saturday, 19 February 2011 14:32 (fourteen years ago)

Manchester is producing nothing of note (not that I am paying much attention). I can't fucking move without seeing flyers for shite new indiepop nights but I don't think that is a particularly recent or local thing.

Maybe a non-existent Council and a hammering at the hands of Crawley Town will lead the city to a new level of creativity.

― oppet, Saturday, 19 February 2011 15:10 (fourteen years ago)

nothing? what about beady eye?

― keythhtyek, Sunday, 20 February 2011 18:04 (fourteen years ago)

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