A look back at how, in 1988, the Scottish traditional music band The Whistlebinkies were invited to play fiddle, pipes, concertina, percussion and flute on The Cutting Crew’s follow up to their 1986 USA chart topping (I Just) Died in Your Arms.
Author: raretunes
Karel Fialka
Continuing our focus on music in the North Highlands in the late twentieth century, we feature two tracks from a noted singer/songwriter who worked in Tain with local traditional musicians. https://raretunes.org/karel-fialka-2/
Jack Lorimer
The Forres-born, celebrated music-hall singer and dancer who was father of comedian Max Wall.
The Fluted Land
A very short film to music played by Eddie McGuire.
In regards that matter : a new tune from Fraser Fifield
The first of a planned series of new short works commissioned from Scottish musicians during the time of Covid.
Mary Garden : The famous Scottish opera singer and actor sings her national songs
A captivating illustration of the linked traditions of song and piobaireachd
Kitty MacLeod : The doyenne of Scots Gaelic singers ~ The Irish Times
Raretunes Top 20 of 2020
During 2020 Raretunes attracted 7300 visitors who made 19000 separate page views. These figures are more than twice those recorded in 2019.
The top 20 most viewed pages, starting with the most popular and listed in order, were:
- Yehudi Menuhin
- Sarah Hoy and Fin Moore
- Tony Cuffe
- Heloise Russell-Fergusson
- Davy Hutchison
- Professor MacLellan of Berkeley
- Jock Tamson’s Bairns
- Gizzenbriggs
- Easy Club
- Mick Broderick
- Marjory Kennedy Fraser
- Bella McNab’s Dance Band
- Patuffa Kennedy Fraser
- Derek Hoy
- Alf Edwards
- North Rising
- Molendinar
- Chorda
- Norman MacCaig
- William Hannah
The Auld Scotia – an old ghost revisits his favourite haunt

A 1968 poem by the late Freddy Anderson of Monaghan and Glasgow found as a typescript in the papers of Mick Broderick to whom it was dedicated. With walk-on parts for folk like Luke Kelly, Christy Moore, the Humblebums, Clutha and others it perfectly captures the atmosphere of the famous musical howff in Glasgow.