Why is it people (men) love the list? Why are we drawn to keep looking? The listers like revealing their lists slowly day by excruciating day seemingly blissfully unaware that no one gives damned toot about any of it. I’ve already seen two music lists in the short time I’ve been awake today. Music right now, in my opinion, mainly needs celebrated and played……. loud.
I say this as over these next two festive Tuesdays we will attempt to play you lots of the songs we’ve been banging on about all year. The songs we return to again and again. The ones we play for weeks on end and the ones which we take home and play to our pals.
We’ve had an amazing year. We’ve met some wonderful guests who have come in to see us in our studios in Glasgow or who we’ve met on our travels. We feel honoured to have welcomed Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood, Sam Outlaw and Brandy Clark to town. We’ve hooked up with Graham Nash in London, Connie Smith and The Bradley Family in Nashville and we’ve talked to Billy Bragg and Joe Henry about the best rail journey anyone could ever hope to make. We’ve been wowed by some killer performances in our studios and at our live events. We’ve been side of stage at Country to Country and The UK Americanas, we’ve been silent over fish and chips at The Bluebird, talkative with Buddy Miller in his own home studio and been dumb struck with awe at Sturgill Simpson on Sauchiehall Street. We’ve seen Cale Tyson play a Veteran’s club in Music City and we’ve chatted backstage at the Opry to WSM legend Eddie Stubbs. In the words of one of our favourite artists, Eric Church it’s been a record year.
So over the next two Tuesdays we will try to celebrate the music that comes with that. It won’t be the songs you’ll find on these end of year lists – it will be the songs we’ve loved enough to play and play again. This particular Tuesday we will also play you some Christmas Country Vinyl as a perfect backdrop to that wrapping and last minute card writing you’re bound to be doing. It all starts at five past nine.
I will be wishing you a very happy Christmas on Christmas Day when I will be hosting two hours of conversation and Christmas music with my good friend, Cathy MacDonald. Join us from 8 a.m. and you can find all of these radio shows on BBC Radio Scotland.
