Vic Galloway's A-Z of Scottish Music - Volume 2

A while ago, my BBC Radio Scotland producer at the time, Richard, and I were talking about how strong Scottish music is today and how influential it was on global culture. Not only that, but how it had been over the decades. It seemed that there was world-class quality across genres for several generations. We asked ourselves how could we document that in a fun interactive feature? Maybe an A-Z might work and getting tongues wagging?

Hmmm... but was it actually possible to compile a full alphabet of acts? So we went for it, asking for listeners' recommendations, nominations and suggestions for the full 26 weeks. Some of the letters were a little tricky - X, Y and Z for example - but not impossible. People rose to the challenge, racked their brains for their favourites and, eventually, we had our list. It was by no means definitive, as everyone's opinions will differ, but there it was. Diverse and inspiring, it was a list of acts and artists that lurked around on the alternative side of the musical fence, dipping it's toe in the mainstream occasionally. The next challenge was to fit all 26 tracks into a 2 hour show.

When I did the final show, it was great to hear all these great songs back to back, reminding us just how vibrant Scotland's music scene has always been.

The feedback on the website got my present producer, Mandi, and I thinking about the possibility of doing a second volume of the A-Z of Scottish music. Could we fill another 26 letters? Yes siree! Whatever your tastes are in Scottish music, it's quite amazing to see so many brilliant bands that we've produced. These shows are hopefully like old-school mix-tapes, made up of bands that have soundtracked certain times and defined particular musical scenes over the past 60 years of popular music - from Skiffle to Punk; Synth-Pop to Post-Rock; Indie to Electronica. I know we're a small country, but I reckon these are seriously impressive compilations. Why not compile your own version and post it below? I'd be interested to see your suggestions and comments... maybe we'll get to volume 3 quicker than we think!

Volume 1

1. The Associates
2. Belle & Sebastian
3. Cocteau Twins
4. The Delgados
5. Eurythmics
6. Franz Ferdinand
7. Goodbye Mr MacKenzie
8. Sensation Alex Harvey Band
9. Idlewild
10. Jesus & Mary Chain
11. The KLF
12. Long Fin Killie
13. Mogwai
14. 1990s
15. Orange Juice
16. Primal Scream
17. Finley Quaye
18. The Rezillos
19. The Skids
20. Teenage Fanclub
21. Urusei Yatsura
22. The Vaselines
23. The Waterboys
24. The X-Certs
25. James Yorkston
26. The Zephyrs

Volume 2

1. Arab Strap
2. Biffy Clyro
3. Camera Obscura
4. Donovan
5. The Exploited
6. Future Pilot AKA
7. Glasvegas
8. Calvin Harris
9. The Incredible String Band
10. Josef K
11. King Creosote
12. Lonnie Donegan
13. Mylo
14. Nazareth
15. One Dove
16. The Pastels
17. Monica Queen (Thrum)
18. The Reindeer Section
19. The Shamen
20. Twin Atlantic
21. Ultravox (Midge Ure)
22. V-Twin
23. Win
24. X-Lion Tamer
25. The Yummy Fur
26. The Zips