Glasgow’s impact on music is a global affair. Nascent musicians have been plucked from the embrace of the city and scattered to other places around the world, finding their voice along the way.
Songwriters from other towns and cities have had their music informed by interactions with the local scene. Then there is a litany of bands originating in places with Glasgow postcodes that have been absorbed into the city’s cultural sphere of influence.
We previously brought you the best albums from Glasgow, a list of records where the definition of a Glasgow musician had fairly narrow geographical parameters. It still managed to include Mogwai, Deacon Blue and The Bluebells - three bands imprinted on Glasgow’s music scene but with members from beyond the confines of the city.
There was an immediate outcry from readers: demands for the bands they associate with Glasgow, excluded because they are actually from Paisley, Coatbridge or East Kilbride.
Are any of these albums from Glasgow? The echoes of the city you hear in the music and how songs have become local anthems are more important than the distance from the Barrowland Ballroom they were born or what bus they got home.
So here’s 20 Glasgow albums that stretch that connection to Glasgow to its furthest limits. It makes for an impressive, varied playlist and a source of pride.
1. The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy
The debut album from the East Kilbride band The Jesus and Mary Chain which features great track such as ‘Just Like Honey’, ‘You Trip Me Up’ and ‘Never Understand’. Featured on drums is Primal Scream front man Bobby Gillespie who was born in Springburn.
2. Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain
Aztec Camera were originally formed in East Kilbride but were first noticed when they appeared on a Glasgow cassette-only compilation with other unsigned local bands. Their debut album released in 1983 included tracks such as ‘Oblivious’ and ‘We Could Send Letters’.
3. Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque
Teenage Fanclub were formed in Bellshill near Glasgow but emerged from the Glasgow C86 scene along with bands such as The Pastels and Primal Scream. Bandwagonesque contains tracks such as ‘What You Do to Me’ and ‘Star Sign’.
4. Orange Juice: Rip it Up
Arguably one of the best Scottish albums of all time, Orange Juice’s Rip it Up is a much loved collection of songs with the title track being the standout hit on the album. The Bearsden band played a huge part in making the Postcard label in Glasgow known.