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 recognition of 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 local pride.
17. Soup Dragons: Lovegod
The Soup Dragons formed in Bellshill in 1985. The band features in Teenage Superstars, a 2017 film about the Glasgow independent music scene. | Soup Dragons
18. Talking Heads: Remain in Light
The album from Talking Heads was acclaimed by critics and features tunes such as ‘Once in a Lifetime’ and ‘Houses in Motion’. Lead singer David Byrne was born in Dumbarton on the north bank of the River Clyde with his father hailing from Lambhill in Glasgow. | Talking Heads
19. Hue and Cry: Seduced and Abandoned
The Coatbridge duo Hue and Cry had their first single released on the Glasgow independent label Stampede which led to interest from Circa records. The following year, Seduced and Abandoned was released with tunes such as ‘History City’ and ‘Labour of Love’.
20. Lewis Capaldi: Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent
Singles from this album include three UK number ones such as ‘Forget Me’, ‘Pointless’ and ‘Wish You the Best’. Capaldi spent his early years in Glasgow before the family moved to Bathgate where he was brought up. Tracks from the album were written and recorded in Glasgow, where Lewis now lives.