Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Here's one for my Scottish friend. Aside from a few notables (see one below) not many rockers have used bagpipes in rock songs. The question is why not?
AC/DC used them and they blend in so well with the guitar in "It's a Long Way to Top" that I am left wondering why this ancient instrument is being ignored.

All these years later doesn't Angus Young look incredibly funny in that school boy outfit? Bon Scott was a great front man. He could sure play the pipes.



What other well known songs have used bagpipes?

I friend of mine has been in on the Melbourne 'pipes scene for a number of years (he played solo at Edinburgh as part of the Australian Army in the 1990s), and says no member of AC/DC ever played the pipes. The pipes on Long Way are played by a Melbourne piper, and Bon simply mimed (some call it lip-sync, Aussies call it mime) in the 'driving through Melbourne' film clip.

I think the above film clip is more of the same, only Bon is a little late with putting the pipes into his mouth, as they start sounding before he even starts playing!

bails wrote: I think the above film clip is more of the same, only Bon is a little late with putting the pipes into his mouth, as they start sounding before he even starts playing!

Well... if the bag is full of air, you can play it just by squeezing, so him not having his lips on the mouthpiece when the sound starts doesn't really prove much...

Yeah you've guest Brian im like a fly to Sh*t. you let out a line and i bit like a dumb fish Here a group that mean great deal to myself.This group mean just as much as The Jam and The Who to me in terms of musical direction.Big Country is one of these bands that got caught up in being very Scottish,whist i understand yeah they are from Scotland this band remains of the greatest bands from the 80`s IMHO.If you take the time to listen to some of their songs im sure you`ll fall in love with the way the band ,whilst not playing with bagpipes makes the guitar sound like they are.I may add the guitarist Bruce Watson and Mark Brzezicki recently teamed up with Bruce Foxton (THE JAM) with Simon Townsend to play under the name The Casbah Club http://www.casbahclub.co.uk/.Formed initially as a five piece band in 1981, their first single was "Harvest Home", recorded and released in 1982. It was a modest success, reaching #91 on the UK Singles Chart. Their next single was 1983's "Fields of Fire", which reached the UK's Top Ten and was rapidly followed by the album The Crossing. The album was a hit in the United States, powered by "In a Big Country", their only U.S. Top 40 hit single. The song featured heavily engineered guitar playing, strongly reminiscent of bagpipes; Adamson and fellow guitarist, Watson, achieved this through the use of the MXR Pitch Transposer 129 Guitar Effect. Also contributing to the band's unique sound was their early virtuoso use of the e-bow, a device which allows a guitar to sound more like strings or synthesizer. The Crossing sold over a million copies in the UK and obtained gold record status (sales of over 500,000) in the U.S. The band also performed on both the Grammys and Saturday Night Live.Sadly after Stuarts death On December 16 by self-strangulation, in a room at the Best Western Plaza Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, having committed suicide th band were no more.Heres a clip of the glory days.I remember this fondly as a time in my life when summers were long and we didn't have a care in the world.I hope in many years to come bands still inspire and hold people in a way bands used to.This song reminds me of my sister in Australia that i miss very much.
Heres a blast from MY past Big Country-Fields of fire

Also this must not be forgotten.This reminds me when i was very young when my Mum and dad were together.Happier times....

Rod Stweart's "Rhythm of My Heart" is a pefect song for them, but I think they used a synthesizer instead. I had a set, but wasn't very good on them. I tried recording some stuff to mix into a couple of tunes, but I was getting too much compression on the tape (meaning that you could hear the compressor running out in the garage). Then I tried playing pipe tunes on my 2030 bass, which was kind of fun but rather tedious:

http://webpages.charter.net/tbradshaw/M ... g-bass.mp3

Perhaps you are right Mark. I am not absolutely sure about his prowess on the bagpipes but this is an excerpt from a Aussie newspaper article. The newspaper is "The Age" http://www.theage.com.au/news/people/bo ... 18219.html

"Scott was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland, but emigrated to Australia at the age of 6.

Growing up in Perth, Scott first learned drums and bagpipes in a local Scots pipe band, dropping out of school at 15 and spending short spells in Fremantle prison and the Australian army"

The pipe band is reported to be the Associated Fremantle Scots Pipe Band

Great band Scott.

Hopefully the memories this thread stirred up were all good ones.

teb wrote:I tried recording some stuff to mix into a couple of tunes, but I was getting too much compression on the tape (meaning that you could hear the compressor running out in the garage).

Too funny Todd.


Has anyone else noticed that the smileys are somewhat distorted the last few days?

Wiki suggests Bon played drums in a pipeband, but no mention of him playing pipes in the same band. (Yes I do know that Wiki is not a referenceable source, but studies have shown it's more correct than not correct.)

Nick: Yes you are correct that squeezing the bag will operate the drones, but Bon's miming is still pretty second rate in the above film clip.

I'm not a John Farnham fan, in fact he bores me to death, but it always wakes me up when the pipes start in "You're the Voice"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SOMt80w5QMM

Thanks Brian,All good.Heres the red hot chili pipers.MMMnnn Oh dear May be this is why we dont hear The pipes that much in commercial music

Sky Pilot, by Eric Burton is the first time I can remember hearing the pipes in a rock song, about 1967 or 68. Dad was from Ireland, Mom from Perth, Scottland. The pipes are dear to my heart.
I have been influenced in my lead playing by the unique frasing and tone of the pipes. How about that wild 3 seconds of noise when they first fire them up
There is also something different about the way Scottsmen sing rock music. I like it

There's a band in Ontario called the Mudmen who have 2 pipers. I've never seen them but I've heard their live shows are pretty incredible.

Here's a video. I have no idea of the sound (no sound card at work) so I hope the quality is decent.

Hank,

Good call on Eric Burdon. I had forgotten about that song.

Greg,

That's a decent band. I suspect that their concerts would be a lot of fun. Generally it would appear that the pipes are right at home with rock music. I love the sound of pipes and guitar together.

I Believe that Cher swallowed a bagpipe chanter reed to produce this unique sound. Does that count.