Sutherland Brothers Top Ten

OK, so this is where I start getting really opinionated. There once was a Sutherland Brothers compilation album released on vinyl, though it is no longer available. A CD version released in the summer of 2002, contains tracks initially selected by Iain Sutherland, although this listing was later amended by Sony. But, then, do fans ever actually agree with much of what is on compilation albums? Here’s one that doesn’t always agree, so with that in mind, I’ve compiled my favourite ten tracks. They are listed below. What I now want is for other fans to e-mail me their ten favourites. I’ll try to put them on this site and compile a complete list of the tracks people most like at some point in the future (work & family life permitting). Please note that the list is not in order of preference, but simply chronological order. Also, bear in mind that by restricting myself to ten tracks, I made it impossible to include all my favourites and had to make some difficult choices. And no matter how many of you write to complain, Arms of Mary will never appear on this list - I just don't like it!

The Pie The theme of this song was perhaps a little risqué, even for 1969, which is perhaps why the single slipped to the b-side in the USA. I guess that the idea of a guy trying to persuade a girl to relinquish her virginity to him - even when expressed so subtly - was not mainstream radio. Indifference and the girl's need to appear "cool" were all things that we guys suffered then but few people expressed the problem of such angst so eloquently. Apart from the great vocal and harmony, the outstanding aspect is the harmonising of the main guitar theme with the piano at the fade. The whole of that first album is packed with wonderful tracks and I'm loathe to omit I Was In Chains (also very tasty in its live version) and Midnight Avenue , with its mis-recorded vocal in one verse.

You Got Me Anyway As a single, it comes at you, in your face, virtually from the start. Good solid rock and a marvellous hook. And what about that drumming? If they were at all litigious, the Brothers might have wanted to take a close look at Sheryl Crow's Change Would Do You Good.

Ireland Oh, dear. I feel bad about this. A quarter of a century ago, I, along with many others, dismissed this as immature political ranting by people that should have left well alone, although at least it wasn't as bad as McCartney's Give Ireland Back to the Irish! Now, maybe, I'm prepared to admit that the notions suggested in this lyric are actually happening and maybe if the political will had been around earlier many lives would have been saved. I'd be interested to know Iain's feelings on his song with the benefit of hindsight. The tune is one that stays with you for days and the strings make it something of a big production number. Anyone who can write, "England, you're such a pain; so many wars and now you've done it again" can't be that bad.

Real Love If we're talking about the recorded version on Lifeboat, it's great, with those trills on piano played so well by Stevie Winwood. However, my memories of the song are of the live versions, where not only was the piano still magnificent, but Tim Renwick was on hand to take the music onto new peaks with that soaring guitar. I came out of one Glasgow dance hall with my ears ringing for days, but oh, it was so good. To enhance our memories, the BBC should release one of their two concert versions on CD - they are both worth having.

Seagull/Lonely Love You'll notice I've already by-passed Sailing, which I love, but feel has been so devalued by Rod. This pairing of songs illustrates the transition that was slowly taking place in the group, as the songs and performances moved from a folk style into the medium of rock. Tuneful, and with vocals that scream of yearning, Seagull offers images and metaphors far beyond the realms of pop music, whether folk, rock or any other genre. Am I allowed to use the word metaphysical, or is that being pretentious? The allusions to the sea, characteristic of a number of their songs, stem back to their childhood and, indeed, their ancestry. Musically, Peter Woods' piano work is particularly appealing.

Rollin' Away/Rocky Road/Saved By The Angel OK, so maybe I'm just a sucker for a gimmick, or perhaps I'm cheating to try to cram extra tracks into my top ten, but this was a great end to a wonderful album. The idea had been used before, by the Beatles on side 2 of Abbey Road: take a number of short pieces that wouldn't genuinely make full songs and throw them together in some kind of segue. Well, that particular section of the Beatles album is a favourite of mine and so is this tremendous bit of rock from the newly formed SBQ. The first part contains a superb vocal, the middle has those chord progressions so reminiscent of George Harrison and the keyboard/guitar togetherness of the ending is a delight. Considering it beats Dream Kid and Champion the Underdog (note the pun) to my top ten, it must be special!

Laid Back in Anger A punning title in an album full of witty lyrics, opening with World In Action, the name of a UK tv documentary series, and containing a title track that displayed a wonderful maturity for a band that was getting recognition, but not hits. Strangely, the album was never released in the USA, perhaps because Island couldn't muscle up the necessary distribution arrangements. By now, the band were a tight knit unit, playing quality rock and this track demonstrates their skills. Guitars soar, percussion is strong in driving the music along and the harmonies are spot on. And that's before we get to lyrics like, "Lying in the bath in the aftermath, browsing through the Daily Success. Front-page news always gives me the blues, so I jump back to the stop press. There I read the story all about the glory of the great new age on the way, so in the end I decided to stay - laid back in anger." Irony lives. And that's not counting the verse that pre-dates I Don't Like Mondays in its theme by five years.

Dr Dancer If you're expecting to see Arms of Mary in this list, then you have badly misunderstood my tastes in music. Love on the Moon, on the other hand, is a great song which only just misses this top ten and you only have to listen to the opening track of the album (When the Train Comes), either studio or live, to know just how accomplished the band had become by this stage. However Dr Dancer, with its reggae-style introduction and its clever hook could easily have been the quality hit from this album and might have changed the way the group were viewed by the public and their new record company. Depressing lyric, mind you, but one to boogie on down to, if you're that way inclined.

Dark Powers This was on the album that followed their big hit, and it was obvious that there was a desperation to replicate their chart success. As a result, some of the tracks are weaker than on previous albums, but this one has a typically great chorus which shows that the songwriting skills were still at their highest, when record company executives allowed their own tastes to back off. Am I being cruel to CBS? Or am I suggesting that the group was losing its direction? Either way, apart from Love On The Side, this track is the one that shows progression, with its almost symphonic middle section, and it should have been the featured one - opener and title track - of the album.

Somebody's Fool My lack of enthusiasm for that last album and the fact that when I got married, buying records didn't appear on a budget line, meant that I lost touch with what happened to SBQ for a while, which is a shame, because their last two albums are fine pieces of work, worth getting hold of, if you don't already have them. This track is probably the best of a great bunch of tuneful and well-performed songs (although Fun On The Farm needs to be excused for its blatant references to 10cc). Somebody's Fool and Where Lies Your Soul are both very reflective tracks, with strings and grandiose orchestration. Fool wins it for Iain's powerful vocal performance and the outstanding backing musicians, of whom Willie Wilson deserves special mention.

That was hard. Even a top twenty would have proved difficult and I know I've omitted tracks that on another day would have been in my top ten. In particular, Easy Come, Easy Go, from the final album could have been included, but what should have been dropped to make room? I have deliberately not referred to the four solo albums, although there are tracks there that warrant an inclusion, such as The Science of Saying Goodbye, Beat of My Heart and Go the Distance. I know I've been opinionated and perhaps contentious but I would also value your opinions for subsequent inclusion in this section - you know how to get in touch.

Meanwhile, how did my top ten compare with the actual Very Best Of, released by Sony in 2002? Here's the track listing, with my choices in bold:

The Pie, I Was In Chains, Real Love, Sailing, You Got Me Anyway, Lifeboat, Dream Kid, Champion the Underdog, Beat of the Street, Laid Back in Anger, When the Train Comes, Arms of Mary, Dr. Dancer, Love On the Moon, Moonlight Lady, Slipstream, Secrets, Something's Burning, When the Night Comes Down, Easy Come, Easy Go.

Not bad - five out of ten. The guys from Sony have some taste, even though they've gone for the obvious in some cases. While I'd still recommend that any fan should have the whole collection on CD and vinyl, the Very Best of CD is a good one to have. Incidentally, the original list of tracks provided by Iain Sutherland, from which Sony then made up the track list for this CD, also included All I Got Is You, Saviour In The Rain, If I Could Have Your Loving, Dark Powers, Ice In The Fire and Every Tear I Cry. Interesting.