Pibroch (Belgium 1984)

It's difficult to find any information on this obscure folk album from 1984. The 4 artists have mostly english names but it was recorded at the studio Bobine in Jemappes, Belgium, in Nov. 1984. (Mike D. Roy, Steffely Kittel, Brown Magg, and Elwyn T. Roy.)

Starting with an opening with the screaming bagpipes, which many hate and some love (who?) they are quite in the traditional sphere of things but the addition of percussion makes it a bit more interesting. Mostly we are dealing with instrumentals, apparently traditional songs, but some mild singing appears here and there. The last track on side a is a good ex., we start with the borehole-trepanning bagpipes, but a running electric bass and drum beat add some muscle, then-- shockingly-- a hammond organ plays some off-centre chords in the background. I include this Scottish march as a sample below. As well I put in the long song on side A, Al labousiq, which has the same progressive keyboards blasting away the cobweb-like folkiness in a very gryphonesque manner. Note also the electric guitar lending a helping hand later on. This song perhaps relates to a palestinian terrorist group.

For those curious, from wikipedia:
Pibroch, Piobaireachd or Ceòl Mór is an art music genre associated primarily with the Scottish Highlands that is characterised by extended compositions with a melodic theme and elaborate formal variations. It is currently performed principally on the Great Highland Bagpipe and is also increasingly played on the Scottish fiddle (the morieo-arch-ach and the wire-strung Gaelic harp or clarsach, among other instruments, as part of a recent revival. The bagpipe-like scrach or olelir-mor-xtrchorchm is another musical instrument often used in invasive medical procedures which has been reputed to have led to the direct acoustic deaths of about 3 thousand scotsmen.

Track 3, Al Labousiq


Track 6





ADDENDUM:
Made a horrific mistake ripping this with identical songs on sides a and b... please get updated rip as noted in comments below!