status. Malcolm was cajoled into giving up a brilliant university career, Rory, a graphic designer, designed his last masterpiece for the ad. agencies, and Donnie and Calum, being teachers couldn't run out of the school gates fast enough. In 1979 they went into the studio and recorded The Highland Connection.

The band sound was now filling out, and there was a need to extend the musical parameters. The rhythm section was bolstered up by the addition of Fifer, Iain Bayne, taking up duties on the drum stool, with Calum moving on to percussion. This was to be the line up that recorded the classic Recovery Album in 1981.

Recovery was very much a concept album, dealing with the social history of the Scottish Gael, and tapped into the evolving fightback for the Gaelic language and culture that the band was so much a part of. It is from that environment, musically, physically, emotionally and spiritually, that the core of Runrig's substance originated.

After Recovery, the band felt the need to spread its wings away from the Gaelic heartlands to reach the elusive wider audience that seemed to be taking an interest in the music. Although by no means a traditional folk band, the songs reflected the tradition, and it was gratifying to find that foreign audiences now seemed to be lending a passionate ear. Musically, it appeared that Gaelic could cross over and become accepted in a totally different environment.

Once more there was the need to extend the musical parameters, this time by stepping up to a six piece, employing the services of Englishman, Richard Cherns, on keyboards. There was the dilemma of whether to stick with Ridge Records or go out in search of major recording contracts. The latter was embarked upon, but the time was not right, and the record company in question was wrong for the band. A brief but abortive association with a small London outfit followed, when the pitfalls of commercial dictate on artistic creativity were experienced fully. The final result was that the band was back on Ridge, but only after a long protracted contractual delay, after which, in 1985, the fourth album, Heartland, was finally recorded.

Richard left in 1986 to work in theatre and his place was duly taken by another Fifer, in the shape of, ex-Big Country, social worker, Peter Wishart. And so to the classic Runrig line up, which was to endure for the next decade. 1987 was very much the breakthrough year. Highlights included a highly successful trip to Canada, a first trip behind the Iron Curtain to play a festival in East Berlin, a live concert broadcast on ITV, a support to the newly crowned champions of rock and roll, U2, at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, and the release of The Cutter and the Clan.

The album was a huge success for the Ridge label, taking Runrig from cottage industry to national prominence, and at this point it became obvious that the band had outgrown the label. The time was now right to sign to one of an increasing number of major Record Companies beginning to show an interest in the band. Chrysalis Records with its ethos of independence and roster of musical integrity, became natural bedfellows. In the summer of 1987 Runrig signed a major international recording contract, and it was to be the start of a whole new approach to the life and work of the band.

The Cutter and the Clan was immediately re-released on Chrysalis, quickly followed by the long awaited live album Once in a Lifetime. 1989 saw the release of Searchlight, which went straight into the National Charts at 11, followed by a seven country 50-date tour of the UK and Europe, culminating at the Glasgow Barrowlands with a concert recorded by STV for a future video.

The new decade opened with a bang. Barely 30 minutes into the wee small hours the band took the stage in Glasgow's George Square, headlining the BBC's Hogmanay show. A one-hour documentary was made for STV from the Barrowlands concert and aired in May. The response was overwhelming. The STV switchboard was jammed for hours, and the programme attracted unprecedented viewing figures for the station.

1990 also saw the release of the EP Capture the Heart, which entered the National Singles Chart at 49. The opening of the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow presented an opportunity to play multiple nights. The result was five sold out concerts. The long awaited video, City of Lights was released in November, entering the National Charts at Number 7. The year was completed with the Alba tour. Quite a busy year one would think; but much more was to come.

There are busy years and there are hectic years and then there was 1991. To list all the events could not convey the complete shift in gear experienced by all those connected with the band, but to give some idea. The eighth and most successful album, The Big Wheel, went straight into the National Charts at Number 4. The open air concert at Balloch Country Park, Loch Lomond, followed, with 50,000 people gathered on the famous site, for what was to prove to be an incredible occasion and the undoubted highlight of Runrig's career. The Highlands and Islands tour brought them back to home ground with a huge circus tent in tow. The single Hearthammer broke into the National Top 40 for the first time, entering at Number 25. Two outdoor concerts on the Edinburgh Castle esplanade attracted huge media interest, the Big Wheel tour went international. Another single, Flower of the West was released, and Tom Morton's book Going Home finished off the year on a high. It immediately became a Scottish best seller.

1992 saw Runrig working hard in the studios again, as well as making a number of major festival appearances throughout Europe. Fans saw the band open twice for Genesis. Once at Hockenheim, Germany, and again at Roundhay Park, Leeds. Fans across the ocean in Canada were given the chance to see them play in Toronto and Montreal, and on that tour they set foot in the USA for the first time, to film in New York with STV for the forthcoming documentary Air an Oir.

On August 24th a new video, Wheel in Motion, was released, featuring live footage from the memorable Loch Lomond concert, the Highlands and Islands tour, Edinburgh Castle and various European dates throughout 1991. Wheel in Motion went right to number one in both the regular, and music video charts, and stayed there for eight weeks. At the same time they continued working on Air an Oir with Graeme Strong from Scottish Television. That film was aired on New Year's day, thus kicking off 1993 in the right direction.

November 1992 saw Runrig back in Castle Sound Studios, Pencaitland, to record the next album, which was completed by the end of January1993. The single Wonderful was released first, followed by the album Amazing Things. The album was to achieve the highest ever chart position, entering the Gallup Chart at Number 2 missing out on the top slot by only one Gallup point. Wonderful and the second single Greatest Flame were both performed on Top of the Pops due to their chart success. The rest of 1993 was to be taken up with promoting the album, and a return to live performance. The Amazing Things tour was to be the most extensive ever, and by the time of the final show at the Barrowlands on December 22nd, the band had performed 99 concerts.

Theatres in Germany and England were toured twice, and other notable performances included the Irish, London and Scottish Fleadhs. Finland became a new territory, when they played at the Turku Festival in August. Back home the Big Top was taken out again and a short Castle and Canvas tour was undertaken, culminating in an enjoyable return to Edinburgh Castle Esplanade in September. A high point during the year of Amazing Things was when the album won the award for being the British Environment and Media album of the year.

After drawing breath and taking a bit of a rest, 1994 was set aside as a year of writing and planning for the next recording. A live album was pencilled in for the end of the year, and the next studio album planned for 1995. In order to record the live album the band started looking for imaginative outdoor venues to play throughout the summer, and so Tarlair in North East Scotland, Koln in Germany and two nights at Stirling Castle were duly performed and recorded successfully. The final night of the Amazing Things tour in Barrowlands, Glasgow, was also recorded for inclusion on the live album.

After a brief visit to Canada, Transmitting Live was released in November 1994, and followed by a December, Scottish tour, culminating in a live Hogmanay TV transmission from Princess Street Gardens, Edinburgh.

The New Year of 1995 saw Runrig on the recording trail again, and after a period of writing and rehearsal, headed off to the seclusion of Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire for one month in April to start the recording process. The Mara sessions continued throughout late spring and summer in the more familiar surroundings of Castle Sound Studios near Edinburgh.

One very pleasant interlude to the recording process was the release of the single An Ubhal As Airde. Having been used as the music for a Carlsberg TV advert, it became a focus of much public interest and demand, the final result being the band's highest ever chart single position of Number 18, and another appearance on Top of the Pops. The most satisfying aspect of the song's success was the fact that it was the first Scottish Gaelic song ever to make it into the Top 20.

In June an escape from the studio was undertaken to play a series of festivals and concerts in Europe. In particular, the first big outdoor concert to 20,000 people in Germany, at Loreley on the banks of the Rhine. Before the European shows the band played support to Rod Stewart at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen, and towards the end of August, a surprise call to open for the Rolling Stones in Schuttorf, Germany, was welcomed. That day was particularly significant in that it entailed playing twice, when later on that same evening they played their own concert in Jubek, supported by Mike and the Mechanics; so some adroit planning and a fast jet was required. The new album Mara was released in the autumn, followed by another massive promotional tour of Europe and the UK. The first single Things That Are charted in the Top 40, and they were back in their now regular slot on Top of the Pops. The Mara tour was the most ambitious to date as far as production values were concerned, and for many of the fans, these shows were the most enjoyable ever.

After Mara was toured and brought back to harbour, everyone felt that the band was very much at a cross-roads, and it was time to think about the future in all their personal and collective aspirations. Donnie was getting more involved in the political process and enjoying it, seeing a future in politics as a logical stepping stone away from Runrig. Although everyone knew this, nobody was quite prepared for his announcement towards the end of the Mara tour when he informed everyone of his momentous decision to quit the band at the next practical point in time.

The band then entered the most uncertain and disruptive period in its whole history. They did not want to make any public statement for quite some time in case there might be a change of plan, and also so that everyone could have time to reflect and come to terms with the whole scenario. Somehow they had all thought that the final Runrig line-up would have been the one that had been around since 1986, and that when they did eventually decide to call it a day, it would be a decision that they would all collectively make at the same point in time. The only definite decision that the rest of the band could make at this time was whether to continue or not, and the feeling was very much that of continuation, and to embrace the changes no matter how significant.

In the meantime the practicalities and the ongoing work of the band had to continue. No matter what lay ahead, they were coming to the end of one era for the band, and along with the record company it was decided that the time was right for a Best of Runrig collection.

It would have proved impossible for the band to choose the final track listing, so they thought that it would be a great idea for the fans to do the choosing, through the fanclub, and this they did in their thousands. It became a fascinating exercise in market research, for an album that was very much for the fans, and was now chosen by the fans.

Long Distance was released on 7th October, charting at Number 13, and a long and enjoyable tour was undertaken throughout the autumn of '96 and the spring of '97, stopping off once more to perform at what was now established as Europe's biggest street party in Princess Street Gardens, Edinburgh. The first single from the album was a cover of Rod Stewart's Rhythm of My Heart, which was recorded towards the end of the Mara sessions for possible inclusion in the film Loch Ness.

The final Long Distance show was in Bielefeld on the 12th of March, and from there everyone all came home to pursue individual projects, and to reflect on the realities that lay ahead. Donnie was off on the General Election Campaign trail, having accepted the nomination to stand for the Labour Party in his home constituency, where he came past the post in second place to the sitting member, Charles Kennedy; who incidentally is a big Runrig fan.

Malcolm was taking a rest from Runrig music to throw himself into various projects of his own, while Rory and Calum were enjoying the relative luxury of working on new material without the pressure of impending deadlines and specific objectives.

All at camp Runrig were waiting until the General Election was out of the way before finally making a public announcement about Donnie's future, and the band also felt that the first people to be informed ought to be the fans, through the fan club magazine. Unfortunately, with all the press interest that Donnie was accumulating during the Election campaign, the media was awash with speculation and rumour, and eventually, Castle Aberdeen had no option but to let down the drawbridge for the ensuing media siege, and go public.

Then it was time for practicalities again. Donnie's departure would have to be marked in some way, and all were aware that they had been promising a long awaited outdoor Scottish summer show. Stirling was deemed to be the ideal venue, along with a short series of concerts in Denmark for the European fans, and a couple of nights at the central location of Manchester for the English support. Eventually, the Stirling show stretched to three nights, and a German concert was added with a revisit to Tanzbrunnen, Koln, where part of the live Transmitting album was recorded.

The final shows with Donnie were emotionally draining for everyone involved, but they were a most fitting way to celebrate the end of one era of the band's existence, and for Donnie to say his personal farewells.

The second last night was filmed for a late autumn video release and although it has proved very popular with all that came to these shows, it could never totally capture the emotion and spirit of the occasion. The final show on the Saturday night was undoubtedly the most moving and significant concert that the band had ever staged.

The winter of 1997 arrived with the band down to a 5-piece and starting the onerous task of auditioning for the vacant position, feeling the withdrawal symptoms of not being involved in the annual Christmas tour, but none the less encouraged and challenged for the next stage of the journey.