Welcome to Dun Vegas

Welcome To Dun Vegas is the third album by Scottish Celtic fusion group Peatbog Faeries, recorded in a cottage on the banks of Pool Roag, near Dunvegan, on the Isle of Skye, and released in 2003 on the band's own Peatbog Records label. The album was seen as an experimental work, like their previous album Faerie Stories. The album was composed and created by Peter Morrison (pipes, whistles), Innes Hutton (Bass guitar), Thomas Salter (Electric/ Acoustic guitar), Leighton Jones (keyboards) Roddy Neilson (fiddle) & Iain Copeland (percussion).

The song "Wacko King Hako" was often played live at the band's 2008 live shows. The song was also included in the 2013 compilation album Larry Kirwan's Celtic Invasion.^[1]

The album also saw the first appearance of vocals on a Peatbog Faeries album, although a small amount is featured.

The opening page of the booklet gives the album an alternative name, More Faerie Stories.

Background and recording

With their second album, Faerie Stories (2001), Peatbog Faeries changed their previously progressive rock-tinged Celtic fusion and recorded an album with no rock and strong electronica, house and dub influences mixed in with their Celtic instrumentalism. The album was recorded in 1999 but was not released in 2001 due to record label difficulties which lead it to be released on both Greentrax Recordings, who released their first album Mellowosity (1996), and New York-based Astor Recordings.

These problems lead to the band creating their own record label, Peatbog Records, and set for recording in a cottage on the banks of Pool Roag near Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland. The band installed a studio in the cottage and recorded the album over three months.

Tracks

Some of the tracks are based on fictional stories, namely "Wacko King Hako", about the Viking ruler who is 1263 lost a battle to the Scots at Largs, "Fear Eile", an island rowing song given an uptempo arrangement, this song being the first song on the album with vocals, performed by Roddy Neilson and bassist Innes Hutton.^[2] The album also has African music influences,^[3] a genre they would explore further with "Room 215" from Dust (2011).

The album is the band's first album to feature vocals, although only a small amount is featured. The vocal band The Veganites make guest appearances on the songs "Skeabost Monsoon" and "A Taste of Rum". Peatbog Faeries would later do a track, "Vegaintes", for Croftwork.

Release, background and reception

The album was released in 2003 by Peatbog Faerie's own label Peatbog Records as the first album on the label.

The album has been well received. Jane Brace of Living Tradition reviewed the album, noting "This album from the Isle of Skye sextet (their third after Mellowish [Mellowosity] and Faerie Stories) fuses their own brand of Hebridean music magic with the sounds of Africa - and is the first Peatbog album to feature vocal tracks, albeit in an inimitable way! The Faeries openly admit the album was recorded during a whiskey-enhanced protracted stay in a Skye cottage near Dunvegan. They set up a recording studio there for three months and Welcome to Dun Vegas − a play on Dunvegan − is the stimulating result".

Tafetta Punk reviewed the album for www.rootsreview.co.uk. "Personally I adore this album. It reeks openly of that fun and even smacks of a little whiskey (shh!). A good time was apparently had by all in this recording, and it comes highly recommended by me. It's fabulous."

Track listing

1. Wacko King Hako (5:52)
2. Fear Eile (4:32)
3. Phat Controller / The Red Bee (4:53)
4. Ironing Maiden (4:22)
5. Welcome To Dun Vegas (5:34)
6. Shifting Peat and Feet (3:55)
7. Gibbering Smit (4:34)
8. Morning Dew (5:47)
9. Teuchstar (5:11)
10. Skeabost Monsoon (4:13)
11. A Taste Of Rum (4:31)

See also

• Peatbog Faeries
• Celtic fusion

References

External links

• peatbogfaeries.com
• peatbogfaeries.com/myspace.html