Jock Scot has spent his artistic life both working amongst lauded musicians (The Clash, Vivian Stanshall) in various facets and also developing his own singular fusion of rock poetry. My Personal Culloden sees his most inspiring work, an album of poems and music that was originally released in 1997 on Postcard Records in the UK. The record features bewitching backing music from The Nectarine No. 9, led by Davy Henderson, formerly of the Fire Engines and Win, currently frontman with the Sexual Objects. The album addresses such diverse subject matter as girls, drugs, extinct volcanoes, French rugby and Ronnie Wood all over a foundation of backing sounds that ranges from Captain Beefheart to the Radiophonic Workshop to field recordings of bees in an Edinburgh garden...

The first time I listened to this album... I actually only managed to listen to one and a bit tracks before, rolling my eyes, I thought to myself: "What is this shit. I'll listen to it later..."

My initial concern? Well this appeared to be the work of an angry, failed poet whose moaning has been set to music. Jock Scot was 45 when this album was originally released in 1997, but his poems read like the product of teen angst. The guy has had failed relationships and just wants to bleat on about it rather than get his shit together and move on. In my mind it just makes him seem like a needy loser.

It might be a good idea if I point out how much I despise poetry in almost all its guises. Other than Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes, which I loved as a kid, I have never been able to get my head around this self indulgent form of the written word.

I came back to it a few days later... and, yes the first few tracks were self-indulgent nonsense, but the deeper into the album I got, the more I realised that Scot was just taking the piss. At least I hope so. If he is... then there's a hidden comedy mini-genius at work... If he isn't then I stand by my initial thoughts.

The album starts to pick up by the time it gets to 'White Cars Passing By', and hits its peak on 'All Over the World' (in other words there are two interesting tracks on here).

This certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea, but give Scot a listen, you might find him momentarily amusing.

5

Nick Smithson