This cracking new album marks Brian McNeills musical half century in a career that has established him as one of the most acclaimed forces in Scottish Music. He has performed around the globe, both as a soloist and with some of the eras most influential bands, including Battlefield Band which he founded in 1969, Clan Alba and as a core member of the UK fiddle phenomenon, Feast of Fiddles. He has also toured with such stalwarts as Dick Gaughan, Tony McManus and the late Iain Mackintosh. Brian is a multi-instrumentalist chiefly fiddle, bouzouki, mandocello, guitars and concertina and the importance of his song-writing has long been recognised with such songs as The Yew Tree, The Lads O The Fair, The Snows of France and Holland, Strong Women Rule Us All With Their Tears, Any Mickll Do and No Gods and Precious Few Heroes. Many of his songs have been performed and recorded by artists worldwide. Brian also has many new tunes to his credit, including Modest Miss France, a tribute to his wife Jacqueline which was the first tune he ever wrote, and re-visited here. He is also in demand as a record producer, including several albums he produced for Greentrax, but somehow still finds time to write crime and mystery fiction! On No Silence Brian has written all the songs, except the classic, traditional Burning of Auchendoon, and several of the tunes. His songs are The Yew Tree, Two Minutes Silence, Sell Your Labour, Not Your Soul, John Harrisons Hands, When The Laverock Sang and Prince of Darkness. Apart from bodhran on four tracks and bouzouki on another, both played by the talented Tad Sargent, Brian sings and plays all the instruments: guitar, baritone guitar, fiddle, octave fiddle, mandocello, bouzouki and concertina. Truly remarkable. Brian recorded the album in his own home studio and it was then mixed and mastered by Brian and Nick Turner at Watercolour Studios, Ardgour, Scotland. The front cover design is by Brian and the layout is by John Slavin of DesignFolk.
