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[jester1470]

THE Glasgow pop group Belle and Sebastian have been named best Scottish band of all time, provoking furious debate among music fans.

Travis and Idlewild followed in second and third places in the List magazine poll of the top 50 bands, sponsored by Orange and backed by Radio 1 and Radio Scotland.

But in one major surprise, the biggest story in Scottish rock this year - Franz Ferdinand - appear to have some work to do with their fans north of the Border. They lagged in 15th place.

And two artists who appeared in the List magazine’s original guide to a top 50, before voting began, have dropped out of the rankings entirely - John Martyn and Rod Stewart.

The top ten, garnered from a poll of 12,000 music lovers, mirrored the wide variety of Scottish music talent, ranging to the Seventies pop and rock bands the Bay City Rollers and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

Franz Ferdinand have picked up a string of awards in the past year. They won the Mercury Music Prize in September and were named the most influential band of 2004 by the US music magazine Spin.

"I’m surprised that they have come in so low, because they are so prominent in people’s minds right now as a really audacious and striking band," The Scotsman’s music critic Fiona Shepherd, said. "People tend to vote for more recent artists."

Alec Downie, of New Music in Scotland, the music development agency, said: "It’s a bit of fun and it raises the profile of Scottish music.

The downside in certain ways is that it may be false because it is of the moment, especially in the modern age when it’s subject to who has the biggest mailing list and who is willing to shamelessly self-promote.

"Would Franz Ferdinand be bothered to tell their fans they are nominated, so will they get any votes? Bands like that consider themselves too cool.

"Belle and Sebastian have got a huge network of people. Look at how many albums they have sold with little marketing, there is obviously quite a loyal following built up with successive albums."

Told that John Martyn had not made the list, he said: "That is criminal."

The music industry consultant Ronnie Gurr - who is co-ordinating the attendance of Scottish bands at this year’s South by Southwest music industry festival in Austin, Texas - joked he was "outraged" that the Skids were relegated to 49. "There’s obviously not enough of us punk rock warriors left," he said.

The Scottish vocalist Fish, who made the list at 18, although his band Marillion did not, said: "It’s age groups and all the rest of it. If I was naming bands, I would probably put the Eurythmics and Annie Lennox at the top."

Belle and Sebastian, an art-house indie band, were formed nine years ago in an all-night cafe in Glasgow after the singer and songwriter Stuart Murdoch and bass guitarist Stuart David met on a government training scheme.

Their first album, released through Stow College, was recorded in just three days and now changes hands for up to £400 a copy.

Ms Shepherd said the group were known as much for their "independent attitude" as for a string of hits - their album Dear Catastrophe Waitress was nominated for a Mercury Prize last year.

Idlewild are winning radio time for their new single, Love Steals Us From Loneliness, and are among the Scottish bands picked to perform at the South by Southwest event.

Lulu scraped in at 48, while the Shamen were last in the rankings. The Eurythmics made 38. Edinburgh stalwarts the Proclaimers came tenth.

The magazine’s music editor, Marc Robertson, said yesterday that everyone would have strong opinions about the rankings.

He said: "The idea behind the project was simple - to rediscover the very best of Scottish music from the finest musical talent, spanning from the age of Seventies rock through to Eighties pop right up to today’s international stars ... the response was amazing."

A spokesman for Orange said the company hoped it had "raised the profile of all the bands and the exciting Scottish music scene"

[bryn]

Average White Band were below dogs-die-in-hot-cars

[Graeme]

It's worth getting the P&J to read their editorial to see how out of touch they are!

[daveofficer]

what did they say? i spent my last 50p on the bus.

[Graeme]

http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk...entPK=11640450

[Graeme]

I would hope they're taking the piss but I doubt it.

[daveofficer]

oh my god.

they said it at the bottom though, "there's just no accounting for taste". sheesh.

[Chris]

fucking hell. no wonder local music barely gets mentioned in that paper if that's the editor's taste in music.

email sent...

[GraemeC]

1. Belle & Sebastian
2. Travis
3. Idlewild
4. Wet Wet Wet
5. Sensational Alex Harvey Band
6. Simple Minds
7. Teenage Fanclub
8. Bay City Rollers
9. Primal Scream
10. The Proclaimers

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