North of the Border

Scotland's contributions to science (the television, the telephone), sport (golf, tossing the caber), and fashion (tartan man-skirts) are nothing short of phenomenal, but everything pales in comparison to the nation's glorious rock and pop heritage: from Lulu to Travis via the Proclaimers, here's the very best of rockin' Scotland.

"Dirty Old Town" is often associated with the Pogues, but it was written by Scottish-born Ewan MacColl (about Salford) and recorded in '66 by the Ian Campbell Folk Group.

Scotland's rock family tree has big branches that extend from the folk of Donovan ("Colours") to the melodious guitar rock of Teenage Fanclub ("Norman 3") and the art-rock of Franz Ferdinand ("The Fallen"). Primal Scream, founded by Bobby Gillespie while he was drumming for the Jesus and Mary Chain, kick it '70s-style on "Rocks". A link to music hall tradition is provided by Andy Stewart's "A Scottish Soldier", and the Skids bridge the gap between punk and Big Country with "Into the Valley".

Head north of the border and you find a rich rock tradition among the thick accents and deep-fried Mars bars: Scotland's place on the world's jukebox is assured by an inexhaustible supply of quality tracks, the best of which we've assembled in this playlist. "King of Skiffle" Lonnie Donegan ("Rock Island Line") sits proudly alongside the likes of Travis, the Eurythmics, and Gerry Rafferty, whose early career saw him in the Humblebums with comedy superstar Billy Connolly. Whichever way you cut it, Scotland rocks.