Alan Rankine, co-founder and guitarist of the Scottish post-punk band the Associates, has died. Rankine’s sons Callum and Hamish confirmed the information on their father’s Facebook web page: “He died peacefully at home shortly after spending Christmas with his family. He was a beautiful, kind, and loving man who will be sorely missed.” Rankine was 64.
Born in 1958 in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, Rankine fashioned the Associates with singer Billy Mackenzie in Dundee in 1979. Initially referred to as the Ascorbic Ones, they modified their identify to Mental Torture earlier than selecting the Associates. They launched three albums — 1980’s The Affectionate Punch, 1981 singles compilation Fourth Drawer Down, and 1982’s Sulk — earlier than Rankine left the band in 1982.
Following his time within the Associates, Rankine produced albums for a variety of distinguished UK acts, together with Paul Haig, Cocteau Twins, and the Pale Fountains. He additionally launched into a solo profession in 1986 and recorded three albums: The World Begins To Look Her Age (1986), She Loves Me Not (1987), and the instrumental The Big Picture Sucks (1989).
Later, Rankine taught at Stow College in Glasgow, the place he helped launch Electric Honey, a file label supposed to assist train college students about releasing and selling their very own music. Electric Honey would go on to launch Belle And Sebastian’s 1996 debut Tigermilk, Biffy Clyro’s 2000 debut EP Thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow, Snow Patrol’s debut EP Starfighter Pilot, and extra.
Director Grant McPhee, who featured Rankine in his 2015 Scottish post-punk documentary Big Gold Dream, described the guitarist/keyboardist as a “true one-off maverick genius.” McPhee additionally informed BBC Scotland: “He had an innate understanding of feel for a project, which can be clearly heard in the wonderful music he made. He also is probably the most naturally-gifted musician I’ve ever had the pleasure to speak to, and certainly one of the all-time greats. Kindness is a skill that is rare and Alan had that in abundance to his prodigious musical and storytelling talents.”