Carrying a tune Clydebank crooner Marti Pellow has been recalling the Christmases of his youth. One occasion stands out, when his mother took him and his brother round the Barras, choosing presents for friends and family. At one point Marti and his sibling spotted a Hi-Fi. They immediately started pestering their mum to buy it, which she did. This tender memory goes some way towards explaining Marti’s early love of music. Though the purchase could easily have led to him becoming a champion weightlifter instead. As the family didn’t own a car, Marti’s brother had to carry the stereo home on the train. Marti, meanwhile, took the same long journey, with a hefty speaker bulging under each of his straining arms.