Big Country

Article		by Jeremy Carter and Douglas Johnson (Record Collector, May 1990)
		Along with the Alarm, Simple Minds and U2, Big Country have made guitar-based music acceptable in the face of increasing competition from the wizardry of modern technology and computerization. They've established a reputation as one of the best live acts of the 1980s, and this has been more than matched by Top 10 placings for their four LP releases and regular excursions into the singles chart, their biggest hit being "Look Away" back in 1986. The group were formed in Dunfermline out of the ashes of Scottish punk- pop band the Skids. Guitarist Stuart Adamson was disillusioned with the direction that the band was taking, and so he called up an old friend and fellow guitar-player, Bruce Watson. Watson was a veteran of several small-time outfits, most notably Delinx, who were managed by "Sounds" journalist Johnny Waller, and needed little encouragement from Adamson to quit his day job scrubbing out nuclear submarines. Recruiting a drum- machine, the pair began writing songs beneath a community hall, songs which would provide the backbone for Big Country's earliest recordings. For their first gigs, and to tie in with the wish to keep the band all- Scottish, they recruited three locals to play bass, drums and synthesizer. Within months, the band were supporting Alice Cooper (only to get thrown off the tour because they were "too weird") and had a management deal. On the strength of Adamson's past reputation, several record companies began to take notice, but the general consensus was that the rhythm section weren't strong enough. So, with a little persuasion, Adamson sacked them, and Phonogram put Watson and Adamson in a studio to record some demos. For this purpose, they were augmented with 'Rhythm for Hire' sessioneers, Mark Brzezicki and Tony Butler. Unintentionally, the four musicians hit it off, and with some gentle arm- twisting, Mark and Tony were persuaded that going out on the road with an unfashionably guitar-based band would be a better bet than relying on well-paid, regular session-work. Big Country had come into being. In actual fact, Tony and Mark had first encountered Stuart Adamson back; in the days of the Skids. Both bassist Tony Butler and drummer Brzezicki had once played in the Simon Townshend band, but because the band- leader was Pete Townshend's brother, record companies were reluctant to sign them and invite the inevitable comparison. So the group slimmed down to a four-piece, renamed themselves On The Air, and started afresh with a support slot on the Skids' final UK tour. But that band was short- lived and the pair became in-demand session musicians. A simple twist of fate had them backing Pete Townshend on his "Empty Glass" and, later, "White City" albums. Much of 1982 was spent writing and rehearsing, building up a stockpile of songs ready to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public. They made a live debut at the Membership Club in London in July 1982, followed three months later by their first single, "Harvest Home". Produced by Chris Thomas, it was backed by "Balcony" (which was featured on the soundtrack to "Against All Odds"), but failed to make any chart impression. 12" copies, which also feature "Flag Of Nations (Swimming)", possibly the strangest song the band have ever recorded, are currently worth 6.50. For the next single, "Fields Of Fire", the band called in producer Steve Lillywhite, who'd previously worked with Siouxsie and the Banshees and Marshall Crenshaw. This teaming proved successful as the single rose to a Top 10 chart position and the group were suddenly plastered all over the music press. 12" copies included an "Alternative Mix" of the A-side, but it is the Scotland-shaped picture disc which, at 10, has become the most collectable edition. CROSSING By May 1983, having just completed a second UK tour, Big Country were ready to record their first album. Within two months, "The Crossing" was readied for release, and went on to reach the Top 3 in the LP chart. There are three different versions of the album sleeve, which came in a choice of red, blue or green. While the red and blue covers appeared in July, the red issue was quickly withdrawn and is now the most desired by collectors. The green sleeve appeared in March 1984. A cassette version of the LP, originally in a blue sleeve, featured an additional four tracks: "Angle Park", "Heart And Soul", "In A Big Country (12" Mix)" and "Fields Of Fire (12" Mix)". Collectors of test pressings will have to pay between 13 and 15 for a white label copy of the album. The album gave vent to the band's personal, political and religious beliefs, with the only ballad, "Chance", being lifted as single number four. This outflanked the previous "In A Big Country" 45, giving the band their second Top 10 hit. The most sought-after edition is the 12" picture disc, now valued at 18, although the original 7" with a free color photo has always been popular with fans. 12" white label copies are worth 9. The single was backed with a live version of Smokey Robinson's "Tracks Of My Tears", a personal favorite of Adamson's, which still forms part of the band's set today. In September, the band embarked on another UK tour, which finished with a performance at the Hammersmith Odeon on the 30th, where they played to an enthusiastic, and packed house. The next stop was America, though the band were back for a New Year's Eve concert at Glasgow's Barrowlands. This was made available for home-video release (CFV 00232; CDV 0804421). 1984 began with a new single, "Wonderland", again produced by Steve Lillywhite. Two collectable editions were issued, a clear vinyl 12" and a 7" double-pack. These are worth 12 and: 8.50 respectively. The standard B-side was "Giant", actually an instrumental version of "All Fall Together", a track that is only available on the "Sometimes A Great Notion" compilation. After this release, Big Country again took off, first to the States, then to Sweden to tape their second album, with trusty Steve Lillywhite at the controls. During the interim, Phonogram issued a special collector's item.: the band's first five 12" single releases, with original sleeves left untouched, were collected together and housed in a black box. This, the band's most sought-after UK item, is currently worth between 40 and 45. There is also a twin set of promo playing cards, currently worth 22. The first public airing of the eight weeks studio work came in September 1984 with the "East Of Eden" single. Picture disc and poster sleeve editions were made, though it is 12" test pressings which are most valuable, currently fetching around 10. The single carried a version of Roxy Music's "Prairie Rose" on the B-side. A month later, the "Steeltown" album was issued, entering the charts at No. 1. Several years on, collectors still have the choice between gatefold or single sleeve editions, as both are still available. Although much of the press were critical, many believe the album to be Big Country's finest moment. A second single from it, "Where The Rose Is Sown", was backed by the non-LP "Belief In The Small Man". A 7" Townhouse acetate of this can fetch 25; while a limited edition double-pack release has proved elusive, hence its 16 price tag. Towards the end of the year, Big Country were back on tour, and again ended up in Scotland for a New Year's Eve concert, this time held at the Edinburgh Playhouse. A third cut, "Just A Shadow", was lifted as the band's next 45, again backed by a non-LP cut, "Winter Sky". It climbed no higher than No. 26, despite the presence of an extended remix on the 12". FILM The group embarked on a new project in 1985, when they took up the invitation to write and record the soundtrack to a film called "Restless Natives". Produced by ex-Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, the project took a lengthy two months, and threatened to split them up for good. After almost three years of non-stop touring, writing and recording, the band - and Adamson in particular - needed a rest, but weren't given time for a break. While the group's manager Ian Grant was away, the movie producer cajoled Adamson into the studio to finish the work off. The result was that planned tours of Australia and the US were canceled, and Adamson said he was quitting. But the group resurfaced in December when they were special guests at Roger Daltrey's Madison Square Garden concert. Butler and Brzezicki backed the ex-Who singer, something they'd already done on previous occasions. In March 1986, Big Country began their own UK tour, and issued their first single in over a year. "Look Away" brought the band back into the spotlight with a No. 7 placing. 12" DJ promos (BIGCXDJ1) of "Look Away" change hands for 8, while a promo cassette in a custom sleeve is valued at f6. A white label 12" promo exists. featuring the "Outlaw Mix" of "Look ,Away", alongside the standard mix and "Restless Natives". This was followed by another single, "The 'Teacher", issued in just the two standard formats. July saw the release of the third Big Country album, "The Seer". It entered the chart at No. 3, staying there for three weeks. Kate Bush sang co-vocals on the title track, singing the part of the Seer, a Scottish Nostradamus, while Cornmunards drummer June Miles-Kingston sang hacking vocals on "Remembrance Day" and "Eiledon". The LP also gave Mark Brzezicki a chance to air his voice, a feat he also repeated on tour. Other tracks worth mentioning are "The Sailor" and "The Red Fox". The album was produced by Robin Millar, who'd previously worked with the Fine Young Cannibals, and had expressed an interest in working with Big Country. Being a clearer production, and far easier to listen to than "Steeltown", the record opened up the group to a new set of fans, having been shown the way by the "Look Away" single. The next single was "One Great Thing", and the record company used the occasion to go to town with no less than eight different formats, including four 7"s, three 12"s and a cassette single. The standard B-side, "Song Of The South", was especially recorded for the 45. One of the 12" releases featured an almanac and a rather inaccurate discography. A UK DJ promo (BIGCX3DJ) featured the "Big Baad Country Mix" of "One Great Thing", alongside the "Outlaw Mix" of "Look Away". Also available to the collector is a promo cassette, featuring various mixes, which sells for around 5. The final single to be taken from the album was a ballad, "Hold The Heart", issued in three formats. It was a relative flop, climbing no further than No. 55, but it did boast a live version of the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman", taped at the Pier in New York on the last night of their US tour. Again, there is a Phonogram promo cassette which is worth a fiver. At the end of 1987, Big Country embarked on a small tour of the UK, taking in venues such as Salford University and the Birmingham Hummingbird along the way. This was to warm the band up for the recording of their fourth album, due to start in the US in January. It eventually took four months, and resulted in a more polished, Americanized sound. In the meantime, the group returned to the stage, with an appearance in East Berlin along with Bryan Adams, while on the other side of the Berlin Wall, Michael Jackson performed. They followed this with visits to Finland and Sweden in July and August respectively, and then appeared at the Glasnost festival in Estonia, USSR. Also on the bill was PiL and a host of Soviet rock acts. Just prior to this event, the first Big Country single for almost two years appeared. "King Of Emotion" was issued on cassette, CD, 7" and 12", with all versions including material unavailable on any album, bar "The Travellers", which turned up on the CD issue of the forthcoming long player. DJ promo 12" copies of the single (BIGC DJ512) are in circulation for are around 6. The band's most recent album, "Peace In Our Time", was launched in the unusual surrounding of the Russian Embassy in London, an event which was broadcast live on Radio 1 and which received massive publicity worldwide. Despite this, the album could only peak at No. 9, dropping out of the charts almost immediately, perhaps an indication that a concert tour tie-in might have roused the faithful more successfully. The record did bring with it two fine promo items: a CD sampler featuring five tracks from the album, along with some unreleased artwork and promo badges. A second artifact was a cassette sampler, featuring five LP cuts in their entirety, and again with promo badges. The CD sells for 25; the cassette for around 15. MOSCOW At the end of September 1988, the group traveled to Moscow for five concerts at the Palace of Sports to audiences liberated from the staleness of seated venues. These concerts were the first to be promoted in the USSR without State involvement, although a certain attitude in the UK music press meant the occasion was not heralded as much as it ought to have been. A second single. "Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)", was lifted from the album and released as a single in October. No cassette single appeared, though collectors were confused by the appearance of two CDs, and two 12"s. The latter were identical apart from the fact that some came on red vinyl. Only 5,000 were pressed of each. The band spent November and early December on promotional visits to the US, Europe and the UK, before getting back together in mid-December to rehearse for the 'Peace In Our Time' tour, scheduled to start in Limerick in January. The title track was inevitably lifted from the album as the single released to coincide with the start of the tour. The first 5,000 copies of the 7" came with two free 'Peace' postcards. Addressed to the White House and the Kremlin, each bore the statement 'Give us peace in our time' in English and Russian respectively. A limited edition 12" of the single is worth picking up, as it featured three live recordings taped in Moscow and boasted a gatefold sleeve. After completing another UK/European tour during the early summer, there had been several rumors that another Big Country album was being readied for release before the year's end. But, now well into 1990, there's been no sign of it just yet. Bearing in mind the slight drop in sales of the last set, it'll be interesting to see how well their new material will fare. But judging by their good standing in our 1990 Readers' Poll, it's unlikely that Big Country should be written off just yet. Additional article information by Phil Read and Eamonn Banfield