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| Review |  |
by Robert Oliver |
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| Here's my first attempt ever at an album review, something I'm doing only because this is a rare Big Country bootleg not likely to be found by anyone except a diehard collector or someone with a whole lot of money burning a hole in their pocket. I got mine from Tunnel Records, paid around $25, and had to wait more than 2 months for it to arrive. I also ordered the bootleg Long Way Home at the same time, but that was finally cancelled after many months of waiting. This review contains a few observations from the video of the concert this CD was recorded at. |
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Track Listing | |
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The track times are way off and track 9 is oddly labeled as Restless Natives with a time of 1:58 instead of the actual Lost Patrol with a time of 7:56. Somebody was half asleep or under the influence of something when they figured out the track timings.
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Sound Quality | |
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| The overall sound quality is average (well, maybe above average) and just about what you'd expect from a bootleg. I've heard better and I've heard worse. It is much rawer than BBC Live or Safety Net, of course, and was presumably not mixed or fixed with in any way. The guitars at times do sound quite nice and clear, but the drums are a bit muffled (although Mark certainly sounds in good form). |
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Artwork | |
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| The cover depicts what I assume are palm trees against what looks like blue mountains and a yellow sky (see cover image above). Interior artwork uses a rather garish red/green wood motif with orange typography. The back of the CD insert has an interesting background pattern incorporating a guitar. The interior picture, which accompanies a list of the band members (and nothing else), is of two men in kilts sitting on a bench, the view being from below and behind them (and, no, it does not answer the age-old question of what a Scotsman wears under his kilt!) |
| Track 1 | |
"God's Great Mistake" |
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| This track starts off suddenly and lacks the low whistle of the original (which was one of my favorite parts of the song). It is a fairly straightforward rendition, the track timing being very close to the original. |
| Track 2 | |
"You Dreamer" |
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| This is somewhat shorter than the original and does not deviate much except for a bit of a lull around the 2:30 mark. A nice ending, though, that moves directly into Look Away.... |
| Track 3 | |
"Look Away" |
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| Nothing new here—a standard rendition with no surprises. Banter after "Look Away" consists of Stuart asking the audience if they can understand him:. "...my English is nearly as bad as my German." |
| Track 4 | |
"Sail Into Nothing" |
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| Starts off quietly and then proceeds as one would expect. The guitar parts seem simpler here than the original and the bass seems to carry the song more (at least from my musical laymen's point of view). Backing vocals possibly include Mark, as it is definitely not just Tony. The song runs a bit longer than the original. |
| Track 5 | |
"Send You" |
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| This is about a minute longer than the original, with a nice extended guitar portion around the 3:00 mark. |
| Track 6 | |
"Ships" |
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| At 7:25 this is more than 1 minute longer than the Buffalo Skinners version and about 2.5 minutes longer than the NPLH version. There is noticeable hiss (maybe noise from the rain?) during the opening due to the quiet nature of the song and some "crackling" in a few parts. This version seems like a cross between the BS and NPLH versions to my ears, with the electric guitars not kicking in until around the 4:30 mark. Stuart lets the crowd in on the song near the end (along with some more distortion as well). Banter includes comments about the rain at the concert—Stuart says the next song is "all about taking the blame." |
| Track 7 | |
"I'm Not Ashamed" |
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| I like the guitar bits done by, I assume, Bruce—kind of "scratchy." The guitars in general sound quite good on this track. Stuart does a bit around 2:30 where has asks if the crowd is ashamed of where they come from, the color of their skin, their religion or whom they slept with last night. |
| Track 8 | |
"Wonderland" |
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| Longer than the BBC Live or Safety Net versions, but it seems to follow the basic format of the other live versions, including where Stuart calls for Bruce and then he does a solo (this could be where the extra time comes into play). |
| Track 9 | |
"Lost Patrol" |
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| Longer than the Safety Net version by a minute. I believe the opening is a wee bit extended. The crowd comes in around the 3:00 and 4:30 marks with the standard "1-2-3-4" chant. Longer, but like Wonderland, more or less the same format as the live version on Safety Net (with the same aggressive ending). |
| Track 10 | |
"Fields of Fire" |
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| This opens with an extended (one minute) "scratchy" guitar bit by Bruce. During the actual concert Stuart takes this time to escort a few lucky female concert-goers onstage. There is a nice solo around the 3:30 mark with some different twists to it. This is the last song before the encore. |
| Track 11 | |
"In A Big Country" |
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| Can't get by without playing this rare, obscure, seldom-heard ditty. Bruce gets called on for a solo around the 2:00 mark. Similar structure as the Safety Net version. There are some noticeable sound problems around the 3:00 mark. |
| Track 12 | |
"Chance" |
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| A straightforward rendition with no surprises. Similar to the live version on the "Alone" single. |
