With their ringing, bagpipe-like guitars and the anthemic songs of frontman Stuart Adamson, Scotland's Big Country emerged as one of the most distinctive and promising new rock bands of the early '80s, scoring a major hit with their debut album, The Crossing; though the group's critical and commercial fortunes dimmed in the years to follow, they nevertheless outlasted virtually all of their contemporaries, releasing new material into the next century. The England-born Adamson formed Big Country in mid-1981 following his exit from the Scottish punk quartet the Skids, enlisting childhood friend Bruce Watson on second guitar; Clive Parker and brothers Pete and Alan Wishart completed the original lineup, but were soon replaced by bassist Tony Butler and drummer Mark Brzezicki. Signing to Polygram's Mercury imprint, the band issued its debut single, 'Harvest Home,' in the fall of 1982; a series of opening dates on the Jam's farewell tour increased Big Country's visibility exponentially, and the follow-up, 'Fields of Fire,' cracked the U.K. The Crossing appeared in 1983, its passionate, idealistic approach and Celtic-inspired arrangements far removed from the prevailing new wave mentality of the moment; the album not only went platinum at home but went gold in America as well, its success spurred by the Top 20 pop hit 'In a Big Country.' Critics raved, and in early 1984 Big Country returned to the British Top Ten with the single 'Wonderland.'
Bruce and Jamie Watson are proud to present a new musical collaboration with fellow musician and longtime Big Country fan Thomas Kercheval. The trio has dubbed themselves “WKW”, and they’ve just released a 3-song EP called “Hands Across the Ocean”, which can currently be previewed and downloaded from Bandcamp at the link below (soon to be available on other digital platforms).
- The reunited Big Country today revealed the tracklist for its upcoming 2CD 'deluxe edition' reissue of its 1983 debut album 'The Crossing,' which will be released by Universal Music on Jan. 30 in the U.K. And be supplemented with seven B-sides and a second disc featuring 17 demos — 10 of which are previously unreleased.
- The Crossing (Deluxe Edition) - Big Country Music - berezmedia.com Free MP3 Download.
Their second album, Steeltown, entered the charts at number one, but despite good reviews there were already rumblings that all of the band's material sounded much the same; charges against 1986's The Seer did little to rectify (although the single 'Look Away' was their biggest hit yet). A tour of the Soviet Union accompanied the 1988 release of Peace in Our Time, but the following year Brzezicki resigned from duty, with drummer Pat Ahern enlisted for the single 'Save Me.' Chris Bell replaced Ahern upon completing 1991's No Place Like Home, the first of the band's albums not to receive an American release. After parting ways with Polygram, Big Country signed with the Compulsion label for 1993's The Buffalo Skinners, recorded with yet another new drummer, Simon Phillips; the record launched a pair of British Top 30 hits, 'Alone' and 'Ships.'
Big Country Crossing Deluxe Rarity Movie
Brzezicki rejoined the lineup in time for Without the Aid of a Safety Net, a live LP recorded in Glasgow at year's end. Why the Long Face followed in 1995, and after recording the acoustic effort Eclectic, Adamson relocated to Nashville in 1997, prompting Big Country to go on extended hiatus. The group's first new studio effort in four years, Driving to Damascus, appeared in 1999; the single 'Somebody Else' was co-written by Adamson and the Kinks' Ray Davies. Adamson had problems with alcohol that contributed to his brief disappearance in November 1999 and announced his intentions to retire from touring in the spring of 2000, concurrent with the release of the limited edition Nashville Album. Later that fall, Come Up Screaming was issued on SPV.
On December 16, 2001 Adamson was found dead in a hotel room in Hawaii. He had been missing for several weeks from his Nashville, Tennessee home.
Jason Ankeny. ORIGIN Dunfermline, Scotland.
FORMED 1981.
Universal Music will issue a trio of deluxe editions next month. The Seer, Peace In Our Time and No Place Like Home are all two-CD sets packed with bonus material that includes B-sides, demos, twelve-inch remixes, seven-inch edits and even some unreleased songs. Full track listings below. The third, fourth and fifth Big Country albums respectively, these reissues jump ahead of second album Steeltown in the reissue schedules. That album was this past spring, but appears to have been delayed and now looks to be coming out after the current batch, with the end of September the current release date on.
The Seer was released in 1986 and features the band’s biggest UK hit Look Away (two remixes are on the bonus disc). It is also notable for a rare instance of performing on another act’s album with her vocal contribution to the title track.
Peace In Our Time followed two years later, while 1991’s No Place Like Home was the band’s first long-player not to yield a UK top 20 hit. All three albums are reissued on 4 August 2014. The Seer. Peace In Our Time. No Place Like Home.
Track listings THE SEER CD 1. 1. Look Away 4:24. 2. The Seer feat. Kate Bush 5:19. 3.
The Teacher 4:06. 4. I Walk The Hill 3:30. 5. Eiledon 5:36.
6. One Great Thing 4:03. 7.
Hold The Heart 6:07. 8. Rememberance Day 4:29. 9. Red Fox 4:12.
10. Sailor 4:57. 11. Restless Natives (Extended Version) 4:05. 12. Margo’s Theme 3:44. 13.
Highland Scenery 4:11. 14. Home Came The Angels 2:08. 15. Song Of The South (7″ Version) 3:48. 16.
Honky Tonk Woman (Live At The Pier, New York / 1986) 3:54. 17. Hold The Heart (Instrumental) 6:05 CD 2.
1. Restless Natives (Pt. 1 / Long Version) 16:44. 2. Restless Natives (Pt. 2 / Long Version) 18:11. 3.
I Will Run For You (Complete Film Version) 4:23. 4. Look Away (12″ Mix) 6:32. 5. The Teacher (Mystery Mix) 5:32. 6.
One Great Thing (Boston Mix) 5:36. 7.
Song Of The South 5:04. 8. Look Away (Outlaw Mix) 6:56. 9. One Great Thing (Big Baad Country Mix) PEACE IN OUR TIME CD 1.
1. King Of Emotion. 2. Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys). 3. Thousand Yard Stare. 4.
From Here To Eternity. 5. Everything I Need. 6. Peace In Our Time.
7. Time For Leaving. 8. River Of Hope. 9.
In This Place. 10. I Could Be Happy Here. 11. The Travellers.
Country Crossing Rally
12. On The Shore.
13. Soapy Soutar Strikes Back. 14. Peace In Our Time. 15.
Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys). 16. When A Drum Beats. 17.
Ages Of Man. 18. Cuts Like a Spoon CD 2 Disc: 2. 1. You Lose Your Dreams.
2. In Your Homeland. 3. Thousand Yard Stare. 4.
Over The Border. 5. Everything I Need. 6. The Longest Day.
7. Time For Leaving.
9. Starred & Crossed. 10.
Not Waving But Drowning. 11. Promised Land. 12.
Peace In Our Time. 13. Made In Heaven. 14. I Could Be Happy Here.
15. Christmas Island NO PLACE LIKE HOME CD 1. 1. We’re Not In Kansas 6:11. 2.
Republican Party Reptile 4:01. 3. Dynamite Lady 5:32. 4. Keep On Dreaming 4:04.
5. Beautiful People 5:33. 6. The Hostage Speaks 5:52. 7. Beat The Devil 4:03.
8. Leap Of Faith 5:44. 9. Ships 4:01. 10.
Into The Fire 6:00. 11. Save Me (Radio Edit) 4:30.
12. Pass Me By 4:01. 13. Dead On Arrival 3:30. 14.
World On Fire 3:51. 15. Heart Of The World 3:46. 16. Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys 3:23. 17.
Troubled Man CD 2. 1. Braun type 4169 hand blender manual di. Comes A Time 3:54. 2. You, Me And The Truth 5:18. 3.
Freedom Song 4:30. 4.
Kiss The Girl Goodbye 5:11. 5. I’m Only Waiting 4:38. 6. Return Of The Two Headed King 4:29. 7. Fly Like An Eagle 4:23.
8. Soul On Fire (Demo) 5:13.
9. Gypsy Girl (Demo) 3:55. 10. Freedom Song (Demo) 4:02. 11.
Keep On Dreaming (Ca Va Studios Version) 5:04. 12. We’re Not In Kansas (Demo) 5:29. 13. Leap Of Faith (Demo) 4:41. 14.
The Hostage Speaks (Demo) 5:11. 15. Beautiful People (Demo) 5:33. 16. Celtic Dreams (Demo) The Seer. Peace In Our Time.
No Place Like Home. You might also like. Judging by the track times it looks like the tracks “The Seer” & “The Teacher” overlap again which is a carry over from the 1996 remaster. I never knew why that happened because it doesn’t happen on the the original pressings of the album. Also in reply to Neil’s post think the reason they’re putting the 12″ mixes on this remaster is because there just were’nt many b-sides tracks during this period. The only missing stuff would be the “Live Texas Tape” tracks which were used as bonus tracks on “One Great Thing” formats.
These were recorded a year or so before so not relly part of the period (and alo the right might be owned by a US radio broadcaster). The only track I know nothing about is “I Will Run For You” which I’m curious to hear. Big Country have 9 volumes in the rarities series so finding more ‘rare’ stuff is quite amazing. 4 box sets of singles on CD were released previously.
The only items missing from these sets is the live material from Austin, Texas 84. Rather than releasing all the b-sides again, a bonus live CD of the Texas tapes is more appealing to someone who already owns the singles box sets. The original Robin Millar mix of ‘The Seer’ has never been released only the single version of ‘Look Away’. There is a petition by Big Country fans to have this version released.