DRIVING TO DAMASCUS: THE ALBUM
Slightly similar guitar sound thru most of the album - most like Wildland In My Heart/Message Of Love from WTLF - but slightly more rough guitar sound overall.
There is a lot for BC fans to take away here - I have a feeling much of this will grow on me, perhaps even more than WTLF did.
The bonus tracks are welcome; a slight problem is that they slightly detract from the album ending impact - a bit like the bonuses on the US version of WTLF. But they do make me want to hear more BH stuff. With the exception of "Bella", the album gets better as it progresses on, which I find more rewarding than the other way round.
Listening again to Dust on the Road and Loserville, their sound would have fitted fine on the album - so, for me, BC maintain their knack of ditching some classics to obscure B-sides!
I'm real glad that the quintet of songs: Trouble The Water, Grace, Loserville, Dust On the Road and Your Spirit To Me have emerged, with Fragile Thing coming up to join them rapidly. For me, these are all classics- excellent pieces of songwriting and music, and a direction that I hope will grow. Not the old BC sound - which may well have finally past away - but damned fine. I'm looking forward to the tour!
Steve Bullman.
REVIEW - NOVEMBER 1999 ISSUE
"Tennessee, God and Ray Davies shape Scots rockers' first studio album for four years.
WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES. FIRST, STUART ADAMSON LEAVES SCOTLAND FOR NASHVILLE. THEN HEUNDERGOES A SPIRITUAL REBIRTH (chronicled in Spirit To Me). AND LAST YEAR THE BAND TOUR WITH THE ROLLING STONES (most songs here were written on that tour). THE RESULTS, IT MUST BE SAID, HAVE BEEN MARKEDLY BENEFICIAL. OVERT COUNTRY TOUCHES ARE FEW - FRAGILE THING, FEATURING EDDIE READER, COMES CLOSEST - AND ADAMSON STOPS SHORT OF MENTIONING GOD BY NAME, BUT THE SONGS ARE STRONGER, TIGHTER AND MORE ENERGISED. THE SOCIAL CONCERN (now more Americanised) IS STILL THERE, BUT THE LYRICS ARE MORE DIRECT AND PUNCHY. THERE ARE SURPRISES TOO - TWO SONGS WRITTEN WITH RAY DAVIES (about a splitting couple dividing up old possessions, and the siren call of alcohol) - AND THE ROUSING TITLE TRACK - AN ODD MIX OF HARD ROCK AND GARY GLITTER- MIGHT EVEN GIVE THEM A HIT. THERES LIFE IN THE OLD DOGS YET. 3/5'
Ian Cranna.
Plus picture and caption.
BON APPETIT: The EP
Bon Appetit is a 4 trackCD available in the merchandise section, containing the following songs:
BIRMINGHAM / LIVING BY MEMORY / DON'T YOU STAY / SUN AND MY SHADOW
The four tracks are not available elsewhere.
The artwork couldn't be more different to "In The Scud", with multicolours on front sleeve (9 different coloured images of
Ally MacLeod with his head in his hands, World Cup '78).
The inner liner notes are some of the funniest ever written by Mr Watson; it's worth buying just for them!
The songs are mainly acoustic with electric guitars overdubbed. Once again, this Web site EP gives an amazing insight
into the stripped down Big Country, hard at work, honing their creations with love and tender care. If you haven't ordered
it yet, we recommend you get it, for it holds another 4 classic BC tracks. You will not be disappointed!!!
NEW BIG COUNTRY SINGLE: SEE YOU/PERFECT WORLD: OUT 25TH OCTOBER 1999-10-18
COUNTRY CLUB MERCHANDISE:
P.O. BOX 107, SOUTH GODSTONE, REDHILL, SURREY, RH9 8YS
BIG COUNTRY INFORMATION LINE: 0891 600031 (CALLS COST 60 PENCE PER MINUTE)
