Big Country Info Big Country Info

 

LINER NOTES

(jump to: Credits)

When I recently heard these songs again I was totally blown away, it was like listening to them for the first time. I remember the songs but not the form of the mixes, and I now sure I was completely mad in those days. There were really no rules as to what these should have sounded like, and as I am not a DJ, you can't really dance to them. What you can do is marvel at the spectacular drumming, and the way in which the drums were recorded. Some of my favourite times in the studio was challenging Mark to record his drums separately, thus giving me complete control over the way I could mix them. Many years have now passed since these days, and technology has enabled people to make amazing extended mixes, but what you are listening to was truly ground breaking.

Steve Lillywhite - June 2001 

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STAY ALIVE
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Sitting in my studio, listening, pumping up the volume, tweaking compressors, limiting this, fading that, listening again and again, one image never left my mind. The smiling face of that young lad from Surrey, grinning from ear to ear as he managed to get the drums doing bigger and louder things. 12" mixes were not supposed to be the domain of bands like Big Country, but with the constant demand for extra tracks for different formats, a new form of expression was taking root. The instrument, the mixing console, the performer, the producer. 
 
To say that Steve Lillywhite enjoyed making 12" mixes was an understatement. It was supposed to be fun, and sound like it as well. "So what if the desk is making a weird noise, put it on the mix", I seem to remember him saying while putting together Wonderland. 
 
What impresses me about this collection, is that they relied more on the component parts of the recordings rather than the more current commonplace remix vibe, where tracks are completely dismantled and re-recorded, by someone else. I wouldn't say these BC mixes were ahead of their time, just in a time of their own. 
 
Oh! did I forget to mention what a laugh we had............ 
 
Tony Butler 
 

Mixing these tracks for 12" was a way of letting off steam. Steve often did them late when things were a bit "light hearted and hysterical". Stoned enough to laugh at your own bad jokes. Two dyslexics walk into a bra. He played the old API board in Rak 1 like an instrument. Using its limitations. Making it strain and creak. making it up as he went along. Creating an energetic racket. Trying stuff out without the pressure of mixing a "hit". Covering everything in fags and empty beer cans. Laughing his socks off. We've done the album. Now let's fuck it up. 

Chris Briggs - July 2001

CREDITS

(jump to: Liner Notes)

East Of Eden (Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson)
Produced by Steve Lillywhite in 1984
The Teacher (S.A damson)
Produced by Robin Millar
Additional production and Mix by Walter Turbitt
Wonderland (Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson)
Produced by Steve Lillywhite in 1984
FieIds Of Fire (Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson)
Produced by Steve Lillywhite in 1983
Just A Shadow (Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson)
Produced by Steve Lillywhite in 1985
Chance (Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson)
Produced by Steve Lillywhite in 1983
Where The Rose Is Sown (Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson)
Produced by Steve Lillywhite in 1984
In A Big Country (Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson)
Produced by Steve Lillywhite in 1983

Save Me (S. Adamson)
Produced by Tim Palmer in 1990
Mixed by Tony Butler in 2001

One Great Thing (Adamson, Butler)
Produced by Robin Millar in 1986
Look Away (S. Adamson)
Produced by Robin Millar in 1986

To write to Big Country (include SAE)
c/o PO Box 107
South Godstone
Redhill
Surrey
RH9 8YS


Big Country are:
STUART ADAMSON – Guitar and vocals
MARK BRZEZICKI – Drums and b/vocals
TONY BUTLER - Bass Guitar and b/vocals
BRUCE WATSON – Guitar and mandolin

Pat Ahearn plays drums on ‘Save Me’

Special thanks to:
Steve Lillywhite, Chris Briggs, Will Gosling, Robin Millar, Walter Turbitt, Tim Palmer, Howard Berman, Clive Munday, Jane Hitchin, Steve Beatty & all at PHD plus all the Phonogram team in the 80s.
All titles published by EMI Music Ltd
All recordings licensed from Mercury Records Ltd
Management – Ian Grant
Mastered by Tony Butler & Wobbly Studios
Artwork by RA

Big Country
Undercover BCRTRK001
Big Country
Driving To Damascus TRK 1000CD
Big Country
Rarities ii BCRTRK002
Big Country
Come Up Screaming TRK1 003CD
Big Country
One In A Million BCRTRK003
The Raphaels (feat: Stuart Adamson)
Supernatural TRK005CD

www.bigcountry.co.uk
www.trackrecords.co.uk
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East Of Eden 6.31
The Teacher 6.14
Wonderland 7.09
Fields Of Fire 5.18
Just A Shadow 7.44
Chance  6.13
Where The Rose Is Sown 7:44
In A Big Country 6.17
Save Me 7.22
One Great Thing 5.31
Look Away 6.32
Total running time - 73.01