Big Country Info Big Country Info

 

LINER NOTES

(jump to: Credits)

This Big Country concert finds the band at the height of its mid-1980's fame, playing outdoors on Pier 84 in New York City.

Big Country was formed in Scotland in 1981. Its first single,"Harvest Home released in 1982, achieved success on the U.K. charts; the song is heard in this concert. The next single, "Fields Of Fire;' closes this concert: it was released in 1983 and entered the U.K. top ten. The first Big Country album was "The Crossing:' It led to new levels of success, bringing the band to the attention of listeners in the U.S. The album made the U.S. top twenty; its biggest single, "In A Big Country:' was a U.S. top-forty hit. The album went gold, and Big Country appeared on the Grammy Award TV broadcast and on the show "Saturday Night Live:' A world tour followed.

As this concert shows, Big Country's sound differed from many of the other highly commercial, post-punk 1980's bands known at the time as "new wave:' While new-wave style synthesizers and African-influenced counter rhythms did form important parts of Big Country's sound, the focus was more fully on rootsy electric guitars and a gritty, anthem-like feeling partly influenced by Bruce Springsteen. The band also used technology to give guitars and other electronic instrumentation the feeling of traditional Scottish instruments like fiddles and bagpipes. The result was a hard-driving, tightly knit form of British-Isles roots-rock.
The second album,"Steeltown," came out in 1984. It entered the U.K. album chart at number one, and while it never cracked the U.S. top forty, the title song is featured in this New York concert to enthusiastic acclaim. In 1984 and 1985 Big Country toured intensely.

The current album when the band played this concert was "The Seer." Major tracks from the album include "Look Away;' "One Great Thing;' and "The Teacher; all heard here.

In the years following this concert, Big Country developed a strong cult following for its savvy songwriting, tight-knit instrumental interplay, intriguing musical settings, and positive stage presence — all evidenced here. Big Country found a commercial niche in the 1990's, opening for bigger-time classic-era rock acts like the Rolling Stones and the Who.

The band also continued to release albums throughout the decade, many of which received admiring critical attention. In 2000, a Big Country farewell tour drew big crowds, including a sold-out show in Glasgow.
Lead singer Stuart Adamson died in 2001. The other band members re-formed in 2007 for a 25th-anniversary tour, and returned again for live shows in 2010 nd 2011. This concert returns us to the moment when Big Country was defining its own sound in 1980's rock and pop. 

WILLIAM HOGELAND


 

CREDITS

(jump to: Liner Notes)

1 REMEMBRANCE DAY (S. Adamson/T. Butler/B. Watson)
2 I WALK THE HILL (S. Adamson/M. Brzezicki/T. Butler/B. Watson)
3 JUST A SHADOW (S. Adamson/M. Brzezicki/T. Butler/B. Watson)
4 STEELTOWN (S. Adamson/M. Brzezicki/T. Butler/B. Watson)
5 LOOK AWAY (S. Adamson)
6 THE TEACHER (S. Adamson)
7 INWARDS (S. Adamson/M. Brzezicki/T. Butler/B. Watson)
8 HARVEST HOME (S. Adamson)
9 ONE GREAT THING (S. Adamson/T. Butler)
10 FIELDS OF FIRE (S. Adamson/M. Brzezicki/T. Butler/B. Watson)

Stuart Adamson Guitar, Vocals
Mark Brzezicki Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Tony Butler Bass, Steel Guitar, Vocals
Bruce Watson Guitar, Mandolin, Sitar

Pier 84, New York, NY
August 26,1986

IMA 104197
©2012 IMC Music Ltd.
Artwork: Elian, Emst-Holland
Cover Photo: Getty
Made in the EU