Big Country's first single was " Harvest Home", recorded and released in 1982. [1] It was a modest success, although it did not reach the UK Singles Chart. [3] Their next single was 1983's " Fields Of Fire (400 Miles)", which reached the UK's Top Ten and was rapidly followed by the album The Crossing. [3] The album was a hit in the United States (reaching the Top 20 in the Billboard 200), powered by " In a Big Country", their only US Top 40 hit single. [1] The song features heavily engineered guitar sounds, strongly reminiscent of bagpipes; [1] Adamson and fellow guitarist Watson achieved this through the use of the MXR Pitch Transposer 129 Guitar Effect. Also contributing to the band's unique sound was their use of the e-bow, a device which allows a guitar to sound more like strings or synthesizer. The Crossing sold over a million copies in the UK and obtained gold record status (sales of over 500,000) in the US. The band performed at the Grammy Awards and on Saturday Night Live. The album launch took place in Moscow and was accompanied by a tour of the USSR, [10] a political statement some felt seemed insincere. [11] During the Peace in Our Time UK tour, the band were supported by Diesel Park West and Cry Before Dawn. [12] The 1990s [ edit ] There is the occasional reminder of how good Big Country could be. Lead single Look Away remains a perfectly fine pop song, bettered for earworm status by the irresistible Celtic party I Walk The Hill. When the philosophising stops, Hold The Heart is a powerful sentiment. Despite reaching No.2 in the UK, mostly Big Country crashed and burned in the long run for the naked careerism of their sound here. So I took it out and dusted it off and there it was. I wanted to be outward looking and forward thinking, freed of the misty sentimentality of nationalism, but aware of its continuity. Where have we been, where are we going, what can we give, what can we learn. she patted me on both shoulders and said, 'You're really very good, you directed me well, thank you'. It was a lovely moment."

The Seer (Album liner). Big Country. Mercury Records. 1986. MERH 87. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link) The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although they have retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scottish folk and martial music styles, and the band engineered their guitar-driven sound to evoke the sound of bagpipes, fiddles, and other traditional folk instruments. Cherry Red Records – The Journey, Big Country". Cherryred.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014 . Retrieved 8 April 2014. A memorial to Adamson was held at Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline in January 2002, followed by a tribute concert at Glasgow Barrowlands in May. It brought together the remaining members of both Big Country and Skids; Adamson's teenage children, Callum and Kirsten; as well as Steve Harley, Runrig, Simon Townshend, Midge Ure and Bill Nelson. Big Country Star Believed To Have Committed Suicide | News". Nme.Com. 18 December 2001 . Retrieved 8 April 2014.

Reviews

The album was given two separate mixes. The first was done by producer Robin Millar with the input of the band. This mix was rejected by the band's record label for being not commercial enough, and Walter Turbitt was brought in to remix the album. Turbitt's mix, which was eventually released, was disliked by the band, as it had more overtly poppy elements (such as added reverberation) in contrast to Millar's drier, crisper mix. The original mix remains unreleased, with the exception of "Look Away," the single version of which was released before the remix had been completed. Offiziellecharts.de – Big Country – The Seer" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 December 2020.

All three titles are presented with scrupulous attention to the detail of the original UK first pressings and available in audiophile 180gm vinyl. Whether replacing much-loved originals, or adding to a collection afresh, these are a superior way to enjoy such enduring and influential music.Remembrance Day. "It's quite a potent image of learning from things gone past. This is the underlying theme and the key that the whole album revolves around." saw the release of Big Country's eighth and final studio album with Adamson at the helm, Driving to Damascus (titled in its slightly different, augmented US release John Wayne's Dream). [14] Adamson said publicly that he was pleased with the album but disappointed that it did not fare better on the charts. [ citation needed] Later that year, he disappeared for a while before resurfacing, stating that he had needed some time off. [1] a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p.56. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

I felt that Big Country had got to a point where they'd taken that '80s big reverb sound about as far as it could go," explains Millar. "It was the perfect moment for them to move away from that to a more thoughtful, more organic, deeper kind of record." In what some critics felt was an apparent attempt to regain their dwindling US following, [8] Big Country used producer Peter Wolf for their next album, Peace in Our Time (1988), which was recorded in Los Angeles. It reached No. 9 in the UK Albums Chart, [3] but sold poorly in the United States. [9] Big Country – Steeltown". Rotherham Theatres. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014 . Retrieved 8 April 2014. he also had very definite ideas about the direction Big Country ought to take on their third album and, in a newspaper interview, talked eloquently - as always - about his desire to work with them. The Seer is the third studio album by the Scottish band Big Country, released in 1986. The album featured very traditional Scottish musical settings, reminiscent of the band's debut album The Crossing (1983). Kate Bush worked on the title song in a duet with lead singer and lyricist Stuart Adamson. The album's first single, " Look Away", was an Irish number one, and was also the group's biggest hit single in the UK, reaching #7. [7]

Contributors

Mike Peters left the band in November 2013 at the end of their 19-date Land's End to John O'Groats UK Tour. The band attributed Peters' departure to his inability to commit fully to Big Country, much of his time being devoted to The Alarm and solo projects. Initially, the band intended to continue as a four-piece, sharing lead vocals and returning all the songs to their original keys; Peters had required the songs to be tuned lower to accommodate his deeper voice. [26] However, when they resurfaced in December 2013, they were joined by English singer Simon Hough, who performed most of the lead vocals as well as harmonica and additional guitar. [27] [28] While the status of Hough's membership was not immediately clarified, in a March 2014 podcast, Bruce Watson confirmed that Hough was now the band's fifth member. He also indicated that the group was working on new material, which would involve Hough, for potential future release. [29]