Big Country

BIG COUNTRY
The nucleus of Big Country was formed when Stuart Adamson left The Skids in 1981. Stuart recruited guitar partner Bruce Watson who also lived in Dunfermline. The band were initially a five piece and featured fellow Scots Pete and Colin Wishart who went on to form Runrig. This line up did very few shows but did open for Alice Cooper in February 1982. They were asked to leave the tour after two shows because they weren’t cutting it but, fate shone kindly on them because they were soon to re-connect with the rhythm section of Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki whom Stuart had met some two years earlier when their band On The Air (also with Simon Townshend) opened for The Skids. It was considered during that initial phase that the rhythm section was it’s weak spot. The new line up changed everything and they cut their first demos at Phonograms studios in London and were immediately signed to them in May 1982. After somewhat of a false start with legendary produced Chris Thomas they released their first single and were ‘Special Guests’ to The Jam at Wembley Arena for five nights on their farewell dates. Paul Weller had voted Stuart “The Finest Human Being On The Planet” in an NME Christmas poll, the year before. The single ‘Harvest Home’ sold over 6000 but in those days that number only reached 83 on the charts and they gained many fans from the Jam gigs. Fate continued to shine kindly because although the exercise with Chris didn’t work out as hoped for, a certain producer by the name of Steve Lillywhite was about to come to the rescue. “Fields of Fire” recorded in January 1983, released in February and after two weeks had become a Top Ten hit.
The band broke massively worldwide during that year with their debut album The Crossing that sold over 2 million copies and earned Big Country 3 Grammy nominations. Their subsequent four albums, Steeltown which debuted at no: 1 (1984), The Seer (1986), Peace In Our Time (1988) and No Place Like Home (1991) were all certified gold on release and took the bands total record sales tally to five million. Big Country appeared at Live Aid and The Princes Trust 10th Birthday Party and in 1988 they played the first ever privately promoted gig in Russia at the Moscow Sports Stadium. At the end of the decade Through A Big Country, featuring all the bands classic hits was released and while it charted Top 5 nationwide and sold over a million copies, the group parted company with Phonogram after massive personnel changes at the label. In 1992 Big Country signed to Compulsion, through Chrysalis, scored two top 30 hit singles (Alone and Ships) from their sixth album Buffalo Skinners, and set out on another sold out UK and European tour. Their first live album, Without The Aid of a Safety Net, was recorded in December 1993 at a tumultuous sold out Barrowlands gig originally released in June 94 and released also on DVD in 2006.
Big Country's seventh studio album, Why The Long Face, was released on the newly reactivated Transatlantic Records label in 1995, and while critically well received, did not sell as well as hoped. But on the live scene the band were doing as well as ever; they co-headlined many 1995 European festivals with the likes of Bob Dylan, Faith No More, Black Crowes and Soul Asylum. They then landed the special guest slot on the 1995 Rolling Stones ‘Voodoo Lounge’ European tour and several shows in the UK and Ireland with Led Zeppelins, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant later that year.
An unplugged album featuring friends (Steve Harley, Kym Mazelle, Hassam Ramzys Egyptian drummers) was released in 1996 after which Stuart decided it was time for a break; he moved to Nashville and the rest of the band did their own thing for a while. In August 1998 they were once again invited to open for the Rolling Stones on their ‘Bridges To Babylon” tour in Europe. Some of the best songs on the new album Driving To Damascus, their upcoming eighth studio album, were written in between these dates. ("one of the best opening bands we have had" - quote Mick Jagger)
Two songs (Somebody Else and Devil In The Eye) were co-written with Ray Davies, who became firm friends with the band after they joined him on the main stage at Glastonbury in 1997 to perform a storming set in the rain. “Both Ray and I pushed each other into areas we wouldn't normally go” says Stuart.
The first single from the album, Fragile Thing, featured Eddi Reader. "We had been mutual admirers from afar and Eddi is one of the finest singers I have ever come across. She took a sideways look at the song and expressed herself,” said Stuart at the time. Eddi also sang backing vocal on See You, Grace and Bella.
Big Country are one of the few truly awesome live outfits to have survived the roller coaster ride of the mad Eighties and their star was burning brighter than ever in 1999. The band headlined a Scotland for Kosovo gig in Glasgow, joined by Eddi Reader, Teenage Fanclub, Gun, Simple Minds, Ricky Ross and Midge Ure.
The success of this gig led to the band actually performing on 11th September in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, as part of a multinational all-star bill brought together by Vanessa Redgrave & Bill Kenwright (partner of band manager, Ian Grant). The band were flown to the gig by the RAF and then shuttled to the venue in a K-FOR armoured car. The sight of several thousand Kosovars going wild in a sports arena in the middle of a devastated city was one of the most moving events in the bands career.
Big Country, who have scored 17 top 30 singles and seven top 30 albums in the past, released their eighth studio album in September 1999. Produced by Rafe McKenna, Driving To Damascus was released on the Track Record label (original home of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who etc.) reactivated by Bill Kenwright and Ian Grant.
Driving To Damascus was a major leap forward for the band, containing textures and influences never before embraced and manifested Big Country back at the peak of their creative powers.
However, in November 1999, the band received more International Media coverage than they had seen in a decade or more. Stuart Adamson did not arrive in the UK for British TV appearances and some shows with Bryan Adams. Speculation was such that not only the tabloids but the broadsheets (The Times called his publicist requesting an up to date biog so that they could prepare an obituary) and radio and TV gave massive coverage to him being missing. Then residing in America and with many changes in his personal life, Stuart decided he had had enough of touring. He agreed to tour one final time in Europe. The band embarked on their Final Fling tour of UK, Germany and Holland. The last gig at their beloved Barrowlands was filmed, recorded and a double DVD - Come Up Screaming (bonus disc was the band playing before 150,000 people in East Berlin) which included most of The Crossing live and other favourites was released in 2002. The band had never sounded so good and the audience as fervent or even, more so than ever.
Big Country did in fact perform one more show in 2000 and this was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In October they were on a multi national bill, which included Jethro Tull, Steve Vai and Joe Satrianni plus numerous acts from the Pacific Rim. This was their last ever performance.
Stuart only ever wanted to put Big Country on the backburner whilst he explored new territory in Nashville with his new band The Raphael’s; he fully intended to work Big Country again. Tragically, it was not to be.
Stuart sadly died on December 16th 2001.
He was honoured by his children Callum and Kirsten, former band members and musician friends when they gathered to perform and remember him and his music at Barrowlands (long considered the bands spiritual home) in Glasgow on May 31st 2002. The Skids made an appearance for the first time in 20 years. Hugh Cornwell (former Strangler) Midge Ure, Bill Nelson, Steve Harley, Brian James and The Vibrators, Runrig, Damon Hill, Mike Peters and many more took part in a programme put together by Bruce Watson and band manager Ian Grant.
Whatever can be or has been said about Stuart Adamson, Big Country, The Skids or The Raphael’s, no one can take away the musical legacy.
The remaining three members had not had any thoughts of performing as Big Country again. But, Tony Butler, Mark Brzezicki and Bruce Watson have united to celebrate the band’s Twenty-fifth anniversary. The trio have performed some of their best-loved hits, a selection of songs that were not played live much in the past, and some brand new material over six shows this summer.
“We thought it would be cool to get together again, and go out and play some intimate shows, and play some of the back catalogue and give the fans what they have been crying out for,” says Bruce Watson.
“After Stuarts passing, I firmly believed that the band would, and could, never play again. Turning my back on the music business, I consigned former glories, memories and collected paraphernalia to the darkest places I could find. To find Bruce, Mark and myself playing again, writing, recording and having fun doing it, was something I never thought would happen. I know we have all had to find the courage to do this and we are spurred on because we feel that this is a fitting tribute to our lost friend.” Says Tony Butler.
And Mark Brzezicki adds: “We met up in Scotland for a bit of a play; just to get into the zone again. At that point, we all new that it felt instinctively right to work together again. New song ideas were flowing, Bruce had worked hard on his guitar parts brilliantly to cover the old BC songs, and Tony had come of age as the lead singer. For me, you could never replace Stuart, so it was best to let the band evolve and find its feet from within rather than look outside BC for any replacement. With a few live shows now under our belt and half of a new BC album written and the new live album. We can all start dreaming again”.
“This isn't a come-back... it’s just the three of us having fun, as friends and as a band, and hoping to give the fans some enjoyment by playing our songs live, in some great venues,” says Bruce. “The last time we played BC songs together was seven years ago at the Glasgow Barrowlands, May 31st 2000. Big Country is the greatest band I have ever been in. Turns out Tony and Mark feel exactly the same. This is our band, we are three great mates, and as great as it has been playing with other artists in the last seven years (Dead Men Walking, Fish, Casbah Club, Four Good Men & in Mark’s case – Procul Harum), when the three of us get together, that is us at our best and happiest.”
The first two shows sold out (Glasgow and Aberdeen) and left the band on such a high they decided to go straight into the studio with producer Pete Brown (son of Joe) and have cut 5 songs. More are being written that will become a new studio album to be released in 2008 (the Anniversary of The Crossing). Tony, Mark and Bruce were also confident enough to record a gig after four shows which Pete has mixed and it is to be released via the bands website imminently.
- October 2007
See Big Country Live
26th October – Newcastle, Legends
27th October – Manchester, Academy
Friday 7th December - Holmfirth Picture Drome
Saturday 8th December - Blackpool Riffs
Friday 14th December – Hardenberg Podium, Holland
Saturday 15th December – Cologne Underground, Germany
Friday 21st December - Carlisle Brickyard
Saturday 22nd December - Burnley Mechanics
Sunday 23 December - Stratford Upon Avon Cox's Yard
Thursday 27th December - Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
Friday 28th December - Aberdeen Moshulu (change of venue due to sudden Lemon Tree closure - tickets bought for Lemon Tree are valid for Moshulu)
Saturday 29th December - Inverness Ironworks
Sunday 30th December - Glasgow ABC
www.bigcountry.co.uk
www.myspace.com/bigcountryscotland
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