From: melodyjames@delphi.com (Melody James)
Newsgroups: news.answers, rec.music.celtic, rec.music.info, rec.music.misc,
Subject: Big Country (FAQ)
Followup-To: poster
Summary: This posting describes the musical group Big Country, including
where to find more information.
Expires:
Supersedes:
Archive-name: BCFAQ/welcome
Posting-Frequency: monthly (first Monday)
Last-modified: 11/23/95
Version: 1
URL: http://www.intercenter.net/~jnu/bc/
Big Country is a Scottish rock band formed in 1982, and it has nothing to do with country music. The band uses elements from rock music, folk music, traditional Scottish music and (occasionally and to a lesser degree) punk/hard rock. Their music has often been called folk rock.
Stuart Adamson [b. 1958 04 11, Manchester, England]. Vocals, Guitar, E-Bow.
Bruce Watson [b. 1961 03 11, Timmins, Ontario, Canada]. Guitar, Mandolin, Sitar, E-Bow.
Tony Butler [b. 1957 02 13, London, England]. Bass, Backing Vocals.
Mark Brzezicki [b. 1957 06 21, Slough, Buckinghamshire, England]. Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals.
Though born in Manchester, England, Adamson was raised in the small village of Crossgates near Dunfermline, Fife; hence the undeniable Scottish edge to the Big Country beat.
The impact of punk pricked Adamson into seriously putting together a band of his own. After assembling bassist Tom Kellichan, drummer Willie Simpson and young vocalist Richard Jobson, he launched the Skids in 1977; and though the rhythm section subsequently underwent a series of changes, Adamson and Jobson remained together until 1981.
After the Skids broke up, Adamson quietly went back underground in Dunfermline. His wife gave birth to their first child and he began writing songs with guitarist Bruce Watson, a flame-haired young firebrand whose two previous bands, the Delinquents and Eurosect, had often supported the Skids on Scottish dates. Watson needed little encouragement from Adamson to quit his day job scrubbing out nuclear submarines.
The pair worked for months in a portable studio beneath a community pool hall, perfecting the blueprint that was to become Big Country. By the end of the year, they were ready to test the prototype and extended their lineup to embrace a lineup to embrace a rhythm section and keyboards. They had an initial appearance in their home town, then they supported Alice Cooper two nights in England. The latter backfired when the obnoxious Vietnam vet tour manager took a dislike to the band and kicked them off the tour. This did the group a favour, and Big Country Mark One nose-dived out of existence only weeks after being formed.
Mark Two came about when Phonogram Records talent scout Chris Briggs offered Adamson and Watson some demo time in a London studio. Lacking a permanent rhythm section, the pair called in a session team known as Rhythm For Hire - Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki - for the task. The first song they ever played was 'Harvest Home' and that was all it took to convince Adamson that this was the group he'd been striving for.
Butler and Brzezicki had been together for some time, having played in Simon Townshend's group On The Air and worked with Simon's more illustrious older brother Pete on the Empty glass and Chinese Eyes solo projects. though still in their mid-20s, they were a part of the old school of sessioneers - the real musicians - before they joined Adamson and Watson.
Together they have released seven studio albums, four compilations albums, three live albums, and numerous singles, EP's, and videos. Big Country has also done a soundtrack for the film "Restless Natives" and participated in many other projects both as a band and as individuals. For a complete discography, see the web page, "The Crossing" noted below. For recent releases, hot news, and tour info, see the last section in this FAQ. To discuss Big Country with other fans, join the Big Country mailing list noted below or join one of the Big Country fan clubs. Reviews, Articles, Photos, Lyrics, Guitar Chords, Sales Charts and more are also available.
"Stay Alive"
John N. Underwood manages a WWW site for Big Country called "The Crossing" and is accessible at http://www.intercenter.net/~jnu/bc/ where the following is available for your reading pleasure: a very detailed Discography, News, Tour Dates, Lyrics, Fan Club info, BC 1994 Poll, Guitar Chords, Pictures, Reviews, Interviews, a list of on-line music stores, the Best of the Big Country Mailing List archives and a swap section for those things you need and want to part with.
Markus Schoeller runs a mailing list on the Internet for discussions about Big Country.
To subscribe you just have to write an email to
bc-request@specklec.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
with the word subscribe in the body of the message.
To unsubscribe please send an email to the same address with the
word unsubscribe in the body.
ftp://speckled.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/pub/BigCountry
Here you can find a discography, some lyrics, and lots of pictures
Country Club, the official UK fan club (for fans worldwide)
Management: Jan and Andrew Bremner
Email: 100647.3550@compuserve.com
Address: Country Club, P.O. Box 59, Ashwell Herts, SG7 5NG UK
All of Us, the official US fan club (for US fans only)
Editor: James D. Birch
Email: allofus@mail.dmv.com
Phone/FAX: 410-479-0777
Address: All of Us, c/o James D. Birch, 201 Gay Street #4, Denton, MD 21629 USA
Pink Marshmallow Moon, a UK-based fanzine
Editor: Mrs. G. Shand (?)
Address: Pink Marshmallow Moon, c/o Mrs. G. Shand, 159 Mackintosh Road
Inverness, Scotland IV2 3TZ Britain
Recent Releases: include an anti nuclear EP "Non (Stop The Tests)", the 1995 studio release "Why the Long Face", the 1995 compilation album "In a Big Country" and a live release called "BBC Live in Concert". More details on these can be found on the web page.
Hot News: from Jan (Country Club)
Tour Dates: Tours dates to be announced.
This FAQ will be posted monthly with updated news. See the web page for more information on any of the above.
Melody James (melodyjames@delphi.com) and
Svein Hjorthaug (Svein.Hjorthaug@student.uib.no)