===============================================================
THE BEST OF
THE BIG COUNTRY MAILING LIST
5/94-11/95
===============================================================
PART SIX: DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE BIG COUNTRY MAILING LIST:
A) An Overview
B) What Do Big Country Fans Look Like And What Do We Do?
C) What Other Artists Do Big Country Fans Recommend?
D) Collectibles
E) Soundbites
F) Huh?? What Did You Hear? (Garbled Lyrics)
G) Future Ideas For Fan Participation
H) Hints To Find Releases To Add To Your Collection
I) The Wishlist
PART SIX: DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE BIG COUNTRY MAILING LIST:
a) An Overview
"We're the only four left" [caption on woodprint on back of 7" and 12" of Chance
single, 1983] Well, it certainly looked that way in May of 1994 when Markus Schoeller
and a few others started the Big Country Internet mailing-list. [Markus is not only the
moderator, but he is the guy who has to take care of the technical aspects of the list.
He also has to deal with air cooling system problems around the hardware, destroyed
ethernet connections and flooding in the Rhine region.] The list has grow
quickly in number as one by one we stumbled over the information needed to join.
Some people hadn't bought Big Country albums in years and had some catching up
to do, others, started with new releases and have tried to work backwards. The one
thing we have in common is a love for this great music.
On Oct 18 1995 the situation is like this:
52 people from Commercial sites
31 people from US Educational sites
15 people from sites in the UK
5 people from sites in Canada
5 people from sites in Finland
4 people from sites in Germany
3 people from sites in the Netherlands
3 people from sites in Norway
3 people from Network sites
2 people from sites in Australia
2 people from Non-Profit Organizations sites
2 people from US Military sites
1 people from sites in Belgium
1 people from sites in Chile
1 people from sites in Japan
1 people from sites in New Zealand
1 people from sites in South Africa
1 people from sites in Switzerland
1 people from US Government sites
==
134 total
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) What Do Big Country Fans Look Like And What Do We Do?
[If I missed your description due to recent mail problems, please re-send it to me.]
Michael B.: "And the lesson today, boys and girls, is that the music of Big Country is
like A BRIDGE, bringing together many different people from different
places, with different beliefs, and EVEN different ages...! :)
Peter Sapira: I live in San Francisco where I'm going to film school - and I'm 28.
Simo: a 25-year-old meteorology student with brown hair and blue-grey(ish) eyes
standing 177cm tall (that's 5'10" for the non-metric amongst us ;)
David Blewett: I'm 31 as well. A popular age for this group.
Mike Lynd :I'm going to the concert in Guildford, Surrey
on Tuesday 17th (my first BC concert). I am the tall bald old one with
glasses (I have a horrible feeling that I'm going to stick out like a
sore thumb!!)
Mike Lynd : On second thought, this brief description of myself makes me sound like
DEATH from Terry Pratchett's Disc World novels. Would you instead
believe a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson and Hugh Grant?
Mike Lynd : Totters out of wheelchair, gnashes gums, adjusts bifocals, inserts
hearing trumpet and collapses in front of keyboard! Yes, folks, I think I claim the geriatric
of the month award - I'm 48 years old, with a daughter of 19 and a son of 18!
Now there, you young whippersnappers treat us oldsters with respect, OK?
Svein Borge Hjorthaug: I'm a 23-year old tall blond guy with long hair, often put
together in a ponytail. I'm blue-eyed and often unshaved, tho never long enough
to grow a beard. The stereotype of a Scandinavian viking? ;)
Jeffrey B. Marsh :I'm a 31 year old brown-haired, brown-eyed computer geek (w/o pocket
protector). I build programs to work with computerized military wargame
simulations. I'm married and have three girls -- Rebecca is 7 years old,
Megan is 5 years old and Emma is 2. My girls are as big of BC fans as anyone.
Todd Oberly: (a 26-year-old fellow with glasses and short, balding, brown hair. ;-)
howard bryan: [who never uses capital letters ] i am a 24 year old education student
who plans to teach biology, i have a degree in wildlife biology and a minor in creative
writing. hobbies, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking
Steve Bullman:I'm 38, rotund, with a beard and a loud laugh. I work for
British Gas and live in the middle of England. I don't think
BC are heroes - but they are talented men worth my respect
and spondoolies when they release records or go on tour.
Philip Ost I'm 28, a business studies graduate who is now practicing marketing.
I'm 6ft 4, sorta mousey hair and live with my girlfriend Lisa near
Winchester (on the South coast of England) for those in foreign fields.
I'm 5 foot 7 and about 10 stone. I'm an art major(computer graphics)and my
hobbies are drawing, painting, genealogy and reading philosophy.
Dan Lucas :As for me personally, I'm a grad student as well as an editor
for reference books and encyclopedias used by high school students. I own a lovely
set of highland pipes (that I only rarely have the lips & lungs to play), and have a bit
of frugal Scot blood (mostly Lamont w/ a spot of Stuart.)
Ed Clark: I'm 27. I worked as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity for a year, taught
English for three years, and I'll be starting my second year of law school at the
University of Kentucky next week.
Greg D. Hughes: I'm 27 and have liked BC since I first heard IABC on a Philly radio
station. I went through two cassettes when The Crossing first came out and
have since destroyed one copy on CD. I like to think I grew up listing to
these guys. When they broke I think they filled a huge void in rock music.
All that keyboard crap of the early eighties never turned me on. Once I got
into BC my tastes in music changed. I used to listen to a lot of southern
rock, Hatchet, 38 Special, Outlaws, Skynard but that changed when I first heard
IABC. I started following bands like the Alarm, Hothouse Flowers, The
Waterboys, Neds Atomic Dustbin, Dream So Real, Godfathers, REM, Connells, Soul
Aslym etc.
Laura J. Askey: I am 28 ( the average age of the list it seems ), female, a old school
punk-new waver since approx. 1980. Physically I am 5'6", average build, have
non-descript blonde hair chopped into a somewhat elongated flat-top, blue eyes,
round glasses, and possess the family inherited grin. My main musical tastes are
bands such as Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Big Country, kd Lang, and assorted
industrial acts. I drive a white Ford Pickup, my tags read KMFDM and I freely
squash all in my path that either 1. have bad fashion sense or 2. Listen to undesirable
music...I have a strong Scottish background and have deep convictions to my
heritage. ( if it ain't Scottish its crap!) I am currently employed at a mega corporation
that has a strong presence in the cellular market. (Its slogan is referred to as
"batwings" by insiders.) I also have four dogs, two fancy rats, 8 freshwater fish,
one bird and a partridge in a pear-tree, no actually a hedge hog named Rob Roy.
Ian Ingham: For the record, I'm 28 and live in Florida. Senior Computer
Support Specialist: Phyllis P. Marshall Center
russolini: 26, I've been listening to BC since '86, when a punk friend introduced
me to them via the crossing. my main music taste is "gothic." fields of the nephilim,
rubicon, sisters of mercy, cure, siouxsie, etc. "grunge" is also good, and classical.
*extremely* little country (work at lonestar *ack*) and I hate hip-hop, rap, and
"light-sounds." (consequently, my wife despises my music, gives her a headache.
even BC...*sigh*)
------------------------------
M.Kelly:
Well funny you should mention BC and weddings...ever since 1983 me and my
best friend had promised each other that the first one of us who got married
would have to have BC play our wedding.
Well I got married May 28 and my friend wrote BC, their management, the
Country Club and a few other places requesting that BC play my wedding in Oak
Park, IL. They couldn't make it, but we got really friendly turn-down letters
from Stuart and everybody.
After dinner, my wife and I danced to Van Morrison's "Have I told you
lately..." and my wife being Jewish, we then launched into some Jewish folk
dancing...then out of nowhere, my DJ played..."In a Big Country!" It brought
the house down, and me and my best friend did a feverish jig...I had given the
DJ the Best of BC CD, but his timing was incredible...I highly recommend
early BC for your wedding, that is if you can't get them to play live.
------------------------------
Jeff Cetola : I'm 30 years old, live in Florida and have been a BC fan since the first
time I heard IABC. Music I dig: the Alarm/Mike Peters,
Marillion, Van Morrison, Tony Carey, Pink Floyd, U2 (early), and
occasionally Triumph. Anyway. That's it. Two songs I wish BC would
cover are: Gimme Shelter and Devolution Working Man Blues (Alarm).
Stnkybutt@aol.com: I'm one of the quieter people on here, but I've liked BC since about 1983.
I'm 27, and my boyfriend put me on this mailing list to surprise me. I have
a really bad Internet connection, so I had no idea this existed, but I am
really glad someone else out there has heard of Big Country!
I usually like NOFX, BC, Elvis, Village People and Antonin Dvorak. I do some
theatre work (and yes, I'm really being paid for it right now!) and love
Elvis movies and Howard Stern. I have a cat, too, but we don't talk much.
Simon Kidd : My name is Simon Kidd, I'm 26 years old and live in Bath, England but I'm
originally from the Middlesbrough area (that's important believe me ! ) I'm a
computer engineer by trade and work in the defense industry.
Tim (40 years old, going on 19)
[unknown]
I'm 25 and I first heard IABC and liked it, but was not much into music at the time.
Later I met I college engineer who loved Scotty (from Star Trek) and Scottish
culture in general. One day I suddenly remembered this group who had a
decent song with these cool bagpipe guitars. I bought a tape (not sure
which one) and was instantly hooked. So, as funny as it may sound, it was
the chief engineer of USS Enterprise that got me into BC.
James Robar: I'm in Montreal, Canada, working on a Masters degree
in Medical Physics at McGill University (at the Montreal Neurological
Institute). I'm working on a new system for Positron Emission Mammography
here, and should be finished in about a year. My exposure to Scottish
music and culture extends beyond Big Country-- my girlfriend, Fiona,
is Scottish to the extent of feeding me Haggis (which is washed down
surprisingly easily with a large belt of GlenFiddich). Each January we
celebrate Robbie Burns Day of course, which is a prime opportunity to
pull out the entire Big Country collection. My roommate is a musician\
with who, by choice, plays the bagpipes. We get along nevertheless.
Richy: I am one of the other Brits on the list... and I'm Scottish to boot.
Claus Tappert
well, I'm a 28 year old German presently living in Chile where I'm working on
a project for my Ph.D. thesis in astronomy. I still hope that I'll be able to
put on a photo of me on my homepage this year, so I spare a further description.
(not bald-headed, not too thin, but with glasses)
The first thing I heard from BC was 'Fields of Fire' back in 83, which caught
me at once, as I always have been in love with Scotland (don't know why,
actually, I've only been there once in 1990). However, collector's craziness
began to grow very slowly, I began buying the 12"s with 'Look Away' and 7"s
some time after 'Peace in Our Time' came out and I joined the CC some months
after the publication of 'No Place Like Home'. In 1989, I went to study at
a university in the 'Collector's Paradise' Ruhrgebiet (that big industrial
region near the Dutch border), where there's almost every week a record fair
within 50 kms, I used to put my money into BC stuff, and my collection has
grown up to about 200 items (at rest since January *sniff*). I'm playing the
guitar myself, but even after about 15 years I'm still a very lousy player *deep sigh*.
Steve Kim: Well... I'm 22 and am attending Cal State Northridge studying
Business-Finance. I work at a CompUSA in California and our public address music
consists of predetermined selections made up by someone in corporate
headquarters. Our music has just recently changed from a 'best of
70's' to a 'best of 80's' format. I was pleasantly surprised to one
day hear 'In A Big Country' come on the PA but to my shock, I also
heard 'Wonderland' being played!
TheBobo@aol.com: Here goes. I'm a 28 year old film student living in Wash.
D.C. I first took a liking to BC in 1984, w/ the release of TC.
Maik Pertermann: I'm 23 years old and a student at the University of
Goettingen in Germany, attempting to graduate in mineralogy right now.
Other interests include ST-TNG , Calvin & Hobbies and self-made pizza.
Christian Jennings: 23 years old, been listening to BC for about a decade now.
Song that got me hooked was "Tall Ships Go." Listen, rewind, listen, rewind,
was how I spent many a late night with my Walkman...
Right now I attend the University of Texas at Austin, studying African
history. I love East Africa, the land and its people with a deep passion.
David Anderson: I'm a 24 year old semi-driver (hence my handle Binder)
working for a company based in Salina, KS. I haul outbound either Kinney shoes
or Tony's frozen pizza. I currently reside in Manhattan, KS just in case I get an
urge to finish college. I make it home every 4 to 7 days, running mainly the east or southeast.
Robert Oliver: I'm from Brewer, Maine.
Rod Watkins: I haven't been able to contribute though--I have a
dissertation to finish and I simply can't allow myself to.
Oliver Hunter: I am 24 years old (25 on 8-DEC), 5'10" with blue eyes and blonde
hair. I was born and live in Reading, Berkshire, England but I am
currently in my final year at Nene College, Northampton reading for a
degree in Information Systems (Computers, computers and more
computers). I hope to get a career in consultancy training (teaching
people in companies how to use their computers) so if anyone has any
useful contacts, I'm applying for jobs at the moment.......
Peter Koopman: My turn to introduce myself. I'm 30 years old, Dutch (more in
particular: from Amsterdam) and a fan from the start. My job is marketing
manager of the Dutch music copyright organization Stemra, which is the part of the
organization Buma/Stemra that deals with mechanical royalties.
My hobbies are music, music, books (esp. essays), music, playing guitar as
far as my talent and time permit (not far indeed :-( ) , concerts, more
music, cycling, work, music, and some of the sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll
stuff - ain't gonna tell ya which one(s)!
Michael S. Wallack As for me, I'm 29 (30 next week), an attorney living in a
suburb of Indianapolis, and married to a woman who also loves the band
(although not quite as passionately as me). In fact, on our first date, I had a
Big Country tape in my car stereo and when "In a Big Country" came on,
she said "I love that song!" At that moment, I knew that she had possibilities.
Ralf Kirschnick: I'm 30 years, about medium height, brown hair and first got
hooked when I heard The Crossing album being played on Dutch radio (I lived
close to the border between Germany & Netherlands for quite some time). After
that, I lost track for two or three years, but I have been an avid fan ever since
"The Seer". I do have a lot of BC stuff (videos, tapes), but I am still amazed by
the immense power of their music. I do have some songs that I like more than
other, but I am not going to single out anything. One favourite thing of mine
is the whole Restless Natives sound-track. Just a few minutes of that thing puts
be back on my feet again ... I live in Southern Germany now for two years and
saw BC 9 times in total until now. I work as a Technical Support Engineer for
an US-based software company (no, not that one...).
My name's Belinda. I'm just discovering the wonders of the email world
and I found an address for my favourite band; so I had to contact you!
Welcome in wonderland ! :)
I've been a fan for...ooh...years! I first saw Big C in my hometown of
Guildford, Surrey way back in 1983, I think it was. I've seen them over
Saw them first June this year, in Emlichheim/Germany. They were great !
Never had a record of BC, but knew many of their songs `cause 85-87 at
school some friends always played their BC tapes. It was the time when
`Look away` got burned into my mind .. ;)
They hypnotized me! and I fell in love with Scotland
through their music and Stuart's lyrics (yes - I blame you Mr. Adamson!).
------------------------------
Michael Bickley: I'm 44, and have been married for 18 years to Susan
(nee Morrison, and fellow BC fan). Our son Geoff is 15, and although he
has excellent taste in music (his "rap phase" was mercifully short-lived) he
doesn't like BC, which is perhaps payback for our dragging him to one of their
concerts when he was 6 because we couldn't find a sitter. (However,
I've recently overhead him humming songs from WTLF -- with no intent to
mimic, as he didn't know I was listening -- so perhaps osmosis is kicking in.)
As for artists other than BC, I went to my first rock concert in 1964, saw
the Stones in *65 and the Beatles in *66.
I'm of medium height and build, glasses, blue eyes, longish brown hair
and mustache (with a touch of gray). Daily existence is the low-level
corporate grind (which is why the hair is now only "longish"). Other
interests besides BC include: military history (esp. American Civil War
and the West), historical fiction (prior to the 20th century), sci fi/comics
collectibles, fantasy fiction, period historical films, play-by-mail simulation
gaming and beer. Susan, Geoff and I also share space with two dogs,
two cats, and assorted catfish.
------------------------------
Jeff Patterson : Not so fast, youngsters! I was waiting for someone else to own up to it
first, but what the heck. I admit it; I'm 31. Doesn't mean I can't rock out to
'Long Way Home', does it? Of course not! Anyway, I got into BC way back when,
similar to another recent poster, we'd go to the mountains (in Pennsylvania) and
scream 'SHOT!' across the lake while listening to The Crossing. Piercing the
stillness and waiting for the echo was quite a liberating experience.
Wayne: I fall a bit outside the typical age group, but not by much, I'm 31, will
be 32 in a couple of months. As most people on this list, I first
encountered Big Country with the release of The Crossing.
In '83 I had backstage passes to see them and after the show had the
chance to say hi to the band. This is my only "claim to fame" with BC.
My interests outside of listening to music is sports. While hockey still
is my favorite sport to play and watch, recently I've been playing on a
few soccer (football) teams. I also enjoy writing, which is what I do to
earn $$$.
Tom: I'm 23 years old, about 5'10" (178 cm), with light brown hair (used to be
blond), and green eyes. My family is from Germany, but I've lived in
California most of my life. My relatives all live near Nuernberg, but on
my mother's side, there are some in East Germany as well. I graduated
from the University of California at Berkeley with a double major in
Spanish Language and Literature, and "Social Sciences," a catch-all phrase
for "make-your-own-major." Now I'm in my second year of law school, and I
love it/hate it.
Casimir. I am 21, so there!!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) WHAT OTHER ARTISTS DO BC FANS RECOMMEND?
CRY BEFORE DAWN
an excellent Irish band with passion in their music in a
broadly similar way to BC
THE BIG DISH
who have a more pastel feeling to their work (IMO)
How about Rush? The Cranberries?
I wouldn't know, buta s for passion and music which shares not only (IMHO)
a bit of the sound, but a bit of the lyrical attitude as well, try
NEW MODEL ARMY
What does anybody think of Bad Religion? Although their punk rock is very
different from BC's music, it always reminds me of BC, especially regarding
the vocals. If BC would do any punk rock, it would most propably sound
like BR.
How about The Alarm??? I know they don't exist anymore, but I always
drew similarities between the two....maybe not musically....but at
least in terms of honest lyrics and overall integrity.
This may sound really crazy, but one album I find that is very Big
Countryish (if you will) is Gary Moore's "Wild Frontier".
Jeff Cetola mentioned Gary Moore's Wild Frontier. I agree and in
particular Over The Hills and Far Away - the words aren't much cop - sort
of Long Black Veil-ish, but the guitar work is excellent - very
'celtic/folky' in feel and with a wondrous driving beat, especially the
12" version. For another individual track what about Lost Cause in Paradise by
Wishbone Ash?
And Deacon Blue?
A record that I have recently fallen in love with is "Mental Jewelry" by Live
(their first record). The music and playing is amazing. Lyrically, I think
you'll find a lot of thematic similarties to BC. There's a similar spirituality
to the lyrics, I think. If you get a chance I strongly recommend picking this
record up. I bought it a few months ago and haven't let a day go by where I
haven't listened to at least some of it.
While on the subject, another band that strikes me to be quite similar to BC
from some points (although their musical strength lies in other areas) are the
SMITHEREENS.
I can advise everybody however to listen to a band called Wolfstone. The
message on the CD says it all: "file under: Celtic/Rock".
Reading all this about portions of BC songs sounding like other artists' tunes has
prompted me to post this observation. 'Far From Me To You' is somewhat
reminiscent of a song by the Rainmakers called 'The Other Side of the World'.
I know the Rainmakers aren't an outrageously popular band, but it is ironic to
note that they were the opening act when I saw BC at the Tower Theater
in 1986. Small world, eh?
< Chris DeMartino>
I don't know if we talk about other bands we like over the B.C. line, but i
thought i'd mention one i think is worthy. Marillion. their new CD "Afraid
of the Sunlight" is really cool.
They're caught in the same "no respect" zone a B.C., but an equally solid
group. Anyone else know or like "new" Marillion.
- Tragically Hip
- Paul Weller/Jam/Style Council
- Bob Mould/Sugar/Husker Du
< Dave>
Since Big Country have often been lumped with U2, The Waterboys, etc.,
some of you are probably Waterboys fans. I think "Secret Life" is fantastic
and urge you to get it.
I noticed Steve Varty had on a Mike Peters shirt at a recent BC show....anyone else
out there dig the Alaarm??? Or Black 47 for that matter??? Or The Proclaimers?
< Mark Bock>
As long as we're on the topic, let's also add Cordelia's Dad, an incredibly
underrated band from Northampton, Massachusetts. They primarily play
traditional American folk music (which is deeply rooted in Celtic music);
their arrangements range from vocal-only (with or without harmonies) to
vocal/acoustic guitar/banjo/percussion to vocals/electric
guitar/bass/drums. All of their stuff is excellent. The only catch is
that it's not too easy to find. Their newest album, _Comet_, is all
acoustic (except for an electric bonus track tacked onto the end of the CD
version); it's on Omnium Recordings. Omnium has also re-released their
first two albums, _Cordelia's Dad_ (nearly entirely electric, with plenty
of traditional British/Scottish/Irish/whatever folk), and _how can i
sleep?_ (half and half acoustic and electric; my recommendation as the
first one to seek out).
[more to come, including Glenn's Big Country-like bands list, as soon as I
catch up with it.]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
d) Collectables:
< Todd Oberly who keeps the discograpy>
And speaking of collectables, I got a catalog yesterday from a store called
"Rockin' Robin" that has...get this...Big Country trading cards for sale!
Actually they're really stickers that just look like cards, and were included
with Smash Hits magazine #'s 142 through 144 (from 1985), one per issue. The
first is a group picture with one member seated, the second is a portrait of
Stuart smiling, and the third is the group on a bridge. I wonder if they list
their charted singles on the backs?
(who'll trade a Pat Ahern and a Steve Lillywhite for a Tony Butler) ;-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e) Soundbites:
sy shee-en!!
Maybe we ought to take over
some satellites and broadcast Big Country until somebody shuts us down. The
idiots running this planet could certainly use a good dose of Big Country
to pound something into their Cro-magnonesque skulls.
[And maybe he has the expertist to do it?]
Center for Theoretical Physics
Department of Physics
Texas A&M University
< Peter writes RE: Big Country opening for Stones>
Now THIS really sucks! They're playing the stadium of a club I don't like,
in a city I really hate, merely as a support act which is ridiculous, of a
band that should have ceased to exist long ago.
THIS SUCKS and I'm mad!!
Some guys are so lucky there should be a law against it.
YES, THIS IS FRUSTRATION SPEAKING!
< Lewis Crow>
I hope nobody gets any ideas from today's discussion and considers
naming their kids Eiledon, Porrohman, and Soapy!
I just joined the Country Club and
noticed the "Bird" logo printed on the fan club's stationery. I recognized
the bird as being similar to the one on the cover of "Best of Big Country".
And then I wondered- Is this the best logo they could come up with?!
A bird that appears to be plummeting toward the ground?!
Not the most inspiring idea, if you ask me.
I was joking about the 12" "World on Fire" with Tony's face. You can
all go back to your homes and sleep in peace knowing that this monstrosity
was just a figment of my sick imagination.
In issue # 32 of Country Club, Stuart responded to the question (from
Alan Thomson, Membership No 003727 -- giving credit where credit is
due) *Is there any particular subject that you haven*t written about but
would really like to try...?* as follows:
*I need to write more about sex, I think. It*s a prime mover and needs to
appear in our material more.
Man these guys were soooo good... *wiping a tear from my eyes*
i first heard Big Country
in 1986 when i bought 'the seer' solely on the appeal of the cover art.
it became the only cassette tape i ever actually wore out. now i collect
all i can on cd and vinyl. anyways....
Mr. Adamson could be making hats!
[Aluding to the "it came from the 80's " program on VH1 showing
Cy Crunin (The Fixx) and his career shift to designing hats]
Kind of makes me want to go door-to-door and tell people how cool it sounds! :-)
For some reason yesterday, I could not get this line out of my head:
The poor do time...the rich go free. hmmm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
f) Huh??What did you hear? (Garbled Lyrics)
Well, it wouldn't be the first time a reporter misrepresented BC. In
either NME or Melody Maker's (can't remember which) review of "I'm Not
Ashamed" the reporter thought it absurd of Stuart to sing "I took the
_plane_ when I could have run." [Instead of *I took the blame*]
I did, too, until my copy of the single arrived in the mail :)
The one that jumps to my mind immediately is from Fields of Fire:
"A house of honor holds no shame/And I won't be coming home again"
instead of
"A house on fire holds no shame/But I will be coming home again"
There's a line in "Where the Rose is Sown" that threw me for a long time:
"Leave your work/I just left school"
which I thought was
"Leave your wife/I just left school"
Fields Of Fire- "400 miles on fields of fire!" but I heard it as,
"400 miles I feel the fire!"
Porrohman- "...give us rope" changed to, "...give us hope"
Chance- "Oh Lord where did the feeling go" was heard as, "Oh no, ..."
well there was Flame of The West when I thought it was
'An arrow ends in a nations fall'
when it is
'heroines in an ancient film'
Angle Park - "The Evil Genius F**ks his wife"
instead of:
"The Evil Genius HUGS his wife"......
I didn't find this out for -years- until I bought a very early back
issue of the country club magazine.... dumb huh?......I kept thinking
"surely Stuart wouldn't SWEAR, would he?".....
< Russtle Griswold>
oh, boy...how about Harvest Home:
"How many sheep were counted" [Instead of How many Sheaves]
and
"Just as you saw, it shall be" [Instead of Just as you sow shall you reap]
and i *still* get it wrong. the first time the song comes on....always
have to rewind to sing it right...*sigh*
When I first bought The Crossing, it was the cassette version which
didn't have any lyrics. During Porrohman, my best guess was that Stuart
was saying "Kill Pizarro", Pizarro being the Spanish explorer from the
1500's. I contemplated why Stuart might want to kill him. Later I
bought the CD version with lyrics and found out he was saying "Give us iron".
For a very long time I mistakenly thought (please try not to laugh
too hard folks) the lyrics in IABC "staying alive" were "stay at
the Y" as in YMCA...I attribute this mix-up to the fact I was a big
Smiths fan at the time and Morrissey had a penchant for writing songs
about the "Y" so I figured everyone else did too.
"Look Away". For the longest time, I thought Stuart was singing
"Our name is Al, Our name is Joe".
[editor is still laughing!!! Instead of Our name is out, our name is known]
Garbled lyrics, from Wonderland - "I watched that blanket torn apart beneath a
chochlate sky" instead of the much easier to understand "I watched that pride
been torn apart beneath a darker sky"
Until reading the lyrics, I always thought that on Skinners's Long
Way Home, Stuart was saying "A surgeon for the long way home" rather
than "Searching for the long way home." At least, I still think it
was within the realm of possibility.
In The Sailor I used to think that 'tied up on shore/Would you _weary_ no
more' was
'tied up on shore/Would you _weewee_ no more'. (I was very young!)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
g) Future Ideas For Fan Participation:
Just wanted to post an idea to see what the interest might be for it -- I've
noticed several use AOL as an internet
provider, and I thought maybe all of us who use AOL could organize a "chat
room" for a live, real-time discussion one evening.
[an IRC discussion is a possibility for the whole group, if anyone is interested,
I'll look into the requirements. Unless someone already knows how?]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
h) Hints On How To Find Releases To Add To Your Collection:
1) use the swap page on the main web menu
2) on-line stores can be found on the main web menu
3) post things you are trying to find on the mailing list
..it never hurts to ask.
4) watch for Goldmine, and other postings on the list
5) write to fan club and ask for locations
6) Tell your local import or 'ma and pop' record store that a new
release is expected and ask them to get it for you.
7) keep a look out in the used bins
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
i) The Wishlist:
< Kathy Tibbetts>
I have a friend who lives in Columbia Falls. She's a tremendous BC fan,
and she would love to see the same thing. In her words: "A 'Big Country in
Big Sky' concert? How could they NOT do it?" Anyone listening?
[add your items to wishlist (er...except the Box Set, that is a given)]