I may suggest to John Matthews that he make one of my favorite bands of all time, the subject of one of his Altered Friday Old School segments.
Big Country, the Scottish band that transferred the majesty of the bagpipe into electric guitars and was one of the first to make use of an e-bow, set the world on fire in '83 with THE CROSSING. The socically conscious and anthemic classic featured the timeless IN A BIG COUNTRY. With Bruce Watson leading the dueling bagpipe guitars, Tony Butler's heavy groove-laden bass (that's him on Pete Townsend's LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR, song and video) and the jaw-dropping drumming of Mark Brzezicki, what truly set the Steve Lillywhite-produced record apart from anything before or since was the earnestness and open-hearted lyrics of the band's vocalist/guitarist Stuart Adamson.
Sadly, the music world lost that giant heart, and voice, when Stuart committed suicide in 2001 in Honolulu. Before his death, he was soaking up the vibrant music community in Nashville, but succumbed to his ongoing battles with alcoholism.
I wish Stewart were planning a reunion tour with the rest of Big Country. In the meantime, let's remember Stuart with my favorite tune from the Crossing, CHANCE.
..and here's Bruce Watson joining Mike Peters and the Alarm, for a Stuart tribute.
1 comment:
Very interesting blog to read. keep writing and ill keep reading!
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