Song of the Day 8/31: Big Country, “In a Big Country”
Remember when this Scottish band hit the shores of our much bigger country? MTV was young and this video was in heavy rotation, boosting the song to No. 3 on the rock chart and No. 17 on the Hot 100. Guitarists Bruce Watson and group founder Stuart Adamson got their guitars to sound like bagpipes with a distortion pedal, and wore tartan shirts to emphasize their roots.
I always preferred the longer album version myself.
Only their first LP sold well in the US, but they had a longer run in the UK. They faltered in the ’90s and gave their farewell concerts in 2000. Adamson had moved to Hawaii by then, but after a decade of sobriety he fell off the wagon after the band’s final shows. After being reported missing in late November 2001, he was found two weeks later, dead by suicide, in a Honolulu hotel room.
One of their biggest hits (at least in Scotland) was the soundtrack from the movie “Restless Natives,” which is one of the best, and funniest, movies ever filmed in Scotland.
Long live Clown and Wolfman!
Here’s a link to the s/t:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2KT2XULTco
Some great guitar work in this one – some of the dialogue from the movie is included in this lengthy track.
The full movie is available for rental on YouTube, and I think it may be available on Amazon Prime viewing as well. Enjoy!
“Ah hold up buses!”
Saw them at UD student center in the early eighties. Great band. Shame that Stewart Adamson killed himself.
Re: Scottish movies. I’m also partial to “Gregory’s Girl” and “Local Hero,” the latter (as Mike knows) with a great soundtrack by Mark Knopfler.
I’m probably a bit prejudiced when it comes to Scottish movies (and there are lots of them), but the soundtrack to “Local Hero” could quite possibly be the best soundtrack ever recorded. Hard to believe that movie is 37 years old. That closing scene, with the phone box on the pier, and the final chords with the drums on the closing theme, still brings tears to these old eyes.
In addition to being a bleeding heart liberal, I’m also an old softie! 🙂
Thanks for the reminder. I think it’s time to watch my Criterion edition of “Local Hero” again!