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The Crossing (Big Country album)

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For other uses, see The Crossing (disambiguation) § Music.
The Crossing
Studio album by
Big Country
Released29 July 1983[1][2]
RecordedJanuary and May 1983[3][4]
StudioThe Manor (Oxfordshire)
RAK (London)
Genre
Length48:24
LabelMercury
ProducerSteve Lillywhite
Big Country chronology
The Crossing
(1983) 		Steeltown
(1984)
Singles from The Crossing
  1. "Harvest Home"
    Released: 17 September 1982[5][6]
  2. "Fields of Fire"
    Released: 18 February 1983
  3. "In a Big Country"
    Released: 20 May 1983[7]
  4. "Chance"
    Released: 26 August 1983[8]

The Crossing is the debut album released by Scottish band Big Country in July 1983. The album reached #3 in the UK; overseas, it hit #4 in Canada on the RPM national Top Albums Chart and #18 in the US on the Billboard 200 in 1983. It went on to be certified platinum in the UK and Canada. It contains the song "In a Big Country" which is their only U.S. Top 40 hit single.

Background

[edit]

In May 1982, Big Country signed a recording contract with Phonogram and soon began recording what was supposed to be their debut album with producer Chris Thomas. However, the entire recording session would eventually be scrapped when Big Country felt Thomas was not fully committing to the band due to other production commitments.[6][9] Three songs were salvaged from the sessions – "Harvest Home", "Balcony" and "Flag of Nations (Swimming)" – and released as the "Harvest Home" single in September 1982 through Phonogram's imprint Mercury Records, reaching number 91 in the UK Singles Chart.[10]

With new producer Steve Lillywhite, the band recorded the single "Fields of Fire" in early 1983, which became a UK Top Ten hit. In May, on the back of the single's success, Lillywhite and the band proceeded to record The Crossing, which would include a re-recorded "Harvest Home".

Stuart Adamson and fellow guitarist Bruce Watson used the MXR Pitch Transposer 129 effect pedal to create a guitar sound reminiscent of bagpipes.[11] Also contributing to the band's unique sound was their use of the e-bow, a hand-held device which, through the use of magnets, causes the strings of an electric guitar to vibrate producing a soft attack which sounds more like strings or synthesizer.[11]

The album has been remastered and reissued on three occasions. The latest version released by Universal in 2012 in advance of the album's 30th anniversary includes a second disc of previously unissued demos. Also included in the set are tracks produced by Chris Thomas from the first abortive attempt to record the band's debut album. The demos include the earliest recordings done by Adamson and Watson, some of which were recorded on four-track prior to recruiting either a drummer or bassist for the band.

The set also includes a booklet with interviews (new in the case of the current band members and archived in the case of the late Stuart Adamson) by the journalist and author Tim Barr. Lyrics for all of the key songs are also included, and the album has been remastered by Paschal Byrne from the original master tapes. In total, ten previously unreleased tracks were included in the deluxe, digitally remastered edition.

Music and lyrics

[edit]

The songs on The Crossing deal with topics including loss ("Inwards," "Chance"), separation ("Close Action"), dehumanization ("Lost Patrol"), and the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion ("The Storm"). Many of the songs are characterized by Mark Brzezicki's highly-compressed drums and the heavily effects-treated, layered guitars of Adamson and Watson. The music often demonstrates a clear influence of Scottish traditional music, particularly obvious in the pipe-band rhythms of "In a Big Country" and "Fields of Fire" and the swirling, Gaelic guitar intro to "The Storm." This caused the band to be categorized as a Celtic rock band, which sometimes led to unfavorable comparisons with other bands such as Thin Lizzy.[citation needed]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Blender[13]
Classic Rock10/10[14]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[15]
Q[16]
Record Mirror[17]
Rolling Stone[18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[19]
Smash Hits4/10[20]
The Village VoiceB[21]

Critic Kurt Loder of Rolling Stone gave the album a glowing review, writing:

Here's a big-noise guitar band from Britain that blows the knobs off all the synth-pop diddlers and fake-funk frauds who are cluttering up the charts these days. Big Country mops up the fops with an air-raid guitar sound that's unlike anything else around, anywhere ... Like the Irish band U2 (with whom they share young, guitar-wise producer Steve Lillywhite), Big Country has no use for synthesizers, and their extraordinary twin-guitar sound should make The Crossing a must-own item for rock die-hards.[18]

Track listings

[edit]

All songs written by Stuart Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler, and Bruce Watson, except as indicated. On the US vinyl LP, the songs "1000 Stars" and "Fields of Fire" are in reversed order. The US CD release keeps the same order as below.

Side one
  1. "In a Big Country" – 4:44
  2. "Inwards" – 4:36
  3. "Chance" – 4:26
  4. "1000 Stars" – 3:50
  5. "The Storm" – 6:19
Side two
  2. "Harvest Home" – 4:19
  3. "Lost Patrol" – 4:52
  4. "Close Action" – 4:15
  5. "Fields of Fire (400 Miles)" – 3:31
  6. "Porrohman" – 7:52
Additional tracks (cassette release)
  1. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  2. "Fields of Fire (400 Miles)" (Alternative Mix) (listed as '12" Mix') – 5:19
  3. "Heart and Soul" – 5:13
  4. "In a Big Country" (Pure Mix) (listed as '12" Mix') – 6:19

Wonderland EP (US, 1984)

[edit]
  1. "Wonderland" – 3:56
  2. "All Fall Together" – 5:05
  3. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:07
  4. "The Crossing" – 7:04

Wonderland EP (Canada, 1984)

[edit]
  1. "Wonderland" – 3:58
  2. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  3. "All Fall Together" – 5:16
  4. "Chance" (Extended Re-Mix) – 6:10
  5. "Heart and Soul" – 5:13
  6. "The Crossing" – 7:10

Wonderland EP (US only, 2002)

[edit]
Wonderland EP cover
  1. "Wonderland" – 3:58
  2. "All Fall Together" (Jimmy Iovine remix) – 5:16
  3. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  4. "The Crossing" – 7:10
  5. "Chance" (re-recorded single version) – 4:37

1996 re-issue bonus tracks

[edit]
  2. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  3. "All of Us" – 4:09
  4. "The Crossing" – 7:09
  5. "Heart and Soul" – 4:33 (This version fades out earlier than the version on the 1983 cassette release)

2012 30th anniversary deluxe edition

[edit]
Disc 1 (bonus tracks)
  2. "Balcony" (Adamson, Watson) (B-side of "Harvest Home") – 3:55
  3. "Flag of Nations (Swimming)" (Adamson, Watson) (B-side of "Harvest Home" 12")
  4. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) (B-side of "Fields of Fire")
  5. "All of Us" (B-side of "In a Big Country")
  6. "Heart and Soul" (B-side of "In a Big Country" 12")
  7. "The Crossing" (B-side of "Chance" 12")
  8. "Tracks of My Tears" (live) (Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore, Marvin Tarplin) (B-side of "Chance")
Disc 2
  1. "Angle Park" (4-track demo, 1981) (Adamson, Watson) *
  2. "Harvest Home" (4-track demo, 1981)*
  3. "We Could Laugh" (4-track demo, 1981) (Adamson, Watson)*
  4. "In a Big Country" (demo, 1983)
  5. "The Storm" (demo, 1983)
  6. "Big City" (demo, 1983)
  7. "Fields of Fire" (Riverside, BBC TV, 1983)*
  8. "Lost Patrol" (demo, May 1982)*
  9. "Inwards" (demo, May 1982)*
  10. "1000 Stars" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  11. "Lost Patrol" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  12. "Inwards" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  13. "Close Action" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  14. "Fields of Fire" (demo, September 1982)
  15. "1000 Stars" (demo, September 1982)
  16. "Ring Out Bells" (demo, September 1982)
  17. "Chance" (demo, September 1982)

Personnel

[edit]
Big Country

with:

  • Christine Beveridge[22] – additional vocals
Technical
  • Steve Lillywhite – producer
  • Will Gosling – engineer
  • Steve Chase – assistant engineer
  • Mike Nocito – assistant engineer
  • Julian Balme – sleeve
  • Paul Cox – photography

Production notes for deluxe edition bonus tracks

[edit]
Disc 1
  • Tracks 11–13 and 15 recorded in June 1982 at AIR Studios, London. Tracks 11, 12 and 15 produced by Chris Thomas, engineered by Bill Price; track 13 produced by Steve Churchyard and Big Country.
  • Track 14 produced by Steve Lillywhite, Will Gosling and Big Country.
  • Tracks 16 and 17 produced by Steve Lillywhite; track 17 recorded live on 4 July 1983 at Locarno Tiffany’s in Glasgow.
Disc 2
  • Track 7 recorded at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, for BBC2's Riverside; broadcast on 17 January 1983.
  • Tracks 8 and 9 recorded by John Brandt in May 1982 at Phonogram Studio.
  • Tracks marked with an asterisk (*) are previously unreleased.
  • Tracks 4–6 and 14–17 were previously released on Rarities IV, 2003.

[9][23]

Chart performance

[edit]

Album

Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[24] 21
Canadian Albums Chart[25] 4
Dutch Albums Chart[26] 11
New Zealand Albums Chart[27] 8
Swedish Albums Chart[28] 17
UK Albums Chart[29] 3
U.S. Billboard 200[30] 18

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1982 Harvest Home UK Singles Chart[6][31] 91
1983 Fields of Fire UK Singles Chart[32] 10
1983 In a Big Country Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play 37
1983 In a Big Country Billboard Mainstream Rock 3
1983 In a Big Country Billboard Hot 100 17
1983 In a Big Country RPM 50 Singles (Canada)[33] 3
1983 In a Big Country UK Singles Chart[32] 17
1983 Chance UK Singles Chart[32] 9
1984 Fields of Fire Billboard Hot 100[34] 52

Certifications

[edit]
Organization Level Date
BPI – UK Gold 15 September 1983
CRIA – Canada Gold 1 November 1983
CRIA – Canada Platinum 1 December 1983
RIAA – USA Gold 19 January 1984
BPI – UK Platinum 9 February 1984

References

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  1. ^ "Big Country – The Crossing release date". Rocking In the Norselands. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Releases – Studio Albums – The Crossing". Bigcountryinfo.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  3. ^ "The Story Behind The Song: "Chance" by Big Country". Rocking In the Norselands. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Big Country - Biography". Bmg.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Releases – Singles, EP's & Promos – Harvest Home". Big Country Info. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Strachan, Graeme (16 September 2022). "Big Country and Harvest Home: The start of something special for Fife band that conquered the world". The Courier. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Releases – Singles, EP's & Promos – In a Big Country". Big Country Info. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Music Week magazine" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com.
  9. ^ a b "Timeline – 1982". Big Country Info. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  10. ^ Rowley, Scott (30 July 2022). "The Life and Hard Times of Big Country and Stuart Adamson". Classic Rock. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  11. ^ a b "So You Say / Big Country". One Two Testing (Nov 1983): 24–27. 23 November 1983.
  12. ^ Demalon, Tom. "The Crossing – Big Country". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  13. ^ Pruzan, Jeff (October–November 2001). "Big Country: The Crossing". Blender. Vol. 1, no. 3. Archived from the original on 3 June 2002. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  14. ^ Nelson, Bill (March 2012). "Skids: The Singles Collection 1978–1981 / Big Country: The Crossing 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition". Classic Rock. No. 168. pp. 104–105.
  15. ^ Rea, Steven X. (2 October 1983). "The Big Country makes debut record". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  16. ^ Cranna, Ian. "Big Country: The Crossing". Q. Archived from the original on 17 January 2001. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  17. ^ Hills, Simon (30 July 1983). "Riff 'n' ready". Record Mirror. p. 16.
  18. ^ a b Loder, Kurt (15 September 1983). "Big Country: The Crossing". Rolling Stone. No. 404. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  19. ^ McGee, David (1992). "Big Country". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 58. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
  20. ^ De Lisle, Tim (21 July – 3 August 1983). "Big Country: The Crossing". Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 15. p. 23.
  21. ^ Christgau, Robert (27 September 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  22. ^ "The Crossing (Deluxe Edition) (notes)". Bigcountryinfo.com.
  23. ^ "Releases – Studio Albums – The Crossing (Deluxe Edition)". Big Country Info. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  24. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. ^ "RPM 100 Albums". RPM. 39 (11). archived at Library and Archives Canada. 12 November 1983. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  26. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Big Country - The Crossing". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  27. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Big Country - The Crossing". Charts.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  28. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Big Country - The Crossing". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  29. ^ "BIG COUNTRY - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  30. ^ "Album Search for "the crossing"". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  31. ^ "Big Country Top Songs". Rockvf.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  32. ^ a b c "Big Country - full Official Chart History". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  33. ^ "RPM Magazine - Volume 39, Number 13" (PDF). Rpmimages.3345.ca.
  34. ^ "Big Country - Fields of Fire". Billboard Database. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
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