Big Country

42,946 listeners (360,514 plays)

80s, new wave, rock, scottish, alternative… see all

Big Country was a rock band from Dunfermline, Scotland, popular in the early to mid 1980s, but still releasing material for a cult following.
Canonically composed of Stuart Adamson (formerly of The Skids, vocals, guitar, piano), Mark Brzezicki (drums), Tony Butler (bass guitar), and Bruce Watson (guitar), though a variety of other musicians have been in the band during their long wanderings in post-popularity, including Pete Wishart who joined Runrig and became prominent in the SNP. The group’s core played their final gig at a festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2000. Founder and frontman Stuart Adamson was found hanged in a hotel room in Hawaii on December 16, 2001, at age 43.

Guitarist Bruce Watson has started a new band in 2006 called FourGoodMen which also features Derek Forbes and Mick MacNeil both of Simple Minds. FourGoodMen on last.fm The band play a selection of songs from both Big Country and Simple Minds as well as a bunch of new songs they’ve written together.

2007 sees the 25th anniversary of Big Country, the band made the decision to celebrate this with the fans, embark on a small tour, and continue to write and record great music. The band now consists of Tony Butler (lead vocals, bass guitar), Bruce Watson (lead guitar, vocals), and Mark Brzezicki (drums, backing vocals).

Twenty Five Live was recorded at the Bristol Thekla on 18 August 2007.

Tracklisting - “Driving To Damascus”, “Look Away”, “The Teacher”, “Fragile Thing”, “Wonderland”, “Alone”, “Restless Natives”, “Fields Of Fire”, “You Lift Me Up”, “Chance”, “In A Big Country”.

1	In a Big Country full track	759
2	Fields of Fire full track	182
3	Look Away full track	151
4	Chance full track	127
5	Wonderland full track	79
6	Harvest Home full track	77
7	The Storm full track	60
8	Where the Rose is Sown full track	59
9	Just a Shadow full track	57
10	Inwards full track	56
11	In a Big Country (Radio Edit) full track	49
12	One Great Thing full track	47
13	The Teacher full track	45
14	East of Eden full track	41
15	Lost Patrol full track	40

Top Albums

The Crossing
Big Country
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The Best of Big Country
Big Country
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Classic Rock: 80's
Various Artists
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Why the Long Face
Big Country
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AUTO_DEFIANCE wrote:
yesterday evening

Agree with Jabba KDR. Not many bands in that time can give U2 a run for their money. Great songwriting, killer hooks, amazing production, guitar tone. the whole f- n package. I hear the singer committed suicide here in Nashville..... www.myspace.com/autodef

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JabbaKDR wrote:
11 days ago

Big Country is as good or better than early U2. Haunting sounds with the guitar bag pipe sound. I am glad to be of Scottish background. Bag pipes always frees my soul and spirit!

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JabbaKDR wrote:
11 days ago

Big Country is one of the best bands of the 1980s. The music is timeless like that of The Doors. No new bands can match the talent and the music composition of the first three albums. The best of any debut Album in The Crossing. I have recently realized that I needed Big Country back in my life when I found this site. Need to get the official videos at the site. Sometime they do not show.

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jafangi wrote:
12 days ago

Stay Alive!!!!

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kfa444 wrote:
17 days ago

I was a huge fan and can admit the music is very much of its time. They were an awesome band....saw them live a few times....Stuart Adamson was truly gifted....what a loss.

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amrami992 wrote:
18 days ago

i wish they did have the actual album tracks, though these are good too...

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Clairejamin wrote:
last month

Ahhh nevermind, found them... they're on "One in a Million" a release that seems to have hidden itself from me until now :)

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Clairejamin wrote:
last month

I've just realised some of the preview tracks on here aren't the actual album tracks (but are down as them).. most are live, but there are a couple of acoustic ones.. You Dreamer for instance... where are these from?

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etritonakin wrote:
last month

makes me want to be Sco'ish -but alas -I am but Irish

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Big_Dip wrote:
last month

Anybody remembers the soundtrack for "Restless Natives"? Great!

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sc_jag wrote:
April 2008

Stuart Adamson would have been 50 yesterday.

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twinsen110 wrote:
April 2008

the crossing is one of my all time fav albums but the buffalo skinners pushes it all the way

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lennonwilson wrote:
April 2008

...I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert, But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime.. LOVE IT!!!

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drche wrote:
February 2008

Looking forward to the new album. It's not the same without Stuart, but the new songs are still unmistakeably Big Country

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jonny_alpha wrote:
February 2008

A unique guitar sound with the echo and the e-bow

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bbc6music wrote:
January 2008

Gideon Coe will be playing live tracks from Big Country's 1983concert at the Hammersmith Palais next Tuesday on 6Music. The show runs from 10pm-1am but you can listen again ont he website up to 7 days afterwards. Here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/gideon_coe/

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Diotor wrote:
January 2008

Flame of the West should be way higher. Way higher.

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cremepuff wrote:
January 2008

gotta love the country! :)

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LageB wrote:
December 2007

The end of 'Just a Shadow' is awesome. The guitars and the drums...

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ChadFromCanada wrote:
December 2007

The Crossing is much better than most 80s pop. Almost every song has some great hook or great part that just makes it stand out.

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