Big Country appearing live on Channel 4's The Tube on 5th October 1984 performing songs from their soon-to-be-released second album, "Steeltown". vevo.ly/jHHKjp
Perhaps the greatest 'folk'-rock outfit ever. Uncompromising and yet they sung about the plight of the oppressed. Nowadays (and most bands back then, too) they sing about a bloody Rolex, cars, drugs and nonsensical materialism. Quite sad how low things have sunk.
I remember watching this, I was 15 at the time, and now 35 years later it still sounds fkin brilliant. Lucky enough to see Big Country a few times back in the day.
Incomparable. They are a singular unique band whose lyrics have only grown more relevant, while their musicianship remains peerless. Art that does not serve social justice and economic equity is not art; it is propaganda.
Immense - all four musicians are cruelly underate in my view: all distinctive, exceptional and way more competent instrumentalists than the majority of their peers and most of the rubbish we’ve heard since. As a bass player I’ve always been fascinated by Tony Butler’s lines - I’m not sure how widely known how weird they seem for a band like this but they work beautifully when on the face of them, they probably shouldn’t!! One of my all time favourite bands and this is in my Top 5 of their songs. Wonderful!
In my early teens,on my first drum kit,I literally studied Big Country. My teacher was a jazz musician,and taught me syncopation,and there was something about BC that I'm glad to this day,that I related to at the time. That drumming could have fit into a military brass band. There was the Gaelic thing going on,too. My grandfather like bagpipe music,and I 'heard' the bagpipes in many BC tunes. I've quietly wondered over the years (-quite frankly,because I've got nobody else that interested,in mulling over this sort of thing with-) why a local philharmonic orchestra hasn't reconstructed their songs,as has been the case with other people. One of my favourite songs of theirs,too.
Underrated? Not to those who grew up during that time and had half a brain, a beating heart and one ear. Mark and Tony were peerless studio musicians even before they joined BC. And Stuart was a recognized savant perhaps even before the Skids. Their relevance is not only rooted in their musicianship but moreso in their indelible social justice and equity lyrics and messaging. Still peerless decades after release.
yeh good take - i was blow away by them in 84- 85 didn't like all of their tracks but the ones i did were brilliant porroh man lingered chance. jut a shadow brilliant beautiful tracks and you're right that base player is fhukcing great and you're right at 54 now i can perceive the brilliance of these musicians fucking beautiful.
the music, the lyrics, the forest of intertwining guitar parts at the end, with that heart-breakingly beautiful, simple nursery rhyme Celtic melody at the end, no man has ever written music more powerful than this anti-war masterpiece. This song is like Stonehenge, it seems like it must have been here forever.
I was listening to this song on a walk earlier and it got me emotional.. And Steve Lillywhite boy did he produce a lot of great records around this time ..
I Big Country continuano a mancarmi. Quasi 40 anni dal primo concerto a cui ho partecipato a Milano, eppure la loro musica ha ancora il sapore di un gol andato a segno. Stuart, manchi troppo 😞
This is (from the listener's point of view) a Tony Butler song. His massive bass line really brings the song to life - even though he had to simplify it a little live because he was singing backing vocals at the same time.
Stuart would have turned 63 today..11 April 1958 Manchester - 16 December 2001 Honolulu. He took his own like a few miles from where I live.. So sad. We you Love Stuart..
22 years ago we lost Stuart. 16 December 2001 Honolulu, Hawaii A few miles from where I live.. Best Western Plaza Hotel I was a fan of BC from the beginning.. I was in disbelief..
One of the most perfect musical and emotional segues is the one between “Where the Rose Is Sown” and “Come Back To Me” on the Steeltown album. If I’m listening to BC on random play, I always have to make a exception for those 2 songs by playing them in their original sequence.
Stuart would have turned 63 today..11 April 1958 Manchester - 16 December 2001 Honolulu. He took his own like a few miles from where I live.. So sad. We you Love Stuart..
We're at war All the papers say We will win I read today We are strong It wasn't us We are right Who started this? Leave your work I just left school Leave your home I am no fool Take up arms It left me strong Sound alarms The school bell rings Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever Join up here I wave goodbye We need you Oh my breast sighs Have no fear I must try God will be with braver men Take the vow I know its right Praise the flag The good fight We're at war I'm on my way We will win Why do I pray? Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever I wait here in this hole Playing poker with my soul I hold the rifle close to me It lights the way to keep me free If I die in a combat zone Box me up and ship me home If I die and still come home Lay me where the rose is sown Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever
People get caught up by the musicianship but the real power was in Stuart's lyrics, lyrics defined by values that the band on some level also believed in. And those values were social and economic justice. This tune rips away the facade of nationalism and exposes war and oppression for what they are: tools exploited by the cynical and nihilistic powerful to keep the rich rich and poor poor.
I have this cranked in my garage ... start pretending i can sing like Stuart ... then came the waterworks... greetin ' like a wain. Ferfsakes. Why'd ya have to go man.
the days of brilliant bands & good live music shows - tho I guess health & safety wouldn't allow crowds bundling like that today, let alone hanging off all that scaffolding, looks like great fun tho x
Golda meir b.ukraine feared the cossacks and cried when her mother fed the last spoon of gruel to her sister went to Israel and lived with the hardy pioneers cultivating the desert g- d bless here
That selfish get on the shoulders i'd have told you to get down still annoying today when at a gig think of the people behind you paying money but having to stare at your arse !
We're at war All the papers say We will win I read today We are strong It wasn't us We are right Who started this? Leave your work I just left school Leave your home I am no fool Take up arms It left me strong Sound alarms The school bell rings Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever Join up here I wave goodbye We need you Oh my breast sighs Have no fear I must try God will be with braver men Take the vow I know its right Praise the flag The good fight We're at war I'm on my way We will win Why do I pray? Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever I wait here in this hole Playing poker with my soul I hold the rifle close to me It lights the way to keep me free If I die in a combat zone Box me up and ship me home If I die and still come home Lay me where the rose is sown Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever
