Big Country - The Crossing (1983)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a the 2002 remastered CD that includes 5 bonus tracks.

Released in the summer (July 29), I didn't purchase the album until the following winter, so it's always been a 'cold weather' album for me. I rarely listened to the whole album back in 1983-84, instead, I focused on the two singles In A Big Country (#17 pop, #3 rock) and Fields Of Fire (#52 pop). Not that there isn't good material outside of those two tracks, it's just that Steve Lillywhite's aggressive production, the bagpipe guitar effects, and the faux-Celtic folk song sound wears thin very quickly for this guy. Back in 2010, I even wrote that this album only had "two good songs on it." So I wasn't necessary looking to pick up a second copy of the album, but when I saw a this CD, I nabbed it to see if I possibly missed anything the first time around, when I mentally grouped Big Country with bands like U2 and The Alarm.

These days, I will admit I missed a couple of good tunes back in the '80s, but I still get tired of the band's characteristic sound eventually so a 74 minute CD is a bit much even though this remaster sounds fantastic. Plus, if you're a nostalgic fool like me, you can't put a price on music that immediately takes you back to another time and place.

Press of the time:

• Trouser Press: "a welcome contrast to a lot of current soundalike bands, but they're not the ultimate panacea."
• High Fidelity: "Big Country could prove to be an important outfit. In the meantime, buy the eponymous single."
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "the big sound is truly unique, and the best songs speak to real subjects."
• Smash Hits (4 out of 10): "the material's a bit weak. This is dated and predictable."
• Billboard: "dense and textured rock that is somewhere between the old mainstream and the new wave."
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit
• Robert Christgau (B): "With its bagpipe guitars and Celtic blues lines, Stuart Adamson's Skids-U2 hybrid avoids any hint of rock purism."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #18
• Billboard Rock: #7
• CashBox: #12
• Rolling Stone: #8

Tracks: The lead track, In A Big Country, is still the cream of the crop, followed by Fields Of Fire, Harvest Home, Close Action, and the great ostinato guitar lick that dominates track 2, Inwards.

Bonus tracks: Includes all 4 tracks from the 1984 EP, Wonderland, which peaked at #65 on the Billboard 200 and #45 on the Rock Album. The titular single also charted #86 pop, #48 rock, and it's the best bonus track here, followed by Angle Park. The fifth bonus track is the "re-recorded single version" of Chance, the fourth and final single from The Crossing.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I not only remember buying this cassette in late December 1983, I remember the location: Sound Warehouse near the corner of the Southwest Freeway and Shepherd Drive in Houston, probably during the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Mercury cassettes always had those beige cases, right?

For more on the album cover art, check out this article: Rocking In The Norselands.