Showing posts with label Big Country. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Country. Show all posts

Friday, October 26, 2018

How Long Now?


The Skids : The Saints Are Coming


In October of 1978 The Scottish punk rock band The Skids released their Wide Open EP, featuring the anthemic single "The Saints Are Coming". It would peak at UK#48 in November. and become a football terrace singalong. Songwriter Stuart Adamson would take his anthem writing abilituies to the next level in his future band Big Country.

 In 2006 Green Day and U2 would team up on a cover version to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims.




Monday, April 22, 2013

My Top Ten: Stuart Adamson of Big Country



[Purchase]

Anticipating the May release of the single "In A Big Country" ( their follow-up to the Top 10 "Fields of Fire") and the album The Crossing, vocalist and guitar player Stuart Adamson provided Smash Hits an eclectic, wide-ranging list of his ten favorite songs. The single was a big hit in the big country of Canada ( #3) and made inroads in the US thanks to MTV.The list comes courtesy of Brian at Like Punk Never Happened.



LEONARD COHEN AVALANCHE



ROXY MUSIC PYJAMARAMA



FOUR TOPS SEVEN ROOMS OF GLOOM


Thursday, November 1, 2012

6 Degrees of Separation: Ry Cooder to Big Country





On his second album of 1972, the November release Boomer's Story, Ry Cooder performs an instrumental version of "Dark End Of The Street". The song--a 1967 hit for soul singer James Carr--is written by Memphis songwriter and producer Dan Penn who also contributes some vocals on the album.







Though Dan Penn gave most of his songs to others ( there was also "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and The Box Tops hit "Cry Like a Baby") Penn records his own "Nobody's Fool" for his 1973 debut with his Muscle Shoals AL buddies. Alex Chilton would cover the song nearly 15 years later. Keyboardist Mike Utley is one of the keyboard players.



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Utely is also on board The Train I'm On, Swamp Fox Tony Joe White's 1972 country/soul album that is rapidly gaining a new fan base. The cover photo is taken by one of Rock's great photographers Jim Marshall.






Blessed with a great eye and great access (as the chief photographer at Woodstock and the only backstage photographer at The Beatles last concert) Jim Marshall has shot a number of iconic photos including the one above of Johnny Cash at San Quentin. The art director for the live album was a man named Howard Fritzson.









Fritzson has more than a thousand credits as art director including one for Talk Talk Talk, the 1981 album by Psychedelic Furs. Talk Talk Talk was produced by Steve Lilywhite.








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Among Steve Lilywhite's credits are albums by U2, XTC, The Rolling Stones and The Crossing, a 1983 hit album from the Scottish band Big Country.