| Steeltown | |
| Type: | Studio album |
| Artist: | Big Country |
| Cover: | Big_Country_-_Steeltown.jpg |
| Released: | 19 October 1984 |
| Studio: | Polar Studios (Stockholm) RAK Studios (London) |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, new wave, Celtic rock |
| Length: | 47:54 |
| Label: | Mercury |
| Producer: | Steve Lillywhite |
| Prev Title: | The Crossing |
| Prev Year: | 1983 |
| Next Title: | The Seer |
| Next Year: | 1986 |
Steeltown is the second studio album by Scottish band Big Country. The album was recorded at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm with Steve Lillywhite producing. It was released on 19 October 1984, in the UK and 29 October 1984, in the United States.[1] It was released on CD only in Germany, as well as remastered and reissued there.
Steeltown is the band's only UK number 1 album, topping the chart for 1 week in October 1984. The title track "Steeltown" was written about the town of Corby, telling how many Scots went to work at the Stewarts & Lloyds steelworks when it opened in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, but later found themselves unemployed when the steelworks declined in the early 1980s.[2]
The 1996 reissue contains all of the B-sides from the album's single releases as well as the extended version of non-album single "Wonderland".
"East of Eden" was the only Top 20 single from the album, reaching number 17 in the UK Singles Chart.
Critic Fred Schruers of Rolling Stone gave the album a glowing review, writing:
Some critics reacted negatively towards the album, calling it muddled and overly dense. The album's relative failure has been attributed to the fact that many American and international fans couldn't relate to its themes and lyrics, which dealt with the misfortunes of Scottish workers and contained references to British politics. However, many fans today consider Steeltown to be the band's finest work.
James Dean Bradfield from Manic Street Preachers has cited the album as being one of his all-time favourites.[3]
All lyrics are written by Stuart Adamson; all music is composed by Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler, and Bruce Watson, except where indicated.
| Chart (1984) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[4] | 68 | |
| Canadian Albums Chart[5] | 53 | |
| Dutch Albums Chart[6] | 33 | |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] | 24 | |
| German Albums Chart[8] | 53 | |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[9] | 15 | |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[10] | 12 | |
| Swedish Albums Chart[11] | 28 | |
| UK Albums Chart[12] | 1 | |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 70 |