The Crossing (Big Country album) explained

The Crossing
Type:Studio
Artist:Big Country
Cover:Big_Country_-_The_Crossing.jpg
Released:29 July 1983[1] [2]
Recorded:January and May 1983[3] [4]
Studio:The Manor (Oxfordshire)
RAK (London)
Length:48:24
Label:Mercury
Producer:Steve Lillywhite
Next Title:Steeltown
Next Year:1984

The Crossing is the debut album released by Scottish band Big Country in July 1983. The album reached #3 in the UK; overseas, it hit #4 in Canada on the RPM national Top Albums Chart and #18 in the US on the Billboard 200 in 1983. It went on to be certified platinum in the UK and Canada. It contains the song "In a Big Country" which is their only U.S. Top 40 hit single.

Background

In May 1982, Big Country signed a recording contract with Phonogram and soon began recording what was supposed to be their debut album with producer Chris Thomas. However, the entire recording session would eventually be scrapped when Big Country felt Thomas was not fully committing to the band due to other production commitments.[5] Three songs were salvaged from the sessions – "Harvest Home", "Balcony" and "Flag of Nations (Swimming)" – and released as the "Harvest Home" single in September 1982 through Phonogram's imprint Mercury Records, reaching number 91 in the UK Singles Chart.[6]

With new producer Steve Lillywhite, the band recorded the single "Fields of Fire" in early 1983, which became a UK Top Ten hit. In May, on the back of the single's success, Lillywhite and the band proceeded to record The Crossing, which would include a re-recorded "Harvest Home".

Stuart Adamson and fellow guitarist Bruce Watson used the MXR Pitch Transposer 129 effect pedal to create a guitar sound reminiscent of bagpipes.[7] Also contributing to the band's unique sound was their use of the e-bow, a hand-held device which, through the use of magnets, causes the strings of an electric guitar to vibrate producing a soft attack which sounds more like strings or synthesizer.[7]

The album has been remastered and reissued on three occasions. The latest version released by Universal in 2012 in advance of the album's 30th anniversary includes a second disc of previously unissued demos. Also included in the set are tracks produced by Chris Thomas from the first abortive attempt to record the band's debut album. The demos include the earliest recordings done by Adamson and Watson, some of which were recorded on four-track prior to recruiting either a drummer or bassist for the band.

The set also includes a booklet with interviews (new in the case of the current band members and archived in the case of the late Stuart Adamson) by the journalist and author Tim Barr. Lyrics for all of the key songs are also included, and the album has been remastered by Paschal Byrne from the original master tapes. In total, ten previously unreleased tracks were included in the deluxe, digitally remastered edition.

Music and lyrics

The songs on The Crossing deal with topics including loss ("Inwards," "Chance"), separation ("Close Action"), dehumanization ("Lost Patrol"), and the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion ("The Storm"). Many of the songs are characterized by Mark Brzezicki's highly-compressed drums and the heavily effects-treated, layered guitars of Adamson and Watson. The music often demonstrates a clear influence of Scottish traditional music, particularly obvious in the pipe-band rhythms of "In a Big Country" and "Fields of Fire" and the swirling, Gaelic guitar intro to "The Storm." This caused the band to be categorized as a Celtic rock band, which sometimes led to unfavorable comparisons with other bands such as Thin Lizzy.

Reception

Critic Kurt Loder of Rolling Stone gave the album a glowing review, writing:

Track listings

All songs written by Stuart Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler, and Bruce Watson, except as indicated. On the US vinyl LP, the songs "1000 Stars" and "Fields of Fire" are in reversed order. The US CD release keeps the same order as below.

Side one
  1. "In a Big Country" – 4:44
  2. "Inwards" – 4:36
  3. "Chance" – 4:26
  4. "1000 Stars" – 3:50
  5. "The Storm" – 6:19
Side two
  2. "Harvest Home" – 4:19
  3. "Lost Patrol" – 4:52
  4. "Close Action" – 4:15
  5. "Fields of Fire (400 Miles)" – 3:31
  6. "Porrohman" – 7:52
Additional tracks (cassette release)
  1. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  2. "Fields of Fire (400 Miles)" (Alternative Mix) (listed as '12" Mix') – 5:19
  3. "Heart and Soul" – 5:13
  4. "In a Big Country" (Pure Mix) (listed as '12" Mix') – 6:19

Wonderland EP (US, 1984)

  1. "Wonderland" – 3:56
  2. "All Fall Together" – 5:05
  3. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:07
  4. "The Crossing" – 7:04

Wonderland EP (Canada, 1984)

  1. "Wonderland" – 3:58
  2. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  3. "All Fall Together" – 5:16
  4. "Chance" (Extended Re-Mix) – 6:10
  5. "Heart and Soul" – 5:13
  6. "The Crossing" – 7:10

Wonderland EP (US only, 2002)

  1. "Wonderland" – 3:58
  2. "All Fall Together" (Jimmy Iovine remix) – 5:16
  3. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  4. "The Crossing" – 7:10
  5. "Chance" (re-recorded single version) – 4:37

1996 re-issue bonus tracks

  2. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) – 4:08
  3. "All of Us" – 4:09
  4. "The Crossing" – 7:09
  5. "Heart and Soul" – 4:33 (This version fades out earlier than the version on the 1983 cassette release)

2012 30th anniversary deluxe edition

Disc 1 (bonus tracks)
  2. "Balcony" (Adamson, Watson) (B-side of "Harvest Home") – 3:55
  3. "Flag of Nations (Swimming)" (Adamson, Watson) (B-side of "Harvest Home" 12")
  4. "Angle Park" (Adamson, Watson) (B-side of "Fields of Fire")
  5. "All of Us" (B-side of "In a Big Country")
  6. "Heart and Soul" (B-side of "In a Big Country" 12")
  7. "The Crossing" (B-side of "Chance" 12")
  8. "Tracks of My Tears" (live) (Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore, Marvin Tarplin) (B-side of "Chance")
Disc 2
  1. "Angle Park" (4-track demo, 1981) (Adamson, Watson) *
  2. "Harvest Home" (4-track demo, 1981)*
  3. "We Could Laugh" (4-track demo, 1981) (Adamson, Watson)*
  4. "In a Big Country" (demo, 1983)
  5. "The Storm" (demo, 1983)
  6. "Big City" (demo, 1983)
  7. "Fields of Fire" (Riverside, BBC TV, 1983)*
  8. "Lost Patrol" (demo, May 1982)*
  9. "Inwards" (demo, May 1982)*
  10. "1000 Stars" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  11. "Lost Patrol" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  12. "Inwards" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  13. "Close Action" (Chris Thomas sessions, June 1982)*
  14. "Fields of Fire" (demo, September 1982)
  15. "1000 Stars" (demo, September 1982)
  16. "Ring Out Bells" (demo, September 1982)
  17. "Chance" (demo, September 1982)

Personnel

Big Country

with:

Technical

Production notes for deluxe edition bonus tracks

Disc 1
Disc 2

[5] [9]

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1983)Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[10] 21
Canadian Albums Chart[11] 4
Dutch Albums Chart[12] 11
New Zealand Albums Chart[13] 8
Swedish Albums Chart[14] 17
UK Albums Chart[15] 3
U.S. Billboard 200[16] 18

Singles

YearSingleChartPosition
1982Harvest HomeUK Singles Chart[17] 91
1983Fields of FireUK Singles Chart[18] 10
1983In a Big CountryBillboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play37
1983In a Big CountryBillboard Mainstream Rock3
1983In a Big CountryBillboard Hot 10017
1983In a Big CountryRPM 50 Singles (Canada)[19] 3
1983In a Big CountryUK Singles Chart17
1983ChanceUK Singles Chart9
1984Fields of FireBillboard Hot 100[20] 52

Certifications

OrganizationLevelDate
BPI – UKGold15 September 1983
CRIA – CanadaGold1 November 1983
CRIA – CanadaPlatinum1 December 1983
RIAA – USAGold19 January 1984
BPI – UKPlatinum9 February 1984

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Big Country – The Crossing release date. Rocking In the Norselands. 25 March 2021. 21 October 2023.
  2. Web site: Releases – Studio Albums – The Crossing. Bigcountryinfo.com. 21 October 2023.
  3. Web site: The Story Behind The Song: "Chance" by Big Country. Rocking In the Norselands. 6 December 2020. 21 October 2023.
  4. Web site: Big Country - Biography. Bmg.com. 21 October 2023.
  5. Web site: Timeline – 1982. Big Country Info. 21 October 2023.
  6. Web site: The Life and Hard Times of Big Country and Stuart Adamson . . 30 July 2022 . 21 October 2023 . Rowley . Scott .
  7. So You Say / Big Country. 23 November 1983. One Two Testing. Nov 1983. 24–27.
  8. Web site: The Crossing (Deluxe Edition) (notes). Bigcountryinfo.com.
  9. Web site: Releases – Studio Albums – The Crossing (Deluxe Edition). Big Country Info. 21 October 2023.
  10. Book: Kent, David . . David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book . . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6.
  11. RPM 100 Albums . 12 November 1983 . . 39 . 11 . archived at Library and Archives Canada . 15 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024090555/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6720a&type=1 . 24 October 2012 . dead .
  12. Web site: Steffen . Hung . Big Country - The Crossing . Dutch . Dutchcharts.nl . 15 September 2011.
  13. Web site: Steffen . Hung . Big Country - The Crossing . Charts.nz . 15 September 2011.
  14. Web site: Steffen . Hung . Big Country - The Crossing . Swedishcharts.com . 15 September 2011.
  15. Web site: BIG COUNTRY - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. 5 November 2018.
  16. Web site: Album Search for "the crossing". AllMusic. 5 November 2018.
  17. Web site: Big Country Top Songs. Rockvf.com. 21 October 2023.
  18. Web site: Big Country - full Official Chart History. Official Charts. 21 October 2023.
  19. Web site: RPM Magazine - Volume 39, Number 13. Rpmimages.3345.ca.
  20. Web site: Big Country - Fields of Fire. Billboard Database. 21 October 2023.

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