15th September 1984
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Record Mirror 15th September 1984 |
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| Page 1 · Page 3 · Page 6 · Pages 10 & 11 · Page 37 |
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Front Cover Features BIG COUNTRY (photo). Other features - Aztec Camera, Queen, Spandau, General Public. |
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Contents page 6 NEWS 10 LIVING IN A BIG COUNTRY 37 UK CHARTS |
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Page 6 NEWS BIG COUNTRY have made alterations to their tour announced last week. The date at Belfast Kings Hall which was due to be on December 17 in [sic] now put back to December 19, while the show at Dublin RDS scheduled for that day will now be on December 18. Tickets for Belfast are £7, and for Dublin £8.50. They add two more dates; Cork City Hall December 16 and Galway Leisureland 17. Prices are £8 for all tickets, from usual agents. |
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Page 10 BIG MUSIC In A Big Country dream: Trek across the barren wastelands of northern Scotland and you'll probably bump into some highlander walking his dog along the moors, humming some mock-anthem by Big Country, and feeling pretty sorry for himself. Reflecting Scottish romanticism and lyricism, big Country's wailing waltzes stretch from maudlin ballads to histrionic juggernaut work-outs. They have a new single called 'East Of Eden', taken from their forthcoming LP 'Steeltown', that is backed by a version of the Roxy Music song 'Prairie Rose'. Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki are an affable pair of Big Countries: they used to be sought-after session musicians - the Sly & Robbie of Ealing - and are now part of the vast British success across the pond. RECORD MIRROR asked them some questions about Big music and checked shirts.... Is it true that you've been recording your new material in Abba's studios in Sweden? Tony: Yes it took five weeks to record, and we've just come back to Britain to add some vocals and a few finishing touches. We spent a couple of weeks in Scotland writing the matterial, and a few weeks rehearsing it. Mark: A lot of ideas come to us on the road, especially when we're doing soundchecks... when you're sick of playing the same song in the same way all over again. Tony: One thing that we were afraid of, is that because the last album did so well and we spent so long on the road with it... we thought that the new LP would be softer - but it's not, it's harder... we're all hard people really. This album is really the first Big Country album, because we joined Stuart and Bruce when they had about half the songs written, and we just sort of adapted round it. But this new album has a lot more of a group effort and therefore is a lot more cohesive. Everybody's ideas are tried and tested, and then used or rejected. Why do you think that you've been so successful in America? Mark: The Americans do have a liking for guitar-based groups. American radio is better than British radio, because not only do they play the singles, but your hear the album tracks as well... so that when the audience comes to the concert they know all the songs. We have a very identifiable sound, not at all like these diehard American Rock 'n' Roll bands. They're all fancy women, fancy cars, long hair and machoness - just like MTV. Are singles as important as albums to you? Tony: We were never expected to be a singles group - even the people that signed us thought that...and we had hit singles because we did extensive touring. When 'Fields Of Fire' went top ten we were shocked shitless! Mark: I don't think any of us expected it to do that well. When you are in the top twenty, what do you think about the other 19 records? Tony: I don't think about them at all. The charts aren't a true indication of what people like in Britain, it's just the great minority who listen to Radio One. Mark: When you see bands like Black Lace and they're at number one, and everyone you know hates it...so how the hell did it get to number one? Why did you have this gay lumberjack checked shirt image thrust upon you when you first started? Tony: Gay lumberjacks? Checked shirts just look smart when they're worn in a certain way, and Stuart's always worn them, even in The Skids...but them Jobson really overdid it by wearing everything checked. The reason we wore them was because we could get them cheap from a certain shop in Ealing - checked shirts helped keep the band together. Mark: We are an imageless band. I mean, Tony's wearing a leather jacket...and you'd never catch me wearing one! Stuart Adamson was quoted in the NME last year as saying, "I don't care if RECORD MIRROR, Smash Hits or No. 1 ever print anything about us again. As far as I'm concerned they deal in complete shit." What do you think of that? Mark: He'd probably just got up. That sounds like Stuart Adamson in a bad mood after he got out the wrong side of bed, wishing he was somewhere else... Tony: The press serves us in a way...but really we can't be bothered. If we weren't asked to do it - we wouldn't ask for it...we can do all our promotion on stage. Do you think that Big Country are making traditional Scottish folk music for the Eighties? Tony: No. Only half the group is Scottish - that Scot thing was used by the press when we first started because it was easy. But what about the bagpipe guitar sound? Mark: That's only because that's the way Stuart plays the guitar, he's always done it. We're always called 'those four Scottish lads', much more than Simple Minds are - I mean, we're from Ealing. How big do Big Country want to be? Tony: As many records that we can sell, as many people that we can get to come and see us. Mark: Getting big is the by-product of being a good group. Without seeming nonch about it, when we became big in Britain, it was inevitable that we would break America. If you weren't in Big Country what other groups would you like to be in? Tony: U2. Mark: I wouldn't say no if The Police asked me to join! The sound on the new single is a lot fuller, with a lot less screeching guitar - did you use a lot of session musicians? Mark: None at all - we play on all our records. We used to be session musicians and we were very good indeed. Tony: If we'd have stuck at it, I'd have a house in the Bahamas.... Mark: I'd've turned black.... Tony: And I would've disappeared completely. You've had an enormous amount of flak because of your steadfast use of the guitar... Tony: That was another conversation piece by the press. We are a guitar band, but you can't take that away from us. Mark: It's easy to press a button and get noises like an orchestra...but it's not so easy to play the guitar properly. On this new LP, a lot of the sounds that you would not believe to be a guitar are just Bruce being brilliant. He'll try anything and there are no rules in his book. Do Big Country ever wear make up? Mark: You're joking! Tony: I thought to myself, i am not going to wear eye-liner on this tour. Why did you cover 'Prairie Rose' by Roxy? Mark: I used to hate that type of music - Roxy and Bowie and all that, and when it was suggested that we cover it, I thought - no way. I think Roxy Music were diabolical in that era - a crap band. But they were brilliant!! Tony: Stuart suggested it, and we worked on it whilst he was on holiday and made it a Big Country song...and not a Roxy music song. It should make Bryan Ferry happy anyway. In royalties, if nothing else... |
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Page 37 UK Albums NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 3, Various, Virgin/EMI. This week - 1; last week - 1; weeks on chart - 6. Platinum (300,000+) THE CROSSING, Big Country, Mercury. This week - 43; last week - 33; weeks on chart - 59. Platinum (300,000+) |