28th June 1986
|
Record Mirror 28th June 1986 |
|
|
| Page 1 · Page 3 · Page 7 · Pages 14 & 15 · Pages 16 & 17 · Pages 20 & 21 · Pages 28 & 29 · Page 42 · Page 48 |
 Back to top |
Front Cover Features BIG COUNTRY (Stuart Adamson photo); quote - 'Music should be a big part of people's lives...as big a part as going to the toilet'. Other features - Thrashing Doves, Fra Lippo Lippi, Queen, Fountainhead, Blow Monkeys. LIVE: Redskins, Gene Loves Jezebel, Cabaret Voltaire, Matt Bianco. Front cover photography: Joe - el desperado - Shutter |
 Back to top |
Contents page 7 FREE 12 INCH EP Gene Loves Jezebel 14 BIG COUNTRY are they boring? are they cliched? bc defend themselves 20 ALBUMS big country, gene loves jezebel, woodentops, easterhouse 28 CHARTS uk singles and albums, 12 inchers, mvs and cds 42 NEWS DIGEST 47 BPM here's jamesy |
 Back to top |
Page 7 FREE 12 INCH EP GENE LOVES JEZEBEL 'Suspicion' The band who seem destined to finally strike it rich this summer, show their new melodic touch on this exclusive track. Good ideas, great music - how can they possibly fail? |
 Back to top |
Page 14 BIG COUNTRY "OH YES, WE'RE VERY DEEP' Back in the mists of Scottish history, there lived a toothless old lady who could predict the future. Nobody knows if she ever foretold the success of Big Country (or even of Scotland being kicked out of the World Cup), but Big Country have named their lastest album 'The Seer' after her. "The old lady was caller the Seer and she was a sort of Scottish Nostradamus," says Stuart Adamson. "I saw a programme about her and she seemed an interesting and romantic sort of character. I thought she would make a good subject for a song." "Could you please make sure you get the title of the album right," says Bruce. "One journalist came in and said, 'Now tell me about the album you've done. Why did you decide to call it 'The Steer'?'" Big Country are in London for a couple of days for a spot of promotion work. They're sharing a suite in the sort of hotel where you think you're going to have to take out a mortgage to afford a couple of rounds of beer. But its a breather from the constant grind of touring. These days the band have little spare time and Stuart says the schedule isn't going to get any lighter. "I've lost track of how many dates we play in a year, and I'm terrified of flying. No matter how many times we go up, it still scares me awful. But I still enjoy touring. "I feel excited and humble at the same time when I'm on stage. I get a rush of adrenalin, but at the same time I always feel a bit choked up when I realise that all those people out there have come along to see us. It's a bit emotional. No matter how many shows we've played, a concert is always special to us. It's the ultimate proof of what we're trying to do. "I think we're far-sighted enough to realise we have to give quality shows. We will never lose track of the fact that those people have paid their hard earned money to come and see us - and because of the amount of dates we do, they probably won't see us again for another year. We have to be good. "We don't treat the audience just as punters. On tour I think we have a great feeling of oneness with them." It's a philosophy which has certainly paid off. Big Country have become a hot little property over the years, but Stuart seems unaffected and even a bit shy about Big Country's success. "It's satisfying, of course, but it's not something we're going to get big headed about. I might be financially secure now, but I haven't been... |
 Back to top |
Pages 16 & 17 financially secure for a long time. "I don't think we're any different from somebody doing a nine to five job, or from somebody standing in a dole queue; although I certainly wouldn't want to go back to working nine to five. "We just get on with the job. We don't have pretensions but we do appreciate the freedom to operate exactly how we want to operate. I think we do things in a simple way, and the simple way is often the best." Stuart partly explains the success of Big Country by saying that people can now identify with the band worldwide on a massive scale. "I think we've touched a few nerve endings. People seem to have the same gut reactions and feelings about life, whether you're playing to them in Bangkok, Bahrain or Bournemouth. We're all sharing this planet; we all have to live somehow. "I believe that Big Country as a band write about issues that can be appreciated on a wide scale. But we don't preach; we don't usually align ourselves to specific movements. We tend to observe things and write about the incidents we've observed. "I don't think it's our job to stand up on a platform and try and convince people they have to vote a certain way, just because we happen to be in a group." Stuart prefers to let the music talk, and the album has a wide range of songs. Some of them, I'm sure, would make Billy Bragg's top lip tremble, and the title track features a duet with Kate Bush. Stuart says he's been a Kate fan for a long time. "The central chracter of the song 'The Seer' is a woman, so I thought it would be good to get a woman's point of view," he says. "I have a lot of Kate Bush albums and I like her voice. She varies it so much. There's a lot of variety and texture in the way she sings and she's always coming up with something different. She's a perfectionist; she won't give up until she's absolutely satisfied with what she's done. She has a lot of dedication." Stuart and Bruce say that Big Country have a good working formula. Despite the years the band has been going, and the amount of time they have to spend together, they rarely have serious arguments or fights. "Sometimes somebody will say, 'Well, that's a load of crap or shite', but that's about as far as it goes," says Bruce. "It's still a lot of fun and I think it's going to stay that way. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing." "There's no great plan with us," continues Stuart. "We usually take things from day to day. We sit down and write a song from the heart; we don't sit down and write a song thinking about how much money we're going to make out of it. I just want to see that my family is secure because they really deserve it. "I think we've achieved our success without hype. We're not a band who feature very much in gossip columns. We have a wholesome profile. In Europe, we haven't done a lot of promotion work, but we've now done very well. It's a word-of-mouth thing there. People have been to see us and then they've told their friends aboiut us. We're very pleased abou it. "I think a Big Country audience is very mixed. We cover all types of people. I don't think there's a typical Big Country fan. We're a folk band, not really in the sense that we play folk music, but because of the stories we tell in our songs. The story element is very important to us. Oh yes, we're very deep. I can't see myself writing a song with lines like, 'C'mon baby, let's go down to the disco and you can fondle my bum, yeah.' "We work in a pretty spontaneous way. I'll come up with an idea or the others will come up with ideas and somehow it all hangs together." Excuse me, Stuart, don't you think that Big Country are in danger of getting a bit typecast? Don't you think the sound is becoming too easily identifiable? "Of course we sound like Big Country. Why should we want to sound like Led Zeppelin? Of course you can identify the sound. Any band has a sense of identity. But we do vary what we're doing. The guitar parts we do are always different. You caompare all the albums we've done and they're very differnet from each other. "In 15 years' time, I want to be able to look back and think that we achieved something worthwhile. I want to have proud memories of what we did. I think pop music has become too important to be disposable, especially with the ideas that a lot of pop music now carries with it. Music should be as big a part of their lives as going to the toilet." Stuart says he's proud of the new wave of Scottish bands coming up, snapping at his ankles. "It's important for Britain that regions start their own music," he says. "I think it's a healthy thing. There is a lot of talent across the country. "The good thing about Scottish bands is that they're not ripping off anybody else. They're being successful on their own terms; they've got their individual styles. "But I don't see it as my role to pass comment on other people's music. I don't want to pass comment on what's happening in the charts." Stuart can be quite abrupt when he wants to be. He comes across as being quite a private person who won't answer questions that he doesn't think are relevant. "If you're in a band, it doesn't mean you have to lose control. It doesn't mean you have a craving for self publicity and the more outrageous things pop stars are traditionally supposed to do." However, Stuart does reveal that he has a passion for motorbikes. He's the proud owner of a Honda 750cc monster motor bike. "Yeah, I love roaring around the country lanes. I've got all the leather gear as well. Really nice." "When he goes out he puts on his Sigue Sigue Sputnik mask," says Bruce. "He looks horrifying." Seer you later. Story by Robin Smith Photos by Joe Shutter |
 Back to top |
Pages 20 & 21 ALBUMS BIG COUNTRY 'The Seer' (Mercury MERH 87) I once attacked Big Country's 'Steeltown' LP as a bland metal affair containing some rather naive, modern (non) working songs. The band has since had a breather and a think and has come up with a far more palatable offering in 'The Seer'. It's more straightforward in intent and execution, more melodic, poppy and fun. Lyrically, Stuart Adamson's got away from the crisis of capitalism and realised that there are hills to be stood upon, rivers to cross, forests to hide in - something he seems more comfortable writing about after a respite from limos, Holiday Inns and Lear jets. The most welcoming factor on this LP is the plethora of good tunes. 'One Great Thing' must be the best singalong the band has ever come up with, and at last they have the confidence to follow up with a beautiful ballad in 'Hold The Heart'. Those guitars have been treated with a little more restraint this time round, though you 'bagpipe' fans won't be disappointed. Why, even Kate Bush puts in an appearance on the title track and it's touches like that which add the extra dimension Big Country has needed in the past. We'll ignore the blatant Thin Lizzy 'Emerald' tribute on 'Red Fox' and salute the gentle pop/rock of 'The Sailor', with its neat guitar run which sounds like something Bach would have been proud of. Then there's the characteristic Celtic rush of 'I Walk The Hill' which harks back to the former delight of 'TV Stars' - short, sharp and right on the button. Big Country have shown (as did the Smiths last week) that a new LP can retain the band's sound and character while subtle new moves introduce a welcome extra dimension. This is my favourite Big Country record since 'Harvest Home', so come on, Stuart and the band - take a(n E) bow! 4/5 Andy Strickland GENE LOVES JEZEBEL 'Discover' (Beggars Banquet BEGA 73) An album full of old goths still at it, wailing away in pale grey voices, singing songs of disembodies corpses, is not my idea of heaven. Thankfully, however, this is not entirely the way 'Discover' turned out. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself humming along with 'Sweetest Thing' and almost caught my toe tapping to 'Heartache'. Surely some mistake? Nope, GLJ have not quite turned out an entire record's worth of songs to lurk about churchyards to, which may or may not be good news to you. Somewhere along the line, they've drummed up a nifty sense of pop, although they're still rather shy of it as a concept. Curiously enough, my main criticism of the Woodentops album also applies here. If I shut my eyes (and God forbid that I'm actually admitting to this) and listen hard, it could almost be an album from a mid-Seventies progressive rock group. Does nobody have any original ideas any more? What I label as hopelessly morose, some other soul may well say was heartfelt and spine-tingling, and what I'd turn the sound off for, another would pump up full blast. I think it's that GLJ are not my cup of tea (© Andy Strickland 1982), but taking my not inconsiderable prejudces into consideration, 'Discover' wasn't quite the onerous torture I'd anticipated. 2½/5 Nancy Culp RY COODER 'Blue City' (Warner Brothers 925 386-1) RY COODER 'Crossroads' (Warner Brothers 925 399-1) The eclectic Mr Cooder is knocking out film soundtracks at a rate even Phil Collins would be hard pressed to match. Following on the heels on his haunting work on 'Paris, Texas' comes this pair. The former is the musical accompaniment to the latest brat pack movie staring Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy (the pair from 'St Elmo's Fire' and 'Breakfast Club') in a murder thriller. The latter is a voyage of discovery around the roots of the blues with Ralph 'Karate kid' Macchio and directed by Walter Hill of '48 Hours' and ''Streets Of Fire' fame. 'Blue City' is obviously the project which stimulated his adrenal glands; starting with the singing bottleneck guitar on 'Blue City Dawn' to the New Orleans gumbo rhythms of 'Elevation 13ft' to the humorous 'Tell Me Something Slick'. 'Crossroads' is a more scholarly work, reclaiming the various strands of music for the Mississippi delta. While the musicianship is impeccable, it's only the vocal trio of Bobby King, Terry Evans and Willie Green Jr that add zest to the collection of old standards like Robert Johnson's title track and the traditional gospel of 'Somebody's Callin' My Name'. 'Blue City' 3½/5, 'Crossroads' 3/5. Mike Gardner |
 Back to top |
Page 28 & 29 CHARTS - W/E June 28, 1986 GALLUP UK SINGLES THE EDGE OF HEAVEN, Wham!, Epic. This week - 1; last week - 2; weeks on chart - 2. THE TEACHER, Big Country, Mercury. This week - 28; last week - 34; weeks on chart - 2. HEARTACHE, Gene Loves Jezebel, Beggars Banquet. This week - 79; last week - 75. MUSIC VIDEO LIVE, Big Country, Channel 5. This week - 15; last week - 11. |
 Back to top |
Page 42 NEWS DIGEST Steve Harley released his single 'Irresistible' this week. The flip side is 'Lucky man' featuring MIDGE URE on guitar and Mark Brzezicki of Big Country on drums. Steve is currently planning some dates for the autumn. Thursday 3 - MANCHESTER Apollo Theatre (061-273 3775) Big Country |
 Back to top |
Page 48 BPM HIT NUMBERS BEATS PER MINUTE, at long last, for all of the last five week's Top 75 new entries on seven inch (f/c/r for fade/cold/resonant ends, but with no room for descriptions this time);... Gene Loves Jezebel 124¼ - 214f... Big Country 132½-132¾-0r |