Big Country
Steeltown

THE REVIEW

It certainly cannot be denied that for a brief and intense period, Big Country, at least in Europe, represented an original and interesting musical proposal. Far from the hype stirred in those early Eighties by U2 and absolutely more credible and skillful than bands like Simple Minds and the Alarm, the group led by the talented Stuart Adamson had the merit of proposing a personal musical project that consisted of merging themes inspired by Scottish folk music within a purely post-punk sound context.

Big Country was particularly adept at creating decisive rock sounds, blending them with the sounds of bagpipes, flutes, and Scottish violins, directly reproduced with their electric guitars. With this particular style, they managed to create an extremely original sound that would, over time, become their trademark but also an insurmountable boundary of their stylistic choices. Choices that have always been well-rooted at a political level and expressed in the lyrics of their songs, often addressing controversial social issues regarding Margaret Thatcher's policies or the wound generated by the Falklands conflict.

"Steeltown" was released in 1984, preceded by a successful single, the captivating "Wonderland", a suggestive track that, however, would not find a place on the album. "Steeltown" fulfills all the promises already expressed by the remarkable debut the year before, that "The Crossing", which had brought much fortune to Adamson's group. Steve Lillywhite's careful and professional production highlights the band's art in a committed and inspired work that, more than twenty years later, still sounds fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. This record indeed includes some of the best tracks to have come out of Britain during that period. The bombastic and already full of intent opener "Flame On The West", the poignant tale of "East Of Eden", the melodic sweetness of "Girl With Grey Eyes", the plea of "Come Back To Me", and the ride of "Tall Ships Go" are episodes that cannot be ignored and add weight to the work. However, the beauty of the album lies in the powerful political critique of the rousing anthem "Where The Rose Is Sown", a classic of their concerts, and the enchanting "Just A Shadow" with its long guitar tail.

At the time of its release, "Steeltown" achieved great success both with the public, reaching the top of the UK charts, and with critics. The group even celebrated the new record triumph with a series of shows at Wembley Arena, where Elton John was invited as a guest. Unfortunately, despite the passion and esteem shown by a host of loyal supporters, this work will remain the highest point of their production. In the years following "Steeltown", Big Country would release albums that were absolutely decent, well-made, and enjoyable but far from the glories of their early brilliant periods. Their story tragically concluded in December 2001 with the suicide of Stuart Adamson. A suicide that would put an end to a musical story that tried to be epic and seemed impossible to even imagine when Stuart Adamson wondered, "Who Knows Where All Our Days Gone," while singing "East Of Eden". Indeed, we wonder, where have those days gone?