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I’m still not totally sold on Mike Peters singing Big Country songs. Yes, I’m glad to see the remaining Big Country members (Bruce Watson, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki) playing together again but Peters’ voice is just so distinctive and so unlike Stuart Adamson’s. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of both Big Country and the Alarm so you’d think that this would be a match made in heaven for me but listening to their live album, Dreams Stay With You: Live April 2011, I’m just still not convinced this works under the name “Big Country”.

But I don’t know… maybe this collaboration works better when seeing them in person. I doubt they’ll ever do any dates here in the U.S. but they’ve announced UK dates for February 2012 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their classic album The Crossing.

Here’s the official announcement:

Big Country who have completed a very successful comeback year which has seen them complete two sold-out UK tours and make high profile appearances at The Isle of Wight Festival, T in The Park, Oxegen and V Festivals plus, reunite with legendary producer Steve Lillywhite for the first time in 27 years, announce a new tour of UK for 2012. This will be the commencement of celebrations for their 30th anniversary and to mark it, Universal are to re-release The Crossing the bands debut classic album, in various formats. The band will perform the album live in its entirety.

Tony Butler says “First albums are usually considered to be a bands finest moment, for us it was a magical one. A collection of songs that were unique, original and above all, heart felt. We knew we were different and we knew we were creating something special.”
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Legendary 80′s rockers Big Country are all set to return to the stage and have announced 4 UK shows to take place in January 2011. More may be added.
The band exploded onto the scene in 1983 with anthemic songs such as “Fields Of Fire” and “In A Big Country” which were culled from their classic debut album The Crossing which sold several million worldwide. They followed up with a number one album Steeltown and released 8 studio albums all of which entered the Top Ten. Big Country released 28 singles 5 of which were also Top Ten.

Approaching their 30th anniversary, the band are lining up concerts for a period of celebration that will not only embrace their illustrious past but also honour the life and times of original lead singer, guitarist and co-founder Stuart Adamson, who passed away so tragically in 2001. Taking on the mantle of lead singer and joining the band for these dates and more will be Mike Peters of fellow celtic rockers The Alarm.

“I first met Stuart on stage at a U2 concert in Hammersmith Palais back in 1983″ says Mike Peters. “Bono introduced us to his audience as being “part of the the new breed” and Stuart was literally passed up onto the stage by the fans and I shook his hand as I handed him a guitar – an unforgettable entrance. The last time I saw him was also on stage with Big Country at Glasgow Barrowlands for the last night of the Final Fling tour in 2000, when we sang Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Freeworld’ together. When Bruce Watson called and asked me to sing for Big Country, it was something I didn’t need to think twice about. I’m looking forward to meeting all the fans again and playing a part in keeping the spirit of Stuart Adamson alive and celebrating the music of a band I have loved from near and afar for the whole of my adult life”.

Bass guitarist Tony Butler says “To play again as Big Country was something that was only going to happen if we could find someone who could compliment the band and sing the songs in the way they need to be sung – with heart and soul. Mike Peters from The Alarm has stepped in to fill the premise. It’s about time the songs got another airing, and we think Stuart would be pleased too”.

The new line up consists of:
Tony Butler – Bass Guitar and Vocals
Mark Brzezicki – Drums and Vocals
Mike Peters – Vocals and Guitar
Bruce Watson – Guitar and Vocals
Jamie Watson – Guitar

Live dates scheduled so far:

Wednesday 05 January 2011 – Newcastle O2 Academy
Thursday 06 January 2011 – London Islington O2 Academy
Friday 07 January 2011 – Birmingham O2 Academy
Saturday 08 January 2011 – Liverpool O2 Academy

All shows are on sale via gigsandtours.com

Check the official Big Country website for the latest news.
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When bad remixes happen to good songs.

Asia – Go (remix) : Here’s a 1985 DANCE remix of Asia’s rock song “Go”. Obviously the decision of a clueless record exec who somehow thought a british classic rock band needed a dance club makeover. I’m not sure who actually DID the remix but Geoff Downes’ keyboard takes center stage on this one.

Yes – Owner of a Lonely Heart (1983 Red Blue mix) : in the same vein as the Asia remix, here we have a classic rock band with a dance mix of their rock classic. I can’t actually imagine this one even making it onto the dance floor. it just sounds bizarre… sort of like the “Art of Noise” randomly playing around with different settings on the Fairlight synth while this song was playing in the studio.

Wings – Let ‘Em In (Wing It Mix) : Reportedly Paul McCartney commissioned a set of remixes to be released along with the WingSpan documentary in 2001 but the remixes never got officially released. Listening to this remix, you can hear why. Pretty bland and ultimately pointless.

Big Country – One Great Thing (Big Baad Country Mix) : Like a good number of remixes in the mid-eighties, this Big Country remix simply sounds like someone having some fun with a Fairlight. and due to the heavy Fairlight use, it sounds more like Trevor Horn/Art of Noise than Big Country.

ABC – Be Near Me (Munich Disco Mix) : The obnoxious sounding drums and handclaps added to the 1985 remix obscures the charm and personality of the original. Yes, it’s sorta fun and goofy to listen to now but in terms of songcraft and production quality, the remix is definitely a big step down.

The Producers Series is where I get to feature the work of a favorite music producer. To kick off the series here on RetroBlog is none other than Peter Wolf. no, not the lead singer of the J. Geils Band. The Peter Wolf responsible (or the one to blame, depending on your point of view) for unleashing Starship’s biggest 80′s hit “We Built This City (on Rock and Roll!!!)” onto the world. back at the height of his popularity as a producer in the mid-eighties, he was behind the recording console for hits like “Nightshift” by the Commodores, “King of Wishful Thinking” by Go West, “On My Own” by Patti Labelle and of course “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” by Wang Chung. OK, OK, so the man is responsible for some cheezy 80′s songs but even so, I like the guy’s sound. he definitely has a signature sound. it’s this sort of slick, ultra clean almost sterile type sound especially with the drums. in the majority of his productions, he ends up playing the keyboards and so you tend to hear the same type of synth sounds on a lot of his recordings. you also often hear backing vocals performed by a pseudo gospel choir which I personally like. Although I enjoy listening to his production work, I’ve noticed that a lot of the bands he worked with in the past are no longer around. hhhmmmmm… could Peter Wolf be a Career Killer?????

I’ll take this time to present some evidence and you be the judge…

1) in 1988 Peter Wolf produced Big Country‘s album Peace In Our Time to the surprise of many BC fans. Wolf stamped his signature slick pop sound all over the band’s album and subsequently the band got dropped from the record label.
-Listen to Big Country’s Time for Leaving.

2) Wolf produced two albums for Wang Chung – Mosaic and the Other Side of Cool. He was so heavily involved with the albums you could probably say that he’s an unofficial member of the group. Wolf co-wrote the bulk of the songs, played keyboards on every track and even helped with backing vocals. it was more like Peter Wolf’s album with Wang Chung as guests. and in terms of career killer? well…. where’s Wang Chung now????
-Listen to Wang Chung’s Let’s Go.

3) Around 1993 Chicago worked with Peter Wolf on their Stone of Sisyphus album. you say you never heard of an album called Stones of Sisyphus by Chicago? That’s because after listening to the final product, Chicago’s record label refused to put it out. That’s right. The album is locked away somewhere and has never been released. The record label ended up dropping Chicago and the group had to start releasing albums independently from then on.
-Listen to Stone of Sisyphus by Chicago.

4) Bourgeois Tagg had a hit in the late eighties titled “I Don’t Mind at All”. To record a follow-up, the group went in to do some tracks with who? that’s right. Peter Wolf. …and? you guess it. the group imploded while recording the initial tracks and never completed the album. years later, bassist/vocalist Larry Tagg eventually included some of the tracks from the Wolf sessions on his solo album which was released on a small independent label.
-Listen to 1/2 yes 1/2 no by Larry Tagg.

5) OK, how about Go West. yup, their big hits, King of Wishful Thinking and Faithful were both produced by Peter Wolf. and after being with the Wolf? nada. nunca. nothing. the group vanished off the charts.
-Listen to Faithful by Go West

makes ya wonder, eh? …so, indeed, beware the Wolf!!