No place like home --- Big Country --- 1991 (Vertigo)
Although I'm a reasonable fan of this band, I have to admit to not owning many of their albums. In fact, the only one I have other than this is “Through a big country”, and since I rarely if ever review greatest hits packages --- mostly for the simple reason that, crammed as they are with hits and singles, most people will more than likely know most of the tracks --- that leaves me with just this album to concentrate on, if I want to talk about Big Country. Which I do. I'm quite aware there are better known albums from them --- the likes of “Steeltown”, “The Seer” or even “The Crossing” that would be better material for a review, but I don't have any of those so I'm going with what I've got.
I couldn't even tell you why I bought this album. It was probably just a bargain, and I picked it up in one of the buying frenzies I used to indulge in: go to the record stores, look around, see if there was anything decent going cheap. I did that all the time in the eighties, when mostly the only way you could hear music was by buying it, and second-hand albums were always a good way to check out something you had perhaps not enough faith in to shell out the full price for. I knew Big Country's hits, of course, like most people, but would a full album be worth investing in? So perhaps this was bought as a test of that principle. Or maybe I just liked the cover, or it was cheap, or both. Whatever the reason, it was the only one of their albums, bar the greatest hits, that I ever bought, and I've never even listened to it up till now.
Of course, there's extra poignancy since the untimely death of lead singer, guitarist and frontman Stuart Adamson in 2001, an event that shook Big Country to its foundations and led to the band no longer touring until they reunited in 2010, after a brief reappearance in 2007 to put out a greatest hits/tribute album, and are now back on the road. But Adamson, the voice and heart of Big Country, will and can never be forgotten. I haven't heard any music from them post Adamson, but you would have to wonder how they could recreate that unique sound he imbued the band with, and whether Big Country without Stuart Adamson could be like Queen without Freddie Mercury?
But back to the album. Tying in with its title, “We're not in Kansas” opens on a jingly guitar and strong percussion, that classic Big Country guitar sound not as prevalent as you might expect, but Stuart's distinctive voice unmistakable. It's a kind of mid-paced song to get us underway, a lot of punch but more restrained that the sort of thing we've come to expect from this band. Very much a Delta blues opening to “Republican Party reptile”, also kind of mid-paced but with more energy maybe than the opener, and some really good individual fretwork from Bruce Watson as well as from Adamson. Little touches of gospel too and a sharp, angry vocal as you would probably expect on a hard political satire song like this.
Big keyboard and flowing guitar intro then to “Dynamite lady”, heavy organ carrying the melody against Adamson's wounded vocal, the song becoming a swaying, swinging ballad, but I have to admit I haven't heard too much to get excited about yet. Still, we're only into track three of twelve. There are no hits or even well-known songs (to me, anyway) on this album, so there's nowhere to hide really: I'm hearing everything for the first time, and on its own merits. Things get a lot better with the uptempo rocker “Keep on dreaming”, more like the sort of thing I'm used to hearing from these guys, then the country/bluegrass tinged “Beautiful people” rides along on Bruce Watson's happy mandolin and some great piano from Richie Close. Just infectiously upbeat, and though driven on mostly the same idea all the way through you don't really mind, it's so good.
There's nothing happy though about the next track, with a serious message and a lot of bitter anger in “The hostage speaks”, a powerful indictment of war and conflict, seen through the eyes of the innocent and the powerless, played somewhat in the vein of “Just a shadow” or “Wonderland”, then we're back to hard rockin' for “Beat the devil”, with twin guitars punching out the rhythm, and then a slower but no less powerful track in “Leap of faith”. Everything changes in style though for “You me and the truth”, where Big Country go all soul, with solid organ and riffling guitars (yeah, it's another word I made up: wanna make something of it?)
which actually works surprisingly well, would probably have made a good single.
Things stay soul-influenced for “Comes a time”, while “Ships” has a real air of Marc Cohn or Bruce Hornsby about it, especially in the piano. A soulful ballad that really slows things down and allows you to catch your breath, it's actually the first time I've heard Big Country play a slow song. Even on their greatest hits the slower songs were not what I would class as ballads, but this definitely is, and Adamson puts in a superb vocal performance, passion and emotion creaking in his voice as he sings
”Where were you/ When my ship went down?/ Where were you/ When I ran aground?” The song exists on Close's gorgeous and plaintive piano melody, and sails along (sorry) on the fragile yet strong and bitter vocal of Adamson as he looks for answers. Standout of the album, no question.
It closes then on “Into the fire”, almost Dire Straits in its makeup, with some joyful organ and a triumphant vocal by Stuart, the guitars more restrained but still there, proving I guess that Big Country don't survive or depend only on the big wide expansive guitar sound on which their name was made, and on which their reputation persisted throughout their heyday.
The first Big Country album I've listened to all the way though that isn't a collection, I can't honestly say I'm overly impressed, but I'm not disappointed either. “No place like home” has certainly got its moments, perhaps not enough of them, but it's a good rock album and contains a few surprises along the way. I didn't regret listening to it, and if you take the time I doubt you will either.
TRACKLISTING
1. We're not in Kansas
2. Republican Party reptile
3. Dynamite lady
4. Keep on dreaming
5. Beautiful people
6. The hostage speaks
7. Beat the devil
8. Leap of faith
9. You me and the truth
10. Comes a time
11. Ships
12. Into the fire