BIG COUNTRY - 4th February 1982. Excerpt 5-songs Heart & Soul, Harvest Home,(encore)Angle Park

Big Country at Dunfermline's Glen Pavilion - 4th February 1982 with the line up of;

Peter Wishart - keyboards & vocals
Alan Wishart - bass
Clive Parker - drums & percussion
Stuart Adamson - guitar & vocals
Bruce Watson - guitar & vocals

The recording was made by me (Clive Parker) sitting a small mono cassette recorder behind the drum riser. Luckily it picked up the guitars, and keyboards, but there is a lack of bass, and the vocals aren't clear. The quality is not very good, and I have restored it as far as is possible. The equipment for archiving is Korg hard-disk recording (D32XD), Adam P33 monitoring, and Sony Vegas-7 Editing. The recordings are here for archival purposes. Despite the low quality of the recording it is a fantastic document of the interim between The Skids and the later (successful) Big Country line-up, with an amazing contribution from Peter Wishart on keyboards and his brother Alan on bass guitar. A bit 'Wishbone Ash' with the twin guitars and some overblown arrangements; though it shows Adamson & Watson defining their sound, without the future (burdensome) bagpipe histrionics badge.

This was the culmination of 8 months song-writing and rehearsals in Dunfermline, after the demise of The Skids. The band went on the road with Alice Cooper and were thrown off the tour after 2 dates. The band split up and Peter Wishart joined international folk band RunRig.

The photographic stills are from the rehearsals, my time living with Bruce Watson and his wife Sandra in Dunfermline, and the live dates, from my own collection. This is excerpt 5 of 5.

If anyone would like copies of the music, or photographs (or want to get it touch), please send a friend request to me through my Facebook page, and I'll post you as soon as I put them out. I'll also be putting other pictures and info' there from the period;

http://www.facebook.com/parker.clive

This is part of a wider archiving project where I'll be putting here original recordings and photographs I made when in other bands such as The Members, Spizzenergi and Athletico Spizz '80, as well as my own material. (on youtube & facebook)

No reproduction or use without permission. All songs were written by Wishart, Wishart, Adamson, Watson, Parker.

Clive Parker - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Parker
Big Country - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Country
Peter Wishart - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wishart
Bruce Watson - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Watson_(guitarist)

Huge thanks to Barbara Tuffin (Wilkinson) and Keith Parker, without whose support none of this would have happened.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• big country
• the skids
• athletico spizz 80
• spizzenergi
• spizz
• bruce watson
• stuart adamson
• peter wishart
• scotland
• runrig
• scary thieves
• the members

[FFlyDDrum1]

So glad I stumbled on your postings. Been a fan of BC since what I thought was the beginning (1983 SNL), but you just opened my eyes to a time and sound I never knew of. Thanks!!

[Loftuslad]

This is fantastic Clive, I'd never heard the original line up. For me, this is far more valid than the any of the Rarities series, and is definitely more relevant than what is being peddled in the name of Big Country today. Love it, I can't thank you enough.