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Big Country discography

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Big Country discography
Studio albums9
EPs1
Live albums18
Compilation albums25
Singles29

Scottish rock band Big Country, which formed in 1981, has released nine studio albums, eighteen live albums, twenty-five compilation albums, one extended play (EP), and twenty-nine singles released on Mercury Records, Reprise Records, Vertigo Records and Cherry Red Records.

Formed by Stuart Adamson following the demise of Skids, the band's classic line-up of Adamson (vocals/guitar), Bruce Watson (guitar), Tony Butler (bass) and Mark Brzezicki (drums) met with critical and commercial success during the 1980s. After signing to Mercury Records, Big Country's debut album The Crossing, released in 1983, reached number three in the UK Albums Chart and their subsequent albums Steeltown (1984), The Seer (1986) and Peace in Our Time (1988) all reached the top ten. By the time of the band's fifth album, No Place Like Home (1991), their commercial success had begun to wane and they released three more albums between 1993 and 1999 before the suicide of Adamson in 2001 led to the band splitting up.

In 2007, Butler, Watson and Brzezicki celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of Big Country by reforming for a UK tour, touring again in 2010, this time with Mike Peters joining the band for vocal duties. 2011 saw the release of a new single, the band's first new music for eleven years, before Butler retired in 2012. In 2013 the line-up of Watson, Brzezicki, Peters, joined by Derek Forbes (bass) and Watson's son Jamie (guitar), released the album, The Journey.

Albums

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
SCO
[1]
CAN
[2]
FIN
[3]
GER
[4]
NED
[5]
NZ
[6]
NOR
[7]
SWE
[8]
UK
[9]
US
[10]
The Crossing
  • Released: 29 July 1983
  • Label: Mercury
4 11 8 17 3 18
Steeltown
  • Released: 19 October 1984
  • Label: Mercury
53 24 53 33 15 12 28 1 70
The Seer
  • Released: 30 June 1986
  • Label: Mercury
75 1 16 8 7 14 16 2 59
Peace in Our Time
  • Released: 26 September 1988
  • Label: Reprise
6 40 25 9 160
No Place Like Home
  • Released: 16 September 1991
  • Label: Vertigo
28
The Buffalo Skinners 25
Why the Long Face 28 48
Driving to Damascus
  • Released: 27 September 1999
  • Label: Track
60 96 82
The Journey 32 68
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Live albums

[edit]
  • Without the Aid of a Safety Net (May 1994) UK No. 35[14]
  • Radio 1 Sessions (September 1994)
  • BBC Live in Concert (August 1995)
  • Eclectic (August 1996) UK No. 41[14]
  • Greatest Hits Live (Mar 1997) (same as "Without the Aid of a Safety Net")
  • King Biscuit Flower Hour (March 1997)
  • Brighton Rock (September 1997)
  • Live at Wolverhampton (January 2000)
  • Come Up Screaming (October 2000)
  • Keep on Truckin (January 2001)
  • Peace Concert, Live In East Berlin 1988 (January 2001)
  • One in a Million (June 2001)
  • Live Hits (Aug 2003) (from various concerts in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1991)
  • Das Fest - Live in Germany 95 (January 2002)
  • Wonderland Live (German Armoury label) (January 2002) (this is just Brighton Rock but with different packaging and different track order)
  • Live in Cologne (Apr 2002)
  • Without the Aid of a Safety Net - The Complete Concert (2 CDs) (May 2005)
  • Twenty Five Live (Nov 2007)
  • Live 2011 Shepherds Bush Empire 15.04.2011 (2011)
  • Dreams Stay With You, Edinburgh Picture House (2011)

Compilation albums

[edit]
  • Through a Big Country: Greatest Hits (May 1990) UK No. 2[14]
  • The Collection (February 1993)
  • The Best of Big Country (February 1994)
  • In a Big Country (June 1995)
  • Master Series (March 1997)
  • Kings of Emotion (April 1998)
  • Restless Natives & Rarities (June 1998)
  • Rarities II (April 2001)
  • 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Big Country (April 2001)
  • Greatest 12 Inch Hits (September 2001)
  • Universal Masters Collection – Classic Big Country (November 2001)
  • www.bigcountry.co.uk (November 2001)
  • Greatest hits of Big Country & The Skids (May 2002) UK No. 71
  • Singles Collection Vol. 1: The Mercury Years ('83 - '84) (6-CD box set) (July 2002)
  • Singles Collection Vol. 2: The Mercury Years ('84 - '88) (7-CD box set) (October 2002)
  • Rarities III (December 2002)
  • Singles Collection Vol. 3: ('88–'93) (7-CD box set) (February 2003)
  • Singles Collection Vol. 4: ('91–'00) (7-CD box set) (June 2003)
  • The Collection (Spectrum Music) (October 2003)
  • Rarities IV: (The Crossing Sessions) (November 2003)
  • Rarities V: (No Place Like Home Sessions) (March 2004)
  • Rarities VI (April 2004)
  • Rarities VII: (The Damascus Sessions) (November 2004)
  • Rarities VIII (November 2005)
  • Fields of Fire – The Ultimate Collection (April 2011) UK No. 77
  • Big Country at the BBC (July 2013)
  • Big Country at the BBC – The Best of the BBC Recordings (July 2013)
  • And...In the Beginning (Dec 2012)
  • Why The Long Face, 4CD Deluxe Expanded Box Set (June 2018)
  • And in the Beginning[15]
  • Essential (July 2020) UK No. 23[16]

Other albums

[edit]
  • In the Scud (EP) (January 1999)
  • Bon Apetit (EP) (September 1999)
  • Big Country: The Nashville Album (April 2000)
  • Undercover (covers album) (March 2001)

Extended plays

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions
UK
[9]
US
Wonderland
  • Released: January 1984
  • Label: Mercury
65
Non!
  • Released: November 1995
  • Label: Transatlantic
77

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[17]
CAN IRE
[18]
NL
[19]
NZ
[20]
SWI
[21]
US US Alt US Main
"Harvest Home" 1982 82 x The Crossing
"Fields of Fire (400 Miles)" 1983 10 9 26 52 x
"In a Big Country" 17 3 22 34 17 x 3
"Chance" 9 12 18 x
"Wonderland" 1984 8 4 86 x 48 Wonderland
"East of Eden" 17 49 x Steeltown
"Where the Rose Is Sown" 29 25 x
"Just a Shadow" 1985 26 11 x
"Look Away" 1986 7 1 14 11 18 x 5 The Seer
"The Teacher" 28 14 x
"One Great Thing" 19 12 x
"Hold the Heart" 55 x
"King of Emotion" 1988 16 68 11 24 11 20 Peace in Our Time
"Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)" 47
"Peace in Our Time" 1989 39 16
"Save Me" 1990 41 Through a Big Country
(Greatest Hits)
"Heart of the World" 50 Non-album song
"Republican Party Reptile" 1991 37 No Place Like Home
"Beautiful People" 72
"Alone" 1993 24 The Buffalo Skinners
"Ships (Where Were You)" 29 54[22]
"The One I Love" 17 34
"I'm Not Ashamed" 1995 69 Why the Long Face
"You Dreamer" 68
"Fragile Thing" (with Eddi Reader) 1999 69 Driving to Damascus
"See You/Perfect World" (double A-side) 77
"Somebody Else" 2000 126[23]
"Another Country" 2011 The Journey
"Hurt" 2013
"In a Broken Promise Land"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. "x" denotes when that chart did not exist.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Scottish Albums:
    • "Why the Long Face". OCC. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
    • "Driving to Damascus". OCC. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
    • "The Journey". OCC. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  2. ^ Canadian Albums:
  3. ^ "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1961" (in Finnish). Sisältää Hitin - Suomen listalevyt (Timo Pennanen). Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  4. ^ German Albums:
  5. ^ "Dutch Albums". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  6. ^ "New Zealand Albums". charts.nz. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Norwegian Albums". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Swedish Albums". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  9. ^ a b "UK chart peaks". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  10. ^ "US Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Canadian Certification". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d "BPI Certification". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  13. ^ "RIAA Certification". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 56–7. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. ^ "Big Country".
  16. ^ "Big Country / Essential 3CD set – SuperDeluxeEdition".
  17. ^ "BIG COUNTRY - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  18. ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010.
  19. ^ "Discografie Big Country". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Discography Big Country". charts.nz. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Big Country – Look Away". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  22. ^ "RPM Magazine" (PDF). 12 June 1993.
  23. ^ "Chart Log UK: Darren B - David Byrne". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 29 January 2018.