Big Country and The Alarm

Big Country’s first commercial success came in the form of “Harvest Home” which was released in 1982 and made the UK Singles chart, sitting at 91. They later released “Field of Fire (400 Miles)” in February 1983, which made it to number 10, and even 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Despite not matching the number 10 spot of the previous single, “In a Big Country” which was released in May 1983, became one of the trademark songs of the band for years to come. The album that these songs featured on, “The Crossing”, released on July 15th 1983, shot up the chart to number 3 in the UK Albums Chart. It also made the Top 20 of 5 other countries. The album was later certified Platinum.

“Steeltown” was the band’s next release, on October 1st 1984. It made it to number 1 in the UK and was later certified Gold. It featured the singles “East of Eden” and “Where the Rose is Sown”. In 1984, the band featured on the Band Aid charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The leading single from the band’s next album “Look Away” made it to number 7 in the UK Singles chart, and the album “The Seer” released in July 1986 made it to number 2 in the UK, and charted internationally. Kate Bush even added backing vocals to the title track.

In the 1990s the band unfortunately lost a lot of their commercial success with the release of the album “No Place Like Home” reaching 28, being released in September 1991. They still managed to maintain support slots on tours with the Rolling Stones and The Who. Around this time, there was a lot of concern for singer, Stuart Adamson’s mental and emotional health who struggled with alcoholism for many years, which ultimately led to his death in December 2001.

In 2007, to commemorate 25 years of Big Country the remaining founding members, toured the UK, on the back of releasing an album called “Twenty Five Live”. They made a comeback on April 8th 2013 with an album called “The Journey” which reached number 68 in the UK Albums Chart.