[2020-09-25] Big Country "Out Beyond The River: The Compulsion Years Anthology" 5CD/1DVD box set (Cherry Red UK)

Linda · **Posted:** Sun Aug 02, 2020 2:45 pm

Description
Cherry Red Records are pleased to announce the release of “Out Beyond The River: The Complete Compulsion Recordings”, a newly remastered six disc boxed set featuring the original classic line-up of Scottish rock giants Big Country, fronted by the late Stuart Adamson.

The Eighties had seen Big Country rack up four consecutive UK Top 10 albums and 12 UK Top 40 singles. “The Crossing”, their 1983 debut album, had spent 80 weeks on the charts and cracked the Top 20 in the US, while their second album, “Steeltown”, had gone straight in at No. 1. And the Nineties had got off to a good start too: their greatest hits collection “Through A Big Country” entered the chart at No. 2, and was only kept from the top spot by another best of, The Carpenters’ “Only Yesterday”. Despite all this success, a difference of opinion with their label meant all was not well in the Big Country camp.

However Big Country had a friend and ally in Chris Briggs, the man who had originally signed them ten years earlier. Following huge success with Robbie Williams, in 1992 EMI gave Briggs his own imprint, Compulsion Records. In a press release to announce Big Country as his ‘new’ signing he said, “I went to see the band on the last tour, and thought they were better now than then (when I first signed them)”.

‘The Buffalo Skinners’ restored Big Country to the Top 40, peaking at No. 25 on the album chart. In a review for Q magazine an ambivalent 3-star review from Johnny Black ended, “It couldn’t be anyone other than Big Country and, if Adamson can maintain this level of quality control in the songs, his band may rise again.” Neil McKay of Sunday Life described the album as “rousing and tuneful as in (Big Country’s) early heyday”.

In 2004 Ian Cranna writing in Record Collector described “Without A Safety Net” as “Big Country at their best. Honest, thoughtful Rock, played with passion and a conscious avoidance of frills or poses.” A description that best sums up this band.

[tracklisting][CD1: The Buffalo Skinners (2005 Issue)]
1. Alone
2. Seven Waves
3. What Are You Working For
4. The One I Love
5. Long Way Home
6. The Selling Of America
7. We’re Not In Kansas
8. Ships
9. All Go Together
10. Winding Wind
11. Pink Marshmallow Moon
12. Chester’s Farm
13. The One I Love (US Mix)
14. Never Take Your Place
15. Eastworld
16. Buffalo Skinners (Demo)

[CD2: B-Sides, Bonus Tracks & Rarities]
1. Rockin’ In The Free World
2. Woodstock
3. Oh Well
4. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
5. Buffalo Skinners
6. Cracked Actor
7. Paranoid
8. Ships (Radio Edit)
9. Alone (Radio Edit)
10. We’re Not In Kansas (US Alternate Mix)
11. The One I Love (Dave Thoener Mix)
12. I Am A Small Republic
13. Dragging My Name (Audiocraft Demo)
14. Seven Waves (Instrumental Demo)
15. Eastworld (Instrumental Demo)
16. What Are You Working For (Instrumental Demo)

[CD3: The Buffalo Skinners Demos]
1. Alone (Demo)
2. Seven Waves (Demo)
3. What Are You Working For (Audiocraft Demo)
4. The One I Love (Demo)
5. Long Way Home (Demo)
6. The Selling Of America (Demo)
7. We’re Not In Kansas (Monitor Mix)
8. Ships (Monitor Mix)
9. All Go Together (Demo)
10. Winding Wind (Demo)
11. Pink Marshmallow Moon (Demo)
12. Chester’s Farm (Audiocraft Demo)
13. Eastworld (Demo)
14. Rockin’ In The Free World (Monitor Mix)

[CD4: Without The Aid Of A Safety Net – Live 29/12/93, Part 1]
1. Introduction
2. Harvest Home (Acoustic)
3. Peace In Our Time (Acoustic)
4. Just A Shadow (Acoustic)
5. 13 Valleys (Acoustic)
6. Winter Sky (Acoustic)
7. The Storm (Acoustic)
8. Chance (Acoustic)
9. Tracks Of My Tears (Acoustic)
10. Rockin’ In The Free World (Acoustic)
11. All Go Together
12. We’re Not In Kansas
13. Look Away
14. What Are You Working For
15. Steeltown

[CD5: Without The Aid Of A Safety Net – Live 29/12/93, Part 2]
1. Stuart And The Audience
2. Ships
3. Wonderland
4. Long Way Home
5. Alone
6. In A Big Country
7. The Audience (Encore)
8. Lost Patrol
9. (Hey Hey My My) Out Of The Blue (Into The Black)
10. Fields Of Fire

[DVD: Without The Aid Of A Safety Net – The Video (PAL)]
1. Introduction / Harvest Home (Acoustic)
2. Peace In Our Time (Acoustic)
3. 13 Valleys (Acoustic)
4. The Storm (Acoustic)
5. Chance (Acoustic)
6. Look Away
7. What Are You Working For
8. Steeltown
9. Stuart And The Audience
10. Ships
11. Wonderland
12. Long Way Home
13. Alone
14. In A Big Country
15. Lost Patrol
16. Alone (Original Promo Video)
17. Ships (Original Promo Video)[/tracklisting]

Amazon USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DC6GTB9/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08DC6GTB9/?tag=imwan-21

Invisible Pedestrian · **Joined:** 24 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 26163

Buffalo Skinners is way up there for me in the Big Country discography and I’ve long hoped it would get deluxe treatment as it is here, although they bizarrely chose not to use the album’s name on this release.

Anyway, this is a fantastic album and of the rarities the version of “Rockin’ in the Free World” here has breathtaking guitar work by the late genius that was Stuart Adamson.

That is a must hear.

[2020-09-25] Big Country "Out Beyond The River: The Compulsion Years Anthology" 5CD/1DVD box set (Cherry Red UK)

Who is WANline