Search - Big Country :: Buffalo Skinners

Strap Yourself In

J. Merritt | 07/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The saddest loss from the 2001 suicide of Stuart Adamson was obviously the man himself, but another loss was the future of Big Country, the band for whom Adamson was lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Most people only knew them for 1983's "In A Big Country," which made them one of the few top 40 artists ever to score a hit with a song that contained the band's name in its title. However, there was a lot more to BC than one semi-eponymous song, and Adamson's passing is an unfortunate but opportune reason to reevaluate their musical legacy.



If you're going to do so, you might as well start with what might have been their best album. I'm sure many BC aficionados will argue that "Steeltown" was their finest moment, but I would beg to differ. Ultimately, though, the debate is academic, because we're comparing classics. There's no fault to find with "Steeltown," it's simply a matter of taste, and I prefer the harder edge of "Buffalo Skinners."



Like "Steeltown," "Buffalo Skinners" is conceptual; the album is an all-out attack on America's selective isolationism and excess. Adamson and Co. contend in no uncertain terms that the world's Big Brother is sleeping on the job and betraying what it stands for. From the word go, they say so with a thunder of heavy guitars, charging rhythms, and angry lyrics. All the social consciousness of BC's early work seems to have found its perfect subject in "Buffalo Skinners," and the dogs are loose. The album rocks from beginning to end, harder than anything else the band ever did. There are beautifully reflective moments ("Ships," "The One I Love"), but for the most part these songs tear out of the gate and don't slow down. Check out "All Go Together," "What Are You Working For," and my personal favorite, "Long Way Home."



I miss Stuart Adamson and I miss his band, but his body of work makes for a fine epitaph. I revisit it regularly.



Notes on the remaster: I can't honestly say that I heard much of a sound quality difference between this and the original CD pressing, but I don't have the most trained ears in the world. The added liner notes and extra songs are nice to have, though. "Eastworld" is an especially good bonus track. I'm surprised it was originally left off the album."

Bigger than the Hit Parade

Captain Cook | Leeward to the Sandwich Islands | 10/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to an album like this makes you despise the record industry and the way that fashions and slavish conformity dictate success.



The Buffalo Skinners was released in 1993, two years after Big Country had been callously and stupidly dropped by Phonogram. They then produced this astounding masterpiece, in which every track is solid and some "Pink Marshmallow Moon," "Alone," etc. - are sheer classics. Of course, gurning teenagers with grungey guitars were all the rage at the time, so the craftsmanship and quality of this earnest and soulfull collection of songs went largely unrecognised.



Big Country created a sound that could fill not only stadiums and arenas but also the vast landscapes of their native and their adopted land."

US Master Edition

George Foster | Lima, Peru | 10/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The US Master Edition is much better than the UK mix. No need to be an expert to tell. The only bad thing is that they included the demo version of "Buffalo Skinners" instead of the original song, as a bonus track.

Stay alive!!!





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