Big Country is one of those bands that still gets me rather excited, even after three decades. That excitement, however, leads to joy as well as to disappointment. For me, all of the first album, THE CROSSING, eight of the ten tracks of STEELTOWN, and two of the ten tracks of THE SEER are perfect. Yes, perfect rock songs. The rest are not just “meh,” but actually kind of bad.
Your thoughts? Am I being unfair to the rest of Big Country’s output?
Here’s an example of a perfect Big Country song.
I feel the way the wind blows
It tells me where you’ve been through
I watch the way the sun sets
Until the night’s inside you
Some days I just don’t worry, I let it walk through me
Some days I need to bury the very depths of me
So out here to the east of Eden
I let salvation be
I was waiting, I was watching
Would it ever be there for me
And I found that hope and a lucky card
Were all I had to walk with me
Had to walk with me
I watch the way the crow flies
I know it always seems so easy
But if I see it in a grey sky
Can I be sure about the way it leads me
Some days I just don’t worry, I let it walk through me
Some days I call upon the very depths of me
So out here to the east of Eden
I watch your soul run free
I was waiting, I was watching
Would it ever be before me
And I found that hope and a lucky card
Were all I had to walk with me
I was waiting, I was watching
Would it ever be before me
And I found that hope and a lucky card
Were all I had to walk with me
Some days will stay a thousand years
Some pass like the flash of a spark
Who knows where all our days go
Out here we lie together
Outside the thunder gathers
Why care about the weather
It always ends in dark
I looked west in search of freedom and I saw slavery
I looked east in search of answers and I saw misery
Some days I just don’t worry, I let it walk through me
Some days I walk into the very depths of me
So out here to the east of Eden I let my conscience be
I was waiting, I was watching
Would it ever be before me
And I found that hope and a lucky card
Were all I had to walk with me
Progarchy 
I remember hearing the Crossing, then seeing BC live on their first US tour and thinking they were the future of rock & roll (never mind those U2 punks). The Wonderland EP didn’t disappoint either. But I also remember cueing up Steeltown with trembling excitement, and getting to “meh” a lot sooner than you did (basically, right after “Flame of the West”). Adding this to my Spotify queue to give it another shot.
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