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LINER NOTES

(jump to: 2005 Credits | 2021 Credits)

"MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY"
Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, Honour and recognition in case of success. 

A long winter journey of North America took us from the bright lights of New York City and Las Vegas, to the Black Hills of South Dakota and beyond to Deadwood Gulch, the Little Big Horn then home. 

The "Buffalo Skinners" tour had been dubbed the graveyard shift as everyday we seemed to be somewhere that involved a death or a fatal wounding. From the 'grassy knoll' in Dallas to various Indian reservations. Civil war battlegrounds and Jimi Hendrix's last resting place in Greenwood Memorial Park, we saw them all. 

In fact I seem to remember dying badly at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Rhode Island. 

The first single from the album ("The One I Love") had become a minor radio hit that icy winter in the States. We had just signed a new deal with Fox records and had a lot of promotional duties as well as concerts to perform. They ranged from being special guests on the Jay Leno Show, playing State fairs in Nevada and doing a radio interview to a deejay in Deadwood that had never heard of us. "Why the hell Deadwood?" I hear you ask. "Well it's between Minneapolis and Seattle" we were told. 

After a power failure due to frosty weather in Detroit, we were reduced to playing the concert acoustically. The sound of three acoustic guitars and a drumkit reverberated round the St Andrew's Hall. It was very challenging playing a lot of the songs without electric guitars, amps, and effects. In fact some of the songs such as "Long Way Home", "Just a Shadow" and "Winter Sky" sounded the better for it, so much so that we started playing a few of the songs acoustically in the set. 

We returned home, cold, hungry and heavily bearded. Our tour manager had remarked that he was just oging outside and maybe (sic) sometime, he wasn't wrong. He fucked off to LA. 

The Buffalo Skinners jaunt was to be our last tour for a while so we decided to record it for posterity plus we were due the label another record. 

December '93 was bitterly cold in Scotland, so cold I kept a journal to keep me warm. 

29/12/93 Glasgow
We journeyed into ice-choked Glasgow and onto the shores of rugged Clyde. Whilst hauling up the boats, which took a good hour to do, 'Cookie' got our primus stove going and produced a fine beverage of hot milk in bluber extract. We also had a quarter of a pound of dog-pemmican and two biscuits each, although it was not considered necessary to supplement this, we made do with the drink, and after having erected the tents we moved on to next base. 

Glasgow Barrowland
The infamous north face of this magnificent ballroom, towering majestically over the sprawling metropolis that is Nedsville. The mobile recording studio was parked outside and primed to go. Two hours and twelve minutes later and without the aid of our safety nets we had produced another album full of loud guitars. 

30/12/93 Newcastle
After the long journey from Glasgow to Newcastle our mechanical sledges failed due to the freezing cold. We had to shoot the ponies because they could not survive the weather. 

In the meantime, English explorer "Grant of Godstone" was making his way up to the Northern Lights. 

With his dogs pulling the sledges, he made rapid progress. His party reached Aberdeen in time for aftershow drinks. They were in a bad way and suffering from scurvy, hypothermia and trouser illnesses. 

31/12/93 Aberdeen
We shall stick it out till the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity but I do not think I can write more. 

And as for that bastard Shackleton well............. 

Bruce Watson
December 2004

 
 

2005 CREDITS

(jump to: Liner Notes | 2021 Credits )

Disc One
1.            Introduction
2.            Harvest Home
3.            Peace In Our Time
4.            Just A Shadow
5.            13 Valleys (Stuart Adamson) EMI 10 Music Ltd
6.            Winter Sky* (Stuart Adamson/Bruce Watson) EMI 10 Music Ltd
7.            The Storm
8.            Chance
9.            'Tracks Of My Tears* (WilliamRobinson/Marvin Tarplin/Warren Moore)
Jobete Music Co Inc administered by EMI April Music
10.         Rockin' In The Free World* (Neil Young) Warner/Chappell Music Ltd
11.         All Go Together* (Stuart Adamson/Bruce Watson) EMI 10 Music lid
12.         We're Not lo Kansas* (Stuart Adamson) EMI 10 Music Ltd
13.         Look Away (Stuart Adamson) 100x Songs
14.         What Are You Working For (Stuart Adamson) EMI 10 Music Ltd
15.         Steeltown
Release co-ordination: Tim Chacksfield. Re-issue design: Hugh Gilmour/Red Room @ EMI
Special thanks to Ian Grant & Bruce Watson for their assistance with this re-issue.

Disc Two
1.            Stuart And the Audience (Non Music Work) Spoken Word
2.            Ships (Stuart Adamson/Bruce Watson) EMI 10 Music Ltd
3.            Wonderland
4.            Long Way Home (Stuart Adamson) EMI 10 Music Ltd
5.            Alone* (Stuart Adamson) EMI 10 Music Ltd
6.            In A Big Country
7.            The Audience-Encore (Non Music Work) Spoken Word
8.            Lost Patrol
9.            (Hey Hey My My) Out Of The Blue (Into The Black)* (Neil Young) Warner/Chappell Music Ltd
10.         Fields Of Fire*
All tracks: (Stuart Adamson/Tony Butler/Bruce Watson/Mark Brzezicki) EMI 10 Music Ltd., unless stated otherwise.
All tracks Digital Remasters Ⓟ 2005
the Copyright in this sound recording is owned by Chrysalis Records Ltd
Except: CD 1 tracks 6 & 9 - 12 & CD 2 tracks 5, 9 & 10 Ⓟ 2005
the Copyright in this sound recording is owned by Chrysalis Records Ltd
Ⓟ 2005 the Copyright in this compilation is owned by Chrysalis Records Ltd
All tracks marked * previously unreleased

STUART ADAMSON guitar & vocals
MARK BRZEZICKI drums, percussion & backing vocals
TONY BUTLER bass a backing vocals
BRUCE WATSON guitar, mandolin

recorded & mixed by Pete Woodroffe
mobile engineer Will Shapland
assistant mix engineer Andy Kowalski
recorded 29th December 1993
at The Barrowland, Glasgow on the Manor Mobile
& mixed at Roundhouse Studios, London
full audio version prepared by Peter Mew at Abbey Road
management lan Grant
production management Barry Mead
crew Malcolm Aitken, Pete Ainsley, Chris Beale, Mark Hawsley, Pete Keane,
Richard Peach, Stan Cockerman

thanks to
Barrowland Management, Alba Security, Regular Music, Marian Ramsay,
Will Ashhurst, SSE Hire Ltd, Den Lighting,
Rock Around The World, James Howe Ind, Transam Trucking
Chris Briggs & Anabel at Compulsion.
Autocraft Services, Afro Percussion, AKG Acoustics, ESP Guitars, Patrick Eggle Guitars,
David Grant Guitars, Pearl Drums, David White Pickups, David White, Zildjan Cymbals.
All tracks produced by Big Country

ALSO AVAILABLE
SUROUND SOUND DVD
{Buffalo Skinners} US REMASTER EDITION WITH 4 BONUS TRACKS

 
 

2021 CREDITS

(jump to: Liner Notes | 2005 Credits )

RECORD ONE

SIDE ONE
Introduction
Harvest Home
Peace In Our Time
Just A Shadow
13 Valleys

SIDE TWO
Winter Sky
The Storm
Chance
Tracks Of My Tears
Rockin' In The Free World

RECORD TWO

SIDE THREE
All Go Together
We're Not In Kansas
Look Away
What Are You Working For

SIDE FOUR
Steeltown
Stuart & The Audience
Ships
Wonderland

RECORD THREE

SIDE FIVE
Long Way Home
Alone
In A Big Country
The Audience

SIDE SIX
Lost Patrol
Hey, Hey, My My (Into The Black)
Fields of Fire
Chrysalis
CATALOGUE
CRVB1401 The copyright in this compilation
is owned by Chrysalis Records Limited.
Ⓟ 2021 Chrysalis Records Limited.
©2021 Chrysalis Records Limited.
Manufactured in the UK.

Recorded and mixed by Pete Woodroffe
Mobile engineer Will Shapland
Assistant mix engineer Andy Kowalski
Recorded 29th December 1993
at The Barrowland, Glasgow on the Manor Mobile
& mixed at Roundhouse Studios, London

Full audio version prepared by Peter Mew at Abbey Road
Management lan Grant
Production management Barry Mead
Crew Malcolm Aitken, Pete Ainsley, Chris Beale, Mark Hawsley, Pete Keane, Richard Peach, Stan Cockerman

Thanks to
Barrowland Management, Alba Security, Regular Music, Marian Ramsay,
Will Ashhurst, SSE Hire Ltd, Den Lighting,
Rock Around The World, James Howe Ind,
Transam Trucking
Chris Briggs & Anabel at Compulsion. Autocraft Services, Afro Percussion,
AKG Acoustics, ESP Guitars,
Patrick Eggle Guitars, David Grant Guitars,
Pearl Drums, David White Pickups,
David White,
Zildjan Cymbals.

All tracks produced by Big Country

2021 Edition Produced by Dermot James Project co-ordinated by Liam Donoghue
Mastered and Cut by Alchemy Mastering at Air Design: Hugh Gilmour

Stuart Adamson
guitar and vocals

Mark Brzezicki
drums, percussion and backing vocals
Tony Butler
bass and backing vocals
Bruce Watson
guitar and mandolin

Recorded live at
Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom,
29th December 1993