Search - Big Country :: Peace in Our Time

BC: Peace in Our Time

07/30/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not as edgey as "The Cossing" and "Steeltown," yet I feel it is still a moving album. With songs like "Broken Heart(Thirteen Vallies)" and "Thousand Yard Stare" Big Country continues to make songs about common people and their problems and how they cope with them. The Big Country sound is a Rock/Celtic/Folk blend that is truly unique."

A Turning Point for Big Country

Kerch Thomas | United States | 01/31/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After three classic albums (they holy trinity we BC fanatics often call them), BC was at a pinnacle in their career, but also a crossroads. They were getting blasted in the pathetically shortsighted U.K. press as being the "bagpipe" band that continuously produced the same song, only with different titles. What a load of rubbish.Anyway, the record company also wanted more hits, a new image, etc., and the result is their most polished album ever, PIOT. Many fans were dissapointed with this release, as the trademark big guitar sound was stripped down in places, with keyboards added prominently to the mix. The band's image changed, as well, some growing their hair long and all getting flashier wardrobes. Female backup singers and a keyboard player were also added to their live setup. Signs of the apocalypse? For any lesser band, maybe. But not Big Country.Stuart Adamson's fierce and proud songwriting still shines through on every track, and I actually enjoy the production of this album quite a bit. It's ethereal and airy, and the arrangements and sound of the guitars are beautiful. And Stuart's passionate lyrics still cut through, as well. There's not a bad song on this album - nearly every one is in fact a classic. "King of Emotion," "13 Valleys," "1,000 Yard Stare." Just beautiful. I guess what is a bit distressing about this time period for BC, though, is the album they COULD have made. If you've heard the b-sides and demos from this period, they are without question the best songs BC ever produced. "Over the Border," "Promised Land," "Christmas Island," etc. It could have been the classic BC album of all time, rivaling the mighty Steeltown. You can hear the songs on the band's Rarities albums, as well as b-sides of various CD-singles. I know the band are not that happy with this album, and Stuart in particular was upset that some of his arrangements were drastically reworked and dilouted. That's certainly understandable as the creator of those songs. But as a fan, I love this album, but, unfortunately, the public at large didn't latch on, and it was pretty much the dropping off point of their career sales-wise, although they kept putting out awesome music into 2000."

Rubbish - From a Big Country Fan

TW | Hobart, Australia | 07/24/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I was a huge Big Country Fan until the release of this album. I spent years trying to get into it, before eventually deciding that the band who had previously not released an album with a single weak track, had released an album with only weak tracks. The lyrics are cringingly puerile, and the music lacked any of the edge and interest of earlier efforts. Why I truly hate this album, though, is because it caused me to lose all interest in the band (presuming future efforts were just as bad). Consequently, I only recently discovered Buffalo Skinners and the sensational Road to Damascus. Nothing redeemable about this one, I'm afraid."