Eclectic (Big Country album)
Eclectic is a live album by the Scottish rock band Big Country, released in 1996 by Castle Communications.[1] It was produced by Big Country and Gary Langan, and reached No. 41 in the UK.[2] In 2001, a video version of Eclectic was released under the same name by Castle.[3]
| Eclectic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 5 August 1996[1] | |||
| Length | 49:45 | |||
| Label | Castle Communications | |||
| Producer | Big Country, Gary Langan | |||
| Big Country chronology | ||||
| ||||
Eclectic was recorded at Dingwalls in London on 20-21 March 1996 and features guest appearances by Bobby Valentino, Kym Mazelle, Carol Laula, Steve Harley, Aaron Emerson, Hossam Ramzy (and his percussion section) and Mohammed Toufiq.[3][4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | [5] |
On its release, Aaron Badgley of AllMusic described Eclectic as a "terrific album", "interesting due to the choice of songs" and full of "great songs, played very well". He concluded, "While fans of Big Country will love this collection, it has a wide appeal to music fans in general."[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "River of Hope" | Stuart Adamson | 4:06 |
| 2. | "King of Emotion" | Adamson | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Big Yellow Taxi" | Joni Mitchell | 3:50 |
| 4. | "The Buffalo Skinners" | Adamson, Bruce Watson | 5:58 |
| 5. | "Summertime" | George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, Ira Gershwin | 3:57 |
| 6. | "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" | Robbie Robertson | 3:44 |
| 7. | "Eleanor Rigby" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Winter Sky" | Adamson, Watson | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Sling It" | Steve Harley | 3:04 |
| 10. | "I'm on Fire" | Bruce Springsteen | 2:39 |
| 11. | "Where the Rose Is Sown" | Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler, Watson | 4:10 |
| 12. | "Come Back to Me" | Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson | 4:43 |
| 13. | "Ruby Tuesday" | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | 4:14 |
Personnel
- Big Country
- Stuart Adamson - lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Bruce Watson - acoustic guitar, mandolin
- Tony Butler - acoustic bass, backing vocals
- Mark Brzezicki - drums, backing vocals
- Guest musicians
- Hossam Ramzy (The Hossam Ramzy Percussion Section), Mohammed Toufiq - percussion (tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, 11-12)
- Bobby Valentino - violin (all tracks)
- Kym Mazelle - guest vocalist (tracks 2, 5)
- Carol Laula - guest vocalist (track 3)
- Steve Harley - guest vocalist (track 9)
- Aaron Emerson - keyboards (tracks 2, 4-6, 8, 12-13)
- Production
- Big Country - producers
- Gary Langan - producer, recorded by
- Alan Morrison - live sound
- Other
- Zarkowski Designs - design
- Justin Thomas - booklet photography
- Hugh Gilmour - front and back cover design and photography
- Ian Grant Management - management
References
- AllMusic Review by Aaron Badgley. "Eclectic - Big Country | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- "BIG COUNTRY". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- "Eclectic". Big Country Info. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- "Big Country - Eclectic". Discogs. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- Colin Larkin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin. ISBN 0753501597. Retrieved 4 April 2018.