The Seer (Big Country album)

The Seer is the third studio album by the Scottish band Big Country, released in 1986. The album featured very traditional Scottish musical settings, reminiscent of the band's debut album The Crossing (1983). Kate Bush worked on the title song in a duet with lead singer and lyricist Stuart Adamson. The album's first single, "Look Away", was an Irish number one, and was also the group's biggest hit single in the UK, reaching #7.[4]

The Seer
Studio album by Big Country
Released	14 July 1986
Recorded	Nov 1985 - Feb 1986
Genre	Alternative rock, new wave, Celtic rock
Length	46:46
Label	Mercury
Producer	Robin Millar
Big Country chronology
Steeltown (1984) The Seer (1986) Peace in Our Time (1988)
Singles from The Seer
"Look Away" Released: April 1986 "The Teacher" Released: 6 June 1986 "Hold the Heart" Released: 1986

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Kerrang!	[2]
Martin C. Strong	(6/10)[3]

The album reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart.[4]

Lyrics and music

The Seer saw Big Country return to the sweeping Scottish sound that had made them famous on The Crossing. It is sometimes considered to be the band's most overtly Celtic album, with many of the songs containing explicit or veiled references to Scottish history - for example, "Remembrance Day" deals with the Highland Clearances (in which thousands of Highlanders were relocated to British colonial possessions such as Canada and New Zealand), "Red Fox" is about the 1752 Appin Murder, and the title track concerns the seventeenth century mystic the Brahan Seer.

Mixes

The album was given two separate mixes. The first was done by producer Robin Millar with the input of the band. This mix was rejected by the band's record label for being not commercial enough, and Walter Turbitt was brought in to remix the album. Turbitt's mix, which was eventually released, was disliked by the band, as it had more overtly poppy elements (such as added reverberation) in contrast to Millar's drier, crisper mix. The original mix remains unreleased, with the exception of "Look Away," the single version of which was released before the remix had been completed.

Reception

Critic Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone gave The Seer a positive review, calling it "possibly [the band's] strongest effort to date":

Happily, Big Country's vision – articulated by Adamson's songwriting – is as generous and determined as ever. The single "Look Away" and the ballad "Hold the Heart," both chronicles of lost love, capture Adamson's grim romanticism, his characteristic urge to transcend but not deny emotional ravishment. "One Great Thing," "I Walk the Hill" and "Eiledon" are stirring expressions of the desire for individual integrity and a future filled with peace.[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Stuart Adamson, except where noted. ^† Written by Adamson/Watson. ^†† Written by Adamson/Butler.

1. "Look Away" – 4:23
2. "The Seer" (featuring Kate Bush) ^† – 5:26
3. "The Teacher" – 4:05
4. "I Walk the Hill" ^†† – 3:30
5. "Eiledon" - 5:35
6. "One Great Thing" ^†† - 4:00
7. "Hold the Heart" - 6:04
8. "Remembrance Day" - 4:28
9. "The Red Fox" - 4:09
10. "Sailor" - 4:52
11. "Song of the South" (Re-Issue Bonus)
12. "Look Away [12" Mix]" (Re-Issue Bonus)
13. "One Great Thing [Disco Mix]" (Re-Issue Bonus)
14. "Giant" (Re-Issue Bonus)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1986) Peak position Canadian Albums (RPM)[6] 75 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] 8 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 16 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 7 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] 14 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 16 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 15 UK Albums (OCC)[13] 2 US Billboard 200[14] 59

Year-end charts Chart (1986) Position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 78

Personnel

Big Country

• Stuart Adamson - guitar, vocals
• Mark Brzezicki - drums, percussion, vocals
• Tony Butler - bass, steel guitar, vocals
• Bruce Watson - guitar, mandolin, sitar

Additional personnel

• Kate Bush - backing vocals on "The Seer"
• June Miles-Kingston - backing vocals on "Eiledon" and "Remembrance Day"
• Davie Duncan - bodhran

References

1. Demalon, Tom. "Big Country: The Seer > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
2. Johnson, Howard (10 July 1986). "Big Country 'The Seer'". Kerrang!. London, UK: United Magazines (124): 12.
3. "Big Country". The Essential Rock Discography - Volume 1: 87. 2006.
4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 56. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
5. DeCurtis, Anthony (28 August 1986). "Big Country: The Seer". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media (RS 481). ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008.
6. "RPM 100 Albums". RPM. archived at Library and Archives Canada. 44 (26). 20 September 1986. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Big Country – The Seer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Big Country – The Seer" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
9. "Charts.nz – Big Country – The Seer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Big Country – The Seer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
11. "Swedishcharts.com – Big Country – The Seer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
12. "Swisscharts.com – Big Country – The Seer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
13. "Big Country | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
14. "Big Country, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
15. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1986". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 18 December 2020.