With producer
Steve Lillywhite
at the helm, Scotland's
Big Country
managed to deliver earnest, socially conscious arena anthems in a similar vein to
U2
and
the Alarm
. The twist was their trademark bagpipe sound, achieved through the use of E-Bow. The unique sound of
"In a Big Country"
garnered the band considerable attention and a Top 20 single in the U.S.
The Crossing
, however, is an album whose richness goes beyond the single. The more subdued
"Chance"
is sparser and its personal lyrics are every bit as heartfelt as the more populist-inclined anthems like the wonderful
"The Storm"
or the thundering
"Fields of Fire."
The lyrics are straightforward and, despite the grand themes of many of the tracks, manage to steer clear of being overly pretentious. While this album earned the band a gold record,
's sound and image (reinforced by the members' tartan checked shirts) resulted in them being tagged a novelty, and they never duplicated their initial success in America. [An expanded version of
appeared in 2012 to mark the 30th Anniversary of the formation of the group. The two-disc reissue reissue included a remastered version of the original album, as well as twenty-four bonus cuts (demos, outtakes, and B-sides) and a 20-page booklet.] ~ Tom Demalon