exploremusic

Don’t get me wrong:  I often like it when an old band gets back together to try and top up the pension plan.  But then there are those groups who should rest in peace.

A perfect example is this planned reunion of Big Country.  Anyone who was a fan of the band–as was I–knows that Stuart Adamson was the heart and soul of the group.  He was their founder, lead singer and the guy with that weird bagpipe-sounding guitar.  Without him, to my mind, anyway, there is no Big Country.  And there never will be again because Adamson committed suicide in 2001.  A Big Country without him is like a Nirvana without Kurt.

The three original members regrouped for a twenty-fifth anniversary tour of the UK in 2007 which resulted in a live CD.  Only the most stout-hearted of fans cared.  But they’re determined to try it again with Mike Peters of the Alarm out front.  As much as I like Mike–in their prime, the Alarm was one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen–I don’t see the point.

This is how “In a Big Country” should be done–and remembered.