Why the Long Face (album)

Why the Long Face
Why the Long Face
Studio album by Big Country
Released	12 June 1995
Recorded	1994–1995
Genre	Alternative rock, celtic rock
Label	Transatlantic
Producer	Big Country and Chris Sheldon
Big Country chronology
Singles from Why the Long Face
	"I'm Not Ashamed"; Released: 30 May 1995; "You Dreamer"; Released: 21 August 1995;

Why the Long Face is the seventh studio album by Scottish band Big Country, released in 1995. It was produced by Chris Sheldon and members of the band.

The album received a reissue as a deluxe four-disc box-set by Cherry Red Records in 2018. In addition to a remaster of the original album on disc one, the three additional CDs contain demos, B-sides and single edits, as well as the band's 1996 live album Eclectic.^[2]

Background

Why the Long Face was recorded between August 1994 and January 1995. The new material was met with a lukewarm response from the head of the band's label Compulsion, Chris Briggs, who felt the band needed to do more work on the material. Compulsion ended up dropping Big Country and the band subsequently signed to Transatlantic in March 1995, with Why the Long Face being released on the label in June 1995.^[3]

Speaking to The Lennox Herald in 1995, lead vocalist and guitarist Stuart Adamson said of the album, "I think that this album flows well and that there is no filler on it. It's strong enough for us to do most of it live on stage."^[4] He added to the Evening Herald, "It's not a departure from or a return to anything really. This time round though, I think the songs are more intimate and personal as opposed to being about big impersonal issues. They've got real characters, strong verses and choruses."^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[6]
NME	1/10^[7]

On its release, Neil McKay of Sunday Life felt Why the Long Face failed to meet the same standard as The Buffalo Skinners. He wrote, "Solid and workmanlike, it lacks real inspiration. 'Sail into Nothing', 'God's Great Mistake', 'Wildland in My Heart' and 'Blue on a Green Planet' all try hard, but diminishing returns seem to be setting in."^[8] Chris Heath of The Daily Telegraph described the album as "rather good" and noted, "It was with minimal interest that I put on their new album, and with astonishment that I heard tune after tune of the sort which, if they had released them in 1987, would have saved their career."^[9]

Track listing

Original release (1995)

All tracks are written by Stuart Adamson; except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"You Dreamer"		4:50
2.	"Message of Love"		4:05
3.	"I'm Not Ashamed"		4:13
4.	"Sail into Nothing"		3:47
5.	"Thunder & Lightning"		3:38
6.	"Send You"		4:11
7.	"One in a Million"		5:05
8.	"God's Great Mistake"	Adamson, Tony Butler	4:48
9.	"Wildland in My Heart"		4:04
10.	"Take You to the Moon"		4:55
11.	"Far from Me to You"		4:11
12.	"Charlotte"	Adamson, Bruce Watson	3:54
13.	"Post Nuclear Talking Blues"	Adamson, Butler, Watson, Mark Brzezicki	3:21
14.	"Blue on a Green Planet"	Adamson, Butler, Watson, Brzezicki	4:52

US CD release bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Vicious"	Lou Reed	3:14
16.	"In a Big Country" (Unplugged Version)	Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson	3:13

Japan 1996 CD release bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"In a Big Country" (Acoustic Version)		3:13
16.	"All Go Together" (Acoustic Version)	Adamson, Watson	3:21

Cherry Red deluxe edition (2018)

Disc One – Why the Long Face

No.	Title	Length
1.	"You Dreamer"	4:50
2.	"Message of Love"	4:06
3.	"I'm Not Ashamed"	4:13
4.	"Sail into Nothing"	3:47
5.	"Thunder & Lightning"	3:38
6.	"Send You"	4:12
7.	"One in a Million"	5:05
8.	"God's Great Mistake"	4:48
9.	"Wildland in My Heart"	4:04
10.	"Take You to the Moon"	4:55
11.	"Far from Me to You"	4:11
12.	"Charlotte"	3:54
13.	"Post Nuclear Talking Blues"	3:21
14.	"Blue on a Green Planet"	4:54

Disc Two – Bonus Tracks

All tracks are written by Stuart Adamson; except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I'm Not Ashamed" (Single Edit)		3:46
2.	"One in a Million" (1st Visit)		5:21
3.	"Monday Tuesday Girl"	Adamson, Brzezicki, Watson	3:56
4.	"In a Big Country" (Acoustic Version)	Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson	3:16
5.	"Crazytimes"		4:05
6.	"Blue on a Green Planet" (Cool Version)	Adamson, Butler, Watson, Brzezicki	4:40
7.	"You Dreamer" (Single Edit)		3:39
8.	"Ice Cream Smile"		3:54
9.	"Magic in Your Eyes"		2:59
10.	"Bianca"	Adamson, Butler	4:41
11.	"Hardly a Mountain" (HITW Tapes)		3:58
12.	"Golden Boy Loves Golden Girl" (HITW Tapes)		4:39
13.	"Can You Feel the Winter" (HITW Tapes)		6:36
14.	"I'm Eighteen"	Alice Cooper, Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith	2:55
15.	"Vicious"	Lou Reed	3:15
16.	"On the Road Again"	Floyd Jones, Alan Wilson	4:22
17.	"All Go Together"	Adamson, Watson	3:21

Disc Three – Eclectic

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"River of Hope"	Adamson	4:06
2.	"King of Emotion"	Adamson	4:10
3.	"Big Yellow Taxi"	Joni Mitchell	3:50
4.	"The Buffalo Skinners"	Adamson, 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, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson	4:10
12.	"Come Back to Me"	Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson	4:43
13.	"Ruby Tuesday"	Mick Jagger, Keith Richards	4:16
14.	"Teenage Lament" (Bonus Track)	Cooper, Smith	3:54
15.	"Down on the Corner" (Bonus Track)	John Fogerty	2:49
16.	"Hey Hey My My" (Bonus Track)	Neil Young	5:04
17.	"You Dreamer" (Bonus Track - Acoustic Version)		4:09
18.	"I'm Not Ashamed" (Bonus Track - Acoustic Version)		3:46

Disc Four – Demos

All tracks are written by Stuart Adamson; except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"You Dreamer" (Demo)		4:45
2.	"Message of Love" (Demo)		3:40
3.	"I'm Not Ashamed" (Demo)		4:41
4.	"Sail into Nothing" (Demo)		4:31
5.	"Thunder and Lightning" (Demo)		4:01
6.	"Send You" (Demo)		5:17
7.	"God's Great Mistake" (Demo)	Adamson, Butler	5:53
8.	"Wildland in My Heart" (Demo)		4:03
9.	"Take You to the Moon" (Demo)		4:41
10.	"Far from Me to You" (Demo)		4:27
11.	"Charlotte" (Demo)	Adamson, Watson	4:03
12.	"Post Nuclear Talking Blues" (Demo)	Adamson, Butler, Watson, Brzezicki	2:59
13.	"Crazytimes" (Demo)		4:34
14.	"What About Peace" (Demo)		3:30
15.	"Normal" (Demo)	Adamson, Watson	2:25
16.	"God's Great Mistake" (Alternate Version)	Adamson, Butler	3:11

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[10]	28
UK Albums (OCC)^[11]	48

Personnel

Stuart Adamson - guitar, e-bow, slide guitar, B-Bender guitar, lead vocals
Mark Brzezicki - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Tony Butler - bass guitar, backing vocals
Bruce Watson - guitar, e-bow, mandolin

Additional personnel

Josh Phillips - keyboards
James McNally - low whistle on "God's Great Mistake"

References

↑ O'Reilly, Aileen (23 May 1995). "Big Country comes back the Emo way". Evening Herald. p. 12.
↑ "You Dreamer: Big Country's 'Long Face' Gets Longer with Cherry Red Box Set". The Second Disc. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
↑ Why the Long Face (CD liner notes). Big Country. UK: Cherry Red Records. 2018. CRCDBOX58.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Lawn, Jim (29 September 1995). "Touring the Big Country". The Lennox Herald. p. 32.
↑ O'Reilly, Aileen (19 September 1995). "Country boys to face the music". Evening Herald. p. 15.
↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Big Country: Why the Long Face [Bonus Tracks]" at AllMusic. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
↑ Beaumont, Mark (1 July 1995). "Big Country - Why The Long Face". NME. p. 48.
↑ McKay, Neil (6 August 1995). "Albums - Foo for thought". Sunday Life. p. 33.
↑ Heath, Chris (22 July 1995). "Pithy revival for Juice's front man". The Daily Telegraph. p. A9.
↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
↑ "Big Country | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

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[1] O'Reilly, Aileen (23 May 1995). "Big Country comes back the Emo way". Evening Herald. p. 12.

[2] "You Dreamer: Big Country's 'Long Face' Gets Longer with Cherry Red Box Set". The Second Disc. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

[3] Why the Long Face (CD liner notes). Big Country. UK: Cherry Red Records. 2018. CRCDBOX58.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[4] Lawn, Jim (29 September 1995). "Touring the Big Country". The Lennox Herald. p. 32.

[5] O'Reilly, Aileen (19 September 1995). "Country boys to face the music". Evening Herald. p. 15.

[6] Ruhlmann, William. "Big Country: Why the Long Face [Bonus Tracks]" at AllMusic. Retrieved 20 September 2011.

[7] Beaumont, Mark (1 July 1995). "Big Country - Why The Long Face". NME. p. 48.

[8] McKay, Neil (6 August 1995). "Albums - Foo for thought". Sunday Life. p. 33.

[9] Heath, Chris (22 July 1995). "Pithy revival for Juice's front man". The Daily Telegraph. p. A9.

[ac_Scotland_-10] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

[ac_UK_Big_Country-11] "Big Country | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

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Big Country
Bruce Watson Mark Brzezicki Jamie Watson Simon Hough Scott Whitley Stuart Adamson Pete Wishart Alan Wishart Clive Parker Tony Butler Pat Ahern Mike Peters Derek Forbes
Studio albums	The Crossing Steeltown The Seer Peace in Our Time No Place Like Home The Buffalo Skinners Why the Long Face Driving to Damascus (John Wayne's Dream) The Journey
Other albums	Through a Big Country: Greatest Hits Without the Aid of a Safety Net Radio 1 Sessions Eclectic One in a Million Big Country at the BBC
Extended plays	Wonderland Non!
Singles	"Harvest Home" "Fields of Fire" "In a Big Country" "Chance" "Wonderland" "East of Eden" "Where the Rose Is Sown" "Just a Shadow" "Look Away" "The Teacher" "One Great Thing" "Hold the Heart" "King of Emotion" "Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)" "Peace in Our Time" "Save Me" "Heart of the World" "Republican Party Reptile" "Beautiful People" "Alone" "Ships (Where Were You)" "The One I Love" "I'm Not Ashamed" "You Dreamer" "Fragile Thing" "See You" / "Perfect World" "Somebody Else"
Related articles	Discography Skids