Monday, August 17, 2009

Big Country Chronicles: 'Chance'


'Chance', the fourth and final single from 'The Crossing', was released on Aug. 26, 1983. It's difficult for a Yank like me to believe there were four 12" singles out at this point when 'In A Big Country' wasn't even a hit here in America for a couple of more months. 'Chance' turned down the musical pace a bit, but this one turned out to be a huge fan pleaser... especially in the UK. If you ever see or hear a show from the early- to mid-'80s, it's awesome when the crowd chants in unison:

Oh Lord where did the feeling go
Oh Lord I never felt so low

'Chance' never got any airplay in the United States. I was an avid watcher of MTV during these years, and I can tell you I never saw the video for this song. I just watched it on youtube and didn't recognize it at all. The B-sides for this single are really good. 'Tracks of My Tears' is a live recording of the Motown classic recorded at Locarno Tiffany's in Glasgow on July 4, 1983. The band loved that song and performed it often throughout the years. It appears on at least five officially released live recordings that I have seen. The other flip-side song is the 7-plus minute 'The Crossing'. Many Big Country aficionados think this song -- along with the other three songs that would appear on the U.S. version of the 'Wonderland' EP in 1984 -- is the band at its best.

See you next time for a quick look at 'Wonderland' before we move on to the 'Steeltown' era.

Big Country - Chance 12" (mp3)
Big Country - Tracks of My Tears (Live) (mp3)
Big Country - The Crossing (mp3)

See Also:
Big Country Chronicles: 'In A Big Country'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Fields of Fire'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Harvest Home'

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