The Seer
Encyclopedia
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.
The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart
.
Additional personnel
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
, released in 1986. The album featured very traditional Scottish musical settings, reminiscent of the band's debut album The Crossing (1983). Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
worked on the title song in a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with lead singer and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Stuart Adamson
Stuart Adamson
Stuart Adamson , born William Stuart Adamson, was an English-born Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, described by legendary music journalist John Peel as “Britain’s answer to Jimi Hendrix”...
. The album's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Look Away
Look Away (Big Country song)
"Look Away" was the first single taken from The Seer, the third studio album by the Scottish rock band Big Country.Released in April 1986, it gave the group their fourth UK top 10 hit, and proved to be their highest charting single in the UK, peaking at #7."Look Away" was an even bigger success in...
", was an Irish number one, and was also the group's biggest hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, reaching #7.
The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Stuart Adamson, except where noted. † Written by Adamson/Watson. †† Written by Adamson/Butler.- "Look AwayLook Away (Big Country song)"Look Away" was the first single taken from The Seer, the third studio album by the Scottish rock band Big Country.Released in April 1986, it gave the group their fourth UK top 10 hit, and proved to be their highest charting single in the UK, peaking at #7."Look Away" was an even bigger success in...
" – 4:23 - "The Seer" (featuring Kate BushKate BushKate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
) † – 5:26 - "The Teacher" – 4:05
- "I Walk the Hill" †† – 3:30
- "Eiledon"
- "One Great ThingOne Great Thing"One Great Thing" is the third single from Scottish band Big Country's 1986 album, The Seer. After the somewhat disappointing chart performance of the band's previous single "The Teacher" , the song reached #19 in the UK, a successful return to the Top 20.A music video was also shot for the song,...
" †† - "Hold the Heart"
- "Remembrance Day"
- "Red Fox"
- "Sailor"
- "Song of the South" (Re-Issue Bonus)
- "Look Away [12" Mix]" (Re-Issue Bonus)
- "One Great Thing [Disco Mix]" (Re-Issue Bonus)
- "Giant" (Re-Issue Bonus)
Chart performance
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart | 75 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 8 |
| German Albums Chart | 16 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 7 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 14 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 16 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 15 |
| UK Albums Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 59 |
Personnel
Big Country- Stuart AdamsonStuart AdamsonStuart Adamson , born William Stuart Adamson, was an English-born Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, described by legendary music journalist John Peel as “Britain’s answer to Jimi Hendrix”...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Mark BrzezickiMark BrzezickiMark Brzezicki is a rock drummer, who is primarily known for his work with Big Country, and was a member of the groups The Cult, Ultravox, and Procol Harum. He has also played with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Midge Ure, Fish, The Pretenders and many others...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals - Tony Butler - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, vocals - Bruce WatsonBruce Watson (guitarist)Bruce Watson is a Canadian-born Scottish guitarist, best known for being a founding member of the Scottish-based rock band Big Country....
- guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
Additional personnel
- Kate BushKate BushKate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
- backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - June Miles-KingstonJune Miles-KingstonJune Miles-Kingston is a singer and drummer.-Career:Miles-Kingston was an art student who studied at the National Film School. She helped Julien Temple make the Sex Pistols' film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle...
- backing vocals - Davie Duncan - bodhran