Rumors and outright slander must be addressed:
1. Loving Big Country is all-but-impossible to do purely. I would contend that it’s difficult to love any album produced in the 80’s without acknowledging the production sounds incredibly dated. I think Steve Lillywhite is an amazing producer, but echo and reverb on every single track is still echo and reverb on every single track.
That being said, I still think “The Crossing” is a great album, and a perfect time capsule. Stuart Adamson had one of my favorite voices ever.
2. I havered in a Edinburgh pub bathroom once. Unlike Carl, I’ve actually been to Scotland.
3. The GI Joe cartoon was awful. You should be more angry your parents let you watch such transparent marketing tripe. It was a 30 minute toy commercial. It was “He-Man” bad. It was “Smurfs” bad.
4. I never hated Del Amitri. “Nothing Ever Happens” is fantastic. So is “Be My Downfall” and “Driving with the Brakes On.” It’s the “Roll To Me” and “Kiss This Thing Goodbye”s that don’t do it for me. Justin Currie’s a hell of a songwriter.
5. I am of more Irish descent than Scottish. But even the wee bit of Scots I am is more than Carl’s muddy genetic history.
This is will concede shamefully: today was the first I had ever heard of Ivo Cutler. Is he related to Jake Cutler? It would explain a lot.
Ah. Feel better. Back to discussing ideas, rather than judo-ing red herrings.
Kenwoode 