25 YEARS OF RECORD COLLECTING: MUSICAL MEMORIES 1982 - 2007

 

4. The Big Dish

 

Some people may have only heard of the singer-songwriter Steven Lindsay’s name in passing, probably as a result of his cover of the classic Pixies track ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’ on his recent ‘Echo Records’ album ‘Kite’. However Steven has been releasing quality pop/melodic rock records since the mid 1980s, when he was the leader of the underrated Scottish band called ‘The Big Dish’. Singed to ‘Virgin Records’ for a number years in the Mid 1980s they released the album ‘Swimmer’ and became a cult act on the Scottish rock scene, appearing regularly in the pages of that intelligent Scottish rock monthly called ‘Cut’ alongside acts such as ‘Deacon Blue’ and ‘Hue & Cry’. The ‘Swimmer’ album was followed up in 1988 with the ‘Creeping Up On Jesus’ album, packaged in a luxurious gatefold cover, but unfortunately this wonderful album did not propel Lindsay into the big league with those fellow song writing geniuses Paul Buchanan, Paddy McAloon and Roddy Frame. At the start of the new decade ‘The Big Dish’ moved to TimeWarner’s newly revived ‘eastwest Records’ imprint, joining such acts as ‘the Beloved’ and ‘the Fat Lady Sings’ on the roster. In 1991, ‘The Big Dish’ finally reached the UK Top 40, charting their debut ‘eastwest Records’ single called ‘Miss America’. Personally I preferred the band’s previous material as this single (and accompanying album) were just a bit too slick, a bit too mid-Atlantic and a bit too American, but this was not just the bands fault as this was the trend within this ‘quality pop’ genre at the time, with loads of other bands’ material being slickly over-produced. Anyway those slight niggles aside, if you liked ‘the Big Dish’s songs then, are a big fan of ‘the Blue Nile’ or love ‘intelligent adult pop’, then may I recommend his last album ‘Exit Music’. It is a stunning piece of work, a slice of a ‘perfect adult pop’ genius that should be in everybody’s album collection alongside a copy of ‘Hats’, ‘Swoon’ or ‘Raintown’.

 

"Prospect Street" was played a lot on the radio at the time so it's surprising it was never a hit.

Edited September 15, 200717 yr by Neil B

Yes, great song. Good that you have remembered them too.

 

I always thought that they were always one of those ‘stuck at Number 88’ type of bands during the late 1980s (along with bands such as ‘the Indian Givers’ and ‘Win’). I was always hoping they would do much better sales wises, especially since their albums always got reviewed well. It was always a bit saddening to see all these great records stuck in Record Mirror’s ‘No Man’s Land’ between Number 76 and Number 100 as they had come ‘so close but so far’ from getting a place in the ‘Hit Singles Book’.

 

Just checked and they actually had five Top 100 hits :

 

"Christina's World" (No.84)

"Slide" (No.86)

"European Rain" (No.78)

"Miss America" (No.37)

"Big Town" (No.94)

 

So "Prospect Street" never even made the 100! Unbelievable :o

Edited September 17, 200717 yr by Neil B

Where is the data from?

Chartwatch magazine.

I do not know that magazine. Is it a new publication with classic chart reprints or was it out around the same time as ‘Record Mirror’, ‘Cut’ and ‘ReVVolution’.

It's actually been going since 1981 but has only ever been available by mail order :

 

I'd post a link to the website but it appears to be down at the moment :(

Did you get the other magazines?

I used to buy Record Mirror every week, mainly for the Top 100 chart. I was gutted when it folded in '91.

 

Don't remember the other two you mentioned though.

‘Cut’ was like a Scottish ‘Q Magazine’ in that it was all about ‘intelligent adult pop and rock music’, whilst ‘ReVVolution’ was that massive magazine that Jonathan King produced that always featured disturbing caricatures of pop stars on the cover and had the Top 100 in the centre pages.