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STEELTOWN
A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION


24 October 2014
1:31:29


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  • We welcome fellow Big Country fans Arlin Bartels, Christine “CJ” Wade and Kenny Henderson to the podcast, joining us for our first ever roundtable discussion. The topic is, of course, the Steeltown album.

    While the discussion flows relatively freely, these are the overall main topics covered:

    • As Kenny was out seeing Big Country perform one of their Steeltown anniversary shows just the night before, he shares his impressions and gives a mini-review. He is also subjected to various questions about the show from the panel.

    “Flame of the West” – live at Motherwell Concert Hall, 17th October 2014

    • Recapping the year of Steeltown – music in the charts, popular movies, etc.
    • Recollections on when we first became aware of the album, when we first heard it, and how we rated it at the time? How do we rate it now?
    • How it was received when it was released, and the nastiness of the reviews at the time along with the panel’s reactions
    • Album themes – what did we pick up on at the time, and how do the themes of the album resonate today?
    • Thoughts on the production of the album – and comparing the denseness of the album mix to the more open rough mixes on the new deluxe edition. The panel also spend some time looking closer at these rough mixes.
    • Memories of reading band interviews and quotes about the album at the time
    • The album art – the sleeve and overall design, including the designs being used on the current Steeltown tour.
    • The panel discuss how the album relate to us today. Does it represent fond memories and nostalgia, or is it still relevant and often played today?
    • The musicianship on Steeltown – the panel share their personal highlights.
    • Wrap-up, silliness and outtakes.