Big Shot in the Dark
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Big Shot in the Dark
| type = studio
| artist = Timbuk 3
| cover = Big_Shot_in_the_Dark.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1991
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = The Doghouse (Austin)
| genre = Roots rock
| length =
| label = I.R.S.{{cite news |last1=Erskine |first1=Evelyn |title=Timbuk 3 Big Shot in the Dark |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=19 Oct 1991 |page=C3}}
| producer = Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald
| prev_title = Edge of Allegiance
| prev_year = 1989
| next_title = Espace Ornano
| next_year = 1993
}}
Big Shot in the Dark is the fourth album by the American band Timbuk 3, released in 1991.{{cite news |last1=Okamoto |first1=David |title=Sardonic Timbuk 3 still prefers modest prosposals to preaching |work=Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph |date=19 July 1991 |page=D4}}{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Robert |title=Timbuk 3 set to unveil new tunes |work=San Antonio Express-News |date=July 12, 1991 |page=13F}} "Mudflap Girl" was released as a single.{{cite news |last1=Mackie |first1=John |title=Texas blues band's biting lyrics tug at the conscience, but gently |work=Vancouver Sun |date=20 Dec 1991 |page=D9}}
Production
Big Shot in the Dark was Timbuk 3's first album as a four-piece band. Courtney Audain played bass and steel drums, and Wally Ingram served as the drummer/percussionist.{{cite news |last1=Christensen |first1=Thor |title='Big Shot in the Dark' is on target |work=The Milwaukee Journal |date=27 Aug 1991 |page=D1}} "The Border Crossing" was inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall.{{cite news |last1=Howell |first1=Peter |title=Timbuk 3 expands from Timbuk 2 to Timbuk 4 |work=Toronto Star |date=18 Oct 1991 |page=D16}} Evan Johns played guitar on "Mudflap Girl".{{cite news |last1=Couture |first1=Pete |title='Big Shot' Hits the Mark for Timbuk 3 |work=St. Petersburg Times |date=3 Jan 1992 |department=Weekend |page=18}}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r20218}}
|rev2 = Calgary Herald
|rev2score = B{{cite news |last1=Zimmerman |first1=Kate |title=Recent Releases |work=Calgary Herald |date=22 Sep 1991 |page=E2}}
}}
The Chicago Tribune called Timbuk 3 "a distinctly American band both in its spare, rootsy rock sound and its thematic obsession with the American dream gone awry."{{cite news |last1=Heim |first1=Chris |title=Timbuk 3 is now a foursome |work=Chicago Tribune |date=6 Sep 1991 |department=Friday |page=N}} The Calgary Herald deemed the album "Timbuk 3 at its twangy, idiosyncratic best."
Kenneth Bays of AllMusic wrote: "On their fourth album, Timbuk 3 officially became a foursome ... there's a newfound sense of instrumental adventurousness all around. ('{{'}}49 Plymouth' employs a lute, while an instrumental version of 'Sunshine' is played on steel drums)... Big Shot in the Dark has a bluesy, droning quality throughout, a vibe that would be amplified further on Timbuk 3's 1994 EP Looks Like Dark to Me."
Track listing
- All songs written by Pat MacDonald, except where noted.
- God Made an Angel
- Sunshine
- Two Medicines (Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald)
- The Border Crossing (Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald)
- Big Shot in the Dark
- Mudflap Girl
- Dis•••land (Was Made for You & Me)
- Wake Up Little Darlin'
- '49 Plymouth
- The Little Things
- Sunshine (Instrumental)
Personnel
;Timbuk 3
- Pat MacDonald: Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Harmonica, Lute, Sampler
- Barbara K. MacDonald: Vocals, Electric Guitars, Violin, Percussion, Keyboards and Programming
- Courtney Audain: Bass, Keyboards, Steel Drums, Various Other Percussion
- Wally Ingram: Drums, Percussion, Handclaps
;Additional Personnel
- Liz Harrah: Organ on track 1
- Evan Johns: Lead and Slide Guitar on track 6
- Gary Moon: Hand claps
- John Treanor: Washboard on tracks 3, 4, and 9
;Production
- Arranged and produced by Pat and Barbara K. MacDonald
- Recording by Gary Moon; technical assistance by David Roach
- Mixed by David Tickle (The Bunker, Malibu)
- Mastered by Alan Yoshida at The Mastering Lab
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Timbuk 3}}
{{Authority control}}