Driving to Damascus
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Driving to Damascus
| type = Album
| artist = Big Country
| cover = Driving to Damascus.jpg
| alt =
| released = 23 August 1999
| recorded = Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales, January-May 1999
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Heartland rock
| length = 56:49
| label = Track
| producer = Big Country, Rafe McKenna
| prev_title = Eclectic
| prev_year = 1996
| next_title = The Journey
| next_year = 2013
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Alternative cover
| type = Album
| cover = Big Country - John Wayne's Dream.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = Cover of the 2002 U.S. remaster of the album, renamed John Wayne's Dream.
}}
{{Singles
| name = Driving to Damascus
| type = studio
| single1 = Fragile Thing
| single1date = 3 August 1999
| single2 = See You" / "Perfect World
| single2date = 25 October 1999
| single3 = Somebody Else
| single3date = 30 May 2000
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic (Driving to Damascus)
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}} {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r606128|tab=review |label="Big Country: Driving to Damascus > Review" |first=Aaron |last=Badgley |author-link=Aaron Badgley|website=AllMusic |access-date=20 September 2011}}
| rev2 = AllMusic (John Wayne's Dream)
| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}} {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r606128|tab=review |label="Big Country: John Wayne's Dream > Review" |first=Steve |last=Schnee|website=AlllMusic |access-date=20 September 2011}}
| rev3 = Record Collector (Driving to Damascus)
| rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}} {{Cite web|url=http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/7726|title=Record Collector | Big Country - Driving to Damascus | Album Review|website=Recordcollectormag.com|access-date=24 November 2024}}
}}
Driving to Damascus is the eighth studio album by Scottish rock band Big Country. It was released in August 1999 as both a standard edition and a limited edition digipack, and with bonus tracks in 2002. In the U.S., it was released under a different name, John Wayne's Dream. The limited edition version featured different cover artwork, and included two tracks by Stuart Adamson's alt-country side project, The Raphaels ("Shattered Cross" and "Too Many Ghosts", subsequently released on the 2001 album Supernatural), although there was no indication in the credits that these were not by Big Country.
Driving to Damascus marks the band's last studio album to feature vocalist Stuart Adamson (who would die in 2001) and bassist Tony Butler (who retired from the band in 2012), and the last studio album until The Journey was released in 2013 with the Alarm vocalist Mike Peters taking over for Adamson and Simple Minds bassist Derek Forbes replacing Butler.
The album was re-released on both CD and vinyl format to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary in 2012.
Track listing
{{Track listing
|
| title1 = Driving to Damascus
| writer1 = Stuart Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Bruce Watson
| length1 = 3:58
| title2 = Dive in to Me
| writer2 = Adamson, Brzezicki, Tony Butler, Watson
| length2 = 5:02
| title3 = See You
| writer3 = Adamson
| length3 = 3:50
| title4 = Perfect World
| writer4 = Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson
| length4 = 4:02
| title5 = Somebody Else
| writer5 = Adamson, Ray Davies
| length5 = 4:04
| title6 = Fragile Thing
| writer6 = Adamson, Watson
| length6 = 4:33
| title7 = The President Slipped and Fell
| writer7 = Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson
| length7 = 2:57
| title8 = Devil in the Eye
| writer8 = Adamson, Davies
| length8 = 4:15
| title9 = Trouble the Waters
| writer9 = Adamson, Brzezicki, Watson
| length9 = 4:10
| title10 = Bella
| writer10 = Adamson
| length10 = 3:34
| title11 = Your Spirit to Me
| writer11 = Adamson
| length11 = 5:13
| title12 = Grace
| writer12 = Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler, Watson
| length12 = 5:10
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = John Wayne's Dream extra tracks
|
| title13 = Loserville
| writer13 = Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler
| length13 = 5:18
| title14 = This Blood's for You
| writer14 = Adamson
| length14 = 3:43
| title15 = I Get Hurt
| writer15 = Adamson
| length15 = 4:28
| title16 = John Wayne's Dream
| writer16 = Adamson, Brzezicki, Butler
| length16 = 8:44
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Limited edition digipack extra tracks
|
| title13 = Shattered Cross
| writer13 = Adamson, Boonstra
| length13 = 4:02
| title14 = Too Many Ghosts
| writer14 = Hummon, Adamson
| length14 = 4:12
}}
Personnel
- Stuart Adamson – vocals, guitar, mandolin, slide guitar, Moog synthesizer
- Bruce Watson – guitar, mandolin, sitar, slide guitar
- Tony Butler – bass, vocals, vibraphone
- Mark Brzezicki – drums, vocals, programming
;Additional personnel
- Eddi Reader – backing vocals
- Kirsten Adamson – backing vocals
- Rafe McKenna – backing vocals
- Sally Herbert – string arrangements
- Anne Stephenson – strings
- Claire Orsler – strings
- Dinah Beamish – strings
- Ginni Ball – strings
- Jules Singleton – strings
- Sally Herbert – strings
- Josh Phillips – keyboards
- Rowan Stigner – loops
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1999–2000)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Germany4|96|artist=Big Country|album=Driving to Damascus|id=27209|rowheader=true|access-date=23 January 2022}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|60|date=19991003|rowheader=true|access-date=23 January 2022}} |
| {{album chart|UK|82|artist=Big Country|rowheader=true|access-date=23 January 2022}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Big Country}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Driving To Damascus}}