Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man
{{Infobox album
| name = Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man
| type = Album
| artist = Guadalcanal Diary
| cover = Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man (cover art).jpg
| alt =
| released = 1984
| recorded = September 1984
Axis Studios, Atlanta, GA
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Alternative rock, jangle pop
| length = 31:16
| label = Elektra{{Cite web|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/give-me-no-mans-land-5-songs-for-the-fallen-6769687|title=Give Me No Man's Land: 5 Songs For The Fallen|first=Jef|last=Rouner|date=May 31, 2010|website=Houston Press}}
| producer = Don Dixon{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/guadalcanal-diary-mn0000648097/biography|title=Guadalcanal Diary | Biography & History|website=AllMusic}}
| prev_title = Watusi Rodeo EP
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = Jamboree
| next_year = 1986
}}
{{Album ratings
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r79027|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]
|rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
|rev2score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2006 |publisher=MUZE |volume=4 |page=29}}
|rev4 = Tiny Mix Tapes
|rev4score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/guadalcanal-diary-walking-shadow-big-man|title=Music Review: Guadalcanal Diary - Walking In the Shadow of the Big Man|website=Tiny Mix Tapes}}
}}
Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man is the first full-length album by Marietta, Georgia, band Guadalcanal Diary. The album was released in 1984 and was produced by Don Dixon. It was reissued on CD by Rhino Handmade in 2003, with additional tracks from the Watusi Rodeo EP, the B-side "Johnny B. Goode," and the previously unreleased track "Just an Excuse."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhino.com/product/walking-in-the-shadow-of-the-big-man|title=Guadalcanal Diary - Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man | Rhino|website=www.rhino.com}}
Critical reception
Trouser Press wrote that the album "presents rocking explorations of several of [singer Murray] Attaway’s pet themes: religious fanaticism ('Why Do the Heathen Rage?'), Civil War mythology ('Trail of Tears') and spontaneous human combustion ('Fire from Heaven')."{{cite web |title=Guadalcanal Diary |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/guadalcanal-diary/ |website=Trouser Press |accessdate=8 October 2020}} The Sun Sentinel called it "solid, melodic rock 'n' roll," writing that "thundering drums and tough-talking guitars frame lyrics that condemn war and imperialism."{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-10-18-8502150532-story.html|title=A POP/ROCK PLAYLIST:BREAKING THE FORMAT|first=Scott Benarde, Staff|last=writer|website=Sun-Sentinel.com}}
Track listing
- "Trail of Tears" - 2:24
- "Fire From Heaven" - 3:52
- "Sleepers Awake" - 3:10
- "Gilbert Takes the Wheel" (instrumental) - 2:32
- "Ghost on the Road" - 2:47
- "Watusi Rodeo" - 2:36
- "Why do the Heathen Rage?" - 3:04
- "Pillow Talk" - 1:57
- "Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man (Part 1)" (instrumental) - 4:34
- "Kum-Ba-Yah (live)" - 3:40
=Bonus tracks on Limited Edition=
- "Johnny B. Goode" - 3:45
- "Michael Rockefeller" - 4:55
- "Liwa Wechi" - 2:51
- "John Wayne" - 3:11
- "Dead Eyes" - 3:19
- "Just an Excuse" - 2:53
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Guadalcanal Diary}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Guadalcanal Diary (band) albums