I've always preferred "Big Time to "Sledgehammer".
The song kicks off with Gabriel's "Higher" vocal then takes us on a relentless ride into his vivid imagination.
"Big Time" is the 80s in a nutshell: a brash and bold sound with bombastic lyrics that satirize the 'American dream'. Watching the creative claymation video provided a natural trip back in 1986. It still captivates today.
And the track grooves with a driving, even funky, bass. In fact, the bass was played by two band members to achieve the unique percussion sound using funk fingers. A more detailed explanation can be found on Wikipedia:
"Using one of Levin's fretless basses, Levin handled the fingerings while Marotta hit his drumsticks on the strings, which is why the bass part sounds percussive. Inspired by this sound, Levin later invented funk fingers, which were little drumstick ends that could be attached to the fingers to achieve a similar bass guitar effect in concert."
And for good measure, The Police's Stewart Coupland plays the drums. So much larger than life. Big Time.
Yes I liked Big Time more than Sledgehammer, both very good songs.
ReplyDelete