The Big Dish (band)
| Company type | Pop group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Airdrie , Scotland |
| Products | Studio albums, singles |
The Big Dish is a pop group originating from Airdrie, Scotland, established in 1983. The founding members were Steven Lindsay (vocals and guitar), David Brownlie (drums), Stuart Hall (saxophone), Mark Ryce (guitar), and John Harper (keyboards). Subsequently, Paul Albertis (bass) and John Hendry (drums) joined the band for live performances. Over their career, they produced three studio albums and opened for artists such as Lloyd Cole, Big Country, and Del Amitri.
Career
By the time their debut album Swimmer was released in 1986 under Virgin Records, the band's lineup had evolved to include Lindsay, Raymond Docherty, guitarist Brian McFie, and Ian Ritchie handling keyboards and saxophone in the studio, with Allan Dumbreck on live keyboards and Dave Cantwell on drums during concerts. The album Swimmer presented refined adaptations of their live material.
In 1988, Lindsay, McFie, and Docherty recorded Creeping Up on Jesus with the assistance of session musicians such as drummer Blair Cunningham; horn players Gary Barnacle and John Thirkell; keyboardists Craig Armstrong and Paul Wickens. Although producer Bruce Lampcov delivered a polished production, the album did not achieve commercial success. Following Lindsay’s refusal to produce a cover track, Virgin Records ended their contract with the band.
Their last studio effort, Satellites, was completed in 1991 for East West Records, a Warner Bros. subsidiary. Contributors included Craig Armstrong, Raymond Docherty, producer Warne Livesey, bassist Pino Palladino, and drummer Manu Katché. The touring ensemble featured Tracey Gilbert on bass, Skip Reid on drums, and Colin Berwick on keyboards. Despite earning positive reviews and scoring a UK Top 40 hit with "Miss America" (peaking at No. 37), the band dissolved shortly thereafter.
In 1994, Virgin issued a compilation titled Rich Man's Wardrobe, which compiled selections from their Virgin releases along with the rare track "Voodoo Baby".
Post-Big Dish
Soon after the band's dissolution, Lindsay collaborated again with Craig Armstrong by providing vocals on Armstrong’s 2002 album As If to Nothing. To support this release, Lindsay toured Europe accompanied by a thirty-piece orchestra.
In late 2004, Lindsay unveiled his piano-centric album Exit Music through his Seminal label. The record featured string arrangements performed by the Scottish Ensemble while Lindsay handled all other instrumentation and programming. The Australian version offered two additional tracks. Later signed to Chrysalis Records, he released his sophomore solo album Kite in 2007, which included a cover of the Pixies' song "Monkey Gone to Heaven".
Reunion
The band came together again for a sold-out performance at Glasgow ABC on 21 January 2012 as part of the Celtic Connections festival. This was followed by an appearance at the Darvel Music Festival in May 2012. The lineup consisted of Lindsay, McFie, Docherty, Dumbreck, and Ross McFarlane on drums. During these shows they introduced a new composition titled "Cherry Blossom Falls." In 2014, The Big Dish supported Del Amitri at the Hydro arena.
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | NED | ||||||
| 1986 | Swimmer | 85 | — | ||||
| 1988 | Creeping Up on Jesus | — | — | ||||
| 1991 | Satellites | 43 | 85 | ||||
| 1994 | Rich Man's Wardrobe – A Concise History of The Big Dish | — | — | ||||
| "—" indicates releases that did not chart or were not issued. | |||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Highest chart rankings | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | NED | ||||||||||
| 1985 | "Big New Beginning" (UK release only) | — | — | Swimmer | |||||||
| "Prospect Street" | 166 | — | |||||||||
| 1986 | "Slide" | 147 | — | ||||||||
| "Prospect Street" (re-issued) | — | — | |||||||||
| 1987 | "Christina's World" | 84 | — | ||||||||
| "Slide" (re-issued) | 86 | — | |||||||||
| 1988 | "European Rain" (UK release only) | 78 | — | Creeping Up on Jesus | |||||||
| "Faith Healer" (UK release only) | 101 | — | |||||||||
| 1989 | "Life" (US release only) | — | — | ||||||||
| 1991 | "Miss America" | 37 | 47 | Satellites | |||||||
| "Big Town" | 94 | — | |||||||||
| "25 Years" | 87 | — | |||||||||
| "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts or were not issued. | |||||||||||