''Big Smash!'' was British musician

Wreckless Eric Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock/ new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single " Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in ''Mo ...

's third studio album. It was released as a double LP (SEEZ 21) and as a

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

(ZSEES 21) on 29 February 1980. While the first LP comprised new material, the extra LP was the U.S.-only compilation album ''The Whole Wide World''. ''Big Smash!'' was re-issued as a 2-CD set in 2007 with 3 bonus tracks (CDSEEZ 21).Official Stiff discography a
stiff-records.com
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Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' praised the "good energetic and basic rock'n'roll" of the album and compared it with the oeuvre of

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

, noticing that "Eric has his own sound, personality and point of view".

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

remarked in his '' Record Guide'' that "'Tis said the spunk has gone out of the lad, but though he does wax lyrical at times – I like the one where he admires the style of a girl handing in her tube ticket – he's as rude and scrawny as ever."

Track Listing Double LP - 1980

Side 1

#"A Popsong" #"Tonight (Is My Night)" #"Too Busy" #"Broken Doll" #"Can I Be Your Hero?" #"Back in My Hometown"

Side 2

#"It'll Soon Be the Weekend" #"Strange Towns" #"Excuse Me" #"Break My Mind" #"Good Conversation" #"Out of the Blue" #"A Popsong (reprise)"

Side 3

(I'd Go the) Whole Wide World "Whole Wide World" is a song written by English rock singer-songwriter Wreckless Eric, who wrote the song in May 1974, and recorded it in 1977, whilst an original member of the Stiff Records label. Additional musicians on the record were Nick Lo ...

" #"Take The Cash (K.A.S.H.)" #"Let's Go to the Pictures" (Alternate version) #"Walking on the Surface of the Moon" (Alternate version) #"Hit & Miss Judy" #"I Wish It Would Rain"

Side 4

#"Reconnez Cherie" #"Veronica" #"Brain Thieves" #"Semaphore Signals" #"I Need a Situation" #"The Final Taxi" #"There Isn't Anything Else"

Track Listing 2CD Set - 2007

CD 1

#"A Popsong" #"Tonight (Is My Night)" #"Too Busy" #"Broken Doll" #"Can I Be Your Hero?" #"Back in My Hometown" #"It'll Soon Be the Weekend" #"Strange Towns" #"Excuse Me" #"Break My Mind" #"Good Conversation" #"Out of the Blue"

CD 2

" #"Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.)" #"Let's Go to the Pictures" #"Walking on the Surface of the Moon" #"Hit & Miss Judy" #"I Wish It Would Rain" #"Reconnez Cherie" #"Veronica" #"Brain Thieves" #"Semaphore Signals" #"I Need a Situation" #"The Final Taxi" #"There Isn't Anything Else" #"A Little Bit More" #"Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.) - Live" #"I Need a Situation - Live"

Personnel

For LP/Disc 1

- vocals, rhythm guitar *Pete Gosling - lead guitar, electric and acoustic rhythm guitars *Walter Hacon - electric and acoustic rhythm guitars *

Malcolm Morley Malcolm A. Morley (June 7, 1931 – June 1, 2018) was a British-American artist and painter. He was known as an artist who pioneered in varying styles, working as a photorealist and an expressionist, among many other styles. Life Morley was ...

- organ, piano, acoustic guitar *John Brown - electric bass guitar *Dave Otway (Professor Carnage) -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, percussion.

References

External links

Official Wreckless Eric website
1980 albums 2007 albums Wreckless Eric albums Stiff Records albums {{1980s-rock-album-stub