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The Big Wheel
Studio album by Runrig
Released	1991
Studio	Castlesound Studios, Pencaitland, Scotland
Genre	Celtic rock
Length	51:30
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Chris Harley
Runrig chronology
Searchlight (1989) The Big Wheel (1991) Amazing Things (1993)

The Big Wheel is a studio album by the Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig, released in 1991. The album peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart.

Critical reception

The Kitchener-Waterloo Record wrote that "Donnie Munro's vocals drive the songs, but Iain Bayne's superbly produced drums power the band itself." The Calgary Herald labelled the album "an inoffensive, watered-down brand of Celtic rock... Uninspiring but professional."

Track listing

All songs written by Calum Macdonald and Rory Macdonald.

1. "Headlights" - 5:09
2. "Healer in Your Heart" - 5:34
3. "Abhainn an t-Sluaigh" (The Crowded River) - 5:17
4. "Always the Winner" - 5:41
5. "This Beautiful Pain" - 4:15
6. "An Cuibhle Mòr" (The Big Wheel) - 6:07
7. "Edge of the World" - 5:00
8. "Hearthammer" - 4:27
9. "I'll Keep Coming Home" - 2:33
10. "Flower of the West" - 6:36

Personnel

Runrig

• Iain Bayne - drums, percussion
• Malcolm Jones - guitars, banjo, accordion
• Calum Macdonald - percussion
• Rory Macdonald - bass guitar, vocals
• Donnie Munro - lead vocals
• Peter Wishart - keyboards

Flower of the West

"Flower of the West"
Single by Runrig
from the album The Big Wheel
B-side	"Ravenscaig"
Released	28 October 1991
Studio	Castlesound Studios, Edinburgh, Scotland
Label	Chrysalis – CHS 3451
Producer(s)	Chris Harley
Runrig singles chronology
"Every River" (1989) "Flower of the West" (1991) "Wonderful" (1993)

"Flower of the West" is a 1991 single, released as the lead and only single from the album. The single was released on 28 October 1991 and was released by Chrysalis. Upon its release, "Flower of the West" became the highest-charting entry for the band on the UK Singles Charts, following its peak at number forty-three.

"Flower of the West" features an "intensely emotional evocation of a micro-historical landscape" as described by the National Museums Scotland. AllMusic said that "Flower of the West concludes The Big Wheel in typical grandiose Runrig fashion".

Commercial performance

The release of "Flower of the West" brought Runrig the closest they had been to entering the UK Top 40 Singles Charts, after the song debuted at number forty-three in the United Kingdom. It spent a total of two weeks within the UK Top 100 Singles Charts, falling to number forty-seven in its second and final week, before falling out of the UK Top 100.

Track listing

CD, EP, single (UK)

1. "Flower of the West" – 4:55
2. "Ravenscraig" – 4:30
3. "Chi Mi'n Geamhradh" (featuring Karen Matheson) – 4:12
4. "Harvest Moon" (Live at Loch Lomond)

Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, single (Germany)

1. "Flower of the West" – 4:55
2. "Chi Mi'n Geamhradh" (featuring Karen Matheson) – 4:12

References

1. "The Big Wheel by Runrig". Melody Maker. Vol. 67, no. 26. 29 June 1991. p. 30.
2. Niester, Alan (4 November 1991). "The Big Wheel Runrig". The Globe and Mail. p. C2.
3. "Runrig". Official Charts. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
4. ^ Alberts, Sheldon (3 November 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C4.
5. Howe, Steve (31 October 1991). "The Big Wheel Runrig". The Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. C9.
6. "Music Week - 2 November 1991" (PDF). Musicweek. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
7. "RUNRIG". Official Charts. 8 January 1983. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
8. "Music, Land and People: Runrig and Highland History". National Museums Scotland Blog. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
9. "The Big Wheel - Runrig | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
10. "RUNRIG". Official Charts. 8 January 1983. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

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