“I was in Norman’s Rare Guitars in LA when I spotted the Les Paul. I played it for hours in the shop”: The unlikely fate of Big Country frontman Stuart Adamson’s ‘Peace in Our Time’ Les Paul

Scottish guitarist Stuart Adamson, with the band 'Big Country', performing on stage in Russia, October 4th 1988.

In 1988, Big Country decamped to Los Angeles to record their fourth album, Peace In Our Time, an attempt to capture the American rock market.

“I was in Norman’s Rare Guitars in LA,” says Big Country guitarist Bruce Watson, “when I spotted the Les Paul. I played it for hours in the shop and nearly bought it, but I also loved this ’61 Strat that was for sale. I had a couple of Les Pauls already, so I went for the Strat. I told Stuart about the Les Paul and he snapped it up.”