INGENIOUS DEVICES

Four previously released BBT 'epics' (please forgive me this proghead terminology) get served up in new dress and combined with a brief interlude for strings - how well do they fit together?

In my mind the result is a revelation, even though at times (especially in 'Brooklands') Dave Gregory's splendid lead guitar almost gets swamped by the new 17-head string section, and in some of the faster passages those strings sound a little like the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme tune.

Greg Spawton clearly enjoys dishing out classic BBT material in remastered form; he tried something similar with THE UNDERFALL YARD in 2021 and the result was spectacular. Here, on INGENIOUS DEVICES, 'East Coast Racer' sounds richer and more Sensurround than ever. You'll definitely enjoy it, no matter how many live versions of the piece you may already possess. The great 'mellotron choir' section towards the end (now with added brass and strings) is simply overwhelming.

'Voyager' failed to impress me when I first heard it on GRAND TOUR (2019) but the 10-minute piece is a natural fit in this new context. 'Atlantic Cable', the 15-minute album closer, is not only an important historical document (as far as I know, it's the only BBT live recording with Albert Bravin on lead vocals AND Dave Foster on lead guitar); it also sounds fantastic, even though Bravin's voice seems a little muffled at times. Compositions like this will remind you that BBT have been treating us to some of the most triumphant Symphonic Prog since those SELLING ENGLAND & TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS glory days.

The band end the album on a reflective note, with some touching a capella vocals: 'Close the distance / Open minds / Hear the quiet words / The wisdom of strangers / Of those left behind'. A suitable message for troubled times.

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