FAR SKIES DEEP TIME

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Greg Spawton and his fellows offer entertaining songs here and now ... once again provided with a recognition value, when it comes to those prog dinosaurs like Genesis and Yes. Officially released as an EP the complete length even corresponds to a vinyl album. 'Far Skies Deep Time' is still only available if you join the band's mailing list, what I know. While perfectly linking to their predecessor masterpiece 'The Underfall Yard' it's worth it in any case. Well, spend comparatively few money and reach for high quality music ... it's just that simple. In order to point out a remarkable change - although they have invited some additional musicians (f.e. Martin Orford) for the recordings - wind instruments are reduced on David Longdon's flute this time.

The Master Of Stones, James of St. George by name, is replaced by the Master Of Time here, required to take them back through the years. A cover version, that's right. They offer a folksy intro with acoustic guitar which will probably let you reckon that this may go into a completely new direction - only for a short time though. Welcome to the known BBT realm now ... just imagine that Genesis never would have left their prog traces! You will find rather complex compositions with changing time signatures, twists and turns, lush instrumentation, wonderful melodies.

'She looks at me, we tore each other's hearts out' - nearly missing a prog substance as such British Racing Green is an ambivalent soundtrack for lovers, a charming ballad, melancholy pure. This is able to bring tears to my eyes, nice piano and flute interaction - but surely off the common BBT track, with other words - a new facet. The following Brambling holds a haunting jazzy interlude supported by some Mellotron impressions.

'The Sea Is My Blood' ... finally they enter The Wide Open Sea with much pathos ... and the legend begins ... an epic divided in eight sections. David Longdon picks up the accordion in between when it comes to Paris. Towards the end a Steve Howe reminiscent guitar solo is coming up. Again this is proving the BBT typical approach to offer an intricate song structure.

A new sign of life from this band which should not be ignored. David Longdon is fully integrated into the songwriting process here for the first time. It works - as you can expect from this band - in the aftermath of 'The Underfall Yard' at the latest. High quality stuff comprising short songs as well as epics. Well, if you only concentrate on Nick D'Virgilio's drum playing for example ... then at the latest you know that this is of value what you hear - 4.5 stars really.

There are no signs of BIG BIG TRAIN slowing down any time soon, in fact if anything they are gathering speed (haha). To have former XTC guitarist Dave Gregory and SPOCK'S BEARD drummer Nick D'Virgilo as permanent members doesn't hurt the already impressive trio of Spawton, Poole and Longdon.This band oozes class and intergrity.

"Master Of Time" is actually an Anthony Phillips cover and what a great song this is. A beat with vocals leads before a minute and we even get some banjo on this one that comes and goes. A calm with flute after 3 minutes then it picks up with prominant bass. Love the guitar 4 minutes in that goes on and on.Nice. "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" is a song that pushes all the right buttons for me. It opens with the sound of sea gulls before it kicks in with vocals around a minute. Nice chunky bass here and I find this song so moving for some reason. Martin Orford adds some keyboards on this one. We also get some accordion and the sound picks up before 3 minutes. I like the instrumental section late. Two fantastic tracks right there.

"British Racing Green" is mellow with vocals and this is my least favourite tune on here. "Brambling" builds quickly then it settles with vocals.Organ a minute in with guitar. Mellotron 3 minutes in and flute late. "The Wide Open Sea" is the almost 18 minute closer. Atmosphere early on then reserved vocals join in after a minute. I like the mood on this one. Accordion after 5 minutes.This stays fairly laid back even with the tempo shifts. I like the guitar and more intense sound 15 minutes in.The final minute is filled with atmosphere as faint sea gull sounds end it.

A solid 4 stars and 41 minutes is just right.

UK band BIG-BIG TRAIN has six full-length albums to their name since they started out, the latest of them "The Underfall Yard" from 2009. 2010 saw the band celebrating their 20th anniversary, and while no new full-length album appeared, the band decided to release the next best thing, the album-length EP "Far Skies Deep Time", to celebrate the occasion.

"Far Skies Deep Time" is a delightful creation that should cater quite nicely for those with an interest in symphonic art rock. The emphasis on strong melodies and distinct moods is of a kind that should appeal to fans of the vintage variety as well as those with a soft spot for Neo-prog, and when sold as a low-price EP this should prove to be excellent value for money for all concerned.

"Using just available light, he could still see..."

With a total running time rivalling many of the prog classics from the early 70s, this is in fact just an 'EP' release from Big Big Train.

The Good: The sound is slightly different from their previous outing, perhaps more modern due to the exclusion of the brass instrumentation, so don't just expect a rehash of The Underfall Yard. Overall it has a hint of latter day Marillion on top of their usual Genesis/Jethro Tull stylings. The stand out track here is clearly The Wide Open Sea. This isn't because the other songs are somehow inferior (they aren't), it's just the only one on that really made me sit up and take notice.

The Bad: The cover art looks like it was knocked together on microsoft paint three minutes before it was due to be released. And British Racing Green sounds like it gets trimmed with a yawn mower.

The Verdict: If you're already a fan of Big Big Train then you'll love this, but if you're new to the band I would recommend starting with The Underfall Yard.

Reached for the far skies, grasped only the clouds.

Stretching from the generic spectrum of Crossover Prog with songs like "Master of Time", to the beautifully cohesive epic of "The Wide Open Sea", Far Skies Deep Time comes off as a mixed bag in both power and consistency.

"Fat Billy Shouts Mine"," Brambling", and "The Wide Open Sea" are the real high points of Big Big Train's most recent EP release, giving the album a majority of quality Crossover..

"Fat Billy Shouts Mine" reveals an abundance of Big Big Train's sound: providing symphonic mellotron layers, a great keyboard-led bridge, then wrapped together with some rock passages. "Brambling" is a song the revises The Difference Machine's sound. Having some similarities to Yes, they achieve a fluid song with some expert drums driving the song. The mellotron takes it's place in this song too, this time accommodating Longdon with his really great vocals. They match the band so well, a reflection of their musical direction. "The Wide Open Sea" is the 17 minute epic that really makes this album wonderful. Big Big Train takes you with them on their journey of a man's connection with the ocean that stands before him. The song has a building tension that breaks into the band's ethereal state of mind or becomes nimble, creating an eclectic anatomy for this beautiful creature.

Master of Time and British Racing Green are the remaining songs, exerting predictability and never really rewarding the listener. "Master of Time" comes of a bit cliche, but doesn't have terrible execution. "British Racing Green" is painfully stagnant, never changing the song's theme, constantly being a painfully barren song. Though, while both are the definite weak points, and never do the rest of the album justice, i can imagine them having some praise from others.

Far Skies Deep Time is a definite step down from the masterpieces of The Difference Machine and The Underfall Yard, but is a good output from the band.

3.5/5 Stars.

Oh, I love this EP!! I´m not exactly Big Big Train´s biggest fan, even though I liked their previous The Underfall Yard bery much. It´s just that I found that CD to be a little too dense for my actual tastes and I dont´really know their discography all that well, and I have not a good idea of what they are all about yet. Anyway, I was quite surprised by the opening track, their version of a song called Master Of Time. I had never heard the original one but, boy, does BBT play it good!! It sounds like the good days of classic Genesis: melodic, yet complex, with very tasteful arrangements and a heartfelt delivering. I was hooked at the first listening. Of course the remaining tracks are not that easy and familiar, but again I found them to be very good and did enjoy the record a lot. It seems they found the master´s winning formula lost to most prog acts nowadays: a good balance between the simple and the intricated together with a good melody line.

Those guys definitly are terrific musicians and they have the right influences. If you love classic synphonic prog rock of the 70´s you must get to know BBT. And more important: they know how to write excellent tunes in that vein with much personality and a style of their own. It´s really refreshing to find a band that sounds so familiar and yet had something so up to date and unique. By the way, hardcore proggers will love the 17 minute epic Wide Open Sea for its many twists and turns, coupled with fine mellotron waves.

Production is crystaline: you can hear everything. And the band haa the luck to find a very fine singer in the person of David Longdon, who not only has a good voice, but also knows how to give the songs the right emotional interpretation. As if that was not good enough the guy also plays several other instruments (among them a mean flute!)! I´m looking forward to hear their newst releases.

Conclusion: a must have to any prog collection. Highly recommended!!