ENGLISH ELECTRIC (PART TWO)

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Last year Greg kindly sent me a copy of the new Big Big Train album, 'English Electric (Part One)', continuing a relationship that goes back for more than 20 years when the band became the first ones ever to send me music to review that I hadn't paid for. Back then it started me thinking about how I could expand the magazine I ran, and Feedback went from strength to strength. Well, after he had sent me the last album in 2012 I reviewed it for www.progarchives.com and was then approached by one of the site administrators as they wished to know how I had hold of a copy of the album which at that point was yet to be released. I explained the situation, my history etc, and the next thing I knew was that I had been invited to become a prog reviewer to the site instead of just a contributor. So all these years down the track, BBT are still impacting what I am doing.

Now, I rated their last album as one of my top for 2012 and I can see that I'm not exactly in a minority as it is second on progarchives' top albums for 2012, while the new one is currently a smidgen away from the very top spot for 2013: it will be interesting to see if BBT or Steven Wilson are number one by the end of the year. The band describe this album as continuing 'its' journey across the English landscape with an album of seven new songs which tell further tales of the men and women who work on and under the land. Along the way, stories are told of the shipbuilders in Neptune's Yard, of a machine that burned its legend across the pages of the history books, of a keeper of abbeys and a curator of butterflies, and of a second chance at love.'

The word I used to describe the last album was 'maturity', and again that is very much in evidence here. How often do you hear NDV providing straight 4/4? Well there are sections where he is doing just that and others where he makes his presence felt by not playing at all. There is loads of space within this album, as if the guys just relaxed and became conduits for the music and didn't force anything at all. If it felt right then they did it, and if it felt right not to do anything well that was good as well. Musically this is prog, at least for the most part, but they move all over the shop and touch into classic rock, pop, Genesis and anything else that takes their fancy. It is such a grown up album, one that the Dorset lads couldn't have imagined producing all those years ago when they started. The other day I had all of my music out of the shed as I was checking to see how much shelf space it all needed (going up in two weeks time!!), and I came across that early BBT tape. I looked at the photo of the guys, and thought just how much everything had changed. And it is all for the better. A dreamy, wonderful prog album that belongs in everyone's collection, and it can be purchased directly from the band or as a download. Go to www.bigbigtrain.com for more details.

I think of Big Big Train in the same terms as I think of acts like Galahad or Final Conflict - groups who've been chugging along for years putting out albums which met with indifferent or mixed reviews, who decades into their career turn a corner and suddenly begin putting out startlingly good work. 2012 seems to have been a big year for bands in that position; Galahad, whilst they'd arguably already entered their golden years with Empires Never Last (or, for some, Year Zero), put out two remarkably good album which proved that this wasn't a fluke for them. Final Conflict put out Return of the Artisan, an absolutely fantastic release which stands head and shoulders over everything they'd previously done. And Big Big Train put out the first English Electric album, which built on the foundation of The Underfall Yard to project them right to the top rank of current prog.

It is only natural, then, to approach English Electric (Part Two) with a little trepidation. Was Part One a fluke, or have Big Big Train shifted over to the Masterpiece Line for the long haul?

As it stands, I find this sequel an absolutely fascinating followup to the original. Those who want more of the same may find themselves disappointed, or curiously pleased; although the general approach and thematic interests are much the same here as they were on the preceding album, there's a subtle twist added to the musical approach this time around which really brings out the range of instrumentation utilised by the band and which offers a more quiet and contemplative listen than the more boisterous Part One.

Like latter-day Marillion and a few others, Big Big Train have sussed out the secret which eludes a lot of bands: sometimes the best progressive results can come about by not going out of your way to be "progressive". Needless complexity is avoided, as are pointless callbacks to the innovations of past prog bands - for example, though close harmony vocals are deployed, the temptation to throw in a Gentle Giant twist here or there for the sake of it is resisted. Yes, David Longdon's vocals still sound like Genesis-era Peter Gabriel, but as with the preceding album there's no suggestion that he's straining to make the mimicry as close as he possibly can. In fact, the whole album sounds very relaxed and natural - Big Big Train ceasing to worry about their progressive credentials and just getting on with the business of being Big Big Train. As it turns out, that's a rather fine thing to be.

Big Big Train is an English ensemble formed around 1990 by Andy Poole and Greg Spawton. Nowadays the band has also David Longdon (vocals), Dave Gregory (guitars), Danny Manners (keyboards) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums ' ex Spock's Beard).

English Electric Part Two (2013) was released on March 4th and it's the second and final chapter of Big Big Train's English Electric history.

English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer and here the band tries to capture the history of the people's point of view. Last year they released the first part, and it's the best album of 2012 for me (you can read my review progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=830915). When they were about to release this new album I asked myself: 'is it possible for Big Big Train to top themselves?'

I can't say that English Electric Part Two (2013) is better than its predecessor, but what I can say for sure is that the second part is so close that I almost can't see the difference. In fact, since The Difference Machine (2007), passing through The Underfall Yard (2009), Far Skies Deep Time (2010) and the two parts of English Electric, Big Big Train just can't record a downhill record.

Big Big Train's music could be described by me with two words: evocative and emotional. Evocative because even for someone like me that has never been to England, you can be transported to someplace else, some place within these songs. And emotional because their music is like every good Prog should be, charged with deep feelings and full of heart.

English Electric Part Two (2013) starts with the long 'East Coast Racer' and it's almost 16 minutes. One thing I missed on the first part of the history was a long song, here it is. 'Swan Hunter' shows why David Longdon is the best vocalist on today's music, while 'Worked Out' transports us inside the song. The band's music is so alive and full of details. Harps, brass, violins, cellos, violas, flutes and many other countless instruments and sounds fill our musical world while listening the album.

'Leopards' is almost a solo effort by David Longdon that wrote and played almost everything here. The track has a different and interesting approach to their music. 'Keeper Of Abbeys' has a wonderful violin solo by Rachel Hall and 'The Permanent Way' keeps with the BBT's high standard quality. 'Curator Of Butterflies' closes the album on a high note, melancholic and beautiful.

Greg Spawton has to be mentioned cause he isn't just a fantastic bass player, but a great musician and an amazing writer. Andy Poole did a wonderful job when it comes to the producer role and David Longdon is one of the best voices around. To tie everything together the band uses more synthesizers, delivered by the new member Danny Manners and as usual Nick D'Virgilio drums are always on the spot and clever.

Do I sound like a fan? I have no problem to confess that. I am. And English Electric Part Two (2013) is one of the best albums of 2013 so far, believe me.

Oh and by the way, according to the booklet of the CD, Station Masters will be the next chapter. Can't wait!

(Originally posted on progshine.net)