Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

GRAVY TRAIN

Gravy Train

Heavy Prog


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Gravy Train Gravy Train album cover
3.45 | 88 ratings | 10 reviews | 24% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

Write a review

Buy GRAVY TRAIN Music
from Progarchives.com partners
Studio Album, released in 1970

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. The New One (5:11)
2. Dedication To Sid (7:21)
3. Coast Road (6:46)
4. Enterprise (6:20)
5. Think Of Life (5:07)
6. Earl Of Pocket Nook (16:15)

Total time 47:00

Line-up / Musicians

- Norman Barratt / guitar, lead vocals
- J. D. Hughes / alto & tenor flutes, vocals
- Lester Williams / bass, vocals
- Barry Davenport / drums

Releases information

Artwork: Hipgnosis

LP Vertigo ‎- 6360 023 (1970, UK)
LP Repertoire Records ‎- RR 2063-LX (1990, Germany)

CD Repertoire Records ‎- RR 4063-CX (1990, Germany)
CD Repertoire Records ‎- REPUK 1067 (2005, UK)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
Edit this entry

Buy GRAVY TRAIN Gravy Train Music



GRAVY TRAIN Gravy Train ratings distribution


3.45
(88 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(24%)
24%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(36%)
36%
Good, but non-essential (30%)
30%
Collectors/fans only (9%)
9%
Poor. Only for completionists (1%)
1%

GRAVY TRAIN Gravy Train reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
3 stars 3.5 stars really!!

This group put out their first two albums on the great Vertigo label and is a typical release from this progressive label from those years. While not a full-blown progressive band as they have a more psychedelic feel, this is one of those proto-prog album that comes along with a fuzz guitar and no keyboard.

It does contain many elements you might expect on a psychedelic rock band with heavy progressive influences (it even has a long pieces Dedicated to Sid? Self-explanatory is it not?), along with some lengths in the solo dept (dare I say a little self-indulgence or half-jams?), but it has delicious flutes and good interplay between all members. The singer has one of those voices that can set you back as it is a bit aggressive but should not deter you if you are into VdGG, Audience or Gnidrolog. My personal faves of contains New One, Sid, Enterprise, and Think Of Life.

A promising debut album, but nothing groundbreaking either (and therefore not essential), their first two albums are a sure hit with the hippy-jam rock crossed over with great prog overtones

Review by Chris S
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Gravy train are the forgotten Progressive rock artists of the 70's. Their debut album is incredible. Yes a kind of mixture between Jethro Tull and Traffic but with their own unique style. Norman Barrett is the driving force called Gravy Train and certain track like ' The New One' ' Dedication to Syd' and ' Earl of Pocket Nook' are underrated to say the least. Barrett also has a distinctive vocal style quite unlike anyone else I have heard before. This album is highly recommended to anyone who has not heard Gravy Train before and serves as the correct introduction to the band. If you like this then you will also like their next three releases.
Review by loserboy
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Oft overlooked prog beauty debut album from Manchester's GRAVY TRAIN. Like their classic 2nd and 3rd albums ("Ballad Of A Peaceful Man" and "Staircase To The Day" and) this debut album teeters on the fantastic fret work of Norman Barratt. Fans of JETHRO TULL will love this album as it is completely saturated with the heavy storming flute playing of J.D. Hughes. Overall this album is a ton more Psychedelic in character than their later albums but that is exactly what gives this one all its charm. GRAVY TRAIN's debut album is really a clash of both blues and prog rock making this a wonderfully original album to sort your way thru. Barratt's vocals are deep and gruff but fitting to the mood of the music which never really sits still. A superb album.
Review by Cesar Inca
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars With a blues-rock basis and a hard rocking sound that related them to other great British proto-prog bands such as Beggar's Opera and Warhorse, Gravy Train allowed themselves to be prog via the introduction of complex structures and arrangements for their compositional ideas: a big influence is Jethro Tull as it was during the latest 60s, a mandatory mention indeed, but there is also the influence of Traffic, both of them recycled with a slightly harder edge despite the featured role that J. D. Hughes' sensational flute inputs. That's what you can expect from their 1970's eponymous debut album. While the blues thing still bears an obvious presence (check out 'Coast Road' and the sung parts of 'The New One'), the band shows that they can create very good progressive music in pieces such as 'The New One', 'Dedication to Sid', 'Enterprise' (which is, by the way, my personal fav) and the robust 16 minute long closer. 'Dedication to Sid' provides a certain aura of psychedelic fun amidst the exhibition of rocking power and prog-fashioned complexity. 'Enterprise' is the gem of the album, alternating carefully composed passages and aggressive jamming in a solid manner: Hughes manages perfectly well to keep his flute interventions from getting drowned by the storming guitar in the middle section. The long closing track can be described as a recapitulation of all three musical sources that Gravy Train has been handling throughout the preceding repertoire: blues-rock, psychedelic hard rock and prog. The odd time signatures and crafty tempo shifts that take place here and there are firmly sustained by drummer Barry Davenport, who uses his jazz-friendly sensibilities for good effect. Being as it is the most recurrent wind instrument in the group's sound, Hughes does not limit himself to it, but he also plays some damn good saxophones (alto and tenor): every time it appears, the sax turns out to be an adequate complement to Norman Barrett's guitar riffs and leads, especially on the bluesier side of GT's music. Track 5, titled 'Think of Life', is the most lively and least demanding piece in the repertoire, something more focused on typical early 70s hard rock with a psychedelic touch. While not a master opus, Gravy Train's eponymous album proves a more than worthy item for any good prog collection. This work shouldn't be as overlooked as it usually is, but again, we can rely on that any genuinely devoted prog collector will be able to appreciate "Gravy Train" as it deserves.
Review by Trotsky
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Gravy Train's self-titled debut is a compelling slab of late 60s progressive blues-rock. Defined mainly by the fabulous flute of J.D. Hughes and the theatrical vocals of Norman Barrett, this record will remind you of early Jethro Tull (that first incarnation in which Anderson and Abrahams tussled for control of the band). Whether one deems it an essential part of the prog adventure will indeed depend on whether one has just a passing interest in, or is thoroughly fascinated by, the raw experiments in music making that foreshadowed prog rock's golden age.

After taking a moment or two to get into stride, The New One explodes into an eerie jazz-inflected extravaganza, "Tell me where you're going" screams Barrett, and believe me, you'll want to know. Dedication To Syd may conatain a Pink Floyd reference in its title, but while it takes a few journeys from flute-driven blues-rock to Traffic-style psychedelia, none of it is particularly Floydian, least of all Barrett's vocals which sound like an audition for a part in Jesus Christ Superstar!

The leaden blues of Coast Road is the weakest track here, and even some nice fuzz guitar colouring doesn't make up for the lack of ideas. Thankfully, the fun resumes with the psychedelic swirls of Enterprise, which suddenly becomes a real dark stomping track. Think Of Life too starts off with a riff of monstrous power and allure, but loses its way just a tad as the song stretches out. Ultimately though, the album's "prog-quotient" probably hinges on the closer Earl Of Pocket Nook which runs for over 16 minutes. It's an exciting, oft-ramshackle hard rocking stew, in which Barrett's guitar and Hughes' sax (he occassionally plays simultaneous alto and tenor!) take turns to lead the parade, but despite the shifting moods, the end result is often "just" improvised blues-rock and as such, is unlikely to be everyone's cup of tea.

Indeed, to many this record will bear the dated feel of the late 60s progressive blues scene but therein lies its allure as far as yours truly is concerned. It's certainly not the most crucial stop one can make ... Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, The Nice, East Of Eden and Colosseum all made more exciting proto-prog records, but this isn't bad at all. ... 62% on the MPV scale

Review by stefro
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars Pretty straight-forward guitar-and-flute orientated prog-rock that doesn't sound unlike Jethro Tull and features some seriously shredded vocals from the groups founder, leader, guitarist and main singer Norman Barrett. To cut a long story short, Gravy Train were a Lancashire rock group who released their eponymous debut in 1970. It failed to make a significant impact on the charts, but did give the group enough space to record three more studio albums that covered the same musical ground as this energetic-yet-hardly original slice of rocky prog. A lot of Gravy Train's appeal depends on whether you can dig Barrett's screeching vocals, and for those that can there are some small rewards to be had, especially in the album's lengthy closing number 'Earl Of Pocket Nook' and in the impressive flute-playing of J.D. hughes on the mid-tempo rocker 'Coast Road'. However, when compared to the prog era's big beasts like Genesis, Yes or Pink Floyd, Gravy Train seem very tame. Enjoyable, but hardly essential. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010
Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars GRAVY TRAIN came out of Manchester, England and this is their debut from 1970.They are very much a guitar / flute driven jam band with pretty good vocals. One song is straight-up Blues but the rest are of the psych / jam style. Not a fan of the album cover at all.

"The New One" is my favourite. It kicks in with a beat along with guitar and flute rather quickly. A calm with flute before 1 1/2 minutes then the drums arrive as it kicks back in. Some choral effects then vocals 2 1/2 minutes in. Catchy stuff.The flute replaces the vocals around 4 minutes. "Dedicated To Sid" and i'm thinking it's not Barrett either. A flute / drum intro before it changes and picks up around a minute with vocals.There are some vocal effects here that make him sound like one of the chipmunks. Not a fan at all. Flute and guitar 3 minutes in when the vocals stop. A silent calm 4 1/2 minutes in then it slowly comes back to life. A beat builds late as the flute joins in to end it.

"Coast Road" is the Blues track and it's a lot of fun.Vocals after 4 minutes as it settles. It picks back up to the end when the vocals stop. "Enterprise" is led by the flute and drums early on.Vocals around a minute as the sound changes.The tempo picks up when the vocals stop. It turns heavier with vocals later. "Think Of Life" turns heavy quickly with flute.Vocals before a minute as the heavy guitar continues.The tempo picks up as it lightens some. "Earl Of Pocket Nook" is simply a 16 minute jam and I like it.The tempo shifts occassionaly and the vocals come and go. Some nice bass after 14 minutes as well.

I have to agree with Hugues on the 3.5 stars. I do like this but it's not without it's faults and limitations. Good album though.

Latest members reviews

4 stars MAKE THAT 4.5 STARS, I only recently found out about Gravy Train but have been quite impressed. This debut is a masterpiece. From the opening strains, it is a cavalcade of catchy riffs, blues and rich instrumentation. 'The New One' features ample flute and several sections: never a dull moment. ... (read more)

Report this review (#1938792) | Posted by steamhammeralltheway | Wednesday, June 13, 2018 | Review Permanlink

2 stars Not a goldmine. In the seventies Gravy Train are one of the bands of the British underground scene. This album, their debut and one of the pieces of Vertigo catalog, is in my opinion an average record and nothing more. There is nothing particularly innovative in this album and sounds are ... (read more)

Report this review (#770015) | Posted by Dark Nazgul | Wednesday, June 13, 2012 | Review Permanlink

4 stars The first work released in 1971 "Gravy Train". There are a lot of unique sounds, and the content greatly stepped forward from the bluse rock. Music is rich in variety, and the performance is high the density. Fine work of art rock. Excellent addition to any prog music collection. Four stars. ... (read more)

Report this review (#61710) | Posted by braindamage | Sunday, December 25, 2005 | Review Permanlink

Post a review of GRAVY TRAIN "Gravy Train"

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.