BIG BIG TRAIN

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!!

Based on its precursor, my hopes were high for this album. It starts strong with "East Coat Racer" and then "Swan Hunter" but looses steam (pun intended) afterward. Although being fine, this album is not as strong as English Electric Part 1 except for the two first songs. It feels more like leftovers from its wonderful predecessor. The same ingredients are used but the recipe is not as tasty... or maybe it's just because it's too similar to its first part? To me, the next best moment of the album is the sixth song "The Permanent Way" and it is mainly a mix of different parts of the first album. It tells a lot. In conclusion, it's still an enjoyable album, but it's no masterpiece in my mind...

(A month later) I've waited another month before publishing this review, hoping that this was a late-bloomer and that something would click in the meantime but no. I first thought of giving it 4 stars but I even drop my rating to 3 stars, a good album, that's all it is. Force is to admit that I have enjoyed this album much less than others BBT albums.

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)

I was very disappointed with that one. It was celebrated everywhere, but when I played it, nothing happened. In my brain, in my belly, in my heart - nothing. Just the music playing loudly, no signal relating to me in any way.

I listened again. I wanted to understand. I like the band otherwise. Still, nothing.

I think this is because the whole album is so predictable. It is exactly what I expected it to be. To me, there is no difference to Part 1 or the other albums before. It just follows where they stopped. This is not enough to be a good record, and not at all enough to be progressive anyway.

So I just hope for their next effort.

The first track (Rebreather) will remind you of 'Dancing with the moonlit knight', such is its quality.

Then there's track 7 (A boy in darkness), which, ordinarily, would be a fine, fine album finale. In fact though, it's followed by the exceptional 'Hedgerow' which has a chorus that'll grab you well after you've finished listening to it.

These three tracks alone make this one of the most enjoyable modern prog albums out there.

After a short while, the 'retro' aspect actually diminishes, and so the album stands alone, with its own style of Prog.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and the songwriting, and I can certainly see why everyone likes it.

Big Big Train is back at it again, this time with the second part of their English Electric series. Being a massive fan of the first, I had high expectations coming into this one. After a myriad of careful listens I've come to the conclusion that this is almost, if not AS good as its predecessor. Understandably it should be, as they were written at the same time. But it is this fact that truly amazes me; that they were able create so much great material in such a short time. It would also be true that this album doesn't deviate much from its predecessor in terms of style and sound, with strong vocals, a unique guitar tone, and great use of brass, and a number of other instruments for that matter, all of which play some energy-filled, yet beautiful melodies.

The opening track 'East Coast Racer' is probably the highlight of the album, and perhaps of their whole career. It flawlessly combines their more energetic side with pure beauty. The first half is an example of the fun, energetic band, which is filled with edgy guitar, fast-paced and dynamic drumming, and solid bass lines. But amidst all the chaos, they still meticulously craft some appealing melodies. The second half then, of course, showcases the more serene, atmospheric side of the band, with floating brass work for a dramatic conclusion, which ends with the wonderful reprise of the last part of 'Summoned By Bells,' a highlight of their previous album.

The following song, 'Swan Hunter' is also beautiful in its own right. The instrumentation along with Longdon's vocals gives it a rather nostalgic feeling, something that is well represented in most of Big Big Train's work. The ending few minutes is another gorgeous brass extravaganza that they so flawlessly seem to execute.

'Worked Out' is a fun song with some very catchy vocal lines and even stronger instrumental work. Diverse in its structure and instrument use, this is just a classic BBT track.

'Leopards' is a rather short song clocking in at just under four minutes. I love the fun nature of it, especially contrasted against the more dramatic strings work. Above all, the vocals are catchy as anything. Maybe it's not a full on prog tune, but it's a very enjoyable listen.

'Keeper of the Abby's' is yet another classic Big Big Train sounding tune. At this point, to avoid sounding like a broken record, I will just say everything I've already said also pertains to this one as well. The highlight for me is the upbeat and energetic middle section.

'The Permanent Way' showcases some great piano work that was slightly less represented in the previous album. The piano work, along with the reprises of 'Hedgerow,' and 'The First Rebreather' from EE1 give this a conclusive feel, though that is probably best fit for the final song.

'Curator of Butterflies' is the true closing song, and an appropriate one at that. Dramatic in its nature, this one has some very warm, beautiful, and appealing melodies, especially in the vocals and later guitar. The strings and piano also lay down a solid dramatic atmosphere, all of which culminate into an adventurous conclusion to a phenomenal album.

It should be evident from what I've said that this is truly a strong album from beginning to end. Beautiful, nostalgic, melancholic, energy-filled; Regardless of what superlative you want to tag the album with, it, along with its predecessor, should be in the conversation of the best albums of the modern prog era.

10/10

Now I boarded the big big train.

Last year the album English Electric (Part One) already attracted my attention. But while Part One is very much oriented to the Genesis sound, Part Two emancipates from it. Don't get me wrong, I like Genesis very much, but while the songs of Part One sound like weak copies of Genesis inspired songs, I find the compositions more enthralling in Part Two.

The new album contains more lush piano sounds, more brass instruments, which give the songs an orchestral feel, more flute sounds, more violin solos, more playful intertwinings of all instruments in general. Already the 16-minute opener 'East Coast Racer' starts very powerful and immediately grips my attention. The singer sounds a bit like a mixture of Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, but sometimes the vocals rise at heights with an emotional depth I would have not expected, for example in the end of 'Swan Hunter' or also in 'Leopards', which is a beautiful ballad in 3/4. The vocal chorus of 'Keeper of Abbeys' sometimes reminds of choruses of Part One, but the song ends in furious violin and guitar solos. Another beautiful guitar solo closes the album.

An album that was worth to listen to. Already now I dare to say that it might be one of the highlights of 2013.

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.

Being a huge fan of EE part 1, I had high expectations when I purchased this album. This album just blew me away though. No offense to Steven Wilson, but this here is the album of the year. When I was trying to figure out what made this album so much better than part 1, it dawned on me that part 1 was an amazing collection of songs, it was missing something. That thing is cohesiveness. The thing that can take an amazing collection of songs and turn them into one big album greater than the sum of its parts. Part 2 has the cohesiveness that part 1 lacks. It just flows better and nothing felt out of place. With that said, It's hard to imagine that a year ago, I didn't know this band existed and now they're one of my favorites. While they'll probably never top this, I hope that BBT continues to put out excellent music in the future.

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.