BARD

There is no doubt that by the time of their third studio album ('From The River To The Sea' was basically a collection of demos), Big Big Train were suffering some issues. They had been dropped by their record label, had not been gigging much (I remember seeing them support Jadis and IQ back then), lead singer Martin Read was moving away from the band and Steve Hughes had already gone. In many ways Andy and Greg thought this could well be the last album, and it was not critically well-received, yet I always enjoyed it and felt it deserved more praise (and in my original review said, "they are another act that has suffered through the downturn in the prog scene, but hopefully this album will do well enough to make them reconsider their position. This is an album full of depth and balance, well-produced and full of melody and soul that makes it an enjoyable jaunt. Nice one lads - you owe it to yourselves to keep it going."). They did, and have since become a very different band indeed, but for various reasons this album has been unavailable for years, but now it has been remixed by Rob Aubrey and reissued with the additional tracks "Headlands", a song recorded during the original sessions but unavailable until now, and a live version of "The Last English King" which was recorded during the band's tour in autumn 2024.

The band had been through quite a personnel shift since 'English Boy Wonders' five years earlier, and BBT were now just the two main members Greg Spawton (guitar/keyboards) and Andy Poole (bass, production). Martin Read's vocals were always something of a weak point for the band but here he was sounding at his best and as he was no longer as involved, he only features on a few tracks with the guys using Tony Müller (who originally joined the band as keyboard player) and female singer Jo Michaels to provide leads. Add to that a more fluid dynamic style and the result is an album that while staying within the realms of their musical past is a giant leap forward. The production is top notch, and the overall effect is of a band at the top of all of their powers, instead of one that according to their website was seriously considering packing it in.

I know Greg has never been a huge fan of this release, but I am glad he has decided to make it available again, as I have always enjoyed it and it will be good for newer fans to hear what they were doing more than 20 years ago. It definitely shows the direction they were going to be moving into, and in many ways is closer to material they are now playing all these years later than what had become before. This album has been overlooked, but it is nice to hear 'Bard' yet again, while the live version of "The Last English King" is a wonderful bridge between then and now, dramatic and lush.

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