ENGLISH ELECTRIC (PART ONE)

OK, well this is a well produced album with some good music on it. Unfortunately, and as others have mentioned, all I thought about was early Genesis, brought up to date in terms of production values anyway. Even the conceit is based on that pastoral idea of lost England, using the old railway engine as the vehicle for mourning an England that never was, at least not in this universe. Thinking about it and remembering previous albums, they seem pretty hung up on actual old trains in general, so not just metaphor.

Non controversial and inoffensive to everyone, suitably euphemistic and perhaps a bit wistful of yesterday. It's all very tired and ripped off stuff, packaged up well and with some sound playing and production and some catchy songs, specially the First Rebreather and Uncle Jack, but still that feeling of one step beyond a glorified tribute band never leaves you. As far as it's possible to be a little insulted at the level of plagiarism going on, I was a little insulted. I'm OK now though.

That said, BBT do seem to be at least trying to break away from the early Genesis oeuvre and they deserve a listen, because they're tight and interesting and have a great deal of potential. They are nowhere near as bad as the truly awful, awful, dreadful Freedom To Glide, who practically are a Pink Floyd/ Roger Waters tribute band, without any of the skill and talent of BBT or PF/RW and none of the charm.

This is the sort of stuff appreciated by middle aged solicitors and accountants and the grey, mirthless faces of the damned that haunt the Classic Rock Society do's, (among others) who yearn for a repeat of the music they liked in their youth, because it brings back nostalgic memories and that feeling of inclusion and entitlement to sneer, politely, at different music and those who just aren't bright and cool and underground enough to "get it". Oh god, is that me?

Anyway, if it were original and not so obviously plagiarised it would be outstanding, instead of just OK.