WELCOME TO THE PLANET

Like many here, Dave Longdon's sudden and unexpected departure from his corporeal body has left me stunned. I was not expecting an album from them again--especially not so soon as this--but am quite pleased by it. There is a very different side of the Train on display here--one that I wish we might have seen/heard more of over the past 14 years and, should Greg and Nick continue, I hope to hear more of in the future. As it stands, this is a wonderful tribute to Dave Longdon's skills--showing a range that we'd not seen as much of since he joined back in 2009 for The Underfall Yard. Well worth the investment even if it's not all ground-breaking on-the leading-edge progressive rock.

- Part One: 1. "Made from Sunshine" (4:04) a totally straightforward lite-rock ballad with Dave on lead vocals and Carol Lindley. Nothing very special here (though the lyrics about a newborn child are touching.) (7.75/10)

2. "The Connection Plan" (3:55) part Jem Godfrey's FROST* part old Jeff Lynne's ELO, this music is smart, concise, and snappy, if not very original. Nice lyrics and professional construction but very poppy. (8.25/10)

3. "Lanterna" (6:29) opens with a sensitivity and style that reminds me of the great songwriting bands of the 60s like The Mamas & The Papas or The BeeGees. GREAT vocal harmonies. At the end of the second minute the song jumps into full rock/prog rock regalia with a great construct, great palette (totally BBT) with great pacing and power and some awesome "classical" piano on display. Just great music. Nice polished lead guitar solo in the solo spot which is interestingly followed by an odd space-ambient outro. Disappointing finish but still my first top three song. (9/10)

4. "Capitoline Venus" (2:27) gently picked acoustic 12-string guitar with Mellotron accompany an impassioned Dave Longdon. Whenever this guy sings about walking in nature with his one true love I just melt. As much as I appreciate all the English history lessons BBT have given us, I believe their emotionality is best channeled through love songs like this--especially with Dave in the lead. My sentimental favorite and a top three song. (5/5)

5. "A Room with No Ceiling" (4:52) An awesome and refreshing opening with some cool, almost jazzy guitar play over some pseudo jazz support from Fender Rhodes, chunky bass, and Nick D'Virgilio's virtuosic (as always) drum play. Organ and accordion dominate the militaristically paced third minute. We're on the Continent! Cool experiment by the band that really works. At 3:30 we move back into the jazzier motif of the opening with bass and Fender Rhodes playing over a quieter rhythm section. The song then fades away with solo accordion playing a plaintive (familiar French?) melody. Definitely a top three song for me--a style I wish the Train would use more. (9.25/10)

- Part Two: 6. "Proper Jack Froster" (6:38) opens with a smooth folk rock feel and sound similar to The Byrds, Fotheringay, The Strawbs, or The Woods Band. It then turns pop-rockier like a Supertramp song or even Genesis' "A Trick of the Tail" with the rhythm section's addition. Eventually enters a more stylistic area of classic folk rock songs that might have reached Top of the Pops heights--especially with the presence of Carly Bryant's sultry vocal in the background and, in the middle, the lead. Excellent pop guitar solo in the second half--equivalent, to my mind, to a Skunk Baxter "Reelin' in the Years" ear-popper. Could be a top three song, but there are others! (9/10)

7. "Bats in the Belfry" (4:54) with Greg's straightforward one-riff bass line, this one has a little cheesy "B-side" feel to it despite Nick's excellent drumming. The horns and "horns" give it a bit of a Chicago/Herb Alpert feel until those Dick Dale guitar lines and organ center. Weird. Then it tries to get soundtrack VANGELISy. Weirder! Must be a Nick composition cuz it sure does showcase him. (8.25/10)

8. "Oak and Stone" (7:12) Pure Longdon-era BBT opening with piano, solo voce Longdon, and excellent banked vocal harmonies. Brushed drum kit give it an old jazz lounge crooner's feel (which is not how I've ever thought of Dave's voice; a crooner he is not.) At 3:15 Greg's upright bass, Rikard's tinkling of the ivory, and Clare Lindley's violin take us into a new section (still jazz loungey) This one just feels like a Dave Longdon swan song just as the final song on 2021's Common Ground, "End Notes" did. Beautiful composition and production if not necessarily BBT's typical style. (13.5/15)

9. "Welcome to the Planet" (6:41) More jazzy horn arrangements open this footlights/stage-ready song--more like an Andrew Lloyd-Weber outtake with the sophisticated vocal arrangements and back-and-forth between Carly Bryant, Dave, the Greek Chorus, and the quiet, spacey and spacious instruments. Quite lovely in an ENID/ELOY/PINK FLOYD way. Carly even goes Clare Torry on us in fifth and sixth minutes--even through the spurt of celebratory New Orleans jazz funeral/wake music that precedes Clare's final lyric. (9/10)

Total Time 47:12

I don't think I've ever heard a BBT album with so much exposure of historical roots, influences, and/or homages; that is, very little here sounds "classic Big Big Train"; a lot of sounds imitative and/or honoring old 1960s/1970s musical styles and palettes. It's interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable and usually works very well--which, in my opinion, is a testimony to the maturity and skill of this wonderful collection of musicians. So, I'm on board: Welcome to the Planet! Long live Big Big Train!

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of crossover progressive rock music. Take away the first two songs and you'd have a masterpiece.