BARD

"Bard" is the fifth full-length studo album by UK progressive rock act Big Big Train. The album was released through Treefrog Records in 2002. It´s the successor to "English Boy Wonders" from 1997. At this point Big Big Train were more or less inactive and the material featured on "Bard" were recorded over a long period from September 2000 to December 2001. The last incarnation of Big Big Train had spread in all directions, and lead vocalist Martin Read therefore only sings on some tracks on the album. Keyboard player Tony Müller instead sings the remaining lead vocals on the album. According to the band´s website Big Big Train were at this point a hobby project and it was expected that "Bard" would be a swansong. The album was not widely distributed and the only CD pressing of the album was limited to 1.000 copies and as of now (November 2023) it has not seen a reissue.

Stylistically it´s a slightly more stripped down and less professionally recorded release compared to the two direct predecessors, but it´s not a demo quality recording by any means. It´s mostly the drums which sound a little thin. The songwriting is pretty much on par with the last couple of releases, so it´s not a giant leap forward but at the same time it´s not a giant dip in quality either. It´s another decent quality progressive rock release from Big Big Train, who fans of melodic late 70s/early 80s progressive rock/neo-progressive rock with melancholic atmospheres could find interesting. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.