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░ ██ ██ Artist: Big Big Train ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Grimspound █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-11-11 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: English Electric Recordings / Giant ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Over the last few years Big Big Train have been █
█ making a real name for themselves in the prog █
█ world, but I have missed out on the last few █
█ albums, so haven't really been fully aware of what █
█ has been going on. To me they will always be █
█ special, the first band ever to send me something █
█ to review, and I still have that 1991 demo tape, █
█ 'From The River To The Sea', and I am looking at █
█ it now. My brain has real issues in understanding █
█ that this small independently recorded and █
█ released cassette is the same band who are now █
█ playing this incredibly complex and professional █
█ music that is coming out of my speakers. True, █
█ there have been one or two line-up changes over █
█ the years, and they have gone from a five-piece to █
█ an octet, but Andy Poole and Greg Spawton were █
█ there at the very beginning, and they are still █
█ there now (while then-drummer Steve Hughes has █
█ separately gone on to be a recording artist in his █
█ own right). █
█ It is interesting to note not only the people in █
█ the band, but the instruments being played, as it █
█ does give an insight into the complex and layered █
█ nature of the music. These days it is David █
█ Longdon (lead and backing vocals, flute, acoustic █
█ guitar, mandolin, percussion), Dave Gregory █
█ (guitars), Andy Poole (acoustic guitar, mandolin, █
█ keyboards, backing vocals), Rikard Sj÷blom █
█ (keyboards, guitars, accordion, backing vocals), █
█ Danny Manners (keyboards, double bass), Rachel █
█ Hall (violin, viola, cello, lead and backing █
█ vocals, string arrangements), Greg Spawton (bass, █
█ bass pedals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals) and █
█ Nick D'Virgilio (drums, percussion, lead and █
█ backing vocals). If that wasn't enough, they have █
█ the one and only Judy Dyble guesting on vocals on █
█ one number as well. █
█ I will never forget Greg making a beeline for me █
█ when he saw me in a pub in Winchester as he wanted █
█ to know what I thought about their new album, and █
█ I had to admit that I didn't like it as I felt █
█ they had moved too far away from their sound and █
█ it was nothing like I expected to hear from BBT (I █
█ later changed my mind after I had played it some █
█ more, honest). But, this is not a release that I █
█ would ever have expected to hear from the Dorset █
█ boys, as this is something of incredible depth and █
█ layers. I think one of the things that really █
█ makes this album work so much for me is that it is █
█ obvious that everyone involved is a master of █
█ their craft, but they are all incredibly █
█ restrained and working together to provide what is █
█ right for the music. I have been lucky to see Nick █
█ play live with Spock's Beard numerous times, and █
█ have many albums on which he has performed, but █
█ this must be the most laid-back I have ever heard █
█ him. In many ways, the lead instrument is that of █
█ Rachel, but it only works as it does due to the █
█ backdrop that is provided against it ? which can █
█ be a 'simple' acoustic guitar, or something far █
█ more powerful. █
█ Dave Longdon has a wonderful voice, and it his █
█ vocals, combined with the melodies and █
█ instrumentation that makes this a very special █
█ album indeed. According to ProgArchives they █
█ released the best live album of 2016, and I would █
█ have thought that the chances of this being the █
█ top 2017 studio album are very high indeed. I was █
█ one of the very first reviewers of their music, █
█ and back in December 1991 I said, "If you like █
█ Genesis (prog not pop), Galahad or Marillion, then █
█ this is the band for you". More than twenty- five █
█ years on, I am pleased to amend that, and just say █
█ that here is a band for lovers of all great music, █
█ whatever the genre. Superb. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ After losing my long review once again on this █
█ site I'll try again with a short one. I'm pretty █
█ big on the middle period of BIG BIG TRAIN's █
█ discography from the 2007 "The Difference █
█ Machine", 2009's "The Underfall Yard", 2010's "Far █
█ Skies Deep Time" and 2012's "English Electric(Part █
█ One)". I couldn't get into "Folklore" or this one, █
█ although I do feel this is a little better than █
█ "Folklore". █
█ Songs like "Experimental Gentlemen" and "The Ivy █
█ Gate" just don't do anything for me while the █
█ opener "Brave Captain" is my favourite. I'm not █
█ big on the strings here because they are so safe █
█ sounding but most of the album is safe sounding. I █
█ like the sections where they amp it up or do █
█ something adventerous, but there's way too few of █
█ those to make me consider anything more than 3 █
█ stars. █
█ Hopefully this works as I press "save" but it's █
█ getting to the point on here that I'm having █
█ difficulty caring one way or the other. BIG BIG █
█ TRAIN is such a talented band who play mature █
█ music with meaningful lyrics, but i'll stick to █
█ the ones I mentioned in the intro thanks. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Brave Captain 12:37 ░
░ 2. On the Racing Line 5:11 ░
░ 3. Experimental Gentlemen 10:01 ░
░ 4. Meadowland 3:36 ░
░ 5. Grimspound 6:55 ░
░ 6. The Ivy Gate 7:26 ░
░ 7. A Mead Hall in Winter 15:19 ░
░ 8. As the Crow Flies 6:43 ░
░ 67:48 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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