There are no passengers on this train!
English electric, part one --- Big Big Train --- 2012 (English Electric)
If I had to pick just one word to sum up and typify Big Big Train, and notwithstanding the title of this album, it would have to be English. Whether they're writing about the Battle of Britain, as in the album “Gathering speed”, or talking about the building of Winchester Cathedral and Isembard Kingdom Brunel, as in their last album, “The underfall yard”, their quintessential Englishness is something that shines through their music and defines them. Put quite simply, they could not come from any other country. Their music resonates with images of the Devon hills, Yorkshire moors and the general beauty and wonder of the English countryside, and echoes with the long and often troubled history of England, but usually takes on a more reflective view of it, with gentle pastoral scenes painted in brushstokes of guitar and keyboard, flute and strings, creating a panoramic vista that is, as the poem says, forever England.
I must admit, I don't know how well they're known in the US, but I would hazard that their very Englishness might work against them. It's a peculiarly insular mindset, and much of their lyrics might not be fully understood by those who don't come from England, or at least Britain. Or Ireland. Genesis, whom they are continually compared to, and with good reason, found it difficult to break America under Peter Gabriel, their first few albums totally ignored “across the water”, and it wasn't until their charismatic frontman left and Phil Collins began nudging the band in a more commercial and modern direction that the USA began to warm to them. This is I fear the path BBT are heading down, and though I wish them every success, in every territory, and want to see them known across the world, I would yet prefer they remain unknown in America if it means that they have to change or tailor their sound to the, shall we say, less forgiving market over there.
Because what BBT have right now, and have had for almost twenty years, is an identity all their own which is inextricably linked and merged with the English countryside, the English way of life, English history and English lore, and it informs and drives their music in an almost supernatural way, as if the band are conjuring up the pagan gods of ancient Britain to stand beside them and be their muse. Should that Englishness be diluted or marred in any way, we will be unlikely to again hear albums of this incredibly high calibre.
As soon as David Longdon starts singing, if you haven't heard him before you instantly do a doubletake and wonder if Peter Gabriel has joined the band? His voice is that close to the ex-Genesis frontman's it's actually scary. Add in his flute playing on the opener “The first rebreather” and you're almost instantly back in Genesis territory, circa “Selling England by the pound” and “Trespass”. But there's much, much more to Big Big Train than a Genesis clone: they manage to somehow imbue the somewhat retro-progressive sounds with a spark of modern flair, so that you in essence get the best of both worlds: 70s original prog and bang up-to-date modern prog for the twenty-first century.
There are only eight tracks on this album, but each one is a revelation in and of itself. The gentle acoustic guitar of Greg Spawton merges with the harder electric from Dave Gregory to produce something that is very much more than just the sum of its parts, and Andy Poole's at times gentle, at times cantering keyboards lay another stratum on the beautiful edifice BBT are slowly building here. It is however the use of strings and woodwinds that truly sets this apart from some of the more comparable albums of this year, even Marillion's recently-reviewed “Sounds that can't be made”, although I love that album.
Everything from recorders and piccolos to trumpets and trombones is utilised across this album, making it much more than just another progressive rock album, and “The first rebreather” --- though I have no idea what it's about --- is a fine starter, preparing you for the lavish main course yet to come. Odd, then, you might think, when the next track opens on a hillbilly/bluegrass banjo and turns out to be a folky/country style eclectic little song, but it shows the band so confident in their ability, and in their fanbase, that they're not afraid to take a chance, and have some fun while doing it. It works quite well, Nick D'Virgilio's steady but happy drumbeats driving the song along, though the main melody is taken by the somewhat incongruous banjo, with some more fine flute from Longdon, who puts in a great performance on the light, crisp and whimsical vocal.
Flute and soft guitar leads in the laidback “Winchester from St. Giles' Hill”, with some beautiful vocal harmonies but with the main focal point of the piece being Longdon's lazy, gentle, again totally Gabrielesque voice, with the midsection graced by some truly beautiful sparkling piano, almost classical and certainly again recalling Genesis at their seventies best from Andy Poole, a sublime guitar solo from Spawton and then closes with some gentle flute. Ramping up the tempo very much then is “Judas unrepentant”, with a running organ line from Poole, heavy, solid percussion from D'Virgilio, and again sorry for the Genesis comparisons, but this reminds of nothing more than “In the cage” from “The lamb lies down on Broadway”, with its urgent, hasty rhythm and the frenetic keyboard line. It's not in any way meant to be a criticism.
A beautiful instrumental section follows at the midpoint, where flute, clarinet, violin and other orchestral instruments mesh with the keys and guitar and percussion to form a gorgeous backdrop to the song, until David Longdon's vocal comes back in, powerful and triumphant, and Poole goes off on a mellotron solo for a short moment before being reined back in by the vocal as the melody slows down to a sort of swinging, waltzy rhythm, lots of organ as it heads towards its end, finishing indeed on a drumroll flourish from Nick worthy of the ending of “The musical box”. Changing tack completely again, “Summoned by bells” is a soft, gentle, pastoral opening with the melody mostly driven by repeating piano and soaring violin, with some great bass lines by Greg Spawton. It's in fact the longest song on the album, over nine minutes, but just beating out the closer by twenty seconds, and meanders like a babbling brook winding through the English hills under the summer sun, evoking all sorts of images of bright sunlit days.
It's Spawton's bass pattern in fact, backed by trumpet and trombone that informs the last part of the song, as it moves into its seventh minute for an almost slow-jazz instrumental, with slow, measured and calculated drumming from D'Virgilio helping it on its way to the close. A lovely lilting guitar melody then opens “Upton Heath”, with Longdon at his vocal best, soft yet powerful with accompanying mandolin lines adding to the folkish flavour of the song, and some fine backing vocals from, among others, Martin Orford, and a real celtic feel added by accordion, also played by Longdon. Lovely interplay between the various violins, cellos and violas too.
But savour that feeling of innocence, of happiness, of enjoying life, because the mood is about to turn decidedly dark, with a tale about the plight of young boys who were sent down the mines in nineteenth century England. “A boy in darkness” is driven on sad cello and violin, with pealing church bells in the distance, then D'Virgilio's drums hit in like hammerblows and along their punching rhythm runs the urgent, almost screaming keyboard of Andy Poole, dramatic and tense. The tension is delineated even more by the dropping back of everything to a quiet, almost reflective vocal and soft melody for the verses, while everything explodes in a burst of anger and frustration for the chorus.
Suddenly everything is let loose, as Poole and Gregory go on something of a musical rampage, joined by flutes, violins, and of course the hammering drums until it all calms back down in the fifth minute, the soft violins crying their way back into the melody, with Longdon now sounding to my ears more like current Marillion vocalist Steve Hogarth. A big organ and guitar collaboration close the song, fading away on ominous dark keyboard chords.
After the darkness, the light, as the album closes on the upbeat and cheerful “Hedgerow”, with its almost Byrds-like guitar and happy Beatles-style drumming. Quite psychedelic in its way, it's a whimsical song, standing very much in contrast and apposite to “A boy in darkness”, and though you can't forget the former it's the latter you'll be humming to yourself as you put the album away. A song of hopes and dreams, simple things and desires, a song of a less complicated world, it does sound like it belongs more in the sixties than here, but then that's Big Big Train for you: fusing the old with the new, taking influences from the past to create the music of the present, and the future.
Every review I've read of this album has praised it to heaven, and I concur, with good reason. It's a brilliant album, and deserves all the kudos it's received. It shows Big Big Train maturing as a band, accepting some of the slight criticisms levelled at them --- for instance, being “too English”, sounding like a Genesis rip-off --- and instead of brooding about them or trying to change them, incorporating them into their sound and their music, and forging their own identity. BBT stand proudly and say “Yeah, we're influenced by Genesis, what of it? Doesn't mean we
are Genesis, or would ever want to be!”
They know who they are, if they didn't before. They know where they're going, and if you like good progressive rock music that tips its hat unshamedly to the masters of the past, then you should hop along for the ride. Who knows where they're going next? Well, actually, we do: this is labelled as “part one”, and we're told part two will be released in March. It seems a long time, but I guess once we get past Christmas, that won't be all that long after all. I personally can't wait.
Big Big Train: long may they roll!
TRACKLISTING
1. The first rebreather
2. Uncle Jack
3. Winchester from St. Giles' Hill
4. Judas unrepentant
5. Summoned by bells
6. Upton Heath
7. A boy in darkness
8. Hedgerow