I like 'em a lot. However, they do seem to put out a lot of music that is beginning to all blend together. Not a whole lot of variation from one album to another.
Second the love for Tin Spirits. They seem to be more of a project band that goes to work sporadically when all the member's stars align. Are they doing anything new?
Yeah, on first impression after one listen Grimspound is a little less good than Folklore, and I may have heard enough of Longdon's voice. His voice is very good but I agree the songs do kind of blend together now.
Where is everybody hearing the record in it's entirety?Originally Posted by JKL2000
I thought it's not out until Friday?
Some people got advance copies, but it's also around on the internet. I'll at least buy the download but probably the CD since I have all the others.
This is one I'm waiting for the first listen to be 24/96 on Friday from bandcamp.
No screwing around with this record!
"Half measures avail us none!" - Bill Wilson
Seems in the past I would receive their cds before release date as I always preordered, but still don't have my copy this time. The one thing I know, the video they have up for it had me in tears, sounded among the finest songs they've ever done, but then it is clearly Greg Spawton composition. I find his songs very emotional and moving and light years better than David Longdon's songs, although David Longdon has one of the finest voices I've heard, and I love his acoustic instrumentation he brings to the band. 'Folklore' almost seemed a divided album to me, where all of Greg's songs were phenomenal, and David's four tracks, though pretty good, were of much lesser quality. Of course that's just me, and what I relate to.
If you can, what are David's tracks on Folklore?
I think DL's tracks are Folklore, Wassail, Winkie and Telling The Bees.
I also find Greg's tracks to be the strongest. Tracks like Along the Ridgeway, London Plane and Brooklands are amongst the best in the band's entire back catalogue.
Does anyone know which tracks Greg/David wrote on Grimspound?
If those are DL's tracks, IMO they're all pretty strong. They also provide some SLIGHTLY rockier moments, although I don't want to overstate that. And Telling the Bees isn't rocky, but a pretty sweet song I think. The boy meets girl part of the lyrics is a little hokey, but I really like the idea of "telling the bees," and in fact had heard of that beekeeping "tradition" not long before the album came out.
I get the idea of Winkie, but I don't really understand the context (is it WWI?) or understand the name Winkie. I'm thinking it's slang for someone who operates those signal lamps used by the military or something.
I think the combination of and contrast between the two writing styles serve them well. I agree generally in preferring Greg Spawton over David Longdon's songs, though I love, for example, "Judas Unrepetant", which is Longdon's.
My understanding is that Rachel Hall, Rickard Sjoblom, and Danny Manners all contributed to the writing on this new one, so I'm curious what impact that will have.
Yeah, Judas Unrepentant is great!
Winkie is the name of bird who played a heroic role in WWII. You can read about the story here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winkie_%28pigeon%29
Longdon and Spawton both have blogspots where they write about the backgrounds of many of their songs.
http://soundemporium.blogspot.com/
http://bigbigtrain.blogspot.com/
Agreed. DL does have some good stuff. 'Uncle Jack' is probably my favorite of his, but Greg's are another level entirely for me. The three you mentioned, along with many from English Electric (he wrote all of Underfall Yard too, I believe) I relate to very deeply for whatever reason.
Really? That should be interesting. Rickard is a great writer in his own right but differs from the style of BBT so... should be interesting!
Thanks! That pigeon was dynamite!
I sort of imagined they'd have blogs with background for the songs -- thanks for the links.
Came across this............
http://coventrygigs.blogspot.co.uk/2...big-train.html
I'm guessing the article wasn't published because it's 75% the history of Prog and only 25% BBT.
First listen to Grimspound.... two thumbs up..... some new feels and atmospheres.. yet unmistakably BBT... I too thought that the last couple seemed to be overly similar, but this seems to be on a different track...
"Angels die, redemption rages
The age of man on an empty page
And chances are
This will save your soul or break it forever"
Yeah, the only minor quibble I had with Folklore was that it was awfully tempting when listening to it to say things like "Brooklands is basically this album's East Coast Racer", and I'm not feeling that with the new one so far.
I'm enjoying what I'm hearing on the new one quite a bit, though my initial thought was that it seems a bit weirdly sequenced, with three rockier songs up front, followed by three folkier songs, then the big prog epic, and with "As the Crow Flies" as a kind of odd choice for a closer.
Love the guest appearance by Judy Dyble!
I'm third time through and I'm coming to the conclusion that the first half of the album is close to a wash: each song has its moments in the instrumental sections, but there's just no real song there, and I'm getting sick of the 'soaring' chord sequences that they use (not to mention the crass chord that resolves 'Brave Captain').
Fortunately things do start to kick into gear with 'The Ivy Gate' and 'A Mead Hall in Winter' is actually very interesting: it's all over the place musically but very, very prog ... perhaps the proggiest song they've done since before The Underfall Yard. 'As The Crow Flies' is a very good final choice ... really nails the landing. But I'll be looking to contradict the impression that this is a decent half-hour album with forty minutes at the start that I'll be tempted to skip. Moreover, while Folklore had some of the same weaknesses, it had 'Brooklands' ...
BBT are my favourite latterday Prog band (I'm a passionate advocate for The Underfall Yard and English Electric) but I feel that they are pushing their luck by recording so many long albums in such a comparatively short period. Covering up weaker material with so many great instrumentalists only works for so long.
You mean "On the Racing Line" isn't this album's "East Coast Racer?"
Wow, I didn't even realize they'd Dybled me! She sure has a young sounding voice. If she's the lead voice on The Ivy Gate that is. Need to get a hold of the booklet!
Judy Dyble? Wow! I hope my copy is in my po box when I get home from work tonight.
Well this is a very interesting and nice album. All except the opener, 'Brave Captain', which I was terribly bored with by the end of the song. The same repetitive chords over and over, and they're not even interesting to begin with. A nice atmosphere at the intro and short outro though. But then the 2nd song, 'On The Racing Line' was fantastic. Great to have an instrumentaland all the rest I felt were good to great, with the title track being quite awesome, possibly my favorite. 'A Mead Hall in Winter' is interesting, and 'As The Crow Flies' is wonderful. I will probably find myself starting with track 2, though I'll give 'Brave Captain' a few more tries.
Favorite Big Big Train word: HEDGEROW
I don't know. "Leopards'" is still my favorite song on "English Electric." Okay, my favorite BBT song, period. Brevity sometimes says more than length.
"Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)
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