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Thread: Big Big Train - Common Ground album and tour

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    Big Big Train - Common Ground album and tour

    I hadn't seen this mentioned here yet. The first track from their July 2021 release. Also the first, I believe, with the revised lineup.

    David Longdon says this of the new song: "This is unashamedly a love song. It is about finding things that we share and have in common with other people. When my partner and I first came together as a couple, we lived not far from Avebury, a very Big Big Train kind of place. The chalk hills and standing stones were part of the imagery of our Folklore album, and once again I was writing what was literally happening in the location that we found ourselves in. I remember seeing my white chalk dust footprints upon the black of the car mats after we'd been walking around Avebury. I'm pleased that we both get to have this time with each other and Common Ground is about finding out the things that we have in common with each other and deciding what we want to do in life together."



    I also saw this exciting posting on their Facebook page:
    The band will also be on tour across North America in 2022. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    I missed that about US dates in 2022 - yes!!

    I have the album pre-ordered from the band’s US distributor.

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    I found this song and video perfect to play for my wife of 50 years on Mother's Day.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rdclark View Post
    I found this song and video perfect to play for my wife of 50 years on Mother's Day.
    Wow, congratulations to you both ... 50 years is certainly something to celebrate
    "Confusion Will Be My Epitaph"

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    Well, we do have matching "Tour That Never Was" t-shirts. Common ground, right?

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    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roth View Post
    I hadn't seen this mentioned here yet. The first track from their July 2021 release. Also the first, I believe, with the revised lineup.
    Not bad. Very much in the Longdon-BBT vein, more rock-and-rolly but still has the atmospheric majesty of older BBT. I keep forgetting NDV is still in the band! Still miss Dave Gregory though.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ThomasKDye View Post
    Not bad. Very much in the Longdon-BBT vein, more rock-and-rolly but still has the atmospheric majesty of older BBT. I keep forgetting NDV is still in the band! Still miss Dave Gregory though.
    To be fair, this track is only our first official opportunity to miss Dave Gregory. Until now, we missed him only in theory. And also to be fair, Rikard seems to be all the guitar player this track needs.
    "I have not yet begun to procrastinate."

  8. #8
    Album art, title, video, and song all quite a bit too cheesy and overly sentimental for me. Hoping a lot least a few tracks stray from that.

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    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    I think the album art, title, video and song are excellent! I particularly like how inclusive the video is. Looking forward to a North American tour!!!
    What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Le Master View Post
    Album art, title, video, and song all quite a bit too cheesy and overly sentimental for me. Hoping a lot least a few tracks stray from that.
    This ^

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    I like the song. Very organic, Rikard's stamp is all over the keyboards and guitars. It's obviously written by David and his songs are always more emotional and sentimental, though I find nothing wrong with that. It's likely that Greg's songs will compensate for that on the album.

    I remember being somewhat uncomfortable with the first taster from Grand Tour, Alive, which I felt had a slightly glossy production with strong nods to the 1980s. I'm finding none of that here.

    As for the artwork, I'm not overwhelmed and had the same reaction to the Grand Tour cover. In fact I like the black cover for the Common Ground single more than the image chosen for the album.
    There was a time when the band changed their cover artist every 2 or 3 albums. Sarah Ewing's art was great for the Folklore/Grimspound/Second Brightest Star cycle. They should have changed after that. No chance of that happening now that she and David are a couple.

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    Like the song, not keen on the video which, yes is a bit cheesey, agree with the sentiment though. I expect I'll be getting this.

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  13. #13
    This band is still on auto-buy for me, although I haven't been really excited about their material in a while. Their dedication to fine music, their level of musicianship and their good spirit always draw me back to them.
    Regarding the new song, I agree with the comments about the sentimentality, although I'm sure it will be balanced with other aspects of the band's music in the context of the album. After all, it is this sentimentality that has helped me to play BBT songs to my wife and daughter and has thus made "progginess" more acceptable in the family.
    I'm not sure this artwork or the Grand Tour one fit their music perfectly, but it's their choice and it's no big deal.

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    Member yesman1955's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LeFrog View Post
    I like the song. Very organic, Rikard's stamp is all over the keyboards and guitars. It's obviously written by David and his songs are always more emotional and sentimental, though I find nothing wrong with that. It's likely that Greg's songs will compensate for that on the album.

    I remember being somewhat uncomfortable with the first taster from Grand Tour, Alive, which I felt had a slightly glossy production with strong nods to the 1980s. I'm finding none of that here.

    As for the artwork, I'm not overwhelmed and had the same reaction to the Grand Tour cover. In fact I like the black cover for the Common Ground single more than the image chosen for the album.
    There was a time when the band changed their cover artist every 2 or 3 albums. Sarah Ewing's art was great for the Folklore/Grimspound/Second Brightest Star cycle. They should have changed after that. No chance of that happening now that she and David are a couple.
    Uh oh, do I detect a Steve Hackett/Kim Poor dynamic here? 😉

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    Quote Originally Posted by yesman1955 View Post
    Uh oh, do I detect a Steve Hackett/Kim Poor dynamic here? ��
    I hadn't seen the parallel! I sure don't wish for things to end the same way for them!
    Last edited by LeFrog; 05-11-2021 at 02:18 AM.

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    Not sold on the song. My feelings towards BBT have definitely changed with DG no longer in the band...

    I will obviously buy it and will probably eat my words but I am skeptical about this one.

    (I sure hope they prove me wrong!!!)
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    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    I kinda keep hoping to like these guys, mainly because I love Logdon's voice, but then they put out stuff like this...Um, no thanks.

    I will see them if they tour the USA though.

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    New instrumental track Apollo


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    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve983 View Post
    New instrumental track Apollo

    I heard this one yesterday. Here there be PROG!
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

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    May have been better suited as a sequence within a larger song, but it's solid.

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    I wish it had an ending, rather than a fade-out. And it will need one for performances, anyway.

    I also wish the structure were less four-square and more fluid. That's a drummer for ya.

    Majestic and glorious, nonetheless.
    "I have not yet begun to procrastinate."

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    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    I like the instrumental track, despite it not using the band's best asset imo. Big improvement over the over-produced, candy-floss Prog that has characterized some of the recent stuff that has showed up here to preview.

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    In the last year, this band went from no interest to auto buy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Czar View Post
    In the last year, this band went from no interest to auto buy.
    Me too, I had ignored them as yet another Genesis sound alike band for a long time but when listening to The Grand Tour the penny suddenly dropped for me and now I have their last 3 albums which I like a lot. I reserve the right to get bored though...we'll see.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve983 View Post
    New instrumental track Apollo

    Now we're talking!!! Much, much better.
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