And the only way to get the PDF or whatever of the 96pp booklet is to buy the download of the EP? If you buy the EP on CD, you don't get to download the PDF?
And the only way to get the PDF or whatever of the 96pp booklet is to buy the download of the EP? If you buy the EP on CD, you don't get to download the PDF?
If you buy the EP from the band I suggest you get in touch with them directly about the PDF. Not totally sure but I think I have seen them providing assistance in that department to fellow Passengers (members of the BBT Facebook group).Originally Posted by JKL2000
Yep, I'm pretty sure Big Big Train will be helpful to anyone who has bought the EP and wants to read the EE Full Power book.
But I just went ahead and ordered both directly from the band. They deserve my support, I reckon. ;-)
Did you already have parts I and II?
Got my copy yesterday and gave it a spin. Meh. Toward the end I was wishing the vocalist would just shut up and go into some instrumental pieces. I'll try again today. Bought BBT in the past (4 albums) and it all pretty much sounds the same...thought all the buzz on here was because of something new.
The Ice Cream Lady Wet her drawers........To see you in the Passion Playyyy eeee - I. Anderson
"It's kind of like deciding not to date a beautiful blonde anymore because she farted." - Top Cat
I was expecting to be kinda meh, but it made my nips stiffen - Jerjo
(Zamran) "that fucking thing man . . . it sits there on my wall like a broken clock " - Helix
Social Media is the "Toilet" of the Internet - Lady Gaga
Not sure what you mean by "something new", as this thread is about new music released by the band.Got my copy yesterday and gave it a spin. Meh. Toward the end I was wishing the vocalist would just shut up and go into some instrumental pieces. I'll try again today. Bought BBT in the past (4 albums) and it all pretty much sounds the same...thought all the buzz on here was because of something new.
Did you intend to contribute anything to the discussion other than that?
Just wondering if the suggestion was that it is all still a little bit Genesis Revisited
Only a little, in my opinion.
What an amazing singer. LOVE THIS BAND
Well, Full Power looks awesome.
1382232_567658723284128_2052494328_n.jpg
Man, I'll tell you the song that has really grown on me, is 'Curator of Butterflies'. First listen, it was okay. Now it sounds magnificent. Beautiful and poignant. I think I prefer the versions of this and 'Swan Hunter' (another gem) on the Make Some Noise ep, less repetitious. More concise. But my favorite of all from the ep is still the new track 'Seen Better Days'. These songs have such a strong autumn afternoon mood, it hurts. Replace the song 'Make Some Noise' with 'East Coast Racer', add 'Winchester From St. Giles' Hill' in there somewhere, and it would make a perfect 'best of English Electric' cd.
(Of course someone else's 'best of' would be completely different.)
Another question about Full Power: have they changed the playing order of the tracks from English Electric Pts. I and II? Looks like it from the tracklisting on Amazon - plus the 4 additional songs are mixed in?
Yes they have mixed it up quite a bit.
What are people's feelings on that?
My feeling is very positive about it. When I heard Big Big Train was going to issue two separate volumes a year apart, and then six months or so afterwards put the two together with a few new tracks for a complete double album package, my instinctive reaction was two-fold: I thought "hmm, that's annoying", but I also thought "they're a class act; it'll be worth it, and it's not as if they're getting rich out of making intelligent and subtle new prog".
Having listened to both EE1 and EE2 quite a few times, I was never entirely sold on the flow and content of the second volume. All the individual tracks were fantastic, but to me it didn't hang together as an album as well as Vol. 1 did. However, I listened attentively and critically to "Full Power" a couple of times, and I reckon it's an absolute triumph. The whole thing has a deeply satisfying ebb and flow, and the structure of each half (yes, substantially re-ordered and with some very effective segues between tracks) is pretty much perfect. Also, I really like what the four new tracks bring to it - all of them are very different and diverse, but all help the entire 'English Electric' double album to flourish as a coherent yet eclectic collection. The overall structure seems spot-on; there's a strong and punchy opening track to each half, then a pleasing mixture of folk, ballads, prog epics, and building to a sentimental and emotive climax.
I was always going to buy it because I admire the band so much, but I was secretly a bit skeptical. However, I reckon EE Full Power is the definitive version to really steep oneself in. I don't think I'll play the separate volumes 1 and 2 very much in future, to be honest. I don't regret buying or having those, as they more than repaid the cost; but so has the new double 'Full Power' version. The book including interesting artwork, details about the stories behind the lyrics and information on the huge cast of musicians all adds to the experience.
Well Dodie, you said it better than I could. Probably my favorite collection of songs this year. Very deep feelings permeate this collection. Very autumn-like. Loads of undercurrent emotion, although melancholy, far from depressing.
Thanks for your thoughts. What bums me out is that I didn't know they were going to rerelease it all and I haven't even removed the shrink wrap from vol II so I hate buy another copy. But I do think vol I is great.
I just discovered Make Some Noise and the statements about BBT's work on a new full CD and a live tour. Great news, EE2 just grows and grows on me. The bass work is just awesome. Production is top shelf.
I really don't care what comes out the other end of the cheese grader concerning these tunes. They are a great band doing some great things. I like MSN. Sometimes you just have to do something different and have abit of fun.
The older I get, the better I was.
I got off the Big Big Train after getting EE1. I thought it paled in comparison to the Underfall Yard. I agree with the comment that it all sounds a bit "samey". Sort of like the Flower Kings, Transatlantic, and Neil Morse: great playing, singing and musicianship, but if you've heard one of their records, you've heard them all. Perhaps they've just dumped too much music on the market at once?
IMO their music is nowhere near as samey as with the other bands mentioned (though I enjoy the other bands).
^^ I offfer no comment on the degree of "sameyness". However, with so much music out there to be absorbed by other bands, I find that BBT haven't really done anything new. I also expected more from Dave Gregory's involvement. He seems relegated to the role of sideman rather than putting his unique, quirky imprint on BBT's music like he did in XTC.
Last edited by Guitarplyrjvb; 11-18-2013 at 12:16 PM.
From a compositional standpoint, although 'The Underfall Yard' is very good, I think the English Electric albums are a good deal more advanced. Underfall Yard may have been more flashy, but I think the English Electric albums have more depth.
Precisely how I see it as well.
I don't find anything that matches the depth of EE2 today, however if energy and pseudo-complexity is what you want there is an abundance of that out there.
9
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks